Retracing 2020
There are just a few days left before 2020 ends and we usher in 2021. 2020 couldn't have been a bizarre year and it brought life to a standstill. Suddenly there was this big change during the lockdown-a life that I couldn't adapt to, very easily. I am sure it was the case with most of the folks around the world. It was challenging especially between the months of March-August. I missed the gym and my fitness took a toll which in turn affect my sanity levels, given that my body was used to that endorphins on an everyday basis. Yet there have been many positives this year that I'd like to look upon and end this year on a peaceful note.
January
The beginning of the year saw Australia in flames. The raging forest fires claimed several lives and homes. It was heartrending to see Kangaroos and Koalas in terror. Sitting in a corner of the world, I could only feel a sense of helplessness. Now I have no connection with Australia but seeing so many living creatures lose their homes, instilled a feeling of despair. When Coastal trail runs organized a run where 100 percent proceeds would go to the Australian relief fund, Amit and I eagerly registered. It was the least that we could do. Amit and I ran 10 km on a trail, silently praying for our Australian counterparts. We realized how much we were at Nature's mercy. As much as it nurtures, it equally destroys. The year began with a good deed.
This month was also hectic as I did a lot of interviews for Mumbai road runners, being a part of the content team. Its always nice to connect and talk to runners about their journey.
February
The month of February saw me participate in two half marathons. One at Golden gate park in San Francisco and another at San Leandro on a trail. Both places were beautiful and it was wonderful to run amidst nature. The run at Golden Gate Park especially was a challenging one, considering there were heavy winds blowing by ocean beach. Like other runners, I was fighting the wind constantly as well. It was a blessing to just finish the run and a humbling moment for me. Nature can have you at its mercy. This was one of the reasons why I cherish my finishers' medals.Little did I also realize that I'd be attaining very few of them this year as the lockdown was initiated, exactly after a month.
I also did a medical check up this month. I learnt that I was allergic to gluten, diary and was refrained from drinking alcohol, due to my liver panel readings. I was allowed to have one glass of wine after the Napa valley, after which I had to stay away from it.
One important thing that occurred during this month was that I signed the contract with The Write Place for my book which was slated to release a few months down the line. I was excited.
March
After 2 years of being jinxed, I finally ran the Napa Valley Half marathon. What a beautiful route. With rolling hills and being sandwiched between the vineyards, the run felt like a musical journey. The mustard spurts that is common during spring, made it feel like I was transported inside the movie-The Sound of Music. After the run, I went for wine tasting and had that last one glass of red wine, experiencing more than the runner's high.
Just a week after, we were informed about the lockdown for 3 weeks. It was just 3 weeks I told myself and kept my spirits positive. I decided to catch up on my reading and managed to procure some good thrillers from my library before it shut down.
I continued doing home workouts as the amenities like the gym and pool were shut. I had reduced my diet drastically. For the first time in my life, there was no gym for more than 3 weeks. I never knew a life without the gym and it has been my temple for the last 12 years. Also my body was used to a lot of strength training in order to remain fit. No amount of cardio could get it into the shape the way a combination of weights and cardio could. I began to experience the withdrawal symptoms but kept telling myself that things would reopen by the first week of April. Another highlight was interviewing author Mitch Albom (Of Tuesdays with Morrie fame) on his book Finding Chika.
April
No signs of recovery. Cases escalated. Books kept my sanity. I had signed up for a creative writing course at Stanford, specializing in fiction and poetry. The zoom class was difficult to adjust to and thankfully, I knew the professor as I had taken a class with him the previous year. Lots of reading and writing. There was a lot of to and fro with the editor regarding my book. I also took some yoga classes on zoom to keep my mental peace.
I celebrated my daughter's birthday and my anniversary towards the end of the month. Yet life felt dull, repressed and stifling. The lockdown was extended and it felt like traveling inside a dark tunnel. And then my book club decided to create an e book with an anthology of short stories from different authors. So the admin team requested me to edit these stories and I agreed. This was probably the only silver lining this month. I managed to step out for a stroll inside my apartment complex and came across these flowers. The sight cheered me up. It was probably nature's way of consoling me.
