Jumping-jacks - 100 … Tick. Squats - 100 … Tick Lunges - 100 … Tick As she went on ticking her mental checklist of all the strengthening exercises Coach had handed her, she relaxed a little.  Ever since she had started dabbling in long distance running for pleasure she had harboured a few dreams. ‘If your dreams don’t scare you they don’t fuel you!’ she had been told. It was just a few years ago when she had foolishly swallowed the bait set by her husband. “Any Idiot can run on a treadmill indoors,” he had said wrinkling his nose at her daily 6 kilometres, which she would complete proudly… in one hour. “What do you mean?” she responded irritated. “Try and run outdoors, on real ground, without a rail to hold.That will be something.” It set her thinking and being a sucker for challenges, Tamanna agreed to do just that the next day. Being a busy soft skills trainer, she would find time only on weekends to try something outdoors. But, the next morning, a Sunday, saw her in her smart gym wear- a bright pink Nike drifit tee shirt, black fitted tights and her Nike running shoes. She definitely looked her part- a wannabe athlete! In ten minutes, Tamanna felt exhausted, barely able to continue and having to pause to breathe, next she walked a few steps and reluctantly pushed her feet forward while constantly battling her mind, that was shrieking, ‘blue murder’.  Recalling her husband dear’s sarcastic challenge, she lumbered on till she had finished a loop of 2 kilometres. By then her shins, quadriceps and hamstrings had also joined the rebellion.  She had come a long way from then, being regular with her thrice a week runs, though not like some others who zipped by, she was steady and had a good posture and could finish without her body rebelling. Waking up in the dark was routine and having found a group of like minded people, running was fun. “Tamanna, we are signing up for the Mumbai marathon. Why don’t you too?”said Coach Rahul. When she relayed that at home, her son Shiva did a little jig and exclaimed, “Wonderful Mom! Go for it!” But the other guy just sniggered… “Do you even know how many kilometres that is?” “Yup! And I am going for it, if my application is accepted! Its been on my bucket list!” The sniggering stopped and there was complete silence!  “I want to do it before I turn 60!” “Hey Tamanna! Can you take up the workshop this weekend?” asked the Boss. “Actually no Ma’am!” she piped up softly. “What’s the matter? All well at home?”Boss was taken aback.   “Yes, Ma’am. Actually I have started training for the Mumbai marathon and the weekends are packed with my training schedule.” The Boss, nearly fell off her chair. Looking at her with new eyes, she realised “Tamanna, you do look different. A whole lot fitter. I never noticed it under all those loose, clothes you wear. Wait a minute, they have become loose! Amazing! Go for it girl! Let me know if I can help!” She had never heard that tone, nor seen that look of respect cum wonder cum whatever, in her Boss! Nutrition, strengthening, cross training, yoga, hydration, stretching, fartleks, Long slow runs, cadence, pace and a whole lot of other jargon became a part of her life. And pain became her constant companion. Sometimes it was the calf, sometimes the back, sometimes the whole God damn body. Nevertheless she lived through it all, exchanging notes with fellow runners. The excitement in the Lokhandwala  Amateur Runners Group for Eves (LARGE) was palpable. “Tomorrow we are doing a long run of 28 kilometres. Stay hydrated, have a simple early dinner and let’s begin early- at 5 AM,” Coach said. She could barely sleep. Her heart was beating so fast. Her mind kept meandering to the day she had taken her first steps and now so close to her dream.  Next day, before morning arrived, brightly clad ladies assembled near Starbucks, on the back road. There were always enough street lights blazing and even a Chowkidar at the entrance to the park opposite. It felt safe, and inviting even in the darkness of the unearthly hour. There was Coach Rahul too. A mature, elderly athlete who would coach these ladies pro bono, while during the day he had a business to earn his bread and butter.  The warm up started… arm circles, knee circles, hip circles… “I am going to be knotted up soon,” giggled Renu. “Wait till we do the aeroplanes, I feel I might just take off!” The tittering took off again. “Alright girls, its our 28 kilometre run, we will go down the Road, past the mall, straight down to Juhu, turn right at Amitabh’s house, then past the beach right up to Sun and Sand. Take a break there if you need and turn back. Any questions?” “Coach, what about water? I am just carrying my small bottle as you instructed.” said Tamanna. “Dont worry, I have asked a few of my friends to wait at a few places along the way.They are carrying water and some Fast and Up for you all. Also you may stop to buy some water at the corner shops. I will show you on the way. All the best! Lets go!”  