Summer Bug

Marathons. Since I've come to the US I have know many who have run marathons. The crazy kind - barely any training; with determination seeing them through. The die hards - somehow manage the whole 26mi in spite of an injury. The level heads with an aim - go regularly for training and wind their way to the finish line in glory.

Somehow its an occupation which seems to have missed India. Never heard of anybody there doing a marathon. Except for the Naval run which occurs Dec 4th every year. All the dashing young officers and cadets would run by our house (which was en route back then) and people would hang out at the gates passing them water and such.

I have long since lost touch with the die hards; and the crazies seem to have retired to married bliss. But a bunch of friends and colleagues are once again training. Recently I've come to appreciate jogging, though a marathon is something I would never contemplate; you see I'm immune to this particular bug. That's how I initially started jogging - running along with a colleague when he was training; and then he got to distances beyond a couple of miles and I decided biking is much better. Things seem to lose their attraction once they step beyond the line of fun into the zone of exercise.

In all of this my involvement has been in cheering when friends were running. Or donating to whichever cause they choose to run for. Thats the fringe benefit of the summer bug - some causes get recognition; get championed. But recently lethargy seems to have creeped in some more and all I do is give a nod when I see an email from a friend who is running. And wonder what kind of a runner he is.