Is running a hobby?

I’ve thought of “regular running” as a hobby or pastime and I’ve heard people claim that it’s a/their hobby but I’ve realized that regular running can’t be considered as a hobby. It is too intense, soul leeching (with the constant ups and downs) and difficult if pursued correctly and regularly to be a hobby, and if pursued for leisure or for amusement then the irregularity and lack of commitment will take it far away from the realm of being considered as a hobby.

A hobby would be something which is regular yet easy, relaxing, amusing and entertaining like fishing, gardening, collecting stamps, tasting scotch, building model aircrafts or feeding ducks.

Looks do-able. Cardio required only for lifting beer and sandwiches.

Regular running is more like being thrown into an everyday challenge or maybe akin to voluntarily taking up a (hard) lifestyle which ultimately translates into a habit. Every running session seems like an upheaval in an otherwise sedentary life. Maybe the difficulty and intensity of a regular training regimen is the reason why there are so many irregular runners.

Hard and structured training for a full marathon through let us say a weekly mileage of 70-80 kms for several months to just run one marathon does not seem like a hobby per se. Puking your guts out during or after a session of intervals doesn't sound something to eagerly look forward to. Collecting running shoes, certificates and medals without running sounds more like a hobby. Playing football or badminton every weekend sounds relaxing and I’d call that a hobby.

If pursued with intensity then regular running can encompass every aspect of your life. For a good workout, and sustainable and continuous improvements in running, even the smallest of day to day activities have to be monitored in order to synchronize these with your running schedule. Everyday decisions have to be constantly undertaken such as, sleep enough and on time, wake up on time, eat correct, don’t drink that beer, don’t lift too heavy weights, don’t lift weights that light, think less about how hard it is, ignore the pain, let the injury heal, manage office work, learn about running techniques etc.

So relaxing. My hobby is to regularly feel like dying and then question why I do this.

The decisions during a day in order to maintain a good running schedule are endless and to be honest I don’t think it’s as fun as it’s made out to be but for some reason regular runners endure this life and the training. It seems more like a habit and a life choice which attracts a particular mindset, rather than a hobby. It ultimately becomes a lifestyle in which you keep questioning the rationale for engaging in it.

It’s fun but only sometimes and usually when you stop and think about it.

Odd Even Cars and Captain Planet

Hearing the objection and nod of disapproval from numerous people to Delhi Government’s odd-even car proposal, has made me realize how unconnected and unconcerned most of us are with the environment and the most basic and necessary of things which is required for our survival- AIR.

Living in Delhi has been equated to living in a gas chamber by the High Court of Delhi. Our air pollution levels are off the charts. 

Runners and cyclists are inhaling several times more of the air pollutants. This is not a city where running, cycling, walking or living is feasible anymore. Yet, many of us are trying to shoot down the Delhi Government’s much needed initiative of even-odd cars or arguments from the supporters of the proposed rule.

Maybe the reason for that is that the people of Delhi cannot connect the relationship between clean air and healthy living. However, runners and cyclists in Delhi and elsewhere are more aware of the menace of bad air and they also seem to be more proactive and receptive to the even-odd rule. 

It seems that the non-athlete sedentary Delhi-ite has not yet been able to fathom how bad the situation is and how much worse it will become if no action is taken immediately and if actions which are being undertaken are thwarted for flimsy reasons.

The regular Delhi person seems to be content with the, if I can’t see it then it’s not bad or if I close my eyes, then the monster will vanish approach. Forget the obliviousness and apathy of adults; our children’s lungs are already compromised and will further deteriorate.

Remember the superhero, Captain Planet. Nope? Or do you remember him only faintly? Don’t fret. I can understand. He is one of the most basic superheroes. He, (i) is not good looking; (ii) is not overly muscular; (iii) has no background childhood horror stories or tough upbringing or emotional issues that you can relate to; (iv) has no over the top superpowers; and (v) he is in general a very amiable character.

Due to all these “shortcomings” which don’t give him an "edge", Captain Planet never became as famous as Superman or Batman. Hell, even Ant Man is now more famous than him. Captain Planet is like the guy in class that you would say Hi to everyday but will conveniently forget when you graduate. 

But unlike Batman and Superman and other superheroes he was possibly the only one who wanted to save our planet from pollution with the help of the people. His superpower in fact generated when all the kids combined their powers. He was basically a lesson from his creator/writer that we need to get together and save the planet.  Captain Planet was the only superhero who told us to protect our environment and not pollute it at the end of every episode.

His theme song was:

Earth!

Fire!

Wind!

Water!

Heart!

GO PLANET!

With your powers combined I am Captain Planet!

Captain Planet, he's our hero,

Gonna take pollution down to zero,

He's our powers magnified,

And he's fighting on the planet side

Captain Planet, he's our hero,

Gonna take pollution down to zero,

Gonna help him put us under,

Bad guys who like to loot and plunder

"You'll pay for this Captain Planet!"

We're the planeteers,

You can be one too!

'Cause saving our planet is the thing to do,

Looting and polluting is not the way,

Hear what Captain Planet has to say:

"THE POWER IS YOURS!!"