They may be beginners and amateurs but they all had their Garmin watches to track their runs and they would not budge without first clicking the trackers on. Coach shook his head and smiled as if to say,”Incorrigible!” Rahul had been an ace athlete at school and college. Winning was his middle name. Till one day he was struck with the big C. His world changed overnight. The constant, nagging pain in his stomach forced him to see a doctor. The Doctor was nonplussed to see a healthy and fit young man doubled up in pain. He smelled a rat. A plethora of tests were ordered. He cautioned young Rahul, “ It may be that something you ate has not agreed with you but it may also be that some part of your body is not functioning properly. After the results come in, we shall plan what we should do next. So don’t worry. Try to relax, you will be helping your body.” Stumped, Rahul didn’t know how to react. In the past he had always gone for a long run to de-stress. The pain did not even allow him to move. But he would not be defeated so easily. He owed it to his parents if not to himself. He tried walking around in the park, being amidst green trees, blooming flowers and listening to children shout, squabble and squeal brought a smile to his face.  He dozed off to sleep, while listening to his favourite songs from ABBA and Boney M. Each day was a new day, a new story.  The day of the results arrived and like a student dreading Report Card day, he went to his doctor. Without beating around the bush the doctor said, “Son, you have Cancer. Its in your large intestine. We will have to remove it surgically. Then we will have to give you Chemotherapy followed by radiation to rule out any relapse.” The endless trips to the hospital, the nausea, the transformation of the physical appearance was the tip of the iceberg. The sinking feeling in his heart, a feeling of having lost a game, an event, a desperate feeling of having nothing to look forward to, was far more debilitating.  His friends helped him as much as they could but it was his parents, who left no stone unturned to find out what could be done. His girlfriend Pia, watched helplessly. She knew if only he would get back to being positive, being mindful, his tortured existence would be at least easier. “Hey Rahul! I am so grateful we met. You are the best thing that happened to me!” Rahul got angry and smirked, “So, are you mocking me? Knowing fully well I might not be there in a few months time, are you pushing…” “Shhhhhh!” she quickly put her soft beautiful, fingers on his mouth. “You know I mean it. Remember when I had to prepare for my presentation? You helped me practice and get over my fear.” she spoke softly. “So what should we do to celebrate tomorrow? It’s the anniversary of our first date” she inquired. “Nothing!” was the sullen reply. Everyday she started talking to him about what she was grateful for and what she planned to do in the future. “What’s in your bucket list Rahul?” asked Pia one day casually. She had read that if one can hold on to positive things, hope and be happy, the body is stronger and the mind becomes calmer. She had made it her game plan now. “Bucket list? Nothing!” “So make it now… tell me!” she urged him on. Rahul looked at her then. She was beautiful. An oval face, framed with thick brown, shoulder length hair, which was generally held back with a colourful clasp, her large expressive honey coloured eyes, underlined with dark kajal, a fulsome mouth, great for kissing and watching it reveal whatever was in her heart, a perky nose with a glinting nose-pin completed the picture. He realized he was being a jerk. “Sorry Pia!” And as she held him tight, he started sobbing. The tears poured like a dam breached. She too could not hold back her tears. For a long time they held on to each other, realising they were one and could probably not live without each other. “Make a note”, he began clearing his throat and wiping his eyes. “I want to compete in a marathon!” “That would be awesome… me too! Next?” “ Help people to gain better health.” “And how do you plan that?” “Through running! It is such a powerful sport you know.” “Next?” “Travel… across the world… probably run marathons across the world!” “Fantastic! Count me in!” “Nothing without you, Darling!” said he smiling through his tear smudged face. He had overcome that hurdle, thanks to his Doctor, parents and Pia! Years of rehab had brought him back to the tracks and he had been able to tick of the items on his Bucket list with panache.  