The Flight of an Empty Nester

I settled down on the couch by the fireplace, wrapping myself with a warm blanket and a mug of hot ginger tea in hand, when my whatsapp notification dinged with a photo of my cousin Seema, receiving a trophy for a marathon run. Before I had a chance to read the details, our dog Smokey started pawing me vigorously - his unwavering, piercing stare reminding me that it was time for his walk. Six o’clock on a dark, cold, winter evening isn’t my favorite time to walk. However, it can be very difficult to explain to a dog, eager for his evening walk, about the lethargy of a cold, winter evening, that us humans experience. With the image of my marathoner cousin in the back of my head, and the love for my demanding doggie, I quickly gulped down the tea, admonishing Smokey to be patient. Following the advice of a good friend, who was a dog owner before us, “There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes”, I layered myself with warm clothing, ready to face the bitter wind chill outdoors. While some might think of this as torture, once you get out, it isn’t all that bad - quite refreshing actually.

I congratulated myself for finishing the roughly two mile walk. Nowhere even remotely close to a marathon, yet surely a tiny step towards a healthy lifestyle! Upon returning to my messages, I learned that Seema had finished another half Marathon and won a podium spot next to one of the greatest Indian Field Hockey players, Dhanraj Pillay. Pillay, now in his fifties as well, runs to keep fit. This news was just days after I had read about Seema completing a Full Marathon. Every now and then I read inspiring messages about people finishing Marathons. But this one was different! This brought me back in time when as teenagers, some of us would be toiling away at the tracks before sunrise, while Seema, out that early only due to her Dad’s cajoling, would be happily taking in the sights, some fresh air and relaxing after a couple of rounds. This was a teenager with no motivation whatsoever to sweat it out! Awestruck, I was curious to find out what caused this now a 50 something to run in the dead heat and Mumbai humidity to complete her first full marathon.

Seema says it all started suddenly, with her daughter leaving home for college, which left a big vacuum in her life. Being a resident of a beach town Valsad in Gujarat, India, Seema started getting out for walks by the ocean to fill the emptiness at home. The walk from her home to the beach of Tithal was about two kilometers. Her impatience to reach the beach faster got her to jog instead of walk. The jogs started catching pace, turning into runs. Then a friendly couple in the running circuit in Valsad saw her and told her she could absolutely do more. After that there was no stopping Seema Desai!

She decided to participate in the Valsad City Half Marathon, and ended up winning a prize. Next were other cities in Gujarat - the Anadi Ahmedabad, followed by Surat. She ran in the Indore Marathon, where she earned a podium spot. Besides a bunch of half marathons, she is deservingly proud of her Full Marathon in Mumbai. She says, at a little beyond two-thirds of the race, she had major cramps, and she was ready to give up and quit the race. But fellow runners were not ready to give up on her. They encouraged her to cross this hurdle, going step by step with her until she recovered and caught back the rhythm. She went on to complete the race! 

“Six Months of Marathon training could add four years of heart health”, a study says. Seema’s story doesn’t end at winning the races she has participated in. Her story is about grit and the can-do attitude and camaraderie; about the inspiration that creates a movement (pun intended), age notwithstanding, for a healthy, active lifestyle. In a cascaded effect, not too much later we heard about our other cousin, Anjali, finishing a half marathon! When I look back at my small lifestyle change, from being a sedentary, “couch potato” to a moderately active, outdoor lifestyle, I see there is a possibility for us all. It is a fact that age does catch up, slowing down our metabolism, weakening our bones and cardiovascular endurance; but the inspiration around us strengthens our resolve. As they say “Big Journeys begin with Small Steps”.