The Realization
Sonia looked up at the clock with a worried expression as she tugged at her jeans with a last frantic effort to get it up her swelling girth. She knew she was getting late for work but the jeans simply refused to go up any further and there were still several more inches to cover till it reached her waist. Every morning as she stuffed herself into them she had feared it would soon come to this. She just did not know it would be so soon. With a last hopeless tug, she abandoned her efforts as the jeans refused to budge. Sonia pulled them out disgustedly and donned her usual Salwar Kurta hanging innocuously in her closet. She felt dejected and disowned as she looked forlornly at her favorite garment lying on the bed crumpled with exhaustion.
As Sonia rushed down the stairs she took a last look at the mirror in the hallway before reaching for the door. It was then that the vision of her shapeless waistline, swelling double chin and bulging hips resembling the swelling waters of the Mutha river, hit her with the ferocity of a flash flood. Sonia was fast reaching the obesity mark. She had to do something about it and that too pretty fast.
Sonia was not a fashion obsessed beauty fanatic. She never bothered about how she looked and had always reacted with a vengeance to body shaming. However, ever since she had added the 40th candle on her birthday cake, she knew it was not so much about looking ‘good’ any more but rather about looking healthy. The vision in the mirror definitely did not pass that parameter.
Signing up
As she nosed her car into the swelling Pune traffic, Sonia decided she will sign up for the run that her office was organizing that weekend. All her colleagues had signed up. Shreya had also gone on a shopping spree and had shown her the stuff she got from Decathlon. Sonia had looked on as the rest of her team had drooled over the bright orange coloured running tee, the colourful headband, the waistbelt and the fluorescent orange running shoes (“To match the tees” said Shreya smiling coyly) that poured out of Shreya’s bag one after the other. “After all”, Shreya had said “You do need to get into the mood don’t you?”
Mood or not, Sonia knew she had to do it. She had been procrastinating and pushing the inevitable behind her line of sight for too long. She could do it no longer. As soon as she reached her desk, she opened her inbox and searched for the mail sent from HR. She signed up her before she started to have second thoughts again.
Getting Run Ready
The day passed off in a daze as usual. Project deliveries, sprint discussions, standup meets, presentations packed up her day with no time spared for any other thought. By the time she threw her bag into the backseat of her car and reversed out of the parking lot it was already 9 pm. She realized there was no dinner as she had got up late and the wardrobe fiasco had not left much time for her to make dinner. Sonia stopped by her favourite Deli to pick up a salad and a drink. She looked longingly at the Blueberry Cheesecake, her favourite, staring back at her from behind the pastry counter.
She forced herself to look away and smiled bravely at the girl behind the counter as she said “That will be all, thank you.“ She grimaced as she felt a pang in her heart.
Home alone, she looked dejectedly at her Caesar Salad and
lemon Iced Tea sternly staring back at her.
“Come on” they seemed to be saying “You can do it.”
Sonia decided she needed to be true to herself and dug into her dinner with
determination.
Post dinner she rummaged in her cupboards looking for her tracks and tees. She seemed to have shoved them to the back somewhere and it took some time till she could scavenge them out from under the piles of clothing.
Next she needed to find out if she did have any running shoes in her shoe rack. She found one. A bit moldy but once washed and cleaned they would be good as new. She decided to try them out the next dayt to see if they would fit her well. Finally, she set the alarm for 5.00 am the next morning and decided to call it a day.
The First Run
Morning dawned nice and clear. It was not raining for a change. Sonia changed into her tees and tracks and decided to go for a walk to try out her shoes. The park next to her house was buzzing with morning walkers. She realized most people were regulars, as hands waved at each other and Good Mornings were shouted out. Having had nobody to talk to at home for a long time, Sonia felt a strange feeling of loneliness for the first time since her parents had passed away. She brushed off her thoughts as she started her rounds. After a couple of them, Sonia felt sufficiently warmed up and decided to do a quick run to test her stamina.
The park had built a new running track along the regular walker’s path. As Sonia sprinted on this newly laid track she could feel the adrenaline rushing up her body. She felt the wind on her face as her feet pounded away on the path kicking up a sufficient amount of red dust from the track.
