Being a Runner - The Future I am living into

In this blog post, I intend to spell out what it means for me to be a Runner, what I want to accomplish in this area over the years.

Last Wednesday I registered to run the NYRR Brooklyn Half-Marathon and that led to a whole new level of inspiration, re-dedication and enjoyment in my running. Prior to that, I had been avoiding running altogether for a while and was running on and off, but with not much commitment or direction. After completing the Philadelphia Marathon on Nov 24, 2008 I had stopped running altogether, using Winter as an excuse. Even after winter was done, my attempts at running regularly were failing - runs were few and far in between.

Committing to run a Half-marathon changed all that! I found it easy to make time to run; and while running it was easy to keep myself motivated to run the long distances with the goal of doing well at next Saturday's Half-marathon!!

I am inspired by this past week's happening to take it further and create for myself what kind of future I want to live into as a Runner! And I am confident of taking this on in other areas of my life as well - areas which need some "breathing-life-into"; areas I have given up on, and am putting up with.

Running has been an important part of my life for the past three years. I ran my first 5K race in October of 2006. The pride of accomplishment on completion had shot through my general sense of worthlessness to make me feel good about myself after a very long time; it would not be an exaggeration if I said that was the first time in my life I was proud and happy about myself. Running was a natural anti-depressant for me at that time! From then on, Running has been a key part of my life, and I identify myself as a runner most of the time.

For a person who has avoided all physical activities in childhood / youth, becoming a Runner has been a ticket to physical fitness as well.

Here is what I want to be accomplishing in the area of Running over the years:

• Goal # 1 : Complete a minimum 3 miles run at least three times a week! Running is an activity I can do anywhere. Running 3 miles will take less than half an hour. Running at-least 3 miles three times a week will provide me a base level of fitness for the type of active life I want to have! Regular running will also encourage good eating and sleeping habits.
  
• Goal # 2 : Run at least 2 marathons a year! To make it easy to accomplish Goal # 1. Having marathoners like Dr. Ashis Roy among my friends, it's only natural that I take on running marathons regularly. This year, I will be running The Self-Transcendence Marathon on Tuesday, Aug 25th and the New York City Marathon on Sunday, Nov 1st. I will have the privilege of running with Dr. Ashis Roy at the Self-Transcendence Marathon!
  
• Goal # 3: Run the Boston Marathon by 2015! This goal makes the first two goals easy to accomplish. To qualify for Boston Marathon, I have to complete a qualifying marathon within 3hrs 15min. Right now, I have completed one marathon in 5hrs 47min. Lot of running to do to get there!
  

That is all! That is all I want to accomplish as a Runner in life! And flying off the self-confidence and self-belief engendered by the successes in this area of my life, I will cause miracles in other areas of my life, and be a super-contributor for everyone in my life!

The future I am living into just got a whole lot brighter!!

Continue reading "Being a Runner - The Future I am living into"

The Obama-mobile chronicle

I spent this past week-end driving around in a "Obama-mobile" in and around Cincinnati as part of a team of volunteers working on the Barack Obama presidential campaign. It was a terrific experience, to be part of this historic election campaign. Having been for long a passive supporter of Obama in this election that I cannot vote, it was very satisfying to have played a small but important role in ensuring the success of Obama campaign. The added bonus of having some wonderful companions on the road made it really enjoyable. My new friend Todd Wiener's Mini Cooper was the Obama-mobile on Saturday while my rented car doubled up as Obama-mobile on Sunday.

I don't have to go too far into the past to tell this story from the beginning! Last Wednesday my friend Becca invited me to join her on a week-end trip to Cincinnati to campaign for Obama; I said "NO WAY, I have a lots of things to do this weekend!" On Friday afternoon, I gave in to the lure of the adventure and switched my mind! And away we went on Saturday morning flying from La Guardia to Cincinnati and reporting at the Obama Campaign Cincinnati Headquarters on Madison Road by 9:30 AM.

