BENGALURU: Dr Anuradha H K has found the perfect antidote for beating stress. As a doctor whose day begins at 4.45 am and ends at 8 pm, she is all too familiar with the tension that plagues the life of a neurologist. But what is her way of staying sane in the midst of such storms? Running. And no, the Bengaluru-based doctor doesn’t run away from her problems. Rather, it just helps her face them better. What started out as a mere 5k run in 2017 soon turned into half-marathons and marathons, with Anuradha eventually jumping bigger hurdles, namely ultramarathons, or a race that goes beyond the traditional 42-km.
When asked about her love for running, she answers like a true medical professional. “Scientifically it releases endorphins so it’s like any other addiction,” says Anuradha, who is a consultant neurologist at Aster CMI Hospital. And though she started running ‘seriously’ two years ago, her discovery of this revelation goes back to her second year of studying medicine, when she found that just 45 minutes of running could, in fact, help her stay fit and sane. “Running makes you focus on your breathing and heart rate. So, it’s really like meditation,” says the mother of a seven-year-old.
After her first 5k run in September 2017, there was no stopping Anuradha, who then went to run 10k and 30k soon after in the same year. Today, she has 25 half marathons (21.1km), eight full marathons (42.2 km) and two ultra marathons (more than 42km) to her credit, including the Malnad ultra, which is a challenging uphill run within privately owned coffee plantations adjacent to the Bhadra Wildlife Reserve in Karnataka.
The doctor has just finished her second ultra in October this year and completed the 50-km run in eight hours and 30 minutes. “That’s 30 minutes before the cut-off time of nine hours,” she says, expressing her surprise at having crossed the finish line at all. “My heart rate started to touch 200 and I wasn’t expecting to finish the race.” And yet, her break time too was just 5-10 minutes in total.
One would think she spent hours or days a week practising for this feat but in fact, there was none involved. “I just did my gymming as usual. It helps that I have good stamina and a strong core,” she answers simply.
While talking about the habit of discipline that running inculcates, she also reveals how she did a stadium run at Kanteerava Stadium in July this year. “That’s 12 hours of running, covering a distance of 74 km, from 5 pm to 5 am,” she says as she adds with a laugh, “That’s why my friends think I’m crazy sometimes.”
Currently, the doctor is prepping for a 30k marathon in December, the Mumbai marathon in January and hopefully, a triathlon in the coming year or two. And though her husband initially had a similar reaction to her friends, he eventually came around to her passion for running too. But when it comes to being her biggest cheerleader, it’s Anuradha’s youngest fan who takes the cake. “I really should thank my daughter. She’s always so proud of my running.”