Mind can move mountains it is said .
Completing the tough Hyderabad full marathon recently sent me back in a rewind mode

Agony and Ecstasy of Fall and Rise like Sphinx from Ashes…….Journey of 3 Years

You must tell yourself, “No matter how hard it is Or how hard it gets ” I am going to make it

It’s been 3 years since I went through the most traumatic and scary health issue.

One day, I was up and running and leading a normal busy life and the very next day I was bed ridden with a femur bone fracture which wouldn’t heal .

I couldn’t comprehend what was happening.

Being on crutches petrified me , I would wonder whether I would ever walk without the crutches, leave aside run.

I would be thinking and always be in a downward spiral.

I would be in tremendous pain and doing any normal chores was an ordeal.

Pain became a part of my life and I felt I would never be free of pain.

Reached a low ebb and felt nothing would be worse than this.

An empty mind is a devil’s workshop.

So having the fracture and being bed ridden because of it was one aspect of this debilitating situation.

The other aspect was despite 3 months , my fracture was not really healing, I was so depressed and couldn’t fathom what to do.

I was resting, taking medication, but still was on crutches and limping with so much pain, that it was visible on my face.

At that time my orthopaedic doctor told me to do a bone density test and my worst fears were confirmed.

I was diagnosed with Osteoporosis.

For a moment post this diagnosis, I went numb with fear, fearing the worst, as my mother had both her knees replacement transplant done.

So I thought , leave aside any thought of running or any workout, I will always have to be conscious about any fall, twist or any sprain .The doctor put me on calcium injections which I had to take on a daily basis.

Before this unforeseen situation, in the month of June 2019, I had registered for the prestigious Mumbai Marathon ( the Mecca for Running Fraternity ) 42.2 kms Full Marathon .

Since this fracture which happened in July 2019, I had totally put off the dream of training and running for 42 k.

I had just started coaching , my coach and my fellow runner , a mind trainer Manoj Vanjari a corporate honcho and a fitness guru who believes that it is our mind which needs to be trained to achieve any goals in our life including our fitness goals.

July to November , I had total bed rest.

Except to be focused on what to eat so that I dont really put on weight, their was nothing else I could do to improve my fitness.

November end , I slowly started walking and light yoga .

I still remember the day it was 17th of November, when my Coach called me and said you can still run 42 k at Mumbai.

I thought he was just pulling a fast one on me.

So the next day when he sent me a plan week wise till the marathon date, I was taken aback and scared to the point that I called him and asked him if he really thought I was capable of doing it.

And what my coach said changed my life forever

He said ‘I have full faith and confidence in you, just follow my plan and you will sail through’.

I had been running for the last 3 years and I had run many many 21 k, but I had not run anything beyond 21k.

How was I even comprehending doing 42 k just recovering from a fracture?

It is said ‘Faith can move Mountains’ , so with faith in my coach, my physio, embarked on my training.

I started very slowly and cautiously.

After 2 days when nausea subsided , the first thought was about the Mumbai marathon
and I had a sinking feeling , my dream of going to Mumbai is now totally buried .

I was very very clear about any pain or niggle and I had to stop and consult my physio and my orthopaedic doctor.

In the middle of December, when I was slowly but surely was on track, an unfortunate incident occurred, One morning when I was running, a dog bit me.

I fell down on the road, and with that fall , all my dreams crumbled like a pack of cards.

I was bleeding profusely and my trackpant was soaked with blood .

I was rushed to the hospital and was injected with antirabies injection on all sides of the wound. Then 2 more Injections on my arm which I had to take 6 times in the span of 21 days.

It was a harrowing time for me ,morning antirabies and in the evening my regular calcium injections.

Believe me in my whole life I have not taken so many injections as I have taken in those 4 months.

Dog bite not only gave me physical pain, but mentally I was shattered, felt I couldn’t run on the roads again.

Fracture created doubt in my mind as to whether I would ever run , but dog bite created a fear of dogs in my mind which I felt would prevent me from running on the roads .

As per my plan , I was supposed to do a half marathon, but was mortified at the thought of running and was petrified at the thought of encountering a dog .

But by now, I knew my road to 42k finish line was not going to be a bed of rose petals, but the path of thorns and pebbles.

With all my preparation and faith in power of mind and support from near ones, I completed my 1st HM after a long gap of 150 days.

Once I did this run , my confidence soared and I could visualise running in Mumbai.

Finally the week before the event came, I was confident but not overly optimistic about completing the race.

Sunday 19 th January was the race day.

On the 15th , early morning I suddenly woke up having waves of nausea and dizziness.

By mid-afternoon, I was diagnosed with vertigo. For the next 2 days, I alternatively had bouts of nausea or severe vomiting.

I was severely dehydrated and couldn’t retain even a morsel.

For two days I was in a zombie state,and didn’t even realise what was happening.

My friends and family rallied by my side , taking care of me.

On friday the 17th, I was out of bed, but was weak and still on medication .

But now I was sure Mumbai dream for this year is off

Saturday morning when I spoke to my coach, the only thing he said was , ‘Are you feeling better’.

I said yes, he said then fine , you are mentally a very strong person, instead of finishing 42 k run in 6hours, you will do it 6.15hrs , so visualize crossing the finish line with a smile.

I just followed his instinct , and left for Mumbai in the afternoon .

Next day, I took the vertigo tab , and with the backing of the power of my mind I completed the run.

I did it in 6.12 hours, precisely what was predicted.

I was on cloud 9 after the event .

Elated , happy and a lot of accolades flowed from all my friends, family and my running community.

Meanwhile my calcium injections still continued.

I continued my training regime with my coach .

Slowly, sustainable, scalable and steady progression.

Robert Frost the famous poet said ‘ The woods are lovely and dark and deep, but I have promises to keep.

Miles to go before I rest , Miles to go before I rest ‘.

I have a lot to achieve , many paths to trundle. I may stumble and fall but I am sure will get up and continue

Manoj’s perspective is beautifully penned down by him. Pl also check his blog

https://manojvanjari.blogspot.com/2020/01/lioness-roars-again.html