Enter stage left Mr. Todd Wiener - Becca's friend and one of the many New Yorkers who have made Ohio their home for the past few months to tilt the scales in favor of Obama in this battleground state. Todd's Ohio Surprise blog chronicles his activities as part of the Obama campaign.

After a little time spent at the campaign headquarters getting ourselves set up for the day's work, we (a group of 7 ) set out towards a suburb called Loveland. The agenda with each person we meet was very clear: Ensure that they are aware of the upcoming election; inform them about the possibility of voting early; check if they know who they are voting for; if they are undecided, answer any of their concerns and sway them towards voting for Obama! Very simple indeed!

The start wasn't auspicious though - Becca and I paired up as a team and went to the first house on the list; a woman opened the door slightly and then closed it very abrubtly saying "sorry, we are McCain supporters"! Luckily we found other families in the same street in support of Obama, or who were still undecided and were willing to talk - that kept our spirits flying high.

Most of Saturday's canvassing was done in the suburbs of Cincinnati, and it involved a little bit of driving and a whole lot of walking. By the end of the day our group had knocked on over 100 doors, and spoken to around 30 people. Given the early start we had for the day, and the long walks during the day, we were exhausted at the end of the day!

Sunday's work was totally different from the previous day, as we drove out to the country side! We went canvassing in the rural Appalachian Ohio area of Brown county - around 50 miles east of Cincinnati. I enjoyed this part of the canvassing thanks to the friendly reception we got from everyone - even the hardcore republican supporters. Also, this part of the work was unlike the previous days work as it involved more driving and less walking, as the houses were all far apart.We gave out a few Obama/Biden signs too be displayed in front of some of the farms we visited - I took the picture of one of them as I was proud of having accomplished something that furthers the cause!!

The interactions with people on both days was enjoyable. While Ohio has been a Republican stronghold in the past, we were amazed at how many people were supporting Obama. My companions were especially very surprised with the number of Obama supporters in rural Appalachian Ohio, as they were expecting race to be a big issue in these areas.

While the other group mentioned about meeting someone who was against Obama because of race, the issue of race never came up in any of the interactions I was part of - I guess my color effectively made sure the topic never comes up ;-)

The experience of being with Obama supporters - volunteers as well as staff - was extraordinary. It was an extra-ordinary group of people who had all gathered together to work towards a single goal. The sense of camaraderie among this amorphous group where people came in and went out seamlessly was amazing! Among the volunteers we met, there was one attorney from California, there was a elderly couple who were in a high position in Brooklyn Museum, a woman working on staff of Kentucky's Governor, many people from New York who had moved from their state (a safe bet for Democrats) to Ohio to make a difference!

Almost all of the out-of-state volunteers were staying with some friends in Cincinnati. The Obama campaign staff had put us up at the house of one of the senior phone bank supervisors; calling it a house would be a understatement - mansion would be the right word for it!!

The election is less than a week away, and even though Obama seems to be leading in the polls, - as Obama himself says, there is still work to be done, and people who would want to avoid a repeat of the past eight years would do well to help the Obama campaign in some small way of their own. Go to BarackObama.com and look for opportunities to make a difference.

And this request is not just for people who can vote in US; this request is also for many of my friends who are in US but don't have the voting rights yet.

I have been very impressed by Barack Obama ever since he came to national prominence during the 2004 Democratic National Convention. He is the kind of leader who can inspire people to higher things and can provide hope for the future! So go vote next Tuesday and pave way for a bright future. And volunteer your time till the election day to ensure that the bright future arrives securely next Wednesday!

Finally, a parting thought on a totally different track: One thing that captured my imagination during this trip was a small poem inscribed in a picture frame hanging in my host's bathroom - our hosts were an elderly couple, the husband is a retired Management Consultant and the wife is a retired school teacher; their kids have moved away from home. The presence of this poem in their home seemed very poignant:

One hundred years from now
It won't matter
What kind of car I drove
What kind of house I lived in
How much money I had in the bank
Nor what my cloths looked like
BUT
The world may be a little better
Because, I was important
In the life of a child.

