Harmanpreet Kaur, a self-confessed social media addict, remembers being hooked to Cricket Australias Womens Big Bash League page to follow all the updates of the initial stages of the inaugural season. A month later, in January 2016, she experienced the buzz from close quarters, when she toured with the Indian team for a limited-overs series.Later this year, she will get an opportunity to play in the tournament, after signing with WBBL champions Sydney Thunder for the upcoming season. The path-breaking deal makes her the first Indian cricketer, male or female, to feature in Australias Big Bash League.We knew it would be big, but didnt realise the WBBL would be such a huge hit until we got there earlier this year, Harmanpreet told ESPNcricinfo. Whichever venue we visited, there was a lot of talk about the tournament. That internally motivated a lot of us, and it got us thinking, Right, if we do well like Australia have on the global stage, there is a possibility of an IPL-style league for women. In many ways, the atmosphere and the sporting culture of Australia fired us up. Our T20 series win also boosted the morale of the entire team.Harmanpreet remembers watching the final of the inaugural WBBL from her hotel room in Adelaide, a couple of days ahead of Indias T20I series against the then Womens World T20 champions Australia. At the teams training session the following day, she was overwhelmed when her compatriots remarked that she was good enough to be playing in the tournament.Two days later, on Australia Day and Indias Republic Day, Harmanpreet proved why she was one of the most-improved players in the womens circuit when her unbeaten 31-ball 46 scripted India Womens highest chase in a T20I. Immediately after the knock, she received congratulatory messages from a number of franchises.That was when it dawned upon us that these performances were being noticed, because when I started, womens cricket was mainly about England, Australia and New Zealand, she said. On that tour, the vibe was different. Generally, foreign tours mean a quiet arrival, followed by training and matches. But this time during our tour, there was a real buzz. Television channels were seeking reactions; fans were at the ground in big numbers. We were being recognised. I think our series win there contributed towards a lot of our names being put forward on the franchise shortlists.Harmanpreet received offers from two other franchises, including Sydney Sixers, runners-up in the inaugural season, but said money wasnt the deciding factor. Opportunities were what I was looking for, she said. With just two overseas slots for foreign players, I was looking at sides where you have a chance to make XIs on a regular basis. With Thunder having just one overseas player, I thought thats where I could get maximum game time.Also, Stafanie Taylor, who will be my colleague there, is someone who I hugely admire. We started our careers around the same time, and being a fellow professional, Ive followed her a lot of late. The manner in which she has carried West Indies single-handedly has been inspirational. Both of us are allrounders, so Im looking forward to learning from her. The prospect of playing with Australias best is also exciting.Harmanpreet, who admires Australias aggressive style of play, picked out fitness over skill as one of the major differences between India and the other top nations. Being in a professional structure, she said, would offer an opportunity to study how different professionals go about their work.As a team, we havent played for four months since the World T20, so a lot of us are using this as an opportunity to work on our fitness, she said. What we noticed at the tournament was, skill-wise, we are at par with the top sides. Things like running between the wickets, close-in catching, power-hitting is something we are working on.Currently training in Pune under her personal coach, Harshal Pathak, Harmanpreets routine ranges from yoga and strength-training, to endurance activities such as rope walks and a cross-fit routine, apart from her four-hour net sessions. Being part of an all-women ad campaign aimed at promoting women empowerment in India, Harmanpreet says, gave her a new perspective on how much womens cricket has grown in India.It has grown leaps and bounds, but we arent able to sustain momentum, she said. We did well in Australia, and the momentum was carried into the World T20. There was expectation on us for the first time. Now, its been four months since we played. So, once again, we are back to building up to another event. Better scheduling will address that, but with the World Cup coming up next year, hopefully that will be addressed. Hopefully, a few others also playing in the WBBL will give us that much more exposure and make us a better team. Custom Detroit Tigers Jerseys . -- Cam Newton pranced into the end zone, placed his hands over his chest and did his familiar Superman pose. Custom Los Angeles Angels Jerseys . -- Bobby Ryan helped the U. http://www.customjerseysbaseball.com/custom-los-angeles-dodgers-jerseys-454x.html . -- Stanfords Kevin Danser knelt on one knee and hardly moved on the sideline as Michigan State celebrated its Rose Bowl victory and his Cardinal teammates made their way to the locker room. Custom Pittsburgh Pirates Jerseys . Woodson said during a radio interview Thursday that the Knicks Carmelo Anthony doesnt get the same calls as other superstars. Custom Boston Red Sox Jerseys .com) - The Montreal Canadiens will try to halt their longest losing streak of the season when they host the struggling New York Islanders in tonights clash at the Bell Centre. I dread solo runs the way the average person hates tax time. The solitary nature of the run forces me to turn inward, and as a goal-oriented overachiever with a fear of failure, I hate the introspection that these runs cultivate.The thought of spending hours wrestling with my body, willing it to keep going, with no distractions and no community support makes me question my sanity. Ive tried all of the recommended tips and mental tricks, as well as fitness gadgets and apps to make solo running for long distances better.Only one thing has done the trick: virtual runs.I joined two virtual running groups on Facebook because of my love for Harry Potter --?Nerd Herd Running, with money going to the nonprofit Stupid Cancer, and the Hogwarts Running Club, who donates to a different organization every race. When I ran the Dementors Kiss 5K with the Hogwarts Running Club, we raised $45,000 for Miles for Cystic Fibrosis. I liked the idea that the money I spent fueling my running habit also had a larger purpose.Virtual races are runs of a predetermined length that can take place at any location of your choosing during a particular week. You pay the race registration fee and receive a runners bib in your email. Certain running groups require that you submit a proof of time, and after a couple of weeks, you receive a finishers medal.These races dont require travel, so theyre easier on the wallet. And best of all, there are no long lines at the porta-potty.For me, these runs are the perfect combination of nerd culture and running community. Running is one of those activities I never thought I would do. I abhorred physical exercise as a child. I was sedentary in my early 20s from a combination of depression and self-loathing. I wanted to be invisible.One phone call changed my life.It was my 27th birthday, and I needed serious convincing that I should live another year. My childhood friend Jillian called. Buried under the floral comforter in my bedroom, iPhone on speaker, I told her that I am not sure I wanted to continue living.She persuaded me to make a list of all the things I couldnt do, but that I dream of doing. On my list was a completing a marathon.Jill suggested we start small, with a princess-themed 5K. We registered, trained and finished the race together. From there we took on 10Ks and half-marathons and multiple-day challenges.Ive been running, off and on, ever since. Exercise is my version of Defense Against the Dark Arts.?I let my imagination loose on these runs.***Its 5 a.m. when my earbuds go in, and the fusion of sight and sound begins a seamless transition to the Harry Potter Universe. My mind fills in the gaps of my elaborate fantasy. Everyday sights and sounds, with theeir metronomic regularity, transform into rhythmic spectacle.dddddddddddd.My environment becomes animated -- lampposts change into floating candles, illuminating my path. The local YMCA, which towers above the rest of the landscape, morphs into the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, strong dramatic architecture silhouetted against an enchanted navy sky.For the first half of my run, I evade the dark forces. Halfway through, my left heel is sore, and my right knee threatens to be uncooperative.I stop.Thats when the Dementors show up. In the Harry Potter Universe, theyre mystical figures shrouded in black gossamer cloth, and they thrive on despair. Their main purpose is to suck the happiness and good memories out of the people that they come across.In my mind theyre always hovering on the periphery, waiting time until I let my guard down. Doubt doesnt take long to blossom once its taken root -- I know that from near fatal bouts with depression. Those brushes with the spectral always left me listless and unmotivated, wracked with nightmares and harboring the belief that I was devoid of talent.I have to keep running. I make it past a large tree Ive dubbed the Whomping Willow before I was forced to stop again. Up ahead I see a Boggart, a shape-shifting creature that takes on the form of the thing you fear most.The resurrected corpse looks like me, but smells like betrayal -- wet, decaying flesh giving way due to neglect. Brain slightly atrophied, cloaked in anger, frustration and fear. She utters sharp, mean statements: I am not fast. I am not brave. I am a failure.My run has a new sense of urgency, to prove the other me wrong, to conquer the things that threaten to drown me if I ever give myself permission to think about them.I am the protagonist. I cant outrun this variant of myself. I have to face her. I surrender to the run; I stop obsessing about the time.I pull the terrible memories and places out of myself and leave them on the pavement. In this alternate universe, I could be gifted and hardworking, and villains were always vanquished, even though all enchantments come with a price. I dont have to be fast -- I just have to finish.Monsters, after all, can be defeated. I know I deserve to cultivate hope, to have peace. I understand it is my right to be happy. My creativity allows me to believe in the incredible, to not be limited by the bounds of my own experience. I know, at the end of all of this, that I can endure.Latria Graham is a writer, editor and cultural critic. She is currently living in South Carolina. Follow her @LGRaconteur ' ' '