Runner or not, I can’t think of a female friend who hasn’t swooned over the Milind Soman, so when GurgaonMoms called and asked me to join a coffee chat at Ramada, I jumped at the chance. I went fully expecting it to be a typical promotional event with some exec going yada yada about their message followed by a quick photo op with MS, to be finished of with decent enough coffee.
Imagine my surprise when i reached Hotel Ramada Gurgaon Central, to find Milind Soman himself sitting on the podium speaking passionately about health, fitness and the importance of putting one's body on priority. He was very knowledgeable about food and fitness, and his narrative revolved around how important it is to take care of the one machine we cannot replace – our body.
Running regularly changes one’s lifestyle dramatically. From improving stamina to choosing better foods to feeling more energetic through the day, it has even more significant impact like improving immunity.
I started running in 2013, after my daughter was nearing 2 years of age, mainly to lose all the maternity weight. I remember huffing and puffing in just 300m for the first week. I went on to complete the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon, much to my delight. As I prepare for the marathon, now that the son is nearing 2 years, my biggest challenge is waking up to run.
So here is what I have found as ways to motivate oneself to run
- Buy a great outfit. Yup, running in style has never been easier. Every sports brand worth its salt has woken up to women running and introduced a variety of gear. So get on a pair of comfy running shorts/ pants; lively top and a good pair of shoes (or not) and lay them out the night before.
- Tell 5 people that you plan to run. They will be your cheerleaders and remind you to get going. I remember my last #pinkathon. I called my husband at the 5k mark, wanting to give up and come home – he refused to let me in if I came back without the medal – so I did complete the 10k.
- Make a list of all the excuses. I can’t get up in the morning because the baby doesn’t sleep through the night. I will not be able to run even 500m. It is too hot/cold. Then find a solution for each one of them. Sleep early at night. Run 400m on the first day. Get the right clothes. Once you don’t have an excuse to hide behind, you have to run.
- Get up an hour earlier a week in advance. This is Milind’s trick. Wake up early and do nothing, in a day or two, you will want to go outdoors and run.
- Sign up for an event. Having a goal brings out the competitor within. I can’t possibly not go after signing up. So the #Pinkathon is coming up on the 4th of September. It has categories across 3k, 5k and 10k. Pick whatever distance feels comfortable. Honestly 3K isn't that much, it's less than 3 rounds within Ambience Mall! Distances seem longer in the imagination.
The sixth one I’m trying out, is meeting Milind Soman. Hopefully the pep talk will get me up and training for the full marathon in Jan 2017.