Continue reading "The Obama-mobile chronicle"

Suicide - a rational option under certain circumstances?

Yesterday, as I ran 18 miles and had nearly four hours to keep my mind occupied in various ways, one of the topics I spent considerable amount of time on was about "Suicide being a rational option under certain circumstances". The train of thought on Suicide was triggered by the following quote I had read a day or two earlier in Ben Casnocha's recent blog post about the death of David Foster Wallace.

I'm wondering whether, as one friend put it to me, a brilliant mind knows that suicide is actually a rational option under certain circumstances.

What really hooked me about the above quote was the fact that there was a time when I would have fully agreed with the statement, and that I am in total opposition of it now.

While I have not taken active steps towards committing suicide at any point in my life, there have been numerous occasions when depression has taken over my being, I have come close to ending it all, being totally hopeless about life at that point in time.

There was also an incident a few years ago when one of my friends committed suicide, and I was left with a regret that if only I had been more open to him and willing to support him in his troubled times he would have not killed himself.

Looking back at my journey from struggles with near-suicidal depression to life-affirming vitality, the following jump out as key aspects / moments / incidents in this journey:

• In my case, I kind of have an idea how I got to where I was. Early experiences of angry and violent outbursts, and perceived lack of love and appreciation made me withdraw into myself; make up the story that no one can be trusted; that I am ugly, unlovable, dumb, hated, and incompetent; that I am a burden on people around me, and that people barely tolerate my presence. While I went on to have a "successful life" - doing well in education and career, the flawed self-image showed up frequently as depressive episodes, and I made it through life, perfecting the art of being lonely and orphaned despite being with family and friends.
  
• While my early mental make up did not allow me to let any human into my life in anyway, my love (and implicit trust) of books turned out to be a redeeming aspect. I have trusted in books wholeheartedly to help me enjoy and live my life. I also turned to books when it became clear to me that who I had turned out to be was not working for me, and that I had to fix myself before something drastic happens. Around 5 or 6 years ago, I was devouring books on various topics related to depression, personality disorders, psychotherapy, etc. A direct off-shoot of this bibliographical excursion was the decision to seek psychotherapy counseling. Given my total lack of trust in fellow human beings, and the total trust in books, it is no surprise that I started my psychotherapy sessions with an author of one of the books I read ;-).
• One of the literary gems I came across in my attempt to find some book to help me in my efforts is William Styron's Darkness Visible : A memoir of madness. From my previous post about this book : "William Styron was not only able to express very lucidly the hopelessness and maddening frustrations of his increasingly melancholic state-of-mind, but also delves in length on the recovery aspects, starting with his recollection of the happier times of his life on listening to a favourite piece of music." The movie Girl, Interrupted reinforced my belief in the benefits of psychotherapy, clarifying what I was out to get for myself from these expensive sessions.
• The psychotherapy sessions did make a huge difference. In short, these long years of therapy helped me reactivate my emotional sensors and be with what is happening in the world. I am eternally grateful for the work my psychotherapist guided me through to undo the sinister parts of my mental make-up.
  
• In my monotonous and dreary existence over the past few years - sustained by regular dose of therapeutic counseling (and towards the later part through prescription anti-depressants), the single most joyful experience I have been lucky to have had is to be at the receiving end of unconditional love from many kids - my nieces and nephews, the kids of many of my friends. I hold fond memories particularly of the time I spent with my Baltimore friends' two kids - being part of THEIR growing up process, and knowing that they love me for just being myself, seems to have in some way made me give up a huge slice of the "I am unlovable" crap I had been holding on to for all my life!
• I took up running almost two years ago to the date, running my first 5K race on Sunday Oct 08, 2006. Now as I prepare to run my first marathon on Nov 23rd, I am present to how much of a life force rejuvenatory thing this habit has been. The pride and joy I got every time I met a personal milestone in running has added to my personal confidence by leaps and bounds. When a person genuinely loves himself and is proud of his accomplishments, say good-bye to depression!
  
