"As strong as my legs are, it is my mind that has made me a champion" – Michael Duane Johnson



 23^rd Nov 2014: I was running in my first major running event (ADHM 2014) and was within a couple of kms of completing the run. The event had been a thoroughly enriching one and I was vividly observing runners of all ages, colors and backgrounds running the last lap around me – many of them overtaking me, few of them being overtaken by me. The music bands, cheer leaders and supporters were adding to the intensity. Amidst all that euphoria, I had one eye on my wrist watch as time was flying by quickly and I was almost certain to miss my target of sub-100 minutes completion. Just then a lean and rather frail looking runner zipped past me. Of course, it was not the first or last time someone overtook me; however, the contemptuous ease with which he fled past me had me thinking. I wondered what really sets apart great runners like him from decent runners like me.

The run eventually came to an end and I managed to complete the 21.1 km stretch in a little over 103 minutes. While many of my fellow runners continued clicking photographs and exchanged congratulatory notes, I was still in my own zone. I was happy to have experienced the grand event; however, a part of me was disappointed to have missed the 100 mins target.
 
As I walked through the crowd of jubilant finishers, I kept overhearing the general banter beyond the finish line. There was a runner who felt that he made a tactical mistake by running in Nike shoes as he found them a bit heavier than the Reebok shoes that he usually runs in. There was another gentleman who complained that his Garmin watch showed that the entire stretch was around 21.8 km, though it should have been 21.1 km as per Half-Marathon norms. There was yet another runner who was happy with the extra boost of energy he got by consuming Red Bull prior to the run. I continued to assimilate these discrete pieces of information for a while. I could easily relate to most of it as I had myself taken care of these things while preparing for the run. I recalled how few months ago I had structured different elements of my training:
 

Another part of me continued to think about that anonymous runner who had fled past me. I wondered how he would have fared on some of these essential training elements. From the looks of it, that anonymous runner did not belong to the privileged runners like us (and I am deliberately using the word ‘us’ – if you are reading this, chances are you are privileged). He seemed to hail from economically humble background and seemed oblivious to various sophistications in the field of running - Running nutrition / Carb-loading - He looked frail and would have most likely struggled to meet the ends; Metronome beats / running music - He did not wear a basic watch, forget about the high-end gadgets; Latest running gear - the guy was running barefoot and would have certainly not been able to afford high-end running shoes; Strength work-outs - Certainly he wouldn’t have been able to afford a gym.

Yet, so often we find that some of the strongest and fastest runners hail from humble backgrounds lacking access to basic amenities.

…So, what’s the point?

• Is there anything wrong in the way some of the privileged runners train? – Probably not.
• Should the so-called privileged runners give-up on their ‘sophisticated running luxuries’ and practice ‘frugality’ to become better runners? – Certainly not.

Every time I watch a ‘not-so-privileged runner’ run by or for that matter every time I read about the running exploits of some of the Kenyan elites (who typically hail from economically humble backgrounds), there are few things that stand out for me - While all the latest technologies and sophistications in running are certainly helpful in improving one’s abilities, one has to bear in mind that these are all just ‘means-to-an-end’, and not the end in themselves. At times people tend to get so carried away with these enablers that running takes a back-seat. What follows is a garbled mish-mash of running gadgets, concepts etc. and a somewhat diluted focus on ‘genuine running’. It is also important to note that these sophistications are not the only means to the end, i.e. there are ways to become a better runner (an elite runner if you will) even without many of these latest sophistications.

While all these enablers are good, there is something else that overpowers all of this. There is something far more sacrosanct that can mentally elevate you into a zone where everything else becomes secondary. It is essentially the power of will and one’s attitude. It is about how badly you want something and how desperate you are to get something. Think about this famous quote from Christopher McDougall:

It is essentially the same spirit of the gazelle and lion captured in the quote above that usually is the differentiating factor. Both lion and gazelle put in a highly focused and a deeply committed effort because it is a matter of survival. Their choice is simple - either they run hard (and succeed) or they perish.

So back to my original question – what really differentiates good runners from great runners? Surely, it can be a lot of things spanning across physical abilities, genetic back grounds, access to training etc. But most importantly, I think it’s the mindset. Chances are that the one who is more desperate to win will find a way to win regardless of circumstances.

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Sundeep Singh: +91 - 98181 19794