When I was three I followed my sister onto a tennis court and fell in love. My tennis racket was about the same size as I was and getting the ball over the net was more important than how many laps I ran. But no matter how young you were, you had to run them.

My sister and I left tennis training behind when we went to boarding school in Kodaikanal, but sport remained a huge part of our lives. Volleyball, Hockey, Badminton, Softball, Basketball, Gymnastics and Track were sports we learned and then often excelled at. PE was my favourite class- the only place I felt completely in control was on a field, on a court. Track & Field quickly became too serious and competitive for me, so I routinely found a way to compete only in Triple Jump. 😉 But in 11th grade I suddenly realized that there was a beautiful 5 km lake just outside school and started running around it three times a week. A few of my superstar track friends saw me there a few times and tried to convince me to run cross country, but I found that running had become my best friend, my new favourite song I didn’t want to share with anyone for fear it would be overplayed.

So I kept it my secret. I have never run a 5k, 10k, half or full marathon. I’m not entirely sure I ever will. People say it’s definitely something to experience, but for me, running has always been personal. Pushing myself when no one is around has always provided a higher high.

Running around the Kodai lake at 6 am, I had only the sound of my breath and my feet as they hit the ground for company. I run with music for company these days, but I find spaces to stash all the other stuff.

Go run- it’s a beautiful thing.