Nice guys never win

Captain Planet was quite possibly the only superhero who wanted to really add value to our life and save us and the future generations from the menace of pollution created by humans. He was an animated lesson in environment protection.

However, just like we ignored him since it was convenient, we are ignoring the Delhi Government’s initiative and the benefits of the odd-even car rule since it will not be convenient to follow the said rule.

All the objections that I have heard till now can be dealt with.

Last mile connectivity at work place is absent is not a correct statement. There may be less connectivity but there cannot be an absence. A commercial establishment will never be set up in the middle of a desert. No profits can be made if a business is run in the middle of nowhere. If not taxis, buses or rickshaws, then there will be some local “entrepreneur” who will be running an auto service. Maybe you could give walking a shot! Your employer in order to protect his profits will ensure that some sort of transport is provided. Your colleagues can come and pick you up on bad days or till the time arrangements are made.

What will happen in case of a medical emergency? I trust you will agree that no cop will stop a car if he can see a patient in pain inside. Moreover, ambulances will move faster if there are less cars on the roads.

People are leading normal lives in smaller cities and villages where transport is negligible. Even with the odd-even car rule, we will still have a hundred times more connectivity and transport facilities.

For every objection there is some rational explanation, solution or alternative. The only problem is that it is inconvenient. The government is figuring out solutions to loopholes and they are devising ways to control any chaos that may arise from the rule. But shooting down a policy that allows you, your family and future generations to live a healthy life is not humane or rational, just because it will inconvenience you and just because you do not (at this point in time) realize the importance of clean air.

I’m not even venturing into the fact that less traffic on the road will mean substantial time savings which can be used to lead a happier and less stressed life. 

I'd use the extra time, low traffic and clean air to rigorously pursue outdoor activities. I wish there were more cyclists and runners in Delhi. They would have been able to influence those who do not realize.

Read this http://www.firstpost.com/india/india-races-past-china-in-pollution-delhi-air-one-and-a-half-times-worse-than-beijing-2540114.html for another reminder of how dire the situation has become.

Curiosity

Humans are extremely curious by nature. 

I'm not just talking about science and experiments. We spend a ridiculous amount of time in knowing and learning about things that we will never even put to use or we repeat actions even if they lead to failure, with the hope that there will be one successful result.

We like to know about the top speed of our cars. We want to know the top speed of our neighbour's car. We make sure that we know how many seats are in the President's air plane. 

A child dismantles and thereby destroys his toys, simply to know what is inside. Our astronauts wanted to know what is beyond earth even before they could conclusively determine what use the beyond would serve us, and off they went.

We've created social media to know "everything". We create world records, just to see if it can be done.

Our morbid curiosity, makes us stop or slow down next to car accidents, not to help the victims or alleviate the arguments between the drivers, but just to know what happened and then off we go.

We watch videos on YouTube and then keep clicking on the suggested videos and after one hour we regret the time wasted since nothing concrete was achieved. That one hour was just curiosity tricking you with the hope of finding something.

Running, I understand is another form of satisfying our curiosity. You ran a PR/PB in a race so the next thought is to see if you can beat it. Can I go faster?. You ran a 50 km ultra and after finishing you'd like to see if in the next race, you could run longer, maybe 75 kms.

Just like in science where the curiosity of scientists is leading to developments, the curiosity of athletes and amateur athletes is pushing the boundary of sports.

This I believe is the reason for people running and training harder, year after year. 

Recently, I saw a few posts on Faceboook after the conclusion of Airtel Delhi Half Marathon and many runners asked a rhetorical question; should I go for a faster time next year?.

We know that the body came with an expiry date plus age progression related slowness. It is almost our duty to see what we can do with it before we no longer exist or before we are unable to exercise. How fast can we go? How long can we go? 

The curiosity is creating better athletes and pushing the limits and it does not make any sense to not be curious when it comes to your own backyard experiment- training and racing.

Racing and its purity

Racing is the purest form of running.

A runner never starts racing to win money, accolades, admiration or external emotional support.

A runner starts racing for purely selfish reasons; a desire to be faster; a desire to be better. 

Racing see-saws on a desire to prove to oneself that there are no limits. Anything is possible and that time only moves forward.

This selfishness and self-centeredness of racing is in fact its purity. All racers don’t win and become famous, yet they end up racing even as losers (even constant losers race).

Pacing, charitable runs, coaching, organising races, writing about running, selling running etc., all have one thing in common- vested interests.

A pacer in a race is simply seeking social admiration and accolades.

A coach who trains you for running is there to merely engage in business through the sport.

A race organiser is merely a middleman between the sport and the participant.

Charitable runners are not connected to the running. It is just a means to an end (the charitable cause) which is unrelated to the sport or the charitable runner is seeking admiration.

Writing about running is not the act of running and therefore the dissociation from racing is omnipresent.

A person who is selling running (or running products) to you is simply a salesman of a product with remote or negligible connections to the product/sport.

A racer on the other hand is a pure imbecile. He just yearns to improve and compete, even if that means that there is an absence of money, social admiration and accolades. His fervour and his desire are to simply become a better version of himself and defeat the others. Be more, try more, be even more, keep trying for more.

