7 Things I am Thankful For – Vitality London 10000 Special

I might never forget 29^th May 2017.

‘Never’ because on that day I RAN my first 10K. I have participated in a 10K earlier as well, however, I didn’t run through the entire of it; it was more of running and brisk walking. So RUNNING all through 10 kilometres for the first time was an experience worth remembering for me.

As I crossed the final mark, I was confused with what I felt. Feeling which usually are at the opposite ends of a spectrum, I was feeling them together. I was proud and humble. I was all over the place and yet really nowhere. I felt mighty and weak, all at once.

I might never forget 29^th May 2017.

‘Might’ because I am good at forgetting dates, ask my friends whose birthdays I often forget.

So I might forget the date, however, I will never forget the day I had.

Post run, as I was coming to terms with what really happened, I also felt really heavy, bit overwhelmed if I can put it like that. Though yes, it is MY achievement so as to say, I kept thinking about all the bits and pieces that came together that day to give me this achievement. And so I wanted to write a special post thanking the constants and variables of my life that brought me here, to this very moment.

Here it goes –

Seven Things I am thankful For – Vitality London 10000 Special

My Legs and Mother Nature Who Created Them

My legs, where do I begin. I have always been amazed with nature and what a perfect imperfect creator it is.

A few years back, my legs went numb and lost strength for a couple of months. Physiotherapy did make them fit and fine again, but since then I have considered my legs for being the weakest organ of my body. So when I started running back in 2015, I didn’t know what to expect. Sluggish progress with my pace even frustrated me at times.

But as it happened in The Hare and The Tortoise, slowly and steadily my legs did get better, did get stronger and did make me complete the race. I am proud to say that today, my legs are the strongest organ of my body.

So my thanks to Mother Nature for making such a complex human body, especially my legs!

My Shoes

Of course shoes are extremely important while running, but running shoes don’t come cheap, do they?

I bought my running shoes last year from Decathlon’s Kalenji range. I don’t like investing in things that I am not sure I could get my money’s worth. Call me thrifty, I don’t mind! At that time, I wasn’t sure if I would be running regularly or if it is just a new fad for me. So I decided to go with the shoes which were closer to the lowest side of the price range. I trust Decathlon brand so I was sure that even though they weren’t expensive shoes, they would serve me just right. And they sure did!

My running shoes have been perfect for me, they have taken care of my feet quite well. Last year I promised myself that if I continue running for a year, I would treat myself by buying an expensive pair of shoes. However, now that I have been running for a year, I love my Kalenji shoes so much that I don’t want to try another pair.

Mr B and Little B

Day before the race day, Mr B and Little B spent hours planning where all they will cheer for me on the race course. On the race day, all through the morning, Mr B knew I am anxious so he kept joking around and passing me smiles here and there.

As I stood in my colour zone and waited for the race to start, Mr B raced with Little B to the nearest tube station to catch a tube to cheer for me near the1 km mark. As I passed them at the 1 km mark, they raced again and caught another tube to cheer for me near the 5 km and then they raced again to cheer for me from another point. So much so Little B even sprained her ankle and yet kept running, for me.

All the while that I was running my 10K, Mr B and Little B were also running their race, trying to get to a certain point before me. All this pain in the world they took just to shout my name louder, to give me a peck on the cheek and to tell me that I can do it.

I am thankful because I just couldn’t have done it without Mr B and Little B.

The Children’s Society

I wasn’t really planning to run in a professional event this year, I was happy with my laps in the park. The Children’s Society gave me this opportunity to run for myself and for a greater cause.

They gave me the push I needed and I am thankful for that.

Places Where I Trained

It might sound silly but I want to mention the places where I trained in the last 6 months – The Gym I frequented, the BootCamps by OurParks I attended and the Harrow Recreation Ground where I practiced my running.

These were a part of my routine regularly and so my thanks to them.

My Family and Friends

Thanks to my mother who called me in the morning and motivated me by telling me things I wanted to hear at that time. And boy, does she always make me well up!

And I am grateful to family members and friends who took out time to wish me luck through phone calls or FaceBook or WhatsApp. Thank you for understanding how important the day was for me.

London and Its Weather

London you are an amazing city to run in. The race commenced at the Mall right between the lush Green Park and St James’ Park. While running all you can see on both sides are limestone buildings made hundreds of years ago. I passed our favourite hangout place the Trafalgar Square and India House (High Commission of India) which I had not seen before. I also caught glimpse every now and then of three landmarks that dominate London’s skyline – St Paul’s Cathedral, Elizabeth Tower housing Big Ben and the Shard. The race concluded at Buckingham Palace.

VitalityLondon1000’s course was like a mini tour of the London city!

And yes I have to thank the weather that day. I don’t appreciate London’s weather much. A week before the run, the weather was cold, lingering around 12-15 degrees Celsius. I thought that was perfect for running. Just a few of days before the race, the mercury started hanging out around 25 with harsh sunlight thrown in the before noon hours. That got me worried, I get dehydrated easily.

But it all changed on race day. The temperature was 20 with clouds thrown in. It was a bit humid but humid is better than dry, right?

And then consider this, in that one hour that I ran, the weather shifted from humid, to windy, to a little chilly, to extreme sunny and we even had showers thrown in. It was everything that one expects from London’s weather.

YellowMellowLife and You

This blog is my diary. I am able to look back on my own posts, see my journey and retrospect about it. I am thankful for this journey and I am also grateful that I get to share my journey with readers like you. This blog and you guys keep me motivated for more and more.

What are you thankful for in your life? Let me know in the comments below.

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