Yesterday I was sent a plethora of emails about a 4^1/2  year old running phenomenon called Budhia from Orissa, India. He set out to run 70kms.and astonishingly he managed to run 65kms before collapsing and being taken to hospital. 

It is a huge feat of strength and endurance, for anyone to run 65 kms- Think about it, a marathon is 42kms! If that's not enough he is doing it in soaring temperatures. It's a humbling experience to be on the same continent running at the same time as some one so young and so talented. His achievements beggar belief.

Unlike me he has a light running frame and a biological and anatomical make up that physically allows him to carry himself over long distances. It's the fact that he is four and half years old that gets me…

Running 600kms in Kerala in one month is a major challenge for the best of us. I have to run almost every day covering distances varying from 15 – 35kms a day on undulating terrain- I might add. In terms of distance this is not so great (I have run 90kms before in one go). The real difficulty comes in teaching and disciplining your body to run every day, allowing much less rest than would be normal. The climatic conditions in the month of May, which does get to be the hottest month in the year here in Kerala add a whole new dimension to this run. Running at temperatures averaging to about thirty- five degree Celsius with almost sixty-five percent humidity do add that extra challenge for the body  to cope with.

Daily I have to go out of my way to drink three or four times the average amount (six or seven liters of fluid) as well as ensure a high calorie intake. Neither are easy in India. If I get ill I will lose weight very quickly. 

Rahul has been explaining to me that every cell in our body has memory enabling it to adapt itself to suit the surroundings and climate in which it finds itself. I also know for a fact that muscles develop 'muscle memory'. In my case my legs seem to have a memory of running fairly big distances once ever so often.