Blog Posts

The last kilometer

As someone who has clocked close to 1000 kms and burned more than 65000 kcal in the process (thanks to Endomondo for the stats), I feel worthy enough to share some pointers on running. To be frank, the aforementioned stats are nothing compared to some of the marathoners that I know of. But if you haven’t gone out for a single km run in your life and are looking to make a start, this blog will definitely be helpful.

Below are my top 4 tips for starters to make it to the ‘last km’,

1. Get inspired

It’s simple. No activity can start without motivation. So if you want to run, you need motivation. Be it fat loss to shed some extra kilos, be it getting in shape or be it the movie Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. Motivation is what that’s going to get you started

2. Music, Podcasts and Audiobooks

And if motivation is going to get you started, music will keep you going. Running is one of the most high intensity workouts out there and the fact of the matter is that running is exhausting, tough and you are going to sweat like anything. If you continue after the first 5 minutes, you would want to turn around and go back home every passing minute. Music (or if you are into audio books or podcasts) is going to help you stay motivated. I also feel it keeps your brain engaged so that it isn’t concentrating on the pain all the time

3. Get help from your shoulders

Okay I mentioned music but how about the actual running process? We all know how to run. We learnt it in our childhood but here’s a tip when it gets very tough in the field – keep your shoulders moving ahead. Concentrate on moving your shoulders ahead one after the other and your feet will follow

4. Let the World know!

Share your workout on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and whichever social media platform that you like. I know this could be polarizing and you are probably saying – “I don’t post anything on facebook. I am there just to stalk others and make fun of what they post. I don’t want to ‘contribute’ anything!”. In my humble opinion, posting on facebook is going to make you accountable. If you run for 2 weeks and post on facebook, come third week people are going to ask you about your run! Check out this INK Talk by Vishal Gondal (100 kms in 48 hours) and how important this really is,

Finally, running is also going to change you in certain ways you may have never thought about. You may start to worry about the food you eat and the calories it brings along because now you know exactly how hard it is to burn them. You will most definitely start avoiding the naysayers. When you start to run (and share it on social media), get ready to hear stuff like,

You don’t need to lose weight
You shouldn’t run in the open, join a gym
You will fall ill
You should wake up at 6 AM if you really want to run
You take too much time, you need to be faster
You should rather concentrate on your diet
You aren’t using the right shoes
You aren’t the best runner in the World
You aren’t burning enough calories
Fine! if you have to run don’t share it on facebook!!

This reminds me of a very insightful Ted Talk by Leila Hoteit, an Arab businesswoman and her philosophy of dealing with the naysayers,

Convert their sh*t into your fuel!

But please note that not everyone is a naysayer. Advise from pros is gold! If Milind Soman was to come and tell you that those shoes aren’t right, by all means they are not right!

Nonetheless, the comments I listed above need to be your fuel. Especially if they come from someone who doesn’t run. And like that quote from Tony Robbins go,