A run where you always win #TCS #10K #Majja

It was two years ago - May 2016 - when I ran the TCS 10 K. There have been lots of other small runs that I ran in these past two years. But the excitement that comes from the TCS is very different.

Its not the numbers! 23000 odd runners. Wow that is a large number.
There is definitely no prize money for me here (ROFL) running at the rate of 9 minutes per kilometer.
Its not the pomp and gala. I really love the simple quieter runs.
Its not the cause. Because honestly there are so many causes. And honestly in the past two years I ran for so many causes. Purple run, World peace, P.U.S. H.

In 2016 when I ran, it was my first 10 K. There was a personal gain and satisfaction to being able to complete an actual official 10 K.
This year its different. It is personal this year. Why?
For the past 7 months, I have been volunteering at the Reaching Hand home for Children. It has been a life changing experience for me.
Once a week, every week, Isaac, Ziva and I get ready and drive down to Hosahalli about 35 minutes from home. I teach Geography to 8 and 9 year olds. Isaac and Ziva make friends. It has been a very interesting experience for all of us.

This time its personal. I now know Reaching hand one level closer. I know the home. I am supporting the 'Girls Glory' project. But I know the kids who live in the home. I know the names of 20 of them who I teach. I confuse them and call them each others name and they laugh at my scatter brained disastrous forgetfulness but they are happy to have me there.
I get tough on them when they refuse to write down questions and answers. But before I leave, I get hugged and when I come back the following week I get big smiles with a Hi! Rohini akka.

This time its personal. I am not raising funds for a third person CSO. This time as I run the TCS 10K and as I approach each person to support me financially, its different.
This time as I run, there are the 20 bright faces that appear before me.
There are the smiles with honest eyes that have probably witnessed more distress than I can imagine.
There are the hardworking hands and minds that value the education that we are putting into them.

This time its personal. This time I am not running for Reaching Hand. This time there are names that flash into my mind with an actual person to associate with each name!

This one race... I will always win :)


Please support me financially as I run the TCS 10 K

http://icfn.in/tcsworld10k/fundraiser/rohini/

If you have more questions about Reaching Hand, especially the New home, please reach out to me, I would be happy to answer them or point you to the right person.

https://www.reachinghand.org/project/newhome/

Two kids… Too old … But not too late #run #race

It started about two years ago (2016). It started with a desire that I had!  To make Suresh run the TCS 10 K!

How do you like that? I convinced him that he should run the TCS 10K. He had run it once before about two years before (2014 May). He was in good shape. Fit! Cycling to work! Playing soccer and beating the crap out of youngsters’ half his age. And this run was for a good cause. He could raise money for Reaching Hand a shelter for street kids.

Interestingly my desire for Suresh backfired. I mean literally backfired. And this is somewhat how the story turned out.

Along with Suresh, I thought a bunch of our youth from church could also run and raise money. And so I started talking to them. When I approached a few of the girls, one of them turned back with this request. ‘ Rohini Chechy if you run I will run’. Thanks Naomi. I owe you for pushing me into this addictive habit!

‘I am too old’ I tried this excuse. It didn’t work and so I told everyone that I would register and practice and at least walk the 10 K. I started calculating that if it took me 10 mins to walk 1 km, I could finish walking the 10K in 1 hr and 40 mins. Not too bad! I could walk for that long a time. And so we started practicing. There were about 15 odd folk who signed up and agreed to run. Toward the race we fizzled down to 8 people who ran the TCS 10 K 2016 for Reaching hand.

In 2016, I ran a little now and then. We all promised each other that we would keep up our good workout routine and we also decided we would run TCS 10K 2017. I didn’t do so well from May 2016 till December 2016.

In November 2016, I hit an all time low. Some may call it being depressed. I call it the beauty of the valley where you don’t want to stay for too long. I put on 3-4 Kgs in a span of  2 months. That may not seem like a lot. But it looked like I would not be stopping there unless I did something. So, in 2017 I began the year with the resolution to run/walk everyday as much as possible. My main aim was to lose weight! From January to April I did really well. I ran so much that it became a habit. Such a good habit. I ran when my back hurt! I ran when my legs hurt! I ran when I was sad! I ran when I was happy! If I could not ran I would walk. Basically I did everything to get off my butt. Such a good year for exercising - 2017

Most people start these good habits early in life. Most folk move from running to walking as they age. I changed the flow of the river. I started with no exercise to bicycling to walking and finally running.

One morning after a long break I put on my shoes and clicked a picture of FB and posted ‘Back again ready to lose those last few kgs’. To this post one young girl messaged me and said ‘God has made you already so beautiful why are you trying to lose weight’. Ha! I spun this in my favor! I don’t run just to lose weight. I run to stay in good health… I run to prevent breast cancer… I run to set an example for my kids. 

The last one being the most important. In a world obesity and morbidly lazy kids, Isaac and Ziva could use some inspiration from my journey non-runner -to- runner.

Last year (2017) Isaac and Ziva ran their first 5 K. What a joy it was for the whole family – Suresh, Isaac, Ziva and me to run together. I love that Isaac and Ziva are excited about running even though there is whining when it comes to the actual run 😊.

Someone complimented the family at our craziness ‘ A family that runs together stays together!’