The selfishness is a gateway to the purity. The agenda is crystal clear; constant improvement. The purpose is clear; it is for myself.

How to train for a run with elevation when you have no access to hills

You live in Delhi and now you want to run a race like Garhwal Runs, La Ultra or Comrades, where the race route has a significant amount of elevation or for that matter, even shorter ultra races in Delhi NCR such as Bhati Lakes Ultra or Serco Trail-a-Thon where the overall elevation gains during the race route are several times more than your regular training runs on Delhi roads or similar "flat lands". 

Congratulations, you have chosen an endeavour which is as complex as finding a fat free yet delicious aloo paratha.

Just to give you an estimate, the elevation gains for some of the runs mentioned above, which I have run, are as follows:

About 275m for Bhati Lakes 50k Ultra

About 320m for Serco Trail a Thon 56k Ultra

About 2500m for Garhwal Runs 76k Ultra

If you do all your long runs on Delhi NCR roads or any other city's roads which have negligible elevation, you will suffer horribly during these races if you try to maintain your regular flat land pace. Why? Because, your legs are simply not used to the elevation.

I have been there and done that. I ran all of the above races with negligible elevation training. Most of my training was limited to Sanjay Van which isn't even close to the real race conditions. It becomes quite unpleasant to tackle a challenge when you don't even know how the challenge feels.

If you see the images above then, it is apparent how I went from a 6:00 min/km pace at Bhati 50k Ultra to more than 8:00 min/km pace at Garhwal Runs 76k Ultra, when the elevation increased ten times. I basically walked the second part of Garhwal Runs because my legs had packed their bags and bid farewell by the time I had reached the 50th km mark.

Now, to suffer less and perform decently during such races, you have two options- First Option is to keep training on flat land and on race day, simply reduce your overall pace to a more realistic 'elevation adjusted race pace', which basically means either running slow overall or walking on the inclines and running on the down hills to save energy. Second Option is to train for the elevation as much as possible and try to perform at the race, rather than just hobbling to the finish line.

If your plan is to follow the First Option, then read no further. On race day, just run slower overall or walk the inclines and run the down hills and you'll be in a respectable condition when you finish and you will suffer less during the race.

If your plan is to follow the Second Option, then there are a few methods to train for the elevation. These methods are as follows:

1. Move to the mountains- Quit your job, divorce your wife/husband, disown the kids, say goodbye to the parents and leave Delhi or the similar flat land where you reside and move to the mountains in order to, (i) train for the race; (ii) learn the art of shunning grown up responsibilities; and (iii) become a hill running machine. You will do well in the races but don't look at me for advice on what to do with yourself when the race is over and you miss the ex-family. You got a PB and you maybe even podium-ed! That is the most important thing in life, according to many "bro scientists". Obviously, this is the most impractical option but the most result oriented.
2. Use Delhi's lumps and humps- Go to places like Sanjay Van, Kamla Nehru Ridge, Aruna Asaf Ali Road, your building staircase etc., where the elevation is more than your regular running route. You obviously won't get the training benefits of proper hill running but at least your legs will be ready for about 20% of the race day elevation brutality. This is not a foolproof method since the elevation in all these places where you will train is momentary and then there is a downhill, whereas on race day the elevation will be substantially continuous and plentiful.
3. Create a mountain out of a molehill (treadmill)- Go to the gym, set the treadmill to the required incline and train on it. Voila! You are now officially a demigod because you have created a hill; you can bask in the glory and then be ready for the pain of the workout. To use treadmills properly for race training, do the maths and figure out the elevation gain and the distance numbers that are required for a particular race. Eg: If your race has a 300 metre elevation gain, then you could get the required elevation gain training during a 5k run on the treadmill by setting the treadmill to 6% incline. It sounds easy but it isn't since it will actually mimic running up a continuous hill. It is an effective method to train for elevation, provided that you can afford a treadmill at home or a swanky gym which allows you to spend an unnatural amount of time on the treadmill. I go to a Haryanvi owned and operated gym and when I asked the owner if I could spend some quality time on the treadmill (beyond the gym's 20 minute policy), he asked me to pay thrice the monthly fee for this "add on service". I thanked him for his generous offer but mentally flipped him the bird and went home.

Minimalism of Running

All of us in some way or the other and at some level, understand that wanting and desiring more material objects is a never ending and vicious cycle. The cycle never ends and no one ever goes six feet under with contentment and smugness of having amassed all that could be possibly amassed.

Minimalism is a concept which has been in existence ever since mankind realized and understood the deleterious effect of excesses and the benefits of simplicity and meagreness.

Minimalism is simply a guiding star to be followed in order to allow yourself to synchronize your possessions with your real needs. Procuring bigger, shinier, more expensive or simply more of objects is ultimately unnecessary physical and mental clutter.

The short term happiness of amassing outweighs the long term costs of hauling those possessions with you. It is like a mule which is being constantly being loaded and eventually its legs will buckle.

Running is an everyday lesson in Minimalism. It is the simplest of sports which requires the least amount of equipment and clothing. It cannot be practiced while indulging in excesses.

