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<\/p>\nOn a beautiful Sunday morning, at the Madras IIT campus, where I had just arrived, the sun simultaneously tooted its advent by goring its rays through the dense clouds, making the dewdrops on the grass glitter like pearls. Concomitantly, a gust of cool, crisp air caught me unawares. The swirling wind rocked the trees to its breezy music, enticing the birds to chirp and tweet their morning melody. Grasping the elegance of the moment, the butterflies seemingly intoxicated by the nectar-laden flowers exuding fragrance from their bosoms gladly joined in the symphony. There could not have been a more glorious moment orchestrated for me to embark on my customary weekly long run as I launched my body for a joy ride. My feet picked up the pace. My arms swung swiftly with each hurried breath as I passed by the magnificent trees and deer grazing on the roadside. I noticed droplets of sweat breaking out on my face as my lungs howled and begged for air. Suddenly, my train of thought slowed down gradually to a whimper and eventually receded into nothingness. My body had taken over, putting my life in reverse. It was – matter over my mind. My thoughts evaporated, substituting them with euphoria. Time ceased to exist as a secret door magically flung itself open on the running planet, ushering me into a continent of pure bliss.<\/p>\n
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Discovering the joys of running or taking to run didn\u2019t come easy to me. It doesn\u2019t come easy to others either. Although I now love running, I must confess that I spent my first twenty-odd years despising running because I experienced cramps every time I ran. So much so that just running a few hundred metres seemed an ordeal. I loathed running so much that I even resisted thinking of it.<\/p>\n
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After clearing the UPSC exams in 1991, I joined the foundation course at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Academy of Administration, Mussoorie. There, I evaded mandatory jogging sessions during morning PT, mostly feigning injury and ill health. I even completed the course without running a mile. But when I joined the National Police Academy at Hyderabad a little later, the same ploys became undeployable. The instructors forced me to lace up my shoes every morning and run in a squad formation even when my lungs burnt, and my feet threw a total fit. Not only did that feel terrible while I was running, but it also felt horrendous the following day when I woke up feeling sore all over my body. Finding no way out, despite the suck, I stuck to it. As days passed by, the suck softened and dwindled. As I persisted with running, one magical day, I realised the terribleness or the suck of running had mysteriously disappeared. Surprisingly, the secret of riding out the suck had untangled itself to me. Of course, not instantly, but in the long run.<\/p>\n
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After a few years and a couple of active postings, I realised that the trappings of being a police officer had induced me to a life of comfort and lethargy. I awkwardly jutted out in the middle, as I wasn\u2019t doing enough to honour my body. I admired officers and men doing their runs in the Armed Reserve grounds when I attended weekly parades. Deep down, I knew some steady running could battle the growing bulge. But I was reluctant to drag my body to run out of laziness. After mulling over it for several months, I pulled out my track pants one fine winter morning, dusted my shoes, and pushed myself to run for fifteen minutes. I have never looked back since then. Over the years, I have run several marathons and ultras and even earned a couple of Asian records.<\/p>\n
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In the past, I had come across several friends, some of whom were curious to know why I ran.\u00a0Some wanted to know how to run, while some wanted help to run. Running, in the beginning,\u00a0feels terrible, absolutely terrible for all. But as one runs consistently for a month, it starts to feel\u00a0amazing. It may sound awfully cliche, but jogging indeed has liberated me from negativity,\u00a0anxiety and fear. For someone who was initially reluctant and adamant to run, I would say there\u00a0is no harm in trying to pursue it out for some time till one catches the bug. Here is a statutory\u00a0warning- running could become an addiction; when one gets bitten by the running bug.<\/p>\n
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Furthermore, running could flow into other aspects of your life. For instance, Actor Will Smith\u00a0after winning the Kids Choice Awards in 2005, spoke about keys to life in a YouTube video in\u00a0which he explains that while one is on the run, a little person inside each one of us urges us to\u00a0quit as soon as it starts to get uncomfortable. At which point, we should learn to subdue the little\u00a0voice. Once we master the habit of conquering the voice, things begin to change in our lives.\u00a0We cease quitting when things get hard in life, as this distinct mindset percolates and spills over\u00a0into all areas of our life.<\/p>\n
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Most of us are coasting along with our lives, not knowing what our true purpose and passion\u00a0are? When I took up running, there was not even the foggiest idea of what I wanted to achieve\u00a0or accomplish in my life. But once I stumbled upon running, ideas and dreams started lighting\u00a0up my mind. As I continued running, I began to face my boundaries and barriers; overcoming\u00a0them brought confidence into my life, uplifted me and put me in the right frame of mind to\u00a0dream. Running also helped me destress. It made me feel badass after every challenging long
\nrun It also gave me clarity in thinking, an abundance of energy, a burst of inspiration, and the\u00a0destruction of cravings for junk food and alcohol.<\/p>\n
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Running for long periods can open up new frontiers. The act of running nourishes the joy\u00a0bubbling within me – in rhythm with every stride and swing of my arms. Jogging occasionally\u00a0cracks open unusual mental spaces inside me that allows me to solve my life problems from a\u00a0positive mental state of mind. It also helps me be more mindful and makes fantastic things come\u00a0about in my life. A good run tugs me and sucks me into the present splendid moment. Running\u00a0is meditation in motion as it silences the mental chatter. That’s why it is spiritual. Losing oneself\u00a0totally to the moment feels like riding a giant surf in the ocean.<\/p>\n
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Dr.K. Jayanth Murali is an IPS Officer belonging to 1991 batch. He is borne on Tamil Nadu cadre. He lives with his family in Chennai, India.\u00a0He is currently serving the Government of Tamil Nadu as Additional Director General of Police, Idol Wing CID.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"