Running is one of the cheapest forms of exercise not requiring much of specialised equipment apart from your running shoes and also does not need any specialised running tracts to accomplish this goal. Generally there is a belief in population that, running does not need any specialised training and one can start running at wish as everyone knows how to run. This is probably the reason why there is sudden upsurge of people resorting to running…… Unfortunately it is not true. Running is a specialised skill which needs to be learnt when it comes to marathon running and it involves scientific training. Marathon running is a part of this process and we see different types of people taking up this challenge.Hi, I am Dr Milind Pimprikar. And you are listening to fighting fit Fridays with Dr. Pimprikar.
Performing physical activity has become necessity in the modern times. Recreational sports and gym goers have witnessed a great deal of increase in the recent past. The physical activity also works as an excellent stress buster in the modern target based world which puts performance pressures on an individual. Physical activity improves overall health in general and improves the longevity in given cross section of population. Running (whether a marathon or not) is one of the ways of achieving this goal.
Why people run marathon?
Fortunately I got an opportunity as a sports medicine consultant to witness and organise medical coverage to local marathons where about 15,000 runners participated for last three years. And while talking to people participating in this event I tried to analyse the mindset of running. To begin with the marathons have become like carnivals they are a huge celebration where a magnitude of people gather for a common cause and these runs are usually named after a social event in the society or for a charitable cause. Everybody wants to be a part of this celebration.
Non-competitive nature of this sport could be another reason as here you are not competing with anybody. It is meant for all age groups and there are provisions like dream run or small rallies for a social awakening which also makes marathons popular. There is one stark feature about the participants and that is the sense of euphoria. At the start line the euphoric runners fill the whole atmosphere with tremendous amount of positivity and takes you on a different spiritual trip. For some running has become addiction and some say to have attained trance while running as one gets in meditation.
If we classify participants in a marathon, we can see a diverse approach. Starting with what are called as
Pros/Passionate–
This group of individuals are truly pumped up for the event. They have taken all the measures to have an effective run in terms of bettering their timings, they have slept well the previous night, they have carb. loaded themselves and have warmed up adequately before the event. One can see them focussed and scattered in different corners of the ground stretching with utmost concentration. These are professional athletes and some of them coming from overseas only for the event. They are interested in getting a position along with prize money as a part of their profession. There is other group who are passionate. They are the runners who are also well trained and have participated in several marathons but do not run for positions and one will see the same bunch of people enjoying completion of their run with the same zeal with passing by marathon each year. They usually compete with themselves and want to better their previous timings. This gives them a sense of accomplishment, boosts the self-esteem. They treat marathon as yearly religious ritual which is very very important part of their lives. THERE ARE MANY WHO RUN SEVERAL MARATHONS IN A YEAR.
Celebrunners- The next group of people are celebrity runners. The celebrities from different walks of life including film stars, top notch business tycoons, sports persons, politicians, writers and artists participate in these events for establishing their commitment to the social cause and they become the centre of attraction for these events. They are immaculately dressed, one can feel their presence. There are number of selfie clicks associated with them along with the photo booths. They are crowd pullers. They also serve as motivation to lot of people. If he can why not me? Forms the basis of running a marathon. None the less some of them are fitness ambassadors in true sense and take their runs as seriously as anybody else.
Marathonounos- Fully charged group of runners attempting their first ever marathon. Why not me? Is the first reason one starts to think about marathon participation. THEY HAVE TAKEN THE THOUGHT OF RUNNING VARY SERIOUSLY. A group of people have joined running group in the town with a dream of running their first ever marathon. These runners usually participate in half marathons. They are very happy and enthusiastic to their new-found passion and in turn the friends they have made in process of running. The adrenaline and the happy hormone endorphins are running to glory on the day of marathon. These runners would choose to walk-run-walk way of completing their goal and the happiness on their face is very evident at the finish line. This is one sport where nobody wins or loses. There is no sense of competition, it is just a process which helps each other to complete a bodily challenge aided by mental strength and camaraderie of fellow participants.
Walkmarathoners–
This is a specialised group of people who normally run at the beginning on the start line. They usually are the people standing in the front rows at the start line and as the run progresses, you see them slow down to a mere walk. They really enjoy the marathon mania. Waving at the spectators, enjoying the ambience is maximally done by them. One has to know and understand that, “15 min a kilometre is same distance as 7 min. a kilometre” meaning it hardly makes a difference as to in how much time one completes the marathon as long as the distance of 21/42K is completed within the cut off limit. This group firmly believes in this philosophy. I must say though that, they are a group who would not quit. Even if it is walking interspersed with running, they would complete the task. They are determined beings.
Facebookrunners and watsappers-
These are happy souls. They are all spread around the marathon arena with their cameras and the selfie sticks. You will find them on the photo booths capturing the mania of the event. They might participate in 3/5K dream runs. Attractive sporting attire, finisher medals around their neck and the backdrop of the marathon finisher is what this group of people want. They have a mental satisfaction of being a part of an event. Sometimes these belong to a FOMO category who fear missing out on an event which is the talk of the town, but this is also the first baby step taken towards running a marathon in the future. The atmosphere here is really motivating. Participation is the biggest motivator. The one who witnesses this electrifying atmosphere will be tempted to run a marathon sometime in life.
In short, whatever category one belongs to, one must take up some physical activity and running can be the easiest first step towards exercise behaviour. It is now established fact that, indulgence in physical activity will directly co relate with the population’s health.
So, friends, prepare, practice, run, run and run for health. Don’t forget to seek a professional advice before you do so. One can start running at any age but get yourself evaluated if you have crossed forty at least get your ECG done before you contemplate a marathon. Running is a skill which needs to be learnt. To conclude, I would sign off by saying “Let prudence prevail over passion”.
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Thank you for listening.
