A decade-long journey of a recreational runner!
I am celebrating 10 years. Ten years as a recreational long distance runner. It was back in September 2009 that I started my journey in long distance running to keep myself fit. But soon it became my passion and now I take pride in how the journey has taken shape.
A childhood wish...
When I was a child, I aspired to become a sportsperson. But the place where I was born and grew up in was a small, devoid of any sporting facilities.
I was good at studies as well, and my parents convinced me to concentrate on studies more than sports. But my love for sport didn’t diminish. I kept on following various sports and athletes.
...nurtured at the workplace
The decision to continue in academics turned out to be very useful. I did well to complete my bachelor’s degree in computer engineering, which in turn earned me a job at Infosys.
My workplace has a sprawling campus and I had access to various sporting facilities that I had seen only on TV. Those facilities reignited my dreams of becoming a sportsperson. I tried my hands at tennis, badminton, table tennis, bowling and learnt them well enough to compete at least at my workplace.
But because of the dynamic nature of my work, I was unable to continue these for long. I used to be either too occupied with my work or unable to find playing partners. And my fitness regimen used to be irregular.
There would sometimes be prolonged gaps during which time I was unable to pursue any sports or fitness activities for many weeks. In addition, the sedentary nature of my work meant adding more kilos to the body.