Yuvaraj Patil Shares His Story
“The mind is everything. What you think, you become.” – Buddha
Fresh out of high school, when the spirits for life are high, and it could take a positive turn for good, I was bit by the fitness bug, and that turned out to be the best decision of my life. Respecting my body and keeping it in good shape became a passion in no time, and here I am after a decade and a half, still crazy about staying fit.
Years of discipline, patience, consistency, and learning have changed my perception of everything and have helped me achieve the milestones I have set for myself.
As I started to gym rigorously, I felt that I am gaining a lot of muscle weight. I wanted to have a lean physique, and so to tone my muscles, I decided to take up running. It has been seven years now, and here I am, a Runmonk for life.
Running – When the passion began.
Working in IBM further fed on this newly acquired interest of mine as I tagged along with fellow passionate runners. I decided to give the trial run for a relay event a shot, and to my utter surprise, I could not qualify. I failed to finish 10kms in under 50 mins. This incident turned out to be a moment of enlightenment, and I knew what I had to do now. And so I started to take up running seriously. I trained and pivoted my entire routine in developing the strength and endurance needed for running with an immediate goal to complete 10 km under 50 mins. A focussed strength training and a carefully crafted running regime helped me get where I wanted to be, and I managed to cover 10 km in just 45 minutes.
Soon I got the opportunity to schedule trial runs and select passionate runners for the team. Guiding new runners came naturally to me, and it made me feel contented to make a positive difference in someone’s life. To someone, I was just helping people become good runners, but to me, I was teaching them a positive lifestyle that I know would remain with them for a lifetime.
A new phase of life waiting to begin
10 km was just not enough for me. I knew I have been craving for more and so I decided to graduate to half marathons. My regime took a major revamp to get those miles under my belt. I followed an entirely different routine that I have been following and developed the endurance needed for half marathons.
After half marathons, I was all set to make a debut in a full marathon. The destination I chose for this first in my life was Dubai, and I enrolled a year in advance to keep myself on my toes and prepare my body for this particular moment in my life.
One hell of a first
But little did I know, there is an unexpected turn waiting for me. As I approached my debut marathon, all set and excited to achieve this milestone, an unfortunate incident led to a disc bulge. It happened in November, and the race was in January. I was on bed rest with minimal body movement. I had no idea if I will be able to go to Dubai for my debut or not. I was in too much pain, and every day was getting difficult for me.
With just a month to go, I decided to give my recovery a serious shot, and so I took up Yoga and Strength training to help me cope with the pain I may go through if I happen to attempt the run. Eventually, I did go to Dubai and completed the marathon. It was not easy. At one point, my body locked up, and the pain I was in almost made me give up. I dragged myself for a km. The only thing that kept me going was the thought of touching the finish line. I completed the run in pain, and it was a wake-up call. I returned and gave my body what it needed – care, nurturing, and a fresh start. And so, I started from scratch, making yoga an essential part of my routine. I set small milestones for myself. I eventually graduated from small runs to half marathons and finally to full marathons.
The lesson of a lifetime
This particular experience taught me a fundamental lesson. Our body will never fail us if we keep believing in it. So now, I know giving up is not an option. All I have to do is look forward in my life and prepare for the NEXT BIG WHAT. Today, I thrive on attending events that take me places and tests me to my limit. Every day, I strive to prepare my body and mind for the next big challenge coming my way, and there is only a single thought that comes to my mind, “May the adventure never stops.”
As a part of the RunMonks community, we wholeheartedly salute Yuvaraj Patil for keeping the focus with all the grit and determination and being the catalyst in driving the idea of – “Pushing the Limits”
RunMonks a platform powered by 505 Circle created by Kushagra Sharma is proud to be associated with Yuvaraj Patil for being the flag bearer of our philosophy which is “Develop awareness of oneself” and GETTING INTO THE #ZENMODE & TO BE THE #RUNMONKER
