Women’s Web is saying Goodbye! Please make sure you read this important notification.
Running had made my health situation almost perfect. Whereas I used to suffer asthmatic attacks five to six times in a year limiting me from living a full life, it came down to may be one or barely one in a year with much less intensity.
I have been running for a while, about five years now. In 2021 my son began to encourage me to participate in a half marathon. His argument was that if I could do a 10K, I should be able to complete a half marathon without great difficulties. I was skeptical.
Most of my life I have been exactly the opposite of sportsperson. A wheezing asthmatic since childhood, I don’t remember running being a part of my life ever. I have rarely gone without an attack for two months at an end. Wheezing was so much a part of my life that I had hunched posture as far as I could remember. I have tried allopathy as well as all kinds of alternative treatments and Yoga. Things improve a bit but never a remarkable change.
Then towards the end of 2016, I overheard my friend/ colleague PGK talking to another friend/ colleague JD about running and apps and diets etc. JD is an accomplished runner. The app part really got me intrigued. I checked the app store and found a fitness app suitable for first time runners.
This app is perfect for beginners and starts off with a combination of walking and running and slowly builds up stamina and endurance. These were just baby steps but they soon led me to a 5K. Very soon I was able to do a 10K too and running became a part of my life. I continued to run as and when I could while working and even when I left my job to do a full time post graduation, somehow getting things together and finding time on weekends for running.
Running had made my health situation almost perfect. Whereas I used to suffer asthmatic attacks five to six times in a year limiting me from living a full life, it came down to may be one or barely one in a year with much less intensity. I was feeling the healthiest that I had ever felt in my entire life. 40’s were indeed my 20’s as far as health was concerned.
Then the covid-19 pandemic happened during my last semester of PG. with lock-downs, mounting coursework, housework etc. it took a toll on mental as well as physical health etc. Once my PG programme was completed in mid of 2020, I heard from my sisters that there are fitness videos available on YouTube.
This hadn’t occurred to me! I soon started working out at home and as and when the lock-downs were lifted would step outside for running. In the meanwhile I checked out other stuff such as posture correction, strength training, exercises for shin splints etc. and kept working on something or other everyday. Then in January of 2021 I contracted Covid.
I didn’t suffer too much during the disease, but I wasn’t able to run even 2 months after recovering as I would start wheezing soon after. I stopped running but persevered with walking and the other exercises. Since, I wasn’t working at this time, I spent at least 90 minutes a day for my workouts. I was able to run again within a few months.
At this time my son encouraged me to register for a half marathon. To me this seemed like a mountainous task. I wasn’t keen at all as it takes a lot of sacrifice to be even a decent sportsperson. One has to abstain from a lot of things and be consistent day in and day out.
Anyway, to cut the long story short, he was able to convince me and I went ahead and registered. I kept up with my training and running my 5Ks and 10Ks. One day I went cycling and returned with back pain. The only thing that I was able to after this was walking. Two months passed and I was still not able to run as I was worried about injuring my back further. I finally went to an acupuncturist and was running within no time.
My son who is doing his post graduation abroad returned in the meanwhile for Christmas break. The half marathon I registered for got postponed due to resurgence of the pandemic and the participants were instead asked to do a virtual run. I was determined to complete the run on the said date as I soon had to join my new workplace and I wasn’t sure of the time that will be available to me once I started working again.
On the day of the run I woke up at 4.00 am and me and my son set off from home at 5.00 am or so. I running and he cycling beside me. I kept a steady pace and he did an excellent job of a motivator and fuel/water provider. He set the route and I just followed him. Finally, I hit the 21.1 km target and my son made me run an extra 100 metres as a victory lap.
More than the exhilaration of completing the run I was amazed by how fast my body recovered after the run. I did experience some pain but the pain vanished in less than 24 hours.
In life most times we give in to the situation. I was that person as far as my health was concerned, accepting that asthmatic attacks, poor health and a really bad posture are a part of my life and I have to live with it. Forget a half-marathon, never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I could run. So, if you think you can’t run, I would say you can! So run for it!
Image source: fotomania_17 from Getty Images Free for Canva Pro
Rakhi worked with the corporate sector for more than two decades. She then left her job to pursue a full time MA in Public Policy & Governance from Azim Premji University. She is currently working read more...
Women's Web is an open platform that publishes a diversity of views, individual posts do not necessarily represent the platform's views and opinions at all times.
Stay updated with our Weekly Newsletter or Daily Summary - or both!
Dear Women’s Web Community Member,
You may have wondered at our being on the quieter side during the last couple of months. Thank you for your patience, and we wanted to come back to you with a detailed note on what’s been happening at our end of things.
When we first began Women’s Web, as a blog from one woman’s desk along with a few like-minded souls, little could we have imagined the heights that it would soar to. Over the years, Women’s Web has published over 20000 stories (almost all by women), empowered countless women with the ideas, community and resources to chase their dreams, employed hundreds of women in core and project-based roles, and in the process, emerged as the OG women’s community in India. It has also inspired many others to build communities of a similar nature, all enabling women (and other-underrepresented groups) in their own ways.
Please enter your email address