Philosophy of running!

Its been 10 weeks now since I took up running seriously. To have it going for this long is an achievement for me especially when we live in a world where every hobby or activity has a limited shelf life and there are several hundred activities that fight for our mind-space at any given time.

This world of multi-tasking makes devoting time for any one activity on a regular basis a near impossibility. And yet it is perhaps this very reason that I have been able to pursue running so religiously.

In the beginning it was all physical for me. I ran to burn calories and to look and feel fitter. And so it seemed like an effort and the pain after the long run seemed real. Somewhere along the journey, the physical part of running become a side story and running soon became an exercise in introspection. Earlier while running I looked outside-at the sights, the sounds, the mile markers, the changes in the terrain etc and my running was affected by all possible external factors. Now increasingly i look "inward". Running allows to me clear my mind and think positively about all aspects of my life-small and big. Running is no longer an activity to mark down the miles covered, it is becoming a meditation of sort for it leaves me clear-headed, calm and positive every time.

Having said this the meditative aspect of running isn't encountered so easily. The first couple of miles require supreme physical effort. But after this somewhere down the line almost like a miracle, I am in the "Zone"- what some may call a happy place. I stay there till the end of my run and like meditation, the pure and positive vibes stay with me all day.

So every time someone who thinks I am overdoing the running asks me to take a break, I smile and tell myself "I am doing just that"