• The definite shift towards vitality and eager anticipation for all that life has to offer occurred over the three and half days of the Landmark Forum that I attended last June. The Landmark Forum allowed me let go of all the "shoulds", "musts" &"can'ts" that have been making my life miserable, and has given me faith in my ability to fully participate in and enjoy life to the fullest!

There was a time when I would have considered suicide a rational option, but that was in the past!!

Now I am clear that life is worth living, and that suicide is an option only for people limited in their ability to receive and give love!

Continue reading "Suicide - a rational option under certain circumstances?"

Funny Ad

Spent some time yesterday googling for funny Ads after seeing one posted by a friend on Facebook. The half an hour or so I spent on this effort wasn't all that entertaining for me. There was only one Ad that got me laughing in the entire set.

I guess my enjoyment of the ad and the vote on whether it is funny or not is a function of many things. I could be laughing out uncontrollably at an ad now; the same one would have produced a bored yawn at some other time.

Here is the one which made me laugh yesterday:

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Now he belongs to the Ages

Completed Doris Kearns Goodwin's Team of Rivals today; was absorbed in this American Civil War saga for the past two weeks. Terrific story! Terrific writing! My respect for and admiration of Abraham Lincoln has increased leaps and bounds.

My interest in Civil War history and in Abraham Lincoln's life was born during the cross-country road trip I went on last year with Jonathan Hoffman. Jon is a Civil War buff, and had got two related audio books with him for the road trip - one about Civil War (I don't remember the author) and another James L Swanson's book Manhunt : The twelve day hunt for Lincoln's killer. Both books were amazing - providing me insights into that part of the history which I had only known as a 2-3 line paragraph in the World History textbooks.

As part of the road trip, we had visited Springfield, IL - where Lincoln spent most of his adult life, and Vicksburg, MS - the scene of one of the most celebrated Union victories during the Civil War. Very recently I visited Gettysburg, PA - the scene of another major Union victory and the site of Lincoln's most celebrated speech - The Gettysburg Address- a speech lasting just over two minutes!

Continue reading "Now he belongs to the Ages"

IndiaPositive

The India Positive blog is an amazing collection of good things about India. Something I would have loved to have written!

I came across this blog while looking for blogspot.com blogs that mention Dr. Ashis Roy.

Surprised to see someone has already put in the effort to highlight the positive aspects of India in an organized manner on a web log - easily accessible for anyone with internet connection.


I would love to meet up with Venkatesh Kanna - the author of this blog. Wonder why he has become less active in 2008 - with only one entry so far, after having 304 and 194 posts in 2006 and 2007 respectively.

Continue reading "IndiaPositive"

An apt Role Model for Today's India

Met with Dr. Ashis Roy yesterday in Washington DC, where he is staying with his daughter's family on his visit to US.

Delhi based Dr. Roy is one of a kind! He is 75 years old and has completed 82 marathons so far, and has plans to notch up the hundred mark before he is 80! His next marathon will be at the Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota on Saturday June 22nd.

When Indian nationals are a rare sighting at even a 5K or a 10K in the US, Dr. Roy's feat of completing 82 marathons seems totally out of this world!

I had come across his name in a newspaper article about his completion of the 82nd Marathon recently at the Delaware marathon. I contacted the author of the article to get Dr. Roy's contact information, and wrote to him last week. After a couple of phone conversations and email exchanges, we set up a "running date" this past Sunday.

It was a pleasure running with Dr. Roy. We had a long conversation about his life, the various marathons he has run, his experience at those Marathons, and about good running practices.

