Savyasaachi

I have always been fascinated by the calves and physique of Lance Armstrong and those athletes running in the Olympics. So, I thought I would give it a try, and now it has been a year since I have been running regularly. Each morning, I am awakened by the anticipation of the euphoria that I experience after running, and it is a force too strong, even for any exam the same day, to stop me from running.

The initial resistance is always there, when my mind says, ‘Not today’, but then the breathing becomes normal, the sweating starts, the rhythm sets in and there is no stopping.

My experience with the routine of life is a sine wave. There are highs and lows, miraculous and, an almost equal number of, depressing moments. All this chaos has an enormous effect on my body. Every day, in that precious hour in the morning, when I am with myself, I witness so much of tension, a kind of restriction in parts of my body which I would have not noticed otherwise, and by releasing all of it one by one, there is a monumental space created, a kind that allows free flow of energy.

When I jog a lot, especially on weekends, I get an opportunity to sense, what I call ‘an extraordinary experience’. As I go beyond my limit, my legs start to hurt and the pain is everywhere, so much so that it gets all of my attention; I am fully present in it. It is as if I can go no further, but when I just keep going, I realize there is something beyond that unbearable pain, a kind of peace that I was not aware of, a sense of gratitude to life itself.

After I am done with my stretching and as I head back, each morning, I feel reset in mind and body. I feel more powerful in dealing with the routine demands in college and personal life. I can, without any second thought declare running as my addiction, my morning drug.

P.S.: I have not yet gotten Armstrong’s calves, but I will get there!