In this week’s Backbeat, Karthik Raman, CMO, IDBI Federal Life Insurance talks about the transformation in his life once running became a passion for him from merely being a necessity to improve his health.
BY KARTHIK RAMAN,
CMO, IDBI Federal Life Insurance
Sports was my first love; as a student I was always first in line to participate in any kind of sports – be it Cricket, Football, Athletics or Volleyball - and I also represented my school and college with reasonable success. However, having been born in a Tamil Brahmin family, sports never featured in my parents’ gameplan. They believed academics was the only way ahead. Of course, in those days, that was the norm, unlike today where a youngster has a multitude of career choices. Eventually, the corporate world and a career in sales made my life exciting. However, crazy schedules, targets, travel, parties and all that frenetic pace of activity started taking a toll on my health. But in the rat race to climb up the corporate ladder, health was never a priority. I wasn’t left behind in this crazy race; but on the flip side, from being fit-as-afiddle, I turned into a bean bag.
It began to dawn on me that I was often feeling lethargic, unenergetic and irritable. It was during one of my trips that I chanced upon an article on health and fitness in an in-flight magazine. It totally changed my casual approach towards health. Then, I was clear in my mind - I had to change before it was too late. As luck would have it, a friend of mine introduced me to the world of running and my world was never the same again! What began as a necessity to improve health has become a passion now.
The journey from being unfit to running marathons was not an overnight miracle – rather, a gradual transformation. My journey with running began in 2012, and since then, I have run numerous half, full and ultra marathons. I have been asked by many - what’s your motivation to run such long distances? Let me try and spell out my experience and learnings from running:
• Running makes me happy, alleviates my stress levels and makes me feel relaxed
• Running makes me believe “nothing is impossible”. It is no longer just another adage for me
• Running has instilled in me a positive attitude to every situation
• Running has made me disciplined, no more frequent Saturday night binges
• Running is ‘me time’; it helps me critically analyse myself and improve
• Running helps me think - most of my new ideas come while running
• Running has given me a host of new friends from diverse fields and professions
• Running allows me to focus, concentrate for long hours
Once you are set on achieving a goal, you won’t stop until you have accomplished it. Setting goals and targets for yourself also helps to infuse a sense of purpose into your routine. Today, when I am 10 kg lighter, a whole lot fitter and after having participated in more than 10 half-marathons (21 km), five full marathons (42 km) and four ultramarathons, I feel impassioned to share this sense of joy with other people. I derive immense delight in supporting people through their pursuit of healthier, fitter lives. Hence, nothing gives me more satisfaction than seeing them benefit from our company’s marathon events.
IDBI Federal sponsors four marathons across Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata and Kochin, and as Marketing and Strategy Head, I personally oversee their success. The objective is to empower the community with better health and fitness; help them create lives of their choice. Nothing comes anywhere close to this euphoria of success and running definitely measures that for me, every single day.
@ FEEDBACK
karthik.raman@idbifederal.com
