I have dabbled in long-distance running from the time I was 14 years old while studying in a boarding school. However, it completely stopped when I left the school after class X.  I ran again for exercise as I got older, but without any goals – I enjoyed the peace and the perspiration ?. My passion for running resurfaced in 2011 after I decided to train for and run my first half marathon in Arizona as a 40th birthday present to myself.  I was able to finish it in 2 hours and 6 minutes!

Later that same year, we moved to India from the US.  In 2012, I came across the  Striders running club in Mumbai and joined them.  With encouragement from fellow runners and coaches, I ran my first full marathon in Amsterdam and achieved a finishing time of 5 hours and 17  minutes.   After the marathon, I felt I wasn’t sufficiently trained or prepared.  Since then, I have run 5 more full marathons and have achieved a personal best timing of 4 hours and 26 minutes in Berlin in 2016.  The other notable marathons I have run are The TCS New York, StanChart Mumbai and Lisbon. I also run a few half marathons every year, including my favorite course at Satara, Maharashtra.

In my opinion, there is no better fitness activity than running.  It doesn’t require any expensive gear, gym membership or a lot of pre-planning.  It doesn’t differentiate between young or old, man or woman, rich or poor.  In a running group, the camaraderie and friendship developed are lifelong. I look forward to running with my friends and some of our best conversations happen as we run. The mental and health benefits of running are enormous and quick to realize. A good run in the morning exhilarates me and keeps me on a high all day!  My goal is to run an international full marathon and a few half marathons in India every year.

Now, running is an integral and non-negotiable part of my life. I plan to continue traveling and running all around the world and keep pushing to improve my personal best!!