Six years ago, I was training for a half marathon. I was running almost all local marathons between 5 to 10 kms. I was part of a runners group and I knew that it was just a matter of time till I would be confident enough to do the 21 kms. 21 kilometers of intention, discipline and pure belief. My days revolved around pace, recovery, hydration and the intention of just “have” to do it! And then… life happened.
No, my story is not an inspirational story or a comeback story or even a story that can motivate someone. I am just a normal woman working with super normal goals in a normal life. Normal is very relative and when the boat of normalcy is rocked, that’s when life happens!
One after the other, responsibilities showed up. Work grew exponentially. Personal commitments demanded attention and these commitments could not be shared and above all we saw a year plus of Covid where nothing was ever normal. Priorities shifted. I have to say that running did not disappear overnight. It just slowly and conveniently slid way down in my list until one day I realized I had not laced up with purpose in a very long time. Thankfully, like many dreams of mine, it did not die. It just went silent. For years, I told myself I would start when the time was right. But the truth is, the “right time” never announces itself. It waits for you to choose it. And there is where the power lies!
The Most Non Grand Comeback
When I finally decided to return, it was surely for the race buzz that started about 4 months ago with the Tata Mumbai Marathon registrations opening. I wanted it to be about the race bib as well as the finisher’s medal. But strangely , both did nothing to me to motivate me and then I struck gold with a thought . “Just show up woman!”
The comeback was slow and uncomfortable. The body remembered some things and the mind remembered everything, the excitement, the energy but most importantly the doubt. Was I up to this?
I signed up for the Dream Run, not to prove anything, but to reconnect. I ran for just 45 to 50 minutes without chasing pace and with no expectations. Just me, the road and six years of distance between who I was and who I wanted to be again.
And in those 45 minutes, I learned lessons that I took back as a Coach and I will carry them deeply into my work as a Coach.
Coaching Lessons I Took Back from the Road
- Dreams can pause but they never expire.
Life will interrupt and plans will derail and normalcy cycles will break. It does not definitely mean that a dream is over. It just means that it is waiting. As a Coach, I am now hoping to remind my coachees that taking a break does not equal giving up. One has to understand that you have hit the pause button and one can restart anytime one likes. - The “right time” is a decision and the power of that decision is yours
No one can tell you when you are ready. Not your Coach. Not your friends. Not your family. Not your calendar. Readiness is internal. If you wait for perfect conditions, you will have to wait forever. And just the act of “doing” once is enough to propel you into greatness. Trust me! - The journey may be shared but the pace is personal
You can train with friends. You can look for support. You can lean on a community. But only you decide your pace and direction. Comparison is tempting but progress is personal. Once you know it is all you, then making it or breaking it is also all you! - Giving up often feels logical especially when it’s hard.
There were moments in that run when stopping felt like the smartest choice. I was horrified that it was the same me who could do 10km with ease five years ago. My breath was uneven. My legs complained. I feared that even a short distance like this was becoming so overwhelming. But then I gave myself one last chance before quitting. Just one more minute and that minute changed everything. As a Coach, I will now ask my coachees if quitting is the right choice especially at the peak of discomfort. Pause, reassess but give yourself one more honest try. And even then if it seems too much, stop for a bit, rebuild yourself and then move ahead. - They say success is sweet but I have to say it comes with pain
With post-run headache,muscle soreness and just fatigue, I learnt something important. Who says success is sweet? Success and achievement is not painless. Growth stresses the body and the mind. Discomfort does not mean failure. On the contrary, it often means progress. This is something I will now normalize for my coachees instead of shielding them from it. Be prepared for discomfort, be prepared for pain and while success is sweet it is also a lot of pain.
What Running Gave Me Back
That 45-minute run did not make me faster. It did not magically restore six lost years (which by the way I do not consider really lost but never mind!).But it gave me perspective.
It reminded me why I fell in love with running in the first place. Not for medals or finish lines but for what it teaches you about patience, resilience and self-trust. No major comeback story. No great inspiration. It is just a promise that I did not break for myself keeping me as the priority.
I also know that as a Coach, I will now show up differently. With more empathy. With more patience. With a deeper understanding that every coachee carries a life outside of plans and goals and timelines and deadlines and sometimes that life takes over. And that is okay.
Because our dreams do not demand perfection. They just ask for your persistence!