Life's like that

I confess I have stolen the title of this post from a popular column in 'Reader's Digest'. The idea is to write some "Stuff" ( My blog is called stuff and nonsense for nothing! ) and I have decided to start with the title of this blog post.

So, spurred by a few good friends and decent motivation levels, I registered for a 10km marathon in my city couple of months back. I 'practised' - in true exam style, exactly only 1 day prior to the event by walking 4 kms and jumping into the nearest auto huffing and panting. If you're wondering whether I still managed the impossible, YEAH I DID! First, Drum roll followed by Applause please!! :-) Even after I got the certificate in my hands from the organizers, I felt strangely funny (proud definitely). At the cost of sounding overly philosophical, I understood then what people mean when they say that the journey matters more than the destination.

** Flash back to 31st May '09 **

The marathon was to start at 8 A.M. The scene at the stadium was nothing short of a carnival. There were different tracks - One for the elite and competent, One for those running for a cause (that was me), one for senior citizens and one for people running in a group and dressed in fetching costumes. At 8, we set off. I participated with 4 other colleagues cum friends. At the offset, we ran together slowly taking in the cool breeze and enjoying the new experience. Trust me, we realized that day exactly how 'far' a distance of 1 km can be !! Amongst us, I had the least stamina - I was the first to stop the momentum and begin to walk slowly. One of my friends A slowed down and ensured I took a couple of deep breaths before we took off again and caught up with the rest.

My marathon continued this way after the 2nd km. I was exhausted , breathless (ashamed to admit it, but tis a fact) and continuously cursing myself for wasting a precious Sunday morning. My friends A & V kept me company in turns walking and jogging with me till we reached 7kms. The organizers had kept people like me in mind and there were innumerable stalls with energy drinks and water all along. Not just that, all participants were given a goody bag with eatables, first-aid and some freebies. Are you now repenting not having participated ?? ;-)

When we reached the 8km milestone, my friends were totally charged ( I was nowhere close to 'charged', I was still dreaming about my warm bed and a feast ...Phew ) and decided to finish off the last leg running !! So without further ado, they vanished .. literally. I swear - One moment they were all around me and puff! They were lost in the crowd. I decided not to attempt any more running than I had to and ambled along slowly waving to the morning walkers and enthusiastic spectators. Suddenly it hit me that I didn't have my mobile and I didn't have my bag or money on me either (My friend A was sweet enough to carry it for me seeing my condition). Guess what I did! I started running searching for my buddies .. Yeah I ran and ran ( Sort of like Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump ) and never spotted them. My mind worked overtime and I decided to stand by my friend's car in case I didn't find them in the crowd. I didn't even observe the 9km milestone in all this and Viola! - I was at the finish line only to welcomed by my friend V who was looking for us at the gate. Yippee!!! My journey took a total of 1.5 hours (Not too bad for someone who walked most of the way :P ) I was thrilled to bits and I was taking home a certificate after almost 2 years :D

Thanks to my friends who took part with me. It was one of those sunny memorable marvellous days.

Oh, I cannot forget how divine that Dosa and Lime juice after the race was either :-)

Some food for thought - Don't you think this marathon has some similarities with 'life'? - Speaking in a very broad sense. I am curious to know how you would interpret it.