Sonia had hardly reached a few metres when she heard a strange wheezing sound coming from somewhere. It was sometime later, noticing her fellow runners moving away and looking at her in what she felt was a concerned manner, that she realized that the sound was actually her own labored breathing. She could feel a hot sensation reaching her ears and a deep burn within her which seemed to clench her chest into a tight knot making breathing impossible. Her throat was drying up and her mouth opened up wider as she gasped for breath. Sonia felt she would faint. She stopped, clenching her sides and leaned weakly on to the tree lining the path panting.
The Takeaway
“Are you okay?” said a concerned voice from behind her.
As Sonia turned still gasping, sweat blurring her vision, she found a man looking at her with a worried expression. He had a square face that was hard and lean. His square glasses fit into it perfectly. His salt and pepper hair was drenched with sweat as it was apparent he was running too. Sonia nodded slowly.
“First time?” he asked. Sonia nodded again weakly as speech was still difficult. The man’s face broke into a grin making him look suddenly very boyish.
“Enjoy!” he said “It is always special. But try and take it slow. You will make it. Just keep going!” he said as he moved off showing her a thumbs up sign.
Sonia stared after him. Who is this? She wondered. Here she was nearly dying and this lunatic is actually asking her to “keep going”?
She watched as the man ran effortlessly round the park with an agility and grace that Sonia envied. As she limped slowly out of the park gate, after what she felt was a disastrous first attempt, she noticed the man was still running. Well, she thought at least there was some takeaways.
Practice to Perfect the Run
On her second day, Sonia was better prepared. She had looked up some videos on YouTube for running, done a bit of reading up and practiced a few warm up exercises before she stepped into the park. This time she could manage 50 metres more than last time before the earlier sensation of breathlessness caught up with her. However, Sonia decided she would not let it deter her. She alternated her running patterns with a few brisk walks and realized that it helped her run better. On one such round she crossed the same man she had met the other day. He was apparently engrossed in running and did not notice her.
Satisfied with her own regime of planned workout Sonia left the park in better shape than the previous day. She noticed the man was still running as effortlessly as she had seen him earlier. She felt a warm glow move through her body convincing herself that it was purely the joy of running that was responsible for this. Running, after all, does have its good “side effects” she thought smiling to herself.
Race Day
Race Sunday finally approached. Sonia felt she was ready for it. She tightened the lace of her running shoes, pulled her T-Shirt over her track pants and set off. It was 4 am and still quite dark as she drove through the empty streets towards her office. It had started to drizzle lightly. Nevertheless, Sonia, reached her office surprisingly fast and realized she never knew it was actually 20 minutes from her house. Driving through the busy weekday traffic, everyday, usually pushed that to 1 hour and a half.
The office parking lot was buzzing with activity of a different kind today. The place was festooned with banners and posters giving it a really festive look. Volunteers were running around making last minute arrangements. An impromptu stage was propped up where Zumba instructors were grooving to peppy workout numbers.
It was a family event and Sonia’s office colleagues had turned up with their spouses and kids pushing up the chaos several degrees higher. However, having spent several lonely Sundays curled up in her bed with only a book and a bag of chips, Sonia was certainly enjoying this cacophony.
Fun Run Fiesta
The drizzle had turned into a steady pouring, That, however, was no deterrent to the grooving and jiving running enthusiasts. The kids in particular got thoroughly into the mood and picked up the moves with real zest and enthusiasm. Sonia joined in the warm up session cautiously. She did not want to stretch or strain a muscle before the run. She knew she was not in the fittest of form yet and wanted to take it easy.
“Hi Sonia” shrieked Shreya from the other side of the Zumba
ranks, waving excitedly motioning her to join her and the other girls.
Sonia waved back and moved over to their side.
“Isn’t this fun?” asked Shreya laughing. Sonia nodded and laughed with her. She decided it was actually a good decision she had taken after a long time.
The flag off time for the first run, the 15K one, was scheduled at 5.30 am. Sonia noticed several known faces from the teams she had worked with, line up at the starting line. She had signed up for the 3K run, the shortest and the last one to be flagged off in the event. As the whistle went off, Sonia joined in the huge round of applause to cheer up the runners.
By the time it was time for the 5K run to be flagged off. She noticed several of the 15K runners were already returning and checking their timing chips to note their pace. They merrily and boisterously congratulated each other for having completed the run. It seemed to Sonia she had never witnessed such camaraderie in office. Things here seemed so different and so much better. Sports she realized was indeed the great leveler.
Flag Off
Soon it was time for the 3K event to be flagged off. Sonia felt a slight churning in her stomach as she moved into line with the other runners feeling extremely self-conscious. Theirs was the most crowded group of all dominated mostly by kids and their parents.
