{"id":72887,"date":"2024-08-13T13:36:09","date_gmt":"2024-08-13T08:06:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.adityabirlacapital.com\/healthinsurance\/active-together\/?p=72887"},"modified":"2024-08-14T11:52:02","modified_gmt":"2024-08-14T06:22:02","slug":"how-i-ran-my-first-marathon-amey-khopte","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.adityabirlacapital.com\/healthinsurance\/active-together\/2024\/08\/13\/how-i-ran-my-first-marathon-amey-khopte\/","title":{"rendered":"How I Ran My First 10K Marathon: Amey Khopte"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"marathon_Activ<\/p>\n

When I look back in time, going back to my school days in 2008, I see a sporty kid, weighing 45-50 kilos, who always loved cricket and like any other kid in his generation, wanted to be a cricketer. I used to be quite active in school and was always interested in sports.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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But I had never given running any thought, as, truth be told, most people do not dream of being a runner so early in life. I could easily run fast but not for a long distance, and I never even thought about trying it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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As I grew up, I became interested in working out at the gym with the intent of achieving my dream physique. Running, however, still did not feature on my interest list.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Then, I began my journey to climb the corporate ladder. Months of relentless pressure and little work-life balance took a predictable toll on my life \u2013 I ate whatever I wanted, did not work out, and generally followed a very unhealthy lifestyle. Result? I was very overweight and was putting my health at risk.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The turning point in my fitness journey<\/b><\/h2>\n

After a year or two, I said \u2018Enough is enough\u2019 and decided to get back into working out and figuring out how to fit it into my busy schedule.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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I started by going back to the gym. But this time I had added something to my workouts \u2013 I started running a short distance on the treadmill after weight training every alternate day.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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I read that our metabolism is high when we train, so the impact of cardio after it is much higher, and it helps you burn calories easily.<\/span><\/p>\n

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I will not lie – running after so many years was difficult. I managed to complete just 400 meters in a single stretch. I was bored and often felt like quitting my routine, but my goal of losing weight and getting back in shape kept me going. So I kept at it; the boredom didn\u2019t lessen but I kept getting more comfortable with this new adjustment that I had made.<\/span><\/p>\n

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And it paid off. After 2 weeks, I hit the 1 KM mark in a single stretch.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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I remember feeling the happiest I have ever felt in a long, long time because it felt like an achievement in a field that I was not naturally good at and had to put in a lot of work to get better each day.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The next week I hit the 1.5 KM mark, and the week after, I hit the 2 KM mark. I was surely getting better at running.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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One fine day, as soon as I crossed the 2 km mark, I pondered, \u201cLet\u2019s keep going and see how long I can keep going.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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I completed 4 km that day\u2014a personal best!<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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I was completely drenched in sweat, and as soon as I got off the treadmill, I just laid flat on the gym floor. Among all the infinitesimally (albeit significant) small changes in my body, I could see one very big one \u2013 my endurance was improving.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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I didn\u2019t feel out of breath at all. And before you ask, I was running at a speed of 9\/KMPH for the entire 4KM. This is a balanced speed for easy runs for most runners, but this was my best speed as I was still a newbie.<\/span><\/p>\n

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So here I was \u2013 training hard, enjoying my newly improved stamina, and realizing – hell yes, I had fallen head over heels running!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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So naturally, like any enthusiast, my next aim was to register for a 10 KM marathon.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The marathon journey began\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

Like all beginners, I was completely clueless at first. I just started by going on a 3\u20134 KM run twice a week and followed my usual weight training routine. The longest I ran before my marathon was 7 KM.<\/span><\/p>\n

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I had no proper shoes and practiced in gym shoes, which provided little cushion (support). I didn\u2019t know how to fuel my body for running. I followed the same high-protein, low-carb diet according to my weight training schedule, as I was still focused on losing weight.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Protein helped me recover after workouts, but due to a lack of proper fueling, I struggled with long-distance running.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Race Day<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"Marathon<\/p>\n

The first race I ran was the \u2018Green Marathon’, held in Bandra, Mumbai on 17th November 2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

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I was at the start line at 5:30 am wearing the same gym shoes as others. It had finally sunk in that I was about to run my first marathon. I was nervous but the race-day adrenaline had also kicked in.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I kept on completing one kilometer after another. But as soon as I crossed the 7 km mark, it was difficult.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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My legs felt tired and started hurting. I was thirsty and wanted to drink a lot of water at once. The thought of stopping and continuing the rest of the race was on my mind. But, I wanted to complete it by running the entire distance without stopping. So, I kept at it till I crossed the finishing line.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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It was overwhelming. I felt so emotional and proud that I could accomplish something out of my comfort zone. That feeling was out of this world. I realized my body was capable of doing more than I could imagine.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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My official race time was 55 min. I felt a little dizzy after completing the marathon, but, I felt out of this world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Now that I have told you the story of running my first 10K, here are some things I wish I had known before I started.\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

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Training:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

You must follow a specific training plan to run a 10 km marathon.<\/span><\/p>\n

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