getting into the groove

And that was it...belying my own expectations, I soon got into a great rhythm and started making rapid strides. I also followed a punishing diet...not sure how much of it was actually healthy; I made it a habit of skipping lunch (that itself was not much of a sacrifice though since the dining hall grub didn’t take a lot of persuasion to desist from) I also tried to ensure that my daily visit to the gym was not the only workout that I was getting. After I was done with my classes and assignments for the day, I would trek back home...a walk all of nearly 3.5 kms. The fact that this helped me save my auto fare too was no small consideration...

I registered for the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon sometime in July. Did not have the guts to register for the full 42 km distance as in my mind, the distance rose like a Goliath and threatened to smash my self-confidence into smithereens, so I played safe by registering for the 21 km half-marathon. I had managed to fritter away most of the gains made at the beginning of the year by some reckless drinking while completing my summer internship in Delhi; with the searing cowbelt heat providing the perfect excuse, I made it a habit to start gulping beer around the middle of the week and rounding it off in style by the weekend, while lounging around and catching some cricketing action on television. I tried to sustain the momentum by running regularly; Delhi is perhaps the best city if you’re a running enthusiast with sidewalks wider than most of the roads in Mumbai, but the summer heat was just too much for any meaningful running to be carried out. The result of all this was that the spare tire was back in place and my running form had been hit out the ballpark!