To run with the least effort; body weight has to be minimal; food intake has to be limited; clothes have to be minimal; shoes have to be minimal. Don’t mistake minimal shoes for the minimalistic shoe trend since here the pair of shoes in question is any pair of shoes which is suitable for running; we wouldn’t run a marathon in combat boots.

Even during a race- body movement, breathing, calorie intake and hydration has to be minimal and just right- no less, no more. Excess in any of these race facets can jeopardize a race or hamper performance.

During training we practice the least required- vertical movement of legs, arm swing and neck movement. The idea behind this is to conserve as much energy as possible i.e. to be as minimalistic as possible.

One of the primary reasons for running races is the desire and goal to reduce your previous timing. This constant endeavor to shave of minutes and seconds is an extension of Minimalism. Minimizing timing is directly related to how much you have minimized your body and the running gear adorning it. Even negative self talk during a race has to be minimized in order to maximize the results.

Companies are selling running gear which are designed to be the smallest and lightest possible, yet strong and reliable since minimalistic is the requirement of a runner and that is what takes him further and beyond.

Maybe the minimalist shoe trend was more of an emotional rather than scientific path.

Knowing fully well about, and after continuously practicing the basic tenet of Minimalism in running, we end up forgetting it when we stop running.

Other than the general tendency that we practice in life to amass objects, if we talk about running specifically, then there is a mad craze to hoard equipment, event t-shirts, running gear and finisher medals. People scrimmage for free event t-shirts and free food at events. It is simply contradictory to the simplicity of the sport of running.

I admire with envy some of the runners who have just a couple of pairs of shorts, singlets and shoes because I know that their running is clearer and more purposeful. Their running is not motivated by possession. They do not require the temporary motivation of a new wardrobe or equipment or a finisher medal in order to step out and run. I can imagine such a runner opening his wardrobe and pick up his minimal attire. There is no chaos of possession and usage allotment; there is complete purpose.

In fact, I would dare to imagine that a minimal wardrobe would increase the training regularity since the effort in maintaining its cleanliness and usability would connect a runner more with himself and his running.

I hark back to my regimen which was supplemented in summers by just two singlets, two shorts, one pair of shoes and a watch. It felt spartan, clean, tidy and purposeful. It used to be bare and strong with the only motivation coming from the anticipated effort and the results.

I look at my running wardrobe now and there is confusion. Event t-shirts that I don’t need, and apparel which I have never used and never intend to use. Fortunately, I don’t have medals since I either don’t take them, or I throw them away, or I give them to my niece to bang and bash.

I’ll put the house in order soon. Less is more. 

The best exercise to cure and prevent Shin Splints

Unless you're running by the book and have the patience of a saint, every runner has, is or will battle shin splints (medial tibial stress syndrome).

Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome is like the asshole ninja of injuries. It creeps up and stabs you when you least expect it and usually at the wrong time; near the peak of your training or race date.

I have suffered through a few instances of shin splints but I have managed to recover and salvage my training and races with one simple yet supremely effective exercise. 

Shin Splint

The exercise is so simple that sometimes, it becomes hard to believe that I did not know of this earlier and that I did not make it a part of my regular strength routine. And just to test its mettle, I have recommended this exercise to several of my disheartened and injured running buddies with the promise that they will be trotting along within 4-10 days if they follow the exercise routine religiously. Guess what happened when they followed the exercise routine? All of them were back on their feet!

I promise you that you will not need a doctor and medical examinations/tests or any fancy exercises or equipment to prevent or cure shin splints.

And this exercise is not limited for runners who are already suffering from shin splints; the exercise can and should be done by every runner because prevention is better than cure. 

There is a simple test to know how tender and weak your shin is: sit on a chair and bring up your shin and press it with two fingers; if it hurts or feels tender then your shin is in trouble and you should start the exercise immediately.

Without further ado, the exercise and the way to perform it are in the link below. If you get healed then thank me in the comments and if you don't then perform the exercise for a few more days and then thank me.

Bye bye shin splints http://gizmodo.com/5902699/banish-shin-splints-forever-with-one-magical-exercise

Guilt

I feel guilty for running sometimes. Naah, I'll be honest, many a times!

I feel guilty that I have the money to pay race fees, buy gear, a GPS watch, travel to race venues, when there are some who would have rather prioritized to spend that money on purchasing food and clothes.

I feel the deviance when I consume copious amounts of food when a sedentary person would have sufficed in half of that.

I feel the guilt while driving to a trail or a park which is several miles away from my house when there are many who walk, cycle or take a bus to reach work.

I feel like stopping my run when I see a person in a wheel chair or a person with a physical deformity, who I know for certain, cannot run even if he tries. I try to slow down and avoid eye contact when I pass by them or when our paths converge. Yep, I can't handle that, since it seems so unfair.

It feels horrible to know of a friend who has broken some bone or torn a ligament and has been advised to not indulge in running, while I have the unbridled freedom to frolic around.

It feels unnatural to realise that I deliberately injure myself by running and then use precious time and resources to heal, only to repeat this cycle with no intention of stopping.

