I ain't no Quitter !!!

Quitting beer drinking is possibly the most boring thing ever. My life has become a drab. I have become the guy who does not loosen up. Some people even feel betrayed and I miss my old friends. I am starting to miss the “guys night out” parties on Thursday nights where we used to know how many beers we had only after the bill arrived. All this built up anger took me to the leather bar last night. A friend prompted that Guiness is available for a reasonable cost and I quickly slammed two of those big daddies. I started to feel brave. The same guy and his wife suggested that we go to bike and barrel – this place where I am denied an entry due to some drama I created there. On the eventful day at bikes, the bouncers were determined to kill me, especially this dude called Vinoth who is nothing less than a 7 foot monster. Nobody fucks around with Vinoth. So, after my newly found courage, I walk into enemy territory staring into my cell phone and avoiding any eye contact with the monster. And there I am in bikes drinking beer, eating pannier and listening to retro music…I don’t know what the point of this post is, but I guess I have learnt a good lesson – it is highly important to drink and nothing like drinking in moderation. Moderation is a very subjective thing though!!!!

A Year and a Half Later....

After one and a half years of running, I am pretty confident that the satisfaction that I get out of running is definitely greater than the satisfaction that I derive out of drinking beers. Earlier, every time, I would have a sip of beer (which was about thrice a week), I could not stop without getting pasted. Only three things could stop me from drinking – either the money had to run out, the beer had to run out or I had to pass out. The feeling at the end of the day was horrible – I was out of money, I was starting to develop a small paunch and most importantly my running/ sports took a back seat. Also, more often than not, I used to end up hanging out with people who seemed to live their life without a plan. Most people I met would talk about what they wanted to achieve, where they wanted to travel but would end up in the bar every evening forgetting what they really wanted to do. No way, I could lose focus and lose out on what I really want to do…

In contrast, all the folks I met during my runs were more fun. They were successful, they knew what they really wanted to do and they traveled to at least one new place every month. The casual hash runners which are called the “drinking club with a running problem” are all successful people and I somehow correlate it due to the presence of some kind of exercise in their lives. I wanted to be like them.

Exercise/ running help in striking a balance between partying and running. A friend of mine says “he runs because it gives him license to drink beer and eat tasty food”….that works!!! Just pick your reason and hit the road.

Losing my temper !!!

I am not sure why I am writing this crap today. Beer drinking is a passion but of late I am starting to become really cautious about beer drinking. Drinking has been making me swing my emotions from being really happy to being really angry (please note.. angry not sad). I am unable to take no for an answer and I am start hating anything associated with being rich – the bouncers at the bar who follow orders of the rich bar owners, cops, bar managers.

My temper is best controlled when I run and I haven’t been into serious running for about three weeks now. Part of the reason is a shin injury that I need to nurse. I could be working out/ lifting weights etc. but I am just too bored and lazy to do that.

This is my plan of action – I am going to restrict my drinking after the company party this weekend. I will try not to get madly drunk and will start running a lot more. In case the shin injury persists, I will consciously try and pursue things like yoga, sailing or something else that will help me release energy in a positive way and keep fit.

The organizers of the Mumbai marathon are complete morons. The marathon is supposed to be the best marathon in the country but will only start at 8:00 am. It is just impossible to complete it within four hours due to the late start. Why can’t these idiots start at six and finish off at eleven. Or why not start at 5 am…These dudes must be on drugs or something. Anyways, I plan to run it and I will run it hard. This will keep me fit for the next four months atleast and will be my license to drink beer while controlling my temper.