Running in the family: Harmilan Bains forges her own path
(Courtesy of Harmilan Bains)
The 22-year-old Indian runner describes making a name for herself in the sport that made her parents famous.
Running is in Harmilan Bains’ genes. Her father, Amandeep Bains, won several national 1500-metre competitions and medalled at the South Asian Games. And her mother, Madhuri Singh, won silver in the 800-metre race at the 2002 Asian Games and came close to qualifying for the Olympics. But Harmilan didn’t immediately inherit their love of the sport.
“My parents forced me [into running],” the 22-year-old shares. Running was something her parents knew and understood, and they wanted to pass on their expertise. However, when Harmilan was younger, she was not interested.
After placing second in her first local race, Harmilan was ready to quit. Her mom advised her not to end on a loss. She told Harmilan to practice, race one more time and beat the boy she lost to the first time. Harmilan won her next race. “After that I really loved it. I love to win. That winning spirit helped me bring me here,” she says.
Since then, Harmilan has kept on winning. She now competes in the 800-metre and 1500-metre races, the same events her parents once ran. “I love the 1500-metre more. I don’t know why but it’s easy for me,” Harmilan shares. She won a bronze medal in the 2016 Asian Junior Athletics Championships and won two gold medals at the Khelo India University Games. Last February, she also broke Punjabi University’s women’s 1500-metre record with a time of 4:16.68. Her next goal is achieving what her mom couldn’t: qualifying for the Olympics.
“My mom missed the Olympics by five microseconds,” Harmilan explains. Although Madhuri fell short of that goal, she has a lasting legacy in India as a trailblazer in the sport. She was one of the first women in Balamau, a remote village in Uttar Pradesh, to achieve such athletic success — and “the first to wear shorts,” Harmilan adds. Now Harmilan wants to finish what her mom started: “I want to complete her dreams. She wants to see me in the Olympics. I will go for my parents, my country and third for myself.”
Harmilan trains with the National Institute of Sports, Patiala (NIA), a premiere athletic institution affiliated with her alma mater, Punjabi University. The NIA provides training to elite athletes who represent India in international competitions and offers academic degrees in coaching and sports medicine.
To prepare for peak performance, Harmilan’s midseason training includes two-a-day workouts. From 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. she does light stretching and warm-up runs. She’ll break for several hours and have “a good sleep'' before returning for a grueling afternoon practice. “During competition, we have to work on our 90% efforts,” she explains.
Her afternoon workouts increase in intensity throughout the week. On Monday, she will have to run 10 to 12 repetitions of the 400 metre-race. She must complete each rep within 66-68 seconds with one minute of recovery after each. During the middle of the week she’ll work on her mileage, starting with a 10K run, then a 12K run. Saturdays are Harmilan’s toughest (and least favourite) day — she runs a 16K. She rests on Sundays.
“For running I really need good sound, good good music. Without headphones I don't think I could complete 8K,” she says. Her music needs to match her speed. “I don’t want sad or romantic music,” Harmilan explains. “I want some motivated music, you know Punjabi music, it has a high beat.”
Ultimately, Harmilan believes she only needs herself to win. She does not look to anyone else for inspiration, not even her parents. “Every player has an inspiration, but my targets are my inspiration. I just want to achieve my goals,” she explains. Maintaining a positive, confident mindset is key to her success: “My spirit, my hard work — that will make me perfect.”
Read more