Running feels tremendously good but I have guilt when I remember that I am doing this for sheer pleasure and I have the time, in seconds, in minutes, in hours, in days, even years, to pursue something so inconsequential in the long run, when there are some who, by circumstance, would have been forced to use this time to earn their living or some so virtuous, who would have done something great for humanity.

I know that in the end I will not have created something useful or utilitarian by my meaningless jaunts. The pitter patter from my feet just feels good to me and that is all there is. That is the truth! It feels decadent. It feels so empty, yet so necessary for my well being. What would I rather do with my spare time? I try to will a good response, but I can't force a different answer.

Sometimes, I feel guilty that my parents couldn't indulge in running because they were busy in raising me. Would they have liked it as much as I do? Maybe. I believe, my mother certainly would have.

Recently I came across this poem by Jack Gilbert and it unravelled some of my thoughts, which are still not clear but are certainly less muddled.

A Brief For The Defense

Sorrow everywhere. Slaughter everywhere. If babies
are not starving someplace, they are starving
somewhere else. With flies in their nostrils.
But we enjoy our lives because that’s what God wants.
Otherwise the mornings before summer dawn would not
be made so fine. The Bengal tiger would not
be fashioned so miraculously well. The poor women
at the fountain are laughing together between
the suffering they have known and the awfulness
in their future, smiling and laughing while somebody
in the village is very sick. There is laughter
every day in the terrible streets of Calcutta,
and the women laugh in the cages of Bombay.
If we deny our happiness, resist our satisfaction,
we lessen the importance of their deprivation.
We must risk delight. We can do without pleasure,
but not delight. Not enjoyment. We must have
the stubbornness to accept our gladness in the ruthless
furnace of this world. To make injustice the only
measure of our attention is to praise the Devil.
If the locomotive of the Lord runs us down,
we should give thanks that the end had magnitude.
We must admit there will be music despite everything.
We stand at the prow again of a small ship
anchored late at night in the tiny port
looking over to the sleeping island: the waterfront
is three shuttered cafés and one naked light burning.
To hear the faint sound of oars in the silence as a rowboat
comes slowly out and then goes back is truly worth
all the years of sorrow that are to come.

                                                                 - Jack Gilbert

The poem seems to be a manifesto for selfishness but the other view is uneasy to digest and makes it difficult to continue with this indulgence.

Weight loss

If running is pursued in the right way, then weight loss is imminent. As the intensity and the training volume ramps up; the weight loss increases. It has to increase since it is a biological and mathematical fact.

Racing weight is that perfect weight with which you confidently start a race, and when you possess just the right amount of muscles and fat to take you from the start line to the finish line in the least time possible, with minimum amount of wear and tear.

Racing weight is relative. A person wanting to run an 80 minute half marathon should be a lot lighter than a person wanting to finish in 120 minutes.

Therefore, by using the right amount of training and eating habits, runners tamper with and reduce their bodies- inch by inch, centimetre by centimetre, bit by bit; peeling away layer after layer as race day gets closer.

Forget the elites and look at the top finishers in a semi-big race, you will see featherlight bodies floating to the finish line. All the non-essential flesh would have been chased away. Just the bare minimum retained in order to derive maximum performance without jeopardizing their health.

But in reaching that finish line in a manner which satisfies the runner, the runner has become the opposite of the perception of looking strong.

To focus more on men instead of women, since men lose more weight and look more gaunt and malnourished due to different genetics; the outward appearance of a serious runner is that of ill health and nowhere does he resemble strength and manliness in the manner that society perceives both these attributes.

The serious runner looks frail and weak. He is a waif and gaunt subject in photographs. A sapling which never attained the width of a tree and just continued on a vertical journey. Leaner than the “normal” people in his vicinity.

He is the antithesis of a strapping muscular man. He may be muscular and lean but even on good days, he is the anorexic Conan The Barbarian.

I've seen serious runner friends and acquaintances drop kilograms in a span of a few months and when I see them, I can see the outward frailty and gauntness. They appear weak; weaker than before when they were lugging “normal” weight. This is accentuated by the fact that the face is usually the first to take a hit and those hollow cheeks develop. 

It does not matter if the runner feels more alive and strong than before; his image is weaker.

From the earlier ease of mingling with the cherubic crowds, these runners have allowed their passion to enslave normalcy and turned their bodies into outwardly questionable vessels.

Society wants men to look strong on the outside. Machismo and burliness are rewarded since evolution has programmed us psychologically to obey/fear/respect larger individuals. Never judge a book by its cover is only applicable to inanimate objects. Living beings are first judged by their size, for the obvious reason that no one will sit with a psychological assessment questionnaire to see how good and strong you feel. Looks matter; appearances matter. 

However, if you forget the outward appearance and turn this gaunt runner inside out, the story is entirely different. The outward appearance of frailty is a deception; it belies what has developed inside. Inside, he is a completely different person now. The regular training sessions have callused and transformed a feeble mind into a machine with more willpower, grit and determination than ever before. The outward appearance of loss of strength has been compensated by an inward increase in strength. The mind now no longer accepts the erstwhile limitations and weaknesses. It has been supplemented. It is stronger than ever before. The book has re-written itself with the ink of sweat and effort.

