by Abhishek Katakwar
Honestly running was never in my genes, I don't remember any stories even of my forefathers about running. I am an amateur runner and my journey of being runner is inspired by many like Mr Rajendra jaiswal from Nagpur, who proudly explain about knee ailments he had to an extent that one of the leading orthopedic surgeon advised knee replacement to him, then he started running at the age of 40’s. Gradual, graded and proper training has made him a full marathon runner.
Let me make running more interesting, like any other love story my love for running is two years old which had many breakups. And finally in 2018 beginning i decided to be committed and dedicated when I joined “Couch to 5K” organized by Hyderabad runners club (an non-profit organization with credit of organizing Hyderabad marathon). Truly speaking for last few years I had all possible excuses to join this excellent protocol based training program like professional and lack of time, but this time I made up my mind, reason being reaching 40’s can motivate you a lot.
As mentioned love story are usually not easy going, so obviously my running love too had lot of ups and down during my training but consistency and motivation from fellow runners kept me on toes.
Are you new to marathon running !!! My Advice :
1. First few weeks are going to be difficult (Like any new relationship), when your body tries to deny and resist any change in habit. So listen to your brain and try to convince your body.
2. Obviously there will be few mornings when you don't want to get up because you slept late or yesterday was tiring, It is just a matter of first few minutes after getting out of bed. Also remember first few kilometers would be difficult during beginning but eventually you get accustomed.
3.“Solo running doesn't last more than few days, i have done it several times” at least for me. So go out join some running group and breath fresh air instead of running on treadmill.
4. “Compete with yourself”, as marathons are about running and completing it and not about securing first or second position as every finisher is a winner.
5. “Don’t be paranoid”, first you need to understand your limitations, endurance or fitness level so never compare your performance with any other, instead set goal for yourself about pace and distance.
6. “Breathing is the key” during initial days you may easily get breathless or fatigue. It’s all because of wrong breathing technique. Now the next question would be “how to breath during running” my experience says -
Happy running, Author (Dr Abhishek katakwar) is an bariatric & metabolic surgeon based at Asian institute of gastroenterology, Hyderabad.
These behaviours can lead to much deeper disorders like anorexia or binge eating disorder which is why it is imperative to find these patterns if you have them in order to find out the root cause. The best thing you can do is make yourself aware of what you are eating. If you are craving unhealthy foods, remove all unhealthy foods from your home so that it will be less appealing to engage in unhealthy food habits. In addition to that, you can speak to someone in your life or get professional help to cope with these problems before they worsen.
The relationship you have with food is a very delicate and personal one. It is hard to make a distinction between eating because you want to, and eating because you need to. However it is good to let yourself indulge once in a while but falling into the habit of turning to food will be detrimental for your body, mind, and self esteem over the years. The best thing you can do to start is to ask yourself how certain foods make you feel after eating them?
How do you feel after one hour of eating a pizza versus eating a healthy balanced meal? Gage not only your physical sensations but also your emotional and mental sensations. Odds are after eating the pizza you will feel fatigued and irritable and slow which will aggravate symptoms like anxiety, depression, stress etc. whereas after a balanced meal of proteins, veggies, carbs you will feel energized, refreshed and more equipped to deal with the happenings of your life.
Connect with Dr. Katakwar and AIG Hospitals:
Address : Cluster K, AIG Hospitals, Beside Ramky Towers, 1, Mindspace Rd, Hyderabad, Telangana 500032
abhishekkatakwar@gmail.com Phone : +91-8087358725 Phone : +91-9177358725© 2025 Dr. Abhishek Katakwar. All Rights Reserved.
