MILES
TO RUN
BEFORE I SLEEP
Sumedha Mahajan was born in the beautiful town of Amritsar, home of The Golden Temple. She is a business woman, runner, motivational speaker and writer. She is founder and CEO of business strategy firm Karta Business Consulting. She is married and currently lives in Mumbai.
For more information please visit www.sumedhamahajan.com .
In Appreciation
Sumedha is an extraordinary person who has shown what perseverance and hard work can achieve. For someone born with asthma to run 1500 km tells us that when the mind is clear about a goal, however impossible it may seem, a persons determination can help attain that goal. My compliments to her for even dreaming of such a challenge and then achieving it. Im sure that the book will inspire many and also prove that our women are second to none.
Milkha Singh
First published by
Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd 2015
7/16, Ansari Road, Daryaganj
New Delhi 110002
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Copyright Sumedha Mahajan 2015
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted,
or stored in a retrieval system, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior
permission of the publisher.
The views and opinions expressed in this book are the author's own
and the facts are as reported by her which have been verified to the
extent possible, and the publishers are not in any way liable for the same.
First impression 2015
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The moral right of the author has been asserted.
Printed at Thomson Press India Ltd, Faridabad.
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See yourself in mirror,
Remember your battles,
Remember how you stood against all the odds,
Remember your tears,
Remember how you picked yourself up when everyone was pushing
you down,
It was you and only you, who made it through,
You are an inspiration,
Improve yourself and work on yourself so that you can aspire for bigger things.
I dedicate this book to all those brave people who broke the chains and followed their dreams and to those people waiting to get inspired to break their shackles and follow their dreams.
Om Sri Sainathaya Namaha
Contents
Prologue
I woke up lateexcited, confused and scared. An opportunity of a lifetime had presented itself to me. I had made up my mind. All that remained to be done was making that dreaded phone call to my family and seek their permission.
I dialled my father. It was 7 a.m. and I knew by this time Papa would probably be in the middle of a lawn tennis game when I called him. But I desperately wanted him to answer my call; I would take it as a sign for me to pursue my dream.
And he did pick up the phone.
For a moment, it felt as though the air had been sucked out of my lungs. I mumbled, Hello, Papa. I hope I didnt disturb you in the middle of your game?
He sounded as though he was in a good mood. Just finished the set. We won. You called me just at the right time. So, how was your meeting yesterday with Milind?
My father was obviously clueless about what had happened to me in the last twenty-four hours.
Papa, I began with trepidation, something strange happened yesterday. Milind Soman invited me to join him and his team to run from Delhi to Mumbai.
That sounds interesting! But what are you going to run for? How many people are joining you guys?
My heart skipped a beat. Did he just say yes? And was I worried for nothing?
I replied, It is a run for promoting a healthy lifestyle and to save the environment. There will be four guys and two girls, and out of those two girls one is going to be me.
Strange! Why such a small team? I hope you guys are running the campaign in a car. Ask your husband to join you, too. You guys could take your own car; it will give you more privacy and space. So, when are you planning to do it?
My heart sank.
Papa, youre getting it wrong. Milind Soman has asked me to runphysically run from Delhi to Mumbai in thirty days. Its a marathon meant to raise awareness about the environment.
Have you lost your mind? Delhi to Mumbai? Is this some sort of a joke? And your work, your family? Chinu, its time for you to run around a baby, not around cities in these marathons that could damage your knees! And then, just as abruptly, he said, My next game is up, and disconnected.
It was no better with my mother. But I felt strangely stronger, calmer, after the disastrous conversation with my father.
Youve just recovered from an injury, Chinu, and yet you want to run 1,500 km now! You are twenty-eight years old and you already have too many health issues. You need to have a baby before its too late, my mother pleaded.
Mama, I am perfectly fine. Im strong and I know I can do it. I can plan a baby after the run. Its only going to be for a month, I reasoned.
Does Arvind agree to this? Have the both of you lost your minds? she raised her voice.
We had a detailed discussion last nightwe decided together that I should go for this run.
Then why are you asking us? Go run! she snapped.
Mama, you know I cannot do this without your approval. A media company will cover the event and I will be taken good care of Once I have kids I can never run like this. Please say yes and give me your blessings
Will they pay you?
Im not running for money, Mama, but for myself. Just imagine, I will be running with some of the best amateur runners in the country. This is huge, Mama. It has never been attempted in our country. I cannot donate money but I will give my sweat and soul to it and Im sure it will all be worth it.
My mother was quiet for a long time before replying coldly, You dont know what you are doing. You are immature and if you dont get your act right, you will ruin your family life. For once think about the consequences. You will be paying a lot more than just sweat and soul in this run. She disconnected the phone abruptly. Her words remained in my mind for quite some time and my excitement turned into sorrow. Now I was even more worried and scared about my decision.
My sister, my best friend, just fourteen months older than me, had always been the protective and caring one. When we were younger, she was the one who always rescued me from bullies and helped me with my homework. She shared everything with me and always stood by me in whatever I decided to do. She knew me better than anyone. I turned to her for support.
She heard me out and she, too, slammed the phone down.
My younger brother was the only silver lining of the gloomy day. Awesome, Sis! Just make us proud. Chak De! he almost shrieked on the phone. It was enough to make me smile, and this time, the tears were happy ones.
It was 5 April 2012. We were supposed to start in just twelve days. I needed to run at least 30 km for seven days and that too, in the afternoons, so that my body got used to the heat and humidity. With hardly any time left for me to prepare, my husband and I decided to go to Shirdi, to seek Sai Babas blessings. I am an ardent devotee of Baba and could never think of taking up a challenge this enormous without any sort of sign from him.
