Skip to main content

Year of the Corona

With the COVID19 pandemic ravaging the entire world, 2020 has been a year of introspection, of reset, of a new normal. People have had time to discover new abilities and talents, rediscover old hobbies and passions, rekindle friendships and reboot relationships. It dawned on people how much they have exploited Mother Earth and how it is still possible to retrieve what we have destroyed, provided we step back, respect nature and let it reclaim and recharge the environment. For a few months of the lockdown we experienced the bluest of skies, cleanest of air and purest of water. The grass was greener, the flowers had more colour and the birds were chirping.

 

For runners too, it has been a roller coaster ride. In the initial phase we were shell shocked by the unfolding crisis. Quite clueless, locked down at home, frustrated and chafing to run. The crisp air and clear skies beckoned, but the fear of Corona had us pinned down. Not for long though!! There were a few furtive runs here and there, away from the public eye and violating the government guidelines😜. ‘Solo run’ and ‘Virtual run’ were the buzzwords and trending on social media. Running events and competitions were out, except the virtual ones. Gradually as the curbs were relaxed, runners and cyclists were back with a vengeance. Of course, we changed the way we run. Smaller groups, maintaining 8-10 feet distance amongst ourselves while running, avoiding physical contact or proximity while warming up and cooling down, wearing face masks most of the time while running and skipping group runs altogether if anyone was having symptoms etc. Some real time events are now being planned for later this year, though I would advise prudence and giving them a miss. 

 

Ever the optimist, one hopes that this crisis too shall pass soon and we can be back to running….free and without a care.

Recently on my birthday as I turned 52, I said a small prayer and made a wish for all of us: 🙏May God give us a Peaceful Mind and a Happy Heart in a Healthy Body. And God replied ‘Keep Running….It Helps’😇

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Enough sleep, anyone?

One common myth, which I have almost convinced myself in my case too, is that you can acclimatize your mind and body to do with less sleep without any negative effects. As a doctor you pride yourself about this. However, as the years roll by and you listen to your body more and analyze yourself with detachment, one reaches the conclusion that you DO need MORE/ ENOUGH sleep. That gets us to the question of how much is enough sleep. The answer is pretty straightforward, no ifs and buts: 7-9 hours a day for ages 18-64 and 7-8 hours for age 65 years and above. And why: Because it is linked to your emotional, mental and physical health, quality of life and safety. Inadequate sleep leads to irritability, poor concentration, anger and depression. Sleep is important to process new information and remember it. Sleep deficiency is linked to higher incidence of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and strokes. Not to forget lower immunity, making you more prone to infections, especially virals. Sleep...
4 comments
Read more

‘Beat the Lockdown’ Run/ Walk

My apologies to the civic minded and upright, law abiding citizens 🙏 This post is neither a call to arms nor an instigation to break government-mandated lockdowns in this COVID19 pandemic. Rather it is kind of a survival guide for the running junkies (and indeed the hardcore morning walkers community too) who can't do without their daily fix  🤗 .  How best to get your fix without upsetting too many people or getting hauled up by the patrolling police. Here goes: 1.            Start real early in the morning 🌃 Preferably around 5 am, before dawn. Not many neighbors are up and about (and neither your family members!), so less people to castigate you 😝 . Running or walking incognito (hopefully!) in the receding darkness of the night lessens your guilt also 😜 . After the night's patrolling, the police waalas also tend to be at the nadir of their alertness and enthusiasm. What to say of the stray canines, they too deign that ti...
3 comments
Read more

Success

This is not terribly original, but: Success is the end result of overcoming Failures.    Rarely, if ever, one achieves his/ her goal in the first instance. Even if, seemingly, someone accomplishes a target at first attempt, there is a lot of hard work and preparation that has gone into it that the others don't get to see.  Achieving success is a process and inevitably one encounters disappointments and faces failures along the way. Each failure teaches you something and each disappointment that you overcome, makes you stronger. The whole game is about learning from failures and pushing away disappointments. Do that....and success is guaranteed.  Have the mental strength....failure is the biggest motivator. And quite the contrary, fear of failure is the biggest hindrance to success. Nothing comes easy in life....there are no shortcuts in life. Be fearless. As long as YOU know that you've given it your 100%, and maybe some more, then there is no shame in failure. ...
4 comments
Read more