Monthly Archives for June 2015

Awesome Lawson

Fitness, Fitness related, For the soul, Marathons - Anupriya kapur - June 17, 2015

When I first heard about “Awesome Lawson”, I was not only amazed by his accomplishments but equally curious. He spends six months in India, training and volunteering at non-profit organisations and spreading his message through sports. There were a few questions which immediately came to my mind but I wasn’t sure whether to approach him or not. But when I did, I never expected him to respond promptly, straight from the heart and so humbly.  I was really moved. But then, isn’t life a long lesson in humility after all?

Dan Lawson is one of the best (super) ultra runners in the world and some of his accomplishments include –

  • 226 km at Bangalore Ultra in 24 hours (2014).
  • World record for running 834 kms on treadmill in under 7 days.
  • He ran Brighton Marathon non stop 4 times (up and down the course) and then 8 times next year.
  • Grand Union Canal 233 km, course record holder 22 hours 16 mins (2015).
  • Running for team GB at the World 24 Hour Championship, as a team they won world and European gold, he finished 22nd in world with a distance of 242km (2015).
  • Course record holder @ Run the Rann 24 hours 6 mins (2015).

Anupriya – Why did you  chose India out of all places?

Dan – Originally we travelled as a family because my wife was working in Bollywood. She was a dancer in quite a few films. I was a house husband is Goa while she worked in Mumbai. That’s when our love affair with India started. What I like best about India is anything seems possible when you are there.

Anupriya – How do you cope with heat and pollution here?

Dan – I absolutely love the heat, the question should be how do you cope with the cold in England its freezing not nice to run in. As far as pollution I am lucky most of the time I am running in Goa along small rural roads there is no pollution its wonderful. I think I may find it hard if I was always running in Mumbai or Bangalore I love to be out in the countryside, in quiet and stillness.

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Anupriya – What inspired you to start running long distances?

Dan – I enjoy pushing the body to see how far it can go. To date it has coped with every challenge I have taken on. Our bodies are truly amazing pieces of kit.

Anupriya – How  does your typical day look like? Do you run everyday?

Dan – Yes I run everyday, and twice a day as well. I also practice yoga 5 times a week in the evening after my training which also involves a daily swim, core workout and a strength and conditioning session twice a week.

Anupriya – Any tips that you would like to give to Indian runners as running is becoming very commercial here.

Dan – Just make sure you enjoy your running, get out if the city as much as possible use your running to connect to nature and feel that wonderful buzz.

Anupriya – And which ultra are you looking at doing next in India?

Dan – Last year I loved the Bangalore Ultra and the Run the Rann so maybe those two again and then let’s see xx

 *I have copied and pasted the Q&A, as is.UTMB

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The 3 R’s. Run. Rest. Recover.

Fitness, Fitness related, Marathons, Running Related Injuries - Anupriya kapur - June 12, 2015

I did my first full marathon on road this Jan, followed by another full marathon (this time on trail) in Feb.

I was feeling completely sapped post the back to back runs, so I decided to give my body as much recovery time as it demanded.

I didn’t run in March. And started running a bit recently. I was told yesterday by a fellow runner, you are “slipping out”. Just the way, I don’t understand why the “finish time” is so important to everyone around in our running community here, I don’t understand the obsession with “being seen” at all events. Riding high on runners’ high we tend to forget that running 42 kms takes a toll on the body and mind.

I have made a lot of mistakes in the last few years. I ran too much too soon. I had’t given my body enough time to recover from injuries in the past. Every body is different, some might need longer time to recover than others. I love to run and I want to be able to run over a longer period of time than to burn out.

I know it’s a tough call in today’s anytime-anywhere world or should I say everytime-everywhere world!. I have finally learned to say “no” and don’t let the feeling of being “left-out” bother me.  Taking a break isn’t a sign of weakness or aloofness.

Over a period of time I have realised that “resting” has little negative impact on the current fitness, and the long-term gains in any case outweighs any temporary reduction in fitness. So now I strictly base my running on how I feel.

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The picture perfect mom!

For the soul, Parenting - Anupriya kapur - June 3, 2015

As mothers we are constantly berating ourselves for not being good enough and for not doing enough. And social media only makes it worse. It’s constantly bombarding us with family vacation pictures, outings, birthday party pictures and now mark sheets (thankfully I don’t have to deal with it yet). What we don’t see is how much time, effort, scolding it took to get the kids beach ready or how cranky the host got at the end of the party waiting for the last guests to leave. What we see instead is the proud smiles with the sand castle and a mom with perfectly done up hair and make-up with pretty pink balloons as the back drop. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying it’s all fake but the fact remains that it’s not all perfect either. What we get to see is the filtered reality of other moms while experiencing our own unfiltered often frustrating reality.

I have learned it the hard way that like my child shouldn’t be forced to do anything or be someone he’s not, I shouldn’t try to force myself to be someone I’m not. I’m terrible at organising birthday parties. I get very jittery and nervous. But each and every year, on my son’s birthday, I tried. It always left me and my son exhausted (the pictures speak a different story, of course). He would be as overwhelmed as I would be. All I could think of was cosying up with him, wearing my pajamas, with a cup of coffee in my hands. I love my son to bits and want him to be happy on his birthday but now I realise there are many more ways of doing it rather than giving into what everyone else is doing.  I don’t have to keep telling myself that I’m not being a good mother because I don’t know how not to be flustered with 20 children screaming around me and me failing to socialise with other moms with all the chaos around. It doesn’t make me a bad mother if I’m not able to socialise with other moms on play dates. I come from a small town upbringing and have always struggled with big city ways of socialising. But it’s ok to not conform and take a step back and question yourself as to what is controlling your actions.

I wonder what makes us take motherhood so seriously that we question, doubt, weigh even the smallest action and its impact. I’m shaping a life but in the process of trying to “fit in” and what is considered “good”, am I not forgetting to have fun with my son on these occasions and limiting my experiences by constantly trying to control it.

 

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