Getting older and overweight, I had tried many things to gain fitness but never stuck at them. In February 2015, I joined Striders at their Shivaji Park center as my wife Binaaz, persuaded me to do so. At that time I had already lost about 15 Kgs in weight and had done a couch to 7 Kms at the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon in January 2015. Between then and now in May 2018, I have completed 2 full marathons, several half marathons and hundreds of 10 Km runs.
Striders have played a pivotal role in my transformation as a recreational runner. Their training programs include a healthy combination of running mixed with strength, flexibility, agility and coordination drills. While their programs are tailored to one’s goals and capabilities, they primarily focus on the athlete remaining injury free thus ensuring that each runner is fit to toe the starting line of a long distance race. Strider coaches understand the “be“, “know“ and “do“ attributes of each runner and provide the much-needed guidance and intervention from time to time.
Striders is a group of over a 1000 runners across India. The amount of running experience within the group is perhaps the largest in the country. One draws several lessons, guidance and inspiration from experienced runner friends who are incredibly supportive and clearly want other people to enjoy running as much as they do. Through Striders, I have made lifelong friends who not only rejoice and celebrate my wins but also are empathetic and encouraging during the lows. And that camaraderie makes you go on and on, year after year. It makes you want to wake up at 4 in the morning, tie your shoelaces and hit the tar. I believe that is what keeps me fit!