May
The stay at home prolonged. For the first time during the month of summer, I experienced depression. The previous year I had been vigorously training for triathlons and doing crossfit. I was going out and meeting people. No amount of reading or writing helped. There would be days when I'd just sit listlessly and stare outside the window, much to my husband's concern. Yes I knew that people were losing lives and yet I couldn't help feeling this void. I tried to keep busy by reading and editing stories for the e book. Things began to take a slight turn for the better. Towards the end of the month, I stepped out for a run. The feel of the open air, gentle rustle of the leaves and the sun on my face felt like bliss. I was experiencing the runner's high after a long time. Running on a trail was the icing on the cake.
June
So, the pool in my apartment finally opened though the gym remained shut. I continued biking on my trainer and went out for runs. Tennis courts also resumed so I would occasionally go and play tennis. It felt nice to get a dose of the California sunshine after being cooped up indoors for 3 months. It also felt good to be back in the pool. My editing work was done, my book's dummy copy was getting ready and the parlor at San Mateo had opened. It was nice to get groomed and pampered after ages.
The highlights of the month were Amit's birthday and my birthday which coincided with the e book release. Life was limping back to normal.
July
This month was a turning point for me. My dummy copy of my book was mailed by my publisher and I had to check for last minute errors before it went for the final print version. Once I checked and mailed them the final version, I began to introspect about my career in writing. Now that I had penned down a memoir, I wanted to explore Fiction. Fiction is a diverse genre where you can play with points of view, create an imaginary setting and create exotic characters. The courses at Stanford helped me with my memoir writing but I wanted to go a little formal with my education.
I decided to apply for a Master of Fine Arts program at University of San Francisco. It was a 2 and a half year program and would give me a good amount of time to learn the crafts and techniques, work with professors in this field, build a community and develop a network in the Bay Area. When I spoke to the admissions director, he said they were still taking in applications. I spent almost 20 hours working on my application, getting recommendation letters from my professors at Stanford and managed to submit it the next day. Nothing had been more exhausting than this. On July 10th, I got a mail stating that I was accepted into this program. I was thrilled beyond belief! Finally! What I also loved about the program profile was its diversity with regards to the people who were enrolled.
I had a month to go before my semester began. The entire month was spent in getting some medical tests done, securing my transcripts and also copies of books needed for my semester.
August
I had my orientation this month and got a chance to visit the campus. This month, I also got an opportunity to go on social distance hikes with my program coordinator and a few of my classmates. It was nice interacting with them and a couple of them had enrolled for the same classes that I had.
The semester began on August 18th and though it was remote, there was a lot of work to do. I ended up taking short story and novellas, so it was interesting to read a lot of titles.
September
What a month! My book released around the 4th. I was officially an author! Good reviews poured in. I did a virtual launch on zoom on the 13th and had around 100 people attending it. Incidentally 13th was when I'd have done my Ironman 70.3 race had things been normal.
I did some sessions with a couple of my book clubs. Yes it was tiring to wake up at 5 am and stare at the screen. Nevertheless it was gratifying to see the amount of support that I received from my friends and rest of the running community.
My course was in full flow and I was beginning to learn a lot. I had already developed ideas for my fiction novel. Another good news was that the gyms were open. I began to hit the weights with a vengeance. Within a month with a stringent diet and intense workout, I got back my toned look. I had given up carbs, sugar and alcohol. The results paid off.
Things were looking up.
October
October was a busy month. Firstly I received news about copies of my book being placed at Crossword bookstores. I was thrilled to see pictures of my book at Crossword bookstore branch in Chennai at Alwarpet.
I had a couple of presentations to be done for my class. I read some interesting books. I took part in Navrun where I had to workout for 9 continuous days wearing the 9 colors of Navratri pertaining to that particular day. I also resumed open water swimming, celebrated Dussehra and Halloween. October was a fantastic month overall.
November
The best part about this month was the discovery of the outdoor HIIT workouts that I had been missing since March. Doing these workouts helped me cut down 30 minutes of my time in my triathlon races. It was right on time too as the indoor gyms began to shut down from the 11th onwards. I have been regular with these HIIT workouts, accompanied with swims, bike rides on my trainer and short runs.
We had a social distance picnic with my classmates at USF. It was such a nice feeling to see everyone in person.
I also got to visit Mendocino during thanksgiving break and enjoy some time by the seaside.
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