HYDERABAD: Flush with the runner’s high of cracking her first World Major in marathoning, Bhargavi Lavanya, radio jockey, voiceover and TV artist and fitness enthusiast says running changed her life and her perspective towards the world. She was in Berlin in September to take part in the BMW Berlin Marathon and completed 42.1 km and got herself a shiny new medal. She reveals how she manages to wake up at 5 am every morning despite working so late. Excerpts:
Falling in love... with running
My journey started off in February 2015 when Pinkathon, a marathon brand, chose me as their brand ambassador to promote the marathon meant for women. Model and actor Milind Soman has always been my Man Crush and I decided to give it a shot. I had been trying to break the habit of late nights and magically transform into an early bird, and signing up for the marathonseemed like a perfect excuse to wake up early.
By the fourth day of running – it must be the runner’s high – I got hooked to it. No more snooze buttons or ‘five-more-minutes-please’ in the bed. I would be up and about to run. Running, however, in the beginning, wasn’t anything significant. It started with baby steps – walk, then fast walk, then a bit of a jog and I would wrap it with a 10-minute run. By the end of the week, I felt like I was in love. It seemed heady, I would wake up with a spring in my step and jogged off to the Railway Recreation Club (RRC) grounds, about 4 km from my home in Tarnaka. That was the beginning of my torrid love affair with running.
First milestones
In my very first week, I could complete my life’s first 10k test run at the University of Hyderabad in 82 minutes and I won my first medal. That was a great high. I now added a few more hours of sleep in the afternoon to ensure my sleep was adequate and I could wake up fresh every morning. I love travel as much as running and I realised that many marathoners mixed both travel and running. So I started looking at new marathons where I could mix both my hobbies.
Travel while on the run
I signed up for half and full runs in Delhi and Mumbai. I made new friends and we all support each other.
Fitness is fun
Running can also mean a lot of pain if you don’t eat and sleep right. I also wanted to be more flexible and wanted a harder core. So I started working out at F45 gym at my office complex. I would work out before my evening show began. Sometimes when it would get very hectic, I would just crash at a friend’s place or find a quiet corner in office to catch a nap. But I continued my runs.
Life’s new mission
Running teaches you to take one step at a time. Not content with the Indian runs, I decided to sign up for Berlin marathon. There are six big one’s that one needs to complete to become a world champion. One has to practice vigorously for at least four months to do that. So it teaches you discipline and planning everything around your runs.
Oh sweet pain
From backache to ligament tears to calf sprain, one can expect everything once you start running. But slow and steady wins the race. At the Berlin run, I almost gave up. Then I saw an Argentinean girl too sailing in the same ship. We had no common language but we both knew we had to do it. We smiled and hugged and moved on. The Tibetan tattoo on my wrist reminded me not to give up. Also DNF – Did Not Finish in a marathon is like failing the exam. I was sweaty, thirsty and was chanting Hanuman Chalisa, but eventually made it. I feel like I can achieve anything in life now. Crawl, walk run but never stop is the mantra of every runner. I gifted myself a Swiss holiday for having completed the big one. Now I am prepping for the Chicago Run in 2019.
Where one can sign up for running
Visit RRC grounds at 6 am on Tuesdays and you can see runners. Join and start your journey. One can also find runners between 5 am to 7 am on Tank Bund, Necklace Road or ORR. I wish Hyderabad had running tracks all across the city so people like me could run to work too.
— Manju Latha Kalanidhi
kalanidhi@newindianexpress.com
@mkalanidhi