“It takes 10,000 Hours of “deliberate practice” to become master Something (world-class in any field)” says Malcolm Gladwell in his book Outliers.

Well, my journey with running started in Sep ‘18 at the age of 36 and without any intention of being a master but purely for the sole reason of staying healthy. I ran my first 5K with the help of an amateur running community and it felt quite nice. The regular group runs and strength training gave me the confidence and self-belief to pursue this sport wholeheartedly. Running as a sport is also convenient, you can do it anywhere and anytime and all you need is just running shoes (some people run without shoes also but that’s not for me).  For a sales & marketing professional with a lot of business trips, like me, it was no less than a blessing. I even started motivating and helping my colleagues to complete their first run during business trips.

Thanks to smartwatches and running apps, I have been recording all my runs. Since my first run, I have run 3255 Km and it took me 368 hours 32 minutes, and 26 secs (avg pace 6.8 min/km). So, coming back to the ‘being master’ discussion, I am quite far from being a master and I realized that it would really need special talent, discipline, and strong willpower to achieve 10,000 hours of practice. However, I realized that my consistent running helped me to become a better runner over time. My average pace came down from 7.17 min/km to 6.2 min/km

From my first 5K and now, the pace has improved drastically and all this while just enjoying running consistently i.e.15-20 Kms per week. At times, had to step back due to some minor injuries but then would just start, where I left off.

Overall, I may not become a master in this life at least as a runner but I have learned the art and benefits of being consistent. Apart from improving as a runner, it is also my ‘me time’ to think, reflect and take important professional/personal decisions. Some do meditation but for me, the long run is my way of meditation. 

Let’s keep running and learning (consistently)!