“Papa, I need to go to the toilet” wailed one little girl. The father, whom Sonia recognized as member of the IT team, smiled apologetically at them as he led his daughter towards the washroom. Sonia smiled to herself thinking about how she must have embarrassed her father in similar situations when she was a kid.
“Oh! there you are!” said Shreya as she pushed her way to move in with Sonia.
“Where were you?” said Sonia. “My makeup needed a touch up” said Shreya casually.
Sonia looked at her surprised and realized only then that Shreya was all dolled up complete with lipstick, eyeliner and kohl.
“You mean..” broke off Sonia incredulously.
“What else? You think I would let them click me without makeup?” said Shreya
Sonia shook her head laughing. Shreya was the fashionista in
their office. She even slept with makeup on so that she could take a selfie
when she woke up.
It was finally time. The flag was up. The whistle was ready. The crowd started
chanting the count down. Sonia joined in too laughing. “
10..9..8..7..6..5..4..3..2 and 1….”
Get Set Go
They were off. Sonia could not believe she had actually done it. She was in a proper race for the first time in her life. The rain had stopped but it was still drizzling and the roads were wet and slippery. Volunteers guided them to help them mark their route.
After the first 5 minutes, Sonia felt the familiar breathlessness get to her. She decided she will not stop and kept pushing herself. She realized she was not alone. There were spouses motivating their better halves. Fathers inspiring their daughters. Mothers waiting to let their sons catch up. Couples catching up on their Sunday morning romance in a different way. This was all new to Sonia as she had probably forgotten life existed in so many beautiful facets. This was not just a run it was a window to refresh her perspective of life.
The First Love
By the time Sonia reached the first water station, she had been running for 15 minutes straight. She was panting, her breath was strained and yet she felt a strange excitement within her that she had never experienced before. She held up her face to taste the drizzle from the skies to cool herself and set off once again. At every turn volunteers cheered and encouraged them, congratulating them on how well they were running. Unknown hands reached out for a high-five giving the runners a further boost.
There was something in this run which Sonia had never experienced in anything ever in her life. She realized then that she was falling in love for the first time. All her life she had detested and desisted from any kind of physical activity, realizing only now what a fool she had been. How could she have kept herself away from such an exhilarating and rejuvenating experience? She noticed Shreya clicking selfies at a turn and shook her head laughing.
The Finish Line
Soon she could see the Finish line. Her breathing was becoming more and more ragged. Her strides were becoming shorter and slower. There was a pain in her chest and her mind was questioning her need to continue.
“Stop” a voice was screaming inside her head.
“Don’t stop for you can do it” said another voice spoke inside her heart.
She was desperate to stop but something in the voice that spoke within her heart, kept her going. Finally, Sonia crossed the finish line. As she slumped down on the road, exhausted with the joy, she felt she had achieved something beyond her dreams. It was no-doubt a small run and the finisher’s badge that was pinned on to her T-shirt was smaller. Nevertheless, the sense of worth she earned out of the entire thing was undoubtedly huge.
“Good Run Sonia” said Varun, their HR head walking up to her smiling.
“Thanks Varun” said Sonia still panting. “Your arrangements are wonderful by the way” she said.
“Thanks.” Said Varun. “You run?” he asked Sonia.
Sonia shook her head. “This was my first” she said smiling sheepishly.
“Oh!” said Varun “You are missing out on a great sport. I love it.”
“Yes. I know. This was an eye-opener Varun” said Sonia “I intend to start off on this now”
“Yes. You should. You know what, why don’t you join some running groups in your area. They are a great place to start.”
“Really?” said Sonia thoughtfully
“Yes. Ok. Think I gotta go. Thanks for coming Sonia. See you in office tomorrow” said Varun as he waved goodbye and moved over to a woman frantically gesturing at him.
The Reward
Sonia looked after him as she considered his last words for joining a running club seemed to be a good idea to her.
She pulled up her tired self and walked off towards her car smiling at the strange manner in which life surprises you. What had been a need to shed off a few kilos ended up in giving her an entirely new perspective. For Sonia had decided that so long as there was a pair of good soles to pound into the earth with full gusto and hands held out to give you a boost whenever you needed it, Life was definitely worth living despite all its troubles.
The Run had shown her that Life was finally calling and she was ready with an answer!
