Recently, users of Strava, a popular app among fitness enthusiasts, would have received a barrage of statistics in the form of ‘Year in Sport’. The aggregate data comprising no. of activities, time spent, kilometres covered, ‘kudos’ received, etc., is presented as a comprehensive summary of the year bygone. While the objective may be noble, theContinue reading “A Scorecard for the year”
தம்பிக்கு எந்த ஊரு
Initials indicate town and parentage… But that’s for lesser folk who have to announce their antecedents. It’s not necessary for me. If you say Margayya, everyone will know. However, that’s not my name RK Narayan, The Financial Expert During my cycling trips through Tamil Nadu, the often asked question is, “தம்பிக்கு எந்த ஊரு” – ThambikkuContinue reading “தம்பிக்கு எந்த ஊரு”
STOP Running
One Friday evening, about 5 years ago, I started reading Phil Knight’s Shoe Dog where these lines appear., “You run and run, mile after mile, and you never quite know why. You tell yourself that you are running toward some goal, chasing some rush, but really you run because the alternative, stopping, scares you to death. PhilContinue reading “STOP Running”
To Measure, or not to Measure…
Sometime back, I attended a lecture on the pitfalls of modern Education. The speaker passionately spoke on the negative impact of examination on the learning process in Children. He went on to elaborate on how the fear of failure inculcated through examinations have severe consequences on their emotional and mental development. When the house wasContinue reading “To Measure, or not to Measure…”
Barefoot Running – The Future
Give the rise and fall of the idea in a short span of time, it is difficult to predict a future for running barefoot or in minimalist footwear. Then,barefoot running was never a discovery and certainly not an innovation. It was happening always and it would continue to happen. However, the question is more aboutContinue reading “Barefoot Running – The Future”
Barefoot Running – My Experiments
It is ten years since I first wore a minimalist footwear for running. My decision to try one was largely due to frustrations with three pairs of shoes that I used until then. This was in 2011 and there were not any running-focused footwear shops in India; and the regular stores rarely stocked shoes forContinue reading “Barefoot Running – My Experiments”
Born to Run – Counterview and Middle Ground
“There are very few things that are known with absolute certainty, and when you’re dealing with incredibly complex human physiology, the individual differences that make us who we are, what we’re good at, how we run and what we eat, for example, are so vast and complex that nothing can be polarized without being wrong!”Continue reading “Born to Run – Counterview and Middle Ground”
Born to Run – A ‘Delayed’ Review
“How come my foot hurts?” A question that led Christopher McDougall to a life changing exploration that was later documented in the all-time classic book ‘Born to Run’. A foreign correspondent by training, Chris covered wars in Rwanda and Angola, and was also an amateur or recreational runner. When his foot hurt, he was eitherContinue reading “Born to Run – A ‘Delayed’ Review”
Rethinking Running Events – Part 3 – Virtual Events
One alternative to running events that has become popular in recent times has been the Virtual Events, where participants run on their own and connect with each other through a platform – an app or a website. Though there are no clear definition of what can be called as virtual event, I would keep theContinue reading “Rethinking Running Events – Part 3 – Virtual Events”
Rethinking Running Events – Part 2
Katherine Switzer, the first women finisher of Boston Marathon, once said, “If you are losing faith in human nature, go out and watch a marathon.” These are strange times when we are not only losing faith in human nature but also, marathons. Among the major events, it started with the cancellation of mass start inContinue reading “Rethinking Running Events – Part 2”
Running and Beyond 