His first half marathon was at the oldest marathon in India: Pune International Marathon- which gave him such a high that he wanted to do it again and again.  At the event it was not just about running, it was a celebration of life and people. There were people from all walks of life, men and women, young and old, super fast and super slow. There was music and laughter. A sense of feeling good hovered over the unending crowds in the pre dawn darkness, chased away by millions of lights strung together, as if it was Diwali or Christmas. As the race was flagged off, the energy of the crowd of runners, their adrenalin pumping on, sent vibrant energy across to even the few bystanders who came along. After six long hours, he crawled across the finish line, bones weary, muscles vaguely existing but face creased in a mighty grin. His heart started beating fast, as he recalled his bucket list and he mentally put a tick against- Run a marathon.  Then straight he went to Marathon, Greece. That was exhilarating. With Pia of course. That one they ran together hand in hand, a tribute to the ancient Greek Pheidippides, a hemerodrome, (who ran from place to place to deliver messages) who started it all. That run from Marathon to Athens was a journey in self discovery. The magic of Athens, Santorini, Delphi worked well on him. Being in the sun and the sea, gorging on Souvalaki, Greek salad, Tzatziki and lots of fresh fish, Rahul left his days of illness far behind. “C’mon girls, begin slow, save your energy for a negative split, (running the latter part of the race faster than the first part)” instructed Coach Rahul.  Latika, Ramona and Tamanna generally ran at the same pace and stuck to each other. That was the best way to run, chatting, encouraging and laughing together.  If you want to run fast, run alone If you want to run far run together. That was the dictum they followed- always. The nip in the December air of Mumbai was perfect to keep them going long. The odd pains and niggles that surfaced were laughed off by the trio. Coach was happy to see his girls going steady, looking comfortable. “How’s the josh?” he yelled as he went past the ones at the rear… loping off to catch the ones who had taken a lead. “High Sir!” cried the ladies in unison. Perspiration trickled down their brow, breathing was a little laboured, as expected but they kept going steady. The sky was changing colour as the Sun rose lazily, peeking at the earth, taking stock of who was doing what. The cool breeze rushed across the Arabian at Juhu as if to fan the  all the heated runners up and about at the unearthly hours. They finished their 28kms in high spirits. The sense of achievement was like none  other they had experienced in life. Rahul beamed like a proud father, who is showing off his child's first medal. The day finally dawned. The day of her dreams, the day she would run her marathon.  Her nerves jangled so much, she could hardly sleep. Thrice she had got out of bed to check she had pinned her bib properly. That the number was visible clearly. Twice she woke up to relieve herself and in between she barely closed her eyes. Tossing and turning she finally went off to the guest bedroom, lest she woke up her snoring husband.  In the middle of the night, the shrill alarm yanked her out of slumber. Dressing up to catch the 3AM special train to transport the runners to the race venue was unbelievable. The station was filled with runners and their banter, and except for the bright lights, it seemed like regular office time on a week day. Standing at the start line, she and the girls held hands in a group hug and away they went to conquer their dreams, tick off their bucket list, for a common adage Runners swear by is ‘Don’t stop when you are tired, stop when you are done’. At the end of six hours, Tamanna literally crawled to the finish line, where Coach Rahul was waiting, all smiles. The pain in her legs and back, the heat emanating from her face and head and the exhaustion in the entire body seemed to miraculously disappear. She found herself tearing up as she realised what accomplishing a dream felt like. She crumpled to the ground, bowing to God and all who stood by her. With tears seamlessly flowing she thanked her Coach and went on to receive her Finisher’s medal. When she entered home there was quite a warm reception. “Congratulations Mom,” said Shiva as he hugged and kissed her. “Congrats! I never thought you could do it” said her husband with pride, as he held her in a warm embrace.  “So, bucket list ticked and completed,” said he. “Its just begun!”she said mysteriously. “What do you mean?” “I have an Iron-man on my bucket-list, before my next birthday!” “You turn sixty!”