I don't cardio. I don't Gatorade. I drink blood. She loves it.

The last breath

Today morning, during the entire drive to the area where I run, I was indifferent to everything happening inside and outside me. It is a 17 km drive (en route to work) and usually I listen to music or think of work or just look around and observe Delhi and its denizens doing their respective thing. 

Today, I wasn't happy, sad, excited, angry; there was nothing, just silence and indifference. I didn't feel like listening to the radio or to look around. Work thoughts were dismissed as soon as they tiptoed into my brain’s verandah. Then something happened! Just a kilometre away from the spot where I park my car and then commence running, I felt a sudden gush of excitement, elation and then slight goose bumps.

This was surprising because I had planned a fast 10k with about 90 metres elevation gain and there was no reason for me to be excited or happy at that time. I was moving closer and closer to about 40 minutes of decent effort and pain on a workday, but to the contrary, I was overjoyed for those few minutes before my car stopped and I stepped out.

As per Sigmund Freud’s, Pleasure-Pain Principle (or simply Pleasure Principle), humans instinctively perform acts to seek pleasure and avoid pain. We are programmed to act in this manner since our survival depends on it.

Now, think about how many runs are devoid of pain? The pain referred to here is not the pain of an injury or muscle soreness; it is the constant pain induced by effort. Even running slow requires effort and there is some pain, even if the intensity of pain is low. Any human powered locomotion which is beyond a brisk walk for an extended period of time has some elements of pain.

Yet runners go out again and again, and endure the pain in return for something which outweighs the pain. A run is the exact opposite of Freud’s “seek pleasure, avoid pain” principle. A run is all about seeking pain. But it can’t be that simple and that would not make any sense since a run is deliberately repeated and that to in a routine created by the sufferer.

Towards the end of a run, in the last few kilometres when you know that the run is about to end, do you start thanking your stars that it will soon end and when it is over you are relieved that the pain has stopped. There lies the answer for seeking pain- the relief afterwards. 

Relief is what a runner seeks. Relief is not a prolonged emotion like happiness. Happiness takes time to be processed, understood and felt. Happiness could continue for hours or days or months. Relief arrives immediately and leaves you immediately. Relief is the precursor to happiness and feels like an espresso shot of condensed momentary happiness. Relief is the sigh that you emit immediately after crossing a police barricade without being stopped when you’re driving drunk. Relief is when you enter your boss’ door and realize that you haven’t been summoned for a reprimand. Relief is the sigh that you emit when you get a message from your bank and see that it is a credit alert and not a debit alert. Relief is when your kid manages to catch the school bus. Relief precedes happiness and is a swift bird which flutters across your mind and then vanishes. 

That relief, momentarily tramples your woes and makes you forget them. Maybe that splash of self induced amnesia from life, just when you finish, is the reason why we run routinely. Relief is a momentary escape from life before you reach the U turn and come back to reality.

In modern life, relief is hard to come by. Even happiness, mostly has to be willed. We have to program and re-program ourselves, to be happy, to think happy thoughts, to appreciate the small things in life, to take things as they come, to not worry and be happy etc. (all other mumbo jumbo from self help books to be inserted here).

Running provides relief; after every run. That last laboured breath, right before finishing is- the sigh of relief.

Superman needs relief too. Unfortunately he only flies.

Rats and Jaggery will save your lungs....maybe

In my previous blog, I wrote about the polluted air in India and specifically the bigger cities, and how running in that toxic air is akin to doing deep meditation in a smoking lounge at the airport. I may be being a tad melodramatic with that example but maybe not!

In US Military there are three levels of bad situations and they have their own deserving acronyms:

1. SNAFU- Situation Normal: All Fucked Up

2. TARFU- Things Are Really Fucked Up or Totally And Royally Fucked Up

3. FUBAR- Fucked Up Beyond All Repair or Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition

As per the data that I have seen at (1) http://newdelhi.usembassy.gov/airqualitydataemb.html; (2) http://www.cpcb.gov.in/CAAQM/mapPage/frmdelhi.aspx?stateID=6; and (3) http://aqicn.org/map/india/), in Delhi and other major cities, the air quality is hovering somewhere between TARFU and FUBAR. China's air is definitely winning the race to FUBAR.

                     Meanwhile in China. Awww....the pre-slow death selfie. Panda masks make suicide pleasant

If you need more information or a glimpse into our future, then give these short articles about China, a read.

http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2014/dec/16/beijing-airpocalypse-city-almost-uninhabitable-pollution-china

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/oct/10/china-pollution-levels-hit-20-times-safe-levels

                    Nothing to look here...move on people....just a few more years and you can play Superhero Nurse in Delhi too

Ok, now that I've yet again ruined your mood, allow me to help you clean your lungs (hopefully).

I have been told many stories, in my younger years, by my parents about how jaggery is consumed regularly in Haryana by men and women since they are using a choolah, working in the fields, dealing with crop produce, working with hay or sieving wheat grain. 

