The first time is always magical!

The first experience of anything is always magical. If it is an experience that has given you a sense of accomplishment, then it etches a memory that is so vivid that it makes you feel like gold every time you think of it. In the last year or so, I was fortunate enough to experience some such ‘firsts’ that have motivated me lead a healthier life. Below is a summary of these moments.

Start of a Journey: It all started last spring with an intent to participate in an activity that would not only be fun but also mean pushing my existing physical fitness limits – which at that point was abysmal. I enrolled on my first professionally organized high-altitude trek to Rupin Pass (15250ft, 60+ Kms over 8 days). Climbing an elevation of 2000 feet every day in high-altitude is not easy, what makes it tougher is a 10+ Kg backpack. The motivation of completing the trek pushed me to achieve the required fitness level of being able to run 4.5 Kms in 30 minutes. At the top of the pass, the sense of achievement of being able to push my limits was a feeling that I hadn’t felt in a long time! This was the beginning of a year of ‘firsts’. Read more about it here.

Next Level of Fitness: A year back, I couldn’t have imagined registering for a race, let alone a multi-discipline endurance one – hiking, cycling and rafting. The Aquaterra Challenge is a one-of-a-kind multi-activity race (24 Kms hiking, 26 Kms mountain biking and 24 Kms rafting) that is organized in the northern state of Uttarakhand, India, in the month of December. Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCBPL) had registered 2 teams of 4 to participate in last year’s race. After a series of fitness tests conducted by a qualified instructor in our corporate office gymnasium, 8 associates were selected to represent the company. We were ranked according to our performance on the tests and separated as the ‘A and B teams’. I was in the ‘B team’ (no prizes for guessing why!) and, our technique was to be slow and steady and not come last! At the end of the first day’s hike, we were able to stay a few ranks behind our ‘A team’. On the second day, our team really came in to its own and took a small lead over the ‘A Team’ in the biking leg. We further increased that in the rafting leg. Being able to out-rank our ‘A team’ in the final rankings was like winning the gold!

New areas to explore: As I continued my fitness regime, I needed new goals to keep me motivated. I started discussing running, cycling and other workout regimes with office colleagues. After cycling a few times together with a colleague in HCCB, the two of us decided to register for a 32 Kms cycling race (Cyclothon) in the mountain bike category. We had previously only done a few leisurely rides of this distance, albeit with multiple stops. So, to compete in a race of this distance seemed like a daunting task. We pushed ourselves and completed the race with minimal / no stops. Our feeling of gold came when we realized that we had done it within a respectable time.

For bragging rights: It was the ‘Road to Rio Challenge’ a stepping challenge organized for Coca-Cola employees globally that motivated me to keep going, and push towards my next test of physical fitness – a half marathon. It was not just any marathon, but the ‘Coca-Cola Gurgaon Half Marathon’. After a year of regular physical activity, I knew that I would be able to endure the 21 Kms. The only consideration was the weather – hot and humid, which meant a race start time of 5 AM! I am not a morning person and prefer doing my running in the evenings. So the fact that I woke up before the crack of dawn and completed the marathon in the existing weather conditions, not only gave me a feeling of gold but also bragging rights!

Each of these experiences had its own set of challenges. At the end of each of them I ended up being fitter both mentally and physically!