Last year, when fashion blogger Juhi Godambe nailed her first long-distance run with little effort, she couldn’t have guessed the life-changing impact it would have. The 24-year-old who had favoured gyms and treadmills until then, finished a 10k run at Aamby Valley, Lonavala in tears. “I usually don’t cry, but I couldn’t stop myself. I didn’t care about the time I took to complete it, I was just so happy I finished the first time I tried it,” she says.
The next day she decided to start her mornings an hour early to squeeze in a run. And a few weeks later, Juhi signed up with the Nike Running Club to prepare for the half-marathon in Mumbai. “While training, every facet of my body and personality were put to test. Chasing goals and striving to improve myself on the track taught me about perseverance, patience and discipline,” she says of the life lessons she learnt along the way. Juhi also started planning her days better, pre-planned her meals, and began pushing herself to perform better.
Two months later, she faced her next challenge: tackling 21kms at the Standard Chartered Marathon. Like any first-timer, her biggest fear was being unable to complete the race. But she stuck to her strategy, started slow and finished the race in a very good 2.39 hours. “That is when I really understood that giving up should never be an option. Now I’ve become that person who sets goals for herself, in running and even in my work life.”
Rival racerback sports bra, Breathe top, Zonal Strength training tights, VaporMax shoes, cotton wristband; all Nike
Photographs: Manasi Sawant, Styling: Karuna Laungani, Hair and make-up: Kritika Gill, Art direction: Reshma Rajiwdekar
