“I had a really good day yesterday.”
Atmavir did have a good day yesterday, and of course it didn’t hurt that it was also his 38th birthday.
You can see it on the scoreboard and you can see it clearly in his smile and his relaxed and happy attitude today.
The mileage by the way, which is a lot easier to check, was 66 miles for yesterday. This gives him a 32 day total of 2151 miles. Which means the remaining distance left in front of him is 1049 miles. Which is just about the distance from Zlin to the other side of Moscow.
What is another good indicator of his mood is that when he ran by me late in the morning he heard me talking with someone about problems. He called out, “there are no problems. Only opportunities.”
“I had a really good time yesterday. I was able to maintain a good consciousness all day.”
Not too many days ago Atmavir was simply having a tough time. For 2 days in a row he was getting mileage in the 40’s and could barely run. “It happened on Saturday and Sunday. Usually those days are the best on the weekend.”
“It is like a party time. There are many games going on and there are no kids going to school.”
“Saturday I stopped running. I had an empty battery. I didn’t feel as though I was pushing too hard but I just didn’t have a lot of energy. So I took it easy. I went home for a few hours. I really had to recover. It turned out to be my best day here so far.”
“I slept for an hour. Then I felt that I should meditate.” Atmavir says the meditation was such a powerful experience that he felt as though he was being showered by light and was so moved by it that he cried.
When he came back to the race he felt as though it was now a completely new start for him. “A new life. Everything was new.” Atmavir says he was surprised that Sopan independently also felt like he too was having a new start at the same time. “A new journey.”
“It was an experience that both of us had on the same day.”
When asked if there is a particular song that he likes, he says he really likes, ‘All your Grace.”
“I like its inner message because we really depend upon grace here.”
Atmavir says that are times when he is running when he is particularly aware that grace is the power behind it.
“There is a flow.”
All Your Grace, all Your Grace,
All Your Grace, all Your Grace,
My Lord Beloved Supreme!
All Your Grace, all your Grace,
My soul and I are able to join
In your birthless and deathless Race.
-Sri Chinmoy 3100 Mile Race Songs
*Click below to read rest of report*
The Board
Vajra leaves
Van comes. Rupantar stretches his back
Misha says the menu for the day is cups of water
The girls
Baladev and Ashprihanal come
A poem
The weather for today is good
The next couple of days is another matter
The boys
Webcam works
Surasa stretches
Start Day 33
Another beautiful morning
A bird enjoying not having to commute by road
Atmavir is now 96 miles ahead of last year. He is 13 miles ahead of Yuri
The shade
Yuri ran 63 miles yesterday
He now has 2138 miles
Keeping cool
Aum
Sponges at the ready
Misha trying a little ice on the head
168 st
Ashprihanal ran the most yesterday. 70 miles
He now has 2129 miles
Ashprihanal being counted by Zulma
Zulma
Vasu did 51 miles
He now has 2063 miles and his blister is still bothering him
By the shcool
Kaneenika did 56 miles. Having some problems
Enjoying a lap with the now very fresh Hridayinee
She has 2034 miles. She is 111 miles ahead of last year.
The team
By the clock
The color pink
Surasa did 40 miles yesterday
She now has 1974 miles
Remaining cheerful and going within
Morning glory
Sopan did 42 miles yesterday
He now has 1820 miles
So delicate
Stutisheel did 58 miles
In focus
He now has 1820 miles
The boys
Is it clear
Baladev had 43 miles. He has 1800 miles
The sidewalk
Ananda-Lahari had 45 miles
He now has 1690 miles
168 st
Uddipan updating the board
“It is almost everything.” Kodanda is a very dedicated part of the race each morning. He rarely misses coming and playing one of his many instruments.
“I don’t know what the rest of the day will bring. Sometimes it goes way down.
Kodanda describes that every morning at 5:20 he finds himself getting ready to come out.
“It is really important for me to be here before the runners start. I try and set tone that is just meditative. I think it might help because all the runners have such little rest. If I can play soulfully and it projects than hopefully they will feel something that comes from Sri Chinmoy’s music. I think it is a benefit.”
“It is a great thing for me. It helps me to make progress. The reason for doing it is stronger. I have to be sincere. I have to try and be more committed.
Kodanda is very aware of all the hardship that the runners have to endure. He wants to make sure that his offering is in the right consciousness for the runners to help them in their journey.”
“By the time I have finished I usually feel that I have accomplished something that changes something. It is an opportunity for me to be a part of it.”
Click to Play:
Bashata Reads the Daily Poem
Click to Play:
Enthusiasm Awakeners
Click to Play:
Everything we do
Depends on inner guidance,
Which is nothing other than
Compassion and Grace from Above.
Very inspiring interview with Atmavir. Thanks a lot!
A belated Happy Birthday To Atmavir!
The perfect interview, the perfect inspiration, Utpal. Kodanda´s flute play and his sincere words inspire people far beyond the running course in Queens, NY.
Happy birthday dear brother Atmavir! Many greetings from Mongolia