BRAToSPHERE

Tag: running

  • What i talk about when i talk about running – Book Review

    Haruki Murakami. Counted among the world’s greatest living novelists. This warranted enough interest to immerse in his world to realize the magic. After going through the entire bibliography of his English translated books, I picked this one up hoping to further motivate myself to prepare to run a marathon.

    The person is Inspiring. After all the respect I had gained reading about his books and achievements, he left me awestruck when I discovered that he has completed an ultramarathon!

    This book is like a memoir of the author’s running hobby (appears like a serious profession in the way it is done!) and his thoughts while running. The book is about the influence running has had on him as a person and thus on his writings.

    The book details out his preparation and his thoughts during various important runs of his life. I particularly like the parts of the book when the author talks about specific events, like the original marathon course in Greece or his preparation for the triathlon.

    Running and Writing, both require discipline and considerable amounts of self drive and motivation to keep one going. They are both lonely professions to talk about, and that is where personal reflections help the best. As individualistic pursuits, these pursuits allow you to have complete control to chart your own territory and define your own boundaries.

    As an aspiring marathoner, I could totally relate to the various experiences and the thoughts that have been detailed here.

    The author is a gifted writer is a known fact now globally. His sheer simplicity and the easy narrative wins hundred percent points.

    A must read for anyone with even a slight interest in Running or literature (The fact that you have reached reading till here indicated your interest!), should read this book. Off I am, to get my hands on the remaining books by the author.

    Suggestions, anyone?

  • Early Mornings

    In the morning a man walks with his whole body; in the evening, only with his legs ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

    This one statement captures it all. Mornings are indeed the most productive hours of the day. The birds chirping, the chill in the air and the dew droplets on the leaves – the atmosphere is so soothing that it brings out the best in you.

    Alas! Most of us (including me!) have wasted most of our mornings, and we keep doing it. Unfortunately, most of these mornings are spent in slumber missing out on the best moments of the day.

    Of late, I have started this routine of waking up before dawn and ideally hitting the ground before the early morning sunlight. Taking a walk around the ground, slight stretching exercises, some yoga exercises or sometimes just sitting there on the bench and observing the beautiful nature – the day seems all charged up.

    Some things that I try doing in the morning:

    Exercise: Work out in the morning. After running, or brisk walking, 10 Km at a stretch early in the morning, heaps of work in the office should be a smooth run. Anything in the form of exercise – Yoga, stretching, meditate, etc. A 45 minute brisk walk session followed with half an hour of Yoga works perfectly. Have been trying to accommodate meditation into the routine for sometime now.

    Planning my day: The extra fresh hours in the morning, give me ample time to put my day in place. Mapping out the schedule for the day, and the to-do list, makes it so much easier.

    Healthy Breakfast: No stress on the importance of this meal. So I tend to have a good, hearty one for this.

    Writing: Well, reading and writing is supposed to be a leisure activity and thus should be done anytime during the day right? Well, true. But bringing in some amount of discipline gets more productive results. Also, mornings allow the mind to think freely and be more creative.

    All this waking up early and getting into a routine forms a very strong and powerful thing within ourselves (other than the six pack abs, if you are the gymming kinds) – HABIT.

    Habit is probably the most powerful thing that drives us to do anything, and the best way to form it is in the mornings when it sticks the best!

    Developing this habit in the daily routine has made me realize that the day actually has enough number of hours, it just needs better planning.

    With this, I am off to get my breakfast, yes a whole and hearty one.