“Running is the best gift that I have received because it has changed my lifestyle, and I feel great about it,” says Deepak Chhillar who works as a Business Manager in a pharmaceutical company in Delhi.

Although Deepak had been active in sports during his school and college life, his physical activities took a backseat as his professional life took over. But soon, amidst all responsibilities and professional commitments, his routine started getting monotonous, and that is when he decided to start running.

Life has never been the same after he took the decision. It’s more than six years since he has started running and Deepak has never looked back. Running has helped him become fitter both mentally as well as physically. Deepak says running keeps him more active and enthusiastic throughout the day. His social circle has also become bigger and better, and he finds himself among amazing people.

Deepak has participated in many events since he first took up running – HMs, FMs, Ultra runs including two 12-hour Stadium runs and has also been a Pacer in different events to help other runners to achieve their targets.

He has been a pacer for many Half Marathon events such as Greater Noida Ride & Run, Punjab HM Chandigarh, Vivekanada Vishvaguru Bharat Run, Lucknow Run HM, Kotak Mahendra Bank Dehradun HM, Crain Pink City HM amongst many.

His 42 km pacing events are IDBI Marathon 20 and AU Bank Jaipur Marathon.

He has also been Ambassador for Born 2 Run, Bhatinda HM, Crain Pink City HM, AU Bank Jaipur Marathon, Ludhiana HM, Freedom Run, The Great Amritsar HM, Gwalior City Run and many other events.

For Deepak, “Running is something that comes with a complete package which includes a healthy lifestyle, discipline and confidence.” He also feels less stressed now, and there is no space for procrastination in his life.

DEEPAK AND 100 DAYS OF RUNNING

Deepak has participated in the 2018 & 2019 editions of the event and was on the Leaderboard at no. 4 in 2018 and at no. 13 in 2019. Deepak agrees that this event played an important role in turning him into a more disciplined runner. Rather than to describe himself as a “Run Addict”, Deepak would prefer to say that running has now become a “Habit”.

The event has brought a drastic change in his life. He lost 6 kg during the 100 Days 2018 edition and achieved his personal best in the 10k category in the Vatika Marathon event. His PB improved from 55 min to 41 min after the 1st 50 days of HDOR in 2018.

Deepak is grateful to ‘100 Days of Running’ which has helped him improve not only his running but has also brought a major changeover in his life, and in spite of the fact that the event requires considerable commitment and his work profile entails a lot of work pressure, Deepak has now become a regular participant of the event and now is eagerly waiting for the start of the 2020 edition.

GOAL FOR HDOR 2020

This year my goal is to run for 100 days continuously. But, this time I want to be more sensible about my goal and so I ‘limit’ myself to between 8 and 10 km for each run. By doing this I hope to limit any overtraining effects and keep myself more productive.

Since I have already developed the habit of running this year I am going to use the event to improve my PB by running with a Training Plan. I am planning to divide the week into different types of training during the event period: Tempo Day, Repetition Day, Walk Day (Rest), Easy Run Day, Uphill-downhill Day, Walk and Run Mix Day (Rest) and Long Distance Running Day.

DEEPAK’S MESSAGE

And what message does he want to send out to others? “Health is the most important thing in life. If you are fit you can win any battle. So start running and feel the difference.”

Deepak not only runs himself but has also motivated and encouraged many people to start running. His young son too follows in his father’s footsteps and his wife Kiran Chillar has also taken up running now and had participated in 100 Days of Running 2019.

Deepak says, “100 days of running is a unique platform which connects the runners all over India who share their experiences of running. It unites runners from all states so that whenever we meet during some event, it is like meeting a neighbour or a family member; different states, different cultures and different languages but with one dream to stay fit and healthy.