Yoga is like my soulmate and running my passion, says yoga trainer and marathon runner Shruthi Jain
Shruthi Jain quit her corporate career to pursue her love for yoga and running. She recently completed the Berlin Marathon in Germany and is now eyeing her dream marathon in Boston in 2021.
A registered yoga trainer and marathon runner, Shruthi Jain teaches different forms of yoga including, prenatal and yin yoga in Bengaluru. She holds an MBA degree from NMiMS, Mumbai, but mental, physical, emotional and spiritual fitness has always been her true calling. Thus, she quit her high paying corporate job to pursue her passion.
Shruthi just completed the Berlin Marathon earlier this week in Germany, and in a quick chat with HerStory she tells us about her love for fitness, yoga and how she is eyeing the Boston Marathon.
Starting early
Shruthi has been a long-distance runner for over 12 years. She started early on, and was inspired by seeing her father, who never missed his morning walk.
As I joined him in his morning routine, he encouraged me to take a step ahead and start running. From that day, I never stopped.
She also developed an interest in yoga and has been teaching it from the past five years on the terrace of her house. She has 5,000 hours of yoga teaching experience, and has taught over 100 students and conducted workshops for over 500 people.
“Yoga to me is like my soulmate and running, my passion. Prior to being a yoga teacher and a serious runner, I had a corporate job. It’s not like I did not like my job, but entering the fitness industry has definitely made me a happier person. Yoga came to me when I was not very happy with myself in my personal life, and it changed me. It made me more content with myself. Running made me a winner in my own eyes. More so after joining my running club, consistently doing well and winning podiums as it was a great boost to my self-confidence.”
However, pursuing a career in the field of fitness hasn’t been a cakewalk. She had to face challenges here as well. One of them was the lack of loyalty and people seeking change.
But what I have learnt is, if you are good at what you do, your clients will come back to you. You just need to be authentic and hard working. Most of my clients often come back to me, saying, they have tried multiple yoga classes but, nothing felt like mine. I believe it’s because I am genuinely very passionate about fitness and that comes across. In this industry I think passion is one of the key ingredients to make a good trainer.
Get, set and go
Shruthi has participated in several marathons including Tata Mumbai Marathon 2018, Tata Steel 25k 2018, Airtel Half Marathon 201, TCS World 10K 2018, Sriram Properties Bangalore Marathon, Bengaluru 10k Challenge, Bengaluru Ultra Run and Pride Run 2018.
She did her first full marathon (42.195 km) in January this year. Prior to this, she completed six 10 km races and four half marathons. “I started training for my full marathon from November 2018. After January, I have completed three more full marathons.”
She started her official marathon training with Jayanagar Jaguars, a running club with a coach who designs specific training programs for the event planned ahead. “Typically, we spend three to four months training for an event.”
Shruthi Jain
However, it is not as easy as it seems. Shruthi has had to cope up with disappointments before her first maiden marathon.
“My maiden marathon did not go as planned, since I got injured two weeks before the race. This was particularly hard for me since it was also the first time I joined my running club. My entire running team had high expectations from me, and it got to me. But I think that was a turning point . Since I had two years of consistent improvement, at some level it had gotten into my head. I took my training for granted. I saw my fellow runners doing better than me and I learnt that as an athlete, you are as good as your training is. I knew then I cannot take my training for granted.”
Boston Marathon - eye on the target
Shruthi has set her sights on the Boston Marathon.
“For a marathoner, running the Boston Marathon is a dream. My coach says it’s a race you have to earn,” she says.
Earlier this week in Berlin, she completed her race in 2.37.41, while the qualifying time for her age category is 3.30. But this is a big step towards the bigger goal, the Boston Marathon.
“To qualify for the Boston Marathon, you need to complete a marathon within a specific time limit, based on your age category. Also, there are only a few runners who get accepted. Berlin marathon is a Boston qualifier race and also part of the Abott world major races. In India, we only have two races that are Boston qualifiers. One is in Mumbai in January and the other in Delhi in February. After Mumbai, my only option was to attempt Berlin in September or wait another year. So, I decided to run Berlin. Berlin is known for its flat course and amazing weather. Not to mention the spirit of the running community.”
With the Berlin Marathon under her belt, it is no wonder that she is eyeing the Boston Marathon for which she has ample time to train.
Since the registration for Boston Marathon 2020 are closed, she will be able to apply for the one in April 2021. “That will be the next big goal. But I will definitely plan other races which will train me for the big goal of Boston marathon 2021.”
(Edited by Suman Singh)
