Saumya's MindfulRunning

  “I admire a man who can burst into tears, who clobbers the stiff upper lip image of the British male at a stroke by letting the tears flow, unashamedly unchecked. And remains undeniably manly.” Rebecca Marjorie Proops, Journalist     emotion noun a strong feeling deriving from one's circumstances, mood, or relationships with others. The 2022 FIFA World Cup got me thinking on one interesting topic that I thought was worth penning down. While sports has been an acceptable area where emotions are allowed to be let out by men, I paid more attention to it this time. This is something that goes against all social norms. Where else have you seen men express themselves freely without thinking of being judged? Sports allows us that freedom of expressing emotions freely (apart from all other things that sports teaches us).             Since ancient Greece, sports has remained one of the only socially acceptable spaces for male tears.  The heroes of the   Iliad , in particular, are very of

  “It is in our nature to explore, to reach out into the unknown. The only true failure would be not to explore at all.”   Ernest Shackleton - Antartic Explorer   Angkor Wat International Half Marathon was established in 1996 as the first international distance running event in Cambodia. The main purpose was to raise funds to help landmine victims of the long civil war to lead normal lives. Its further purposes were to help consolidate the nation and promote friendship with all people around the world.   I ran the Angkor Wat International Half Marathon on Sunday Dec 4 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. First and foremost, I am grateful that I could register, train, travel and participate in this splendid heritage event. The course is exceptional. It runs through the ancient capital of the Khmer Empire – the Angkor Wat and the Angkor Thom temples complex dating from 12 th  – 16 th  centuries. It’s a unique experience as we pass through 13 ancient temples set along the beautiful, forested course. M