He has been a runner all his life, growing up in Shillong, Meghalaya, running and walking to faraway school from early age. He was a Ranji level Cricket player in his youth. He had joined the Indian Air force in 1957 with am ambition to represent India in long distance running at the Olympics. The plans to represent India in the 10,000m race at the 1960 Rome Olympics failed to materialize as work pressures took over.

After retiring from the Air Force as a Wing Commander in 1978, Dr. Roy started a private practice in Delhi, and had gained a lot of weight over the next few years.

A chance encounter with an ex-colleague who could not recognize Dr. Roy with all the weight he had gained, made Dr. Roy to take up regular running as a physical exercise to reduce weight. He ran his first marathon two years later, and has been going from strength to strength ever since.

He has accumulated amazing amount of knowledge about running through his long years of running. A beginning / intermediate runner like me got quite a bit of useful advice from him about good running, some of which I share below for the benefit of my readers:

• Run slower and longer; taking a walking break breaks the rhythm and the warmth of the body. I ran 6 miles with him in 1 hour 19 minutes at a slower pace than usual and ended the run very strongly, feeling very comfortable.

• It is advisable not to spit out saliva and instead to swallow it. Saliva is the fluid content in our body and we need to conserve it, not throw away.

• Good running shoes - which provide good cushioning to the sole with Gel - are mandatory for long running career.

• A total newcomer to long distance running is advised to run 5Ks and 10Ks for the first two years, and go for a couple of half-marathons before attempting the first marathon. I am right on track to follow this advice, having competed in a few 5Ks over the past three years, and now training for the first half-marathon in July. My first marathon might be at the end of this year. Or early next year.

• The run should be preceded and followed by a good stretching work-out. When we ran yesterday, we stretched for a couple of minutes before the start, and spent around 15 minutes stretching after the end.
  

• One advice to me and to the many Indians (and non-Indians) who have bellies of various sizes: Make sit-ups a standard part of your work out. He does a 100 sit-ups everyday as part of his training. That is the key to get rid of the belly fat!
  

Rather surprisingly, Dr. Roy swears by Indian Vegetarian food!

Some interesting links about Dr. Roy on the internet:

• Article in May 2008 about the 82nd Marathon

• Article in Nov 2007 after 80th Marathon

• Photos from Delaware Marathon 2008

• Photos from Georgia Marathon 2008

• From the Results of New York City Marathon 1997

• From the Limca Book of Records
  

Continue reading "An apt Role Model for Today's India"

Four score and seven years ago ....

On my drive back from DC yesterday after meeting with Dr. Ashis Roy, I took the long way back and stopped over at the Gettysburg National Military Park - a place I wanted to visit for long. Having learned about the Civil war during the road trip with Jon Hoffman last summer, and having visited the Vicksburg National Military Park during the same road trip, I was very keep to visit Gettysburg - a must see place for a Civil War buff!

It is appropriate that I visited Gettysburg at this juncture when I am questioning my commitments - or the lack of commitment. Hoping that President Lincoln's invitation "........ It is for us, the living, rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work....." as part of the Gettysburg address to inspire me to dedicate myself to my unfinished work and commitments.

The theme emphasized many times at the Gettysburg National Park is "A New Birth of Freedom" - taking a piece off Lincoln's address at Gettysburg. It is an apt description of Gettysburg's role - or for that matter, the Civil War's role - in American history. It can also serve as an apt metaphor for a periodic rebirth on a personal scale - an instance of one such periodic rebirth I have been engaged in at the moment.

The History Channel movie, the museum exhibits, the walk through the Cemetery, the Soldier's National Cemetery monument where Lincoln stood while he delivered the Gettysburg Address, the monuments to the thousands of soldiers who fought and died at the Gettysburg battle - all are quite inspirational!

Took a few photos with my iPhone; check them out at the Gettysburg Visit Set on my Flickr Account.

Continue reading "Four score and seven years ago ...."