With sweat dripping down the neck, a water bottle in hand, with a zeal to be better than yesterday I run every morning to launch a new day for myself. It’s a pleasure to witness the changing seasons and feel proud to be rarest of the few who dare to see the rising sun.
Fellow toastmasters, honourable guests and the toastmaster of the day, I choose to run when most of the toastmasters here are snoring in their beds. It is not their fault, they enjoys sleeping till late …just because they haven’t discovered the joy of running yet.
What I am offering you is a simplest and inexpensive means of staying fit, realizing your true potential and confidence building. You can be a runner, simply by being disciplined, eating right and enjoying every moment of running.
I will present my own case study on how running has benefited me as an individual.
Running demands discipline. Sounds deterrent? But the fact is whenever you start with something good you feel several forces working against you. If you like to run in the morning you need to sleep early. But you will notice suddenly, every one is calling you after 10 PM or several dear friends inviting you for late night parties that you cannot refuse. Initially these issues distract. Later you learn to schedule your run accordingly. Last summer I saw a gentleman running regularly at 1:30 pm through our office building under the blazing sun. I had to admire his conviction.
Another deterrent is inhibition. How will I look when I run? What will my neighbour say if they see me running? Come on! Who is getting benefited -you or your neighbour? Only if you are RK’s neighbour he is never going to spare you.
When you follow a disciplined regime of running, your body automatically demands right food from you. I plan my run a day before and accordingly plan my dinner. A routine diet of proteins, in vegetables, legumes and lentils always help me. Also I eat pasta for extra carbohydrates when I run long distance. As Anita mentioned in her last project, our body needs a minimum of 4 Lts of water per day. My formula is – drink lots of water not wine, quit smoking and enjoy running.
I don’t run to lose weight or win accolades. Every time I don my running shoes, there is a quest to renew the same ecstasy that I felt after my previous run. A feeling of satisfaction and emancipation engulfs me every time I run. Running in a group and make it more enjoyable. Imagine a group of 30-80 people running together for fun, sharing their tremendous energy and laughter and encouraging each other. There are several running clubs in Dubai like Dubai road runners, Desert hash house harriers to which I belong. They organize several running events every year. Believe me they are fun, just fun.
With these basics lets get started. If you are a novice, don’t haste from day one. Start with a walk and enjoy it to fullest. Walk as much as you want. Walk long distances, walk on different roads, walk at different time of the day. Try to achieve maximum fun out of every walk. That’s your time, don’t let your mobile phone spoil those precious personal moments. Be your own sergeant at arms. Gradually you will realize that your speed and capacity is increasing. Listen to what your body is saying. One day without effort your body will ask you to run. It won’t be a forceful running but there will be a call from within you to run. That day you shed all your inhibitions and start running. I am sure you will never stop after that. Don’t count the kilometers, don’t look at your watch or think of your weight, just count the moment of enjoyment. Admire yourself. Praise how good you look when you run. How different you are from others.
Fellow toastmasters, don’t miss out a chance for precious healthy moments of life and join me on this Friday at 6:00 am for a lovely run and make a difference.
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