When Marathon Calls, Running on Impulse is a Case of Mind Over Pain

KATY: He hadn’t really planned for it since his all-consuming work schedule really didn’t allow for him to take off for the routine training it would take to run the 13.1 miles in a half marathon. But the call of marathon running was too great for him to pass up; the exhilarating high of the long distance run, the connection with other runners, pushing back the pain in the legs and rhythmic gulps for breaths of air was an exciting experience he could not push away.

“It had been a year since I had run (see IAN dated Dec 19, 2014) and after reading the posts from friend on Facebook who ran the Houston Marathon two weeks earlier, I felt really nostalgic,” recalled Dr. Randeep Suneja, 55 as he paused briefly between patients at his busy clinic in Katy, “and felt I was missing out. I really got inspired by all their stories.” A cardiologist with a busy practice, he trots rather than walks around his clinic, zipping between patients, and hardly had the time to commit to the strenuous demands of regular long distance running.