They supplemented these tales by stories of jaggery being doled out as rations to workers in factories and how the workers' lung functions were not compromised to a grave extent by consuming jaggery. I have heard from DTC bus drivers about jaggery consumption and believe me, those angry Haryanvis know their science. Science is all that they think about when they're waiting for hours in Delhi traffic.

While researching on the internet about jaggery and its benefits on lungs, I found this research article on the website of National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine. Guess who wrote this? Two Indians (Anand Sahu and Ashok Saxena). Good men! Our Saviours (fingers crossed!).

But first, some condolences. My heart goes out to the rats (albino rats to be specific. No, I'm not racist. Sahu and Saxena chose the vanilla rats!). These rat heroes, were first injected with coal and silica dust and jaggery, and were later killed on the 30th, 60th and 90th day of the experiments and then their lungs were taken out and meticulously studied and then the dead rats were sold to a Chinese person...sorry, digressing, the article does not comment on the consumption of the rats but, yes, rats are a delicacy in China.

To save you from the trouble of reading the entire article, the synopsis is the following:

"Because industrial workers in dusty or smoky environments seemed to experience no discomfort if they consumed the sugar cane product jaggery, experimental studies were undertaken to observe the effects of jaggery on dust-exposed rats. Rats with and without a single intratracheal instillation of coal dust (50 mg/rat) were orally gavaged with jaggery (0.5 g/rat, 5 days/week for 90 days). The enhanced translocation of coal particles from lungs to tracheobronchial lymph nodes was observed in jaggery-treated rats. Moreover, the jaggery reduced the coal-induced histological lesions and hydroxyproline contents of lungs. The lesions induced in omental tissue and regional lymph nodes by a single intraperitoneal injection of 50 mg each of coal and silica dust were modified by jaggery (0.5 g/rat, 5 days/week for 30 days). These findings along with the preventive action of jaggery on smoke-induced lung lesions suggest the potential of jaggery as protective agent for workers in dusty and smoky environments. - Environ Health Perspect 102(Suppl 5):21 1-214 (1994)"

Another interesting line from the article is, "Enhanced translocation of dust particles from lungs and peritoneal cavity to TLN (tracheobronchial lymph nodes) was observed. However, the TLN are the site of immune-cell proliferation, and the enhanced translocation of particles following jaggery treatment may be due to the induction of some immune response"

If you do read the article (link at the bottom) then it is, obviously, all mumbo jumbo science like, but my two inputs for runners are the following:

1. The article talks about coal and silica dust. The rats were injected with coal and silica dust by Anand and Sahu. To connect the coal and silica dust to the air that we breathe while running and living (pun-ny), I compared the size of the coal and silica dust in the experiments to the PM 2.5 size and they were comparable. To recap the previous blog, PM2.5 level determines whether the air that you breathe is SNAFU, FUBAR or TARFU. What this means is that, we can apply the outcome of the experiment to humans without allowing Anand and Sahu to play their science games on you. You do realise what they would do to you on the 30th, 60th and 90th day, respectively.

2. You must be wondering how much jaggery to consume to become like the rats who passed with flying colours in the experiment? The rats in the experiment were given 50mg jaggery per rat and these rats were really small (140-150gms each). So .50gm per 150gm lab rat means that jaggery equivalent to about .33% of your body weight has to be consumed. So a 65kg human has to consume about 22gms of jaggery per day. So let us aim for these small doses of jaggery and hope for the best!

If I'm here, then I will update this blog in 15 years (fingers crossed yet again and I hope the fingers don't drop off by that time due to the toxins inside me).

Article link- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1567304/

The future of running in big Indian cities

“Nature... She pardons no mistakes. Her yea is yea, and her nay, nay.” 

                                                                                                         Ralph Waldo Emerson

Have you ever wondered where you will be running in 10, 20, 30 years from now? Will you be still running on your regular road route in Delhi? Will you see the sunrise and hear the birds chirp and wave your hand at the regulars at the park? Will you be in some other State like Mumbai or Bangalore and running there? Do you picture yourself maintaining the same running schedule as you are today? Will it feel the same way as it feels today or will there be changes?

If you have or have not wondered, then let me enable you in picturing how grim and bleak the future for running (worse for cycling) will be in India, with emphasis on the metropolitan cities.

Let us start one by one with the main factors that will affect your running in the future in metropolitan cities or bigger cities:

Traffic and parking

About 1400 new cars (add more numbers for other vehicles) are sold and added everyday to Delhi roads. 

In 2002, the number of cars per 1000 people in India was about 15. In 2011 it was 18 per 1000 people. By 2030, it is projected to be 100 per 1000 people.

Now, what do we do with cars when we don’t drive them? We park them (anywhere). When a car is parked, it occupies as much space as its size and a little more. A parked car actually enjoys its own real estate which cannot be used for anything else for most of the time. In fact I would classify a car as moving real estate because of the space it occupies.

The government is and will be unable to provide new roads and parking space. Imagine today’s traffic and parking problems and now multiply it by 5 and that is just 15 years away. This is without considering the trucks, buses, autos etc.  Keep multiplying by bigger numbers for post 2030 because incomes will grow and there will be an increase in the rate of car purchases. Picture yourself running around and about these parked cars or escaping their zig zag traffic.

