Something told me it was over…
When I saw my youthfulness fading way…
I would rather go blind than see those good things walk away from me.
When a simple trivial thing gradually becomes an impossible
task, it hurts and breaks my heart. Because I was a runner!
Running gave me various new things in my life. It gave me a good physique, a calm mindset, discipline, and routine. It also took me to diverse, beautiful landscapes where the air is fresh, and the scenery is excellent.
It's not that running always brought good things. There were a few instances where I might land in a cemetery.
At one point in time, I was fearless, I went to Leh to participate in the world's highest running event. We arrived at Leh a day before the running. The local people advised me not to go out for a day so that my body gets complete rest and gradual acclimatization to the high altitude. Ignoring the advice, I went out to buy some stuff in the evening. My body went out of order, and I was sick the whole night.
At dawn, the landlord knocked on the door as I requested him earlier to drop me at the venue of the running event. Even though I was sick, I decided that I should see the event. When I reached there, I was carried away by the excitement and enthusiasm of the runners and local people, and I participated in the event. The locals ran with ease. Other runners who acclimatized themselves ran fast. I ran a bit with great difficulty and then walked to complete the course.
Running without adaptation and acclimation can kill. Every year 3-4 people die during the Leh marathon. I might be one of them as I showed disrespectfulness to the land and ignored the advice of the locals. However, the Almighty was kind enough to spare my life. Today, I am glad that I survived to tell my stories.
Most runners arrived a week or a few days earlier to adapt and acclimatize their bodies to the altitude.
Great explorers and adventurers follow a principle.
"Always do what the locals do, down to the details. Don't use nails when they use bones. Don't use steel wires when they use ropes."
Thor Heyerdahl of the Kon-Tiki expedition also followed the same advice given by his mentor. Thor and His team sailed 8,000 km across the Pacific Ocean in a hand-built raft "Kon-Tiki" from South America to reach the Polynesia Islands. The raft was designed in a traditional way using available local resources, "Balsa woods."
The word "Kon-Tiki" came from the Polynesia language, which means the Sun God, who regulates all rhythms of all living and non-living things. So, Thor named his raft "Kon-Tiki" to believe that the almighty will always guide and protect him and his crew during the journey.
It might be strange to know that Thor Heyerdahl neither knew how to swim nor was a sailor. He was committed to doing a particular task in his mind for a few years.
Like the sunshine, heavy rainfall, and hail storms change the landscapes and vegetation; our lives also change with each passing day. As we grow older each day, our bodies become weak. I had utterly stopped my running activities due to pandemic situations, pollutions levels, and other responsibilities.
After a break of almost one year, I am now at level zero. My body has also adapted to immobility. However, I wish to come back to running. It's there in my mind but a difficult task to put into action.