Let's meet Ira
Meet the R4R Runners #96
Welcome to the 96th edition of the Meet the R4R Runners. This week, we get to meet someone who always greets you with a smile and friendly energy, that R4R has come to be known for. She’s given us some great answers and we’re lucky to have her as part of our community. So, without further ado, let’s meet Ira!
What is your name?
Ira (pronounced e-ra)
Where are you from?
Born in India, lived on oil tanker ships for a couple of years and then migrated to Australia when I was 9 years old.
What's your favourite thing about Canberra?
I love Canberra. It’s hard to pick just one thing - it’s so easy to get around, it’s busy enough to be good vibes & have good restaurants but not too chaotic, we have so many beautiful walking/running tracks, wineries at our fingertips..
How did you hear about R4R and when did you first attend?
I went to university with Matt and heard via social media that he had started this community based on a motto of “just keep moving” which really resonated with me. I attended on an ad hoc basis in 2021 and 2022 but became a real regular from January 2023.
What's your favourite thing about R4R?
Gosh, I’m realising now that I’m not very good at picking “a” favourite thing.. I love sunshine, physical activity, the lake, wine, the sense of community, the feeling I get when I know I’ve been able to make someone’s day just a little bit better, the knowledge that there is this whole support crew ready and waiting for everyone who wants to be there every week no matter what.. but I guess my personal favourite thing has got to be the wonderful friends I’ve made over the last couple of years who are now a really important part of my life.
What's the longest you've ever run?
42.2km (yes, a WHOLE marathon! ..as of last weekend!)
Are you planning on taking part in any races or events soon or are there any just gone?
I did the Canberra Marathon this weekend - and am still a bit shook that I actually managed to complete it! Probably in large part to a number of the R4R crew that believed in me, trained with me and supported me before, during and after the race. I am not sure if it’s just because everything still hurts but I currently have no plans to do any further events for the foreseeable future ha ha!
Which three people (alive or dead) would you like to run or walk 6km with?
One - someone who really needs someone to listen to them. Two - friend(s) from interstate who I don’t get the opportunity to catch up with very often. And three - all of my friends that say they would love to run by they aren’t “runners” (in my view, anyone who wants to run is a “runner”).
What does resilience mean to you?
I consider “resilience” means being able to cope with whatever life throws at you. Importantly, I don’t think it means doing it alone - it means reflecting on the people and things that fill your cup, and connecting with those people / doing those things so that your cup is full and when it’s not, you know what to do to fill it back up.
When you look back on the hardest moment/s in your life, is there anything you wish you could have told yourself?
BE KIND TO YOURSELF! In my experience, we are our own worst critics and the way we engage in negative self-talk is wild - we would never speak to a friend that way and we shouldn’t treat ourselves that way either.
Thanks, Ira!
Well done Ira and we said re how self-critical we are! It is wild that we talk to ourselves in a way we would never talk to someone else.