Dear runner, thanks for visiting.
Runnyday is a website dedicated to the sport of running with the goal of becoming the best resource for runners in India. Here you’ll find well-researched training articles, running tips, buying guides, inspirational quotes and a lot more.
My Running Journey
I was a heavy smoker. I used to smoke about 15 to16 cigarettes a day. And It went on for about 8 years.
I hated it. Absolutely hated it. The worst part of smoking is that you lit a cigarette even if you know that you’ll not enjoy it. You just can’t stand without holding one in your hand.
But I couldn’t quit it. I tried countless times with no success. It was just pathetic.
Then one day, I read a post of an elderly gentleman in a Facebook group. He said that he was trying to quit smoking for the past 60 years.
That was it. That was the moment for me. It hit me hard.
I said to myself, “That’s going to be me.” I had been trying for so long but I just couldn’t do it.
Then somehow, I managed to not smoke for about 3 weeks.
It felt good. Real good. I didn’t smell bad. The food tasted better. I didn’t need to put that filthy thing in my mouth ever again. I felt healthy after a long long time.
Then one day, I thought, what should I do with this healthy body?
And the first thing that came into my mind was of course – running. That was 2013. And I was 25 years old.
So I got up early, went for a run…felt good. Then ran another day and so on.
I made a lot of mistakes when I started. The typical mistakes that beginners make. I ran hard and fast most of the time. I didn’t know anything about proper training. I didn’t know anything about running shoes. And things like that.
I actually feel very lucky that I didn’t get a bad injury at that time. I suffered from shin splints but that was it. (I did get nasty injuries later though – once a knee injury and then a tibial stress fracture that kept me away for 9 months.)
One day, while browsing through the internet, I came to know about running events. That was the first time when I learned that events like half marathon and marathon existed.
I found one and signed up for it. The event was – Airtel Delhi Half Marathon. And it was 3 months away. I just started training… as much as I could. And I was able to complete the race.
The race was a fantastic experience. I had never seen anything like that before.
I never saw so many people gathered to run. There were all kinds of runners… dressed in colorful clothes and shoes… people cheering everywhere… the music… the dancing. It was absolutely amazing, and enough to make me fall in love with running even more deeply.
I wish I continued to train after that race. But I didn’t. And it is one of the biggest regrets that I have. Of course, I have a long list of excuses for that. But don’t worry, I won’t bore you with them here.
After that, I ran on and off. Completed a few 5k, 10k, and half marathons.
But now, I want to become a better runner. I want to learn more about running. And I want to share it with you… here on RunnyDay.
And I hope you’ll find something useful here.
Cheers!
-Pankaj
How the name RunnyDay came into existence
It was during the end of a run. I was just cooling down – feeling good. It was a nice day of winter… a sunny day. And then the name just popped up in my head – RunnyDay! And I just went with it.