In May 2013, the Economic Times reported, “Experts who have used forecasting techniques to understand the extent of the traffic distress in the future say that in seven years every single inch of road space available in the city would be occupied by a vehicle leading to traffic jams that could last for days. At the office of the Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS), a joint venture between the Delhi government and IDFC, which is trying to work out traffic solutions for the city, a senior transport specialist says that the apocalyptic future has already been seen. "It's here," she says pointing to a page on a thick report on traffic projections for the future.”

We have been taught to run against the traffic while running on roads. I’d like to see people practice running against the traffic in the year 2030 because I’ve never seen actual humans play Temple Run!

Pollution

Delhi has won an award recently. An award from WHO for the dirtiest atmosphere out of 1600 cities. The WHO recorded an annual average concentration of PM2.5 of 153 micrograms per cubic meter in Delhi. The WHO considers the measurement of PM2.5 to be the best indicator of the level of health risks from air pollution.  Overall Indian is at 134 micrograms per cubic meter and Canada is at the other end of the spectrum at 11 micrograms per cubic meter. So you can imagine what we are breathing and especially as runners, the amounts of pollution entering our system.

In May 2013, the Economic Times reported, “According to Basu, the massive growth in vehicular traffic has ensured an increase in sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide; and at least 10% of the population in Delhi shows signs of lung-related conditions such as bronchitis and asthma. This means that there are 16 lakh people in the city who would be suffering from asthma and acute bronchitis at the same time. At least 10% of these would need nebulisers or non-invasive ventilators to just ensure that they get access to oxygen. Most of the traffic policemen who serve in congested areas such as Chandini Chowk are all in bad state; they cannot breathe properly, lungs damaged.”

According to a press release on 21 September 2015 by the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, about 6,50,000 people die every year in India due to air pollution. As per Times of India (17 September 2015) Delhi will record 31100 death in 2025 and 52,000 deaths in 2050 due to air pollution.

Population

India is already the second most populated country in the world and by 2025-2028 it will become the most populated country by overtaking China. 

Government mandated population control will most likely not happen in India due to obvious reasons and our societal and customary norms will continue to support procreation. 

On top of the ever-growing population, the general human tendency to provide the best for our own children and the consequent demands from children will lead to more cars on the roads. When your own kid is concerned, is the time when the curtain of bullshit unfurls and the general concern for humanity and society takes a backseat. We are genetically programmed to be selfish and support our own, even if that means that directly or indirectly others are at or will be at a loss. I know of no parent with means who will willingly not buy his child a car, even after knowing that another lego block was added to the ridiculous block by block mess that we have gradually created.

This steadily increasing population and incomes will add significantly more cars and other vehicles on to the roads.

What I foresee for running:

1. Road running will become a peril due to increased traffic and pollution. Road running will lessen significantly. Running with masks will be a common sight.
2. More people (walkers and runners alike) will flock to neighborhood parks and forested areas, consequently making these places extremely crowded and unsuitable for your workouts. Keep in mind that these parks and forested areas will not have the problem of cars but the air over there will still be polluted so your masks will be on. In places like Mumbai where there are hardly any parks, I can imagine the problem being more extreme.
3. Gyms will make a killing due to increased treadmill running. We will wait in line for our turns to get on the treadmill. The bigger gyms with more treadmills will benefit with higher patronage.
4. Treadmill sales will soar and there will be more treadmills stationed at homes.
5. It is unnatural and it feels unnatural to run regularly on treadmills and therefore, treadmill manufacturers will have to devise ways to make running on treadmills more realistic and surreal for runners. 
6. Air purifiers will be installed in gyms and homes since the polluted air will be everywhere. Sheila Dixit was not wrong in installing 16 air purifiers in her house. She obviously knows more than you and me about our air!
7. Races will mostly be organized outside the metropolitan cities in cleaner areas.
8. Runners will train on treadmills or on roads while wearing masks and then travel to the hills or other cleaner places for running races which are organized there.
9. Some runners will shift some workouts or maybe shift lock, stock and barrel to other sports like football and basketball to get a workout outside on a playground (traffic free).
10. There may be relocation to smaller cities to continue running outside in a semi-safe/safer environment. For instance, if I have enough savings, I plan to move to my village in Haryana when the shit hits the fan or if I don’t have the requisite savings then find a job in a cleaner city.
11. There will be negligible newbie runners. Running as a sport will not be taken up actively due to the omnipresent and imminent hazards to health and life!
12. Some will quit running altogether!

I don’t even want to delve too much into the plight of cyclists because it is a sport which requires even more open space and longer duration (which means more time in the pollution and traffic) to get a decent workout. Mostly cyclists will be constrained to remain inside on turbo trainers and it won’t make a difference if you have a carbon frame or a wrought iron frame since they won’t be going anywhere!

Let me know what you think in the comments below. Do tell me that I’m wrong. I’d very much like to hear that :-)

Next instalment of this blog will be on what could be the future of running companies (keeping in mind the above).

And if you are imagining how you will look while running in a mask, then you will definitely not look like Bane

You’ll look closer to this guy instead