My Story: Anu Vidya - Runner, Marathon Enthusiast and Ethical Vegan

I turned vegan during my 11th grade for ethical reasons. It’s been almost 8 years and the only thing I regret is not turning vegan earlier. Currently, I’m a psychologist and animal assisted therapist by profession and an artist and animal rights activist by passion. Somewhere in between all that, running popped up into my life; which was atypical since I was one of those kids who refused to run even a 100m race in school.

The hardest part of being vegan is to deal with people who sound as if dairy products constitute 99.99% of the world’s foodstuff. All you need for your vegan fitness is plant based milk, fresh fruits, vegetables, pulses and legumes. It might sound like a lot to consume on a single day but doesn’t it surprise you how all of these can be bottled in a single smoothie glass? I haven’t been taking any synthetic protein supplements, since I believe that there is nothing which nature can’t provide us with. Very often, I make my own raw energy cakes and mousses which I have as my pre-run snack. It is essential to keep yourself well fed as you’ll be expelling a lot of energy. But through my experience, I realized that your body clock automatically triggers frequent hunger pangs when you start increasing your physical activity. Besides numerous other benefits, running also helps you put your biological clock back on track!

My advice to those who want to start marathon training isn’t about interval runs or core workouts. You find that all over the internet! What I will be sharing with you are my tips. Keep in mind, this is coming from someone who decided to sign up for a triathlon right after knowing what the word meant.

1. TRUST YOURSELF! You are the only one who knows how much you are capable of! Trust your instincts and its desires, even if it randomly asks you to sign up for a marathon or triathlon.

2. Self-doubt can ruin your journey. Do NOT ask people around if you’ll be able to complete the run. They aren’t you! They aren’t the ones who wanted to conquer the roads - Just go for it! And when you do so, your legs might feel dead during the last couple of kilometers, but trust me, you can totally trade it with the feeling you get when you cross the finish line.

3. MAKE TIME for yourself! It isn’t impossible to run a marathon with a 9-5 job. All you've got to do is prioritize. Stop looking for reasons and blaming everything around you, if you want to run but haven't started yet. It means that YOU aren't ready to do something about it. You decide what YOU want and not what surrounds you! You will eventually pave way for what you want.

How badly do you WANT to run?
Pause. Think. Prioritize. DO IT!

4. Runs are 30% physical and 70% psychological.Yes, physical fitness does matter. I'm not underestimating its importance, but when it comes to marathons, your mind has the ability to overpower your body! And only when it does, will you be able to keep it going. It takes courage to sign up for a marathon and not your fine motor skills to fill in the registration link. It takes motivation to reach the venue and not the fuel in your vehicle. It takes determination to start the run and not the whistle or clap. It takes will power to keep you going even when your feet start to give up on you and not the hydration points.

5. If reading all this has triggered the spark in you, don’t wait for your friends to tag along with you for your runs. Lace up, join your nearest running group or find a convenient road to run and welcome yourself into the world of miles and smiles!

As of now, I have completed around 12 half marathons, 1 full marathon and 3 Olympic triathlons. The newest addition to the “thon” family is my maiden 5km non-competitive swimathon which happened earlier this month where I completed 3^rd amongst the women. I will soon start training myself for my maiden half iron triathlon which is to happen in another 3 months.

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