It's (nearly) that time of the year again. Three months left to go for this year's Bangalore Ultra, and time to start off on a training regimen.
If I can allow myself a little introspection at this point, its been nearly a year since I first started the blog in an attempt to motivate myself to fitness. There's not much that's happened on paper since then. One 25K run, barely completed, one 10K run, satisfactorily done and one recent Har-Ki-Doon trek. But in my head, there's been an almost complete turnaround. I guess I can finally say I've embraced running, in the sense that I identify myself as 'someone who runs'. A run is no longer a one-time achievement, to be somehow completed on the big day, but something that you train and prepare yourself for. I've set some decent goals for the next year, which includes completing my first ever full marathon.
In terms of fitness, I can't have asked for more, really. Lost 6 kgs and now weigh a healthy 59. Still not satisfied with the fat vs muscle composition, but I'm hoping a few months of gymming can correct that.
I'm still just on the starting blocks...there's a long way to go before fitness becomes a lifestyle, but it has been a good start. Time to cross my fingers and hope I can stay the course.
In terms of the Ultra, plan to sign up again for the 25K. This time though, I don't plan on dying at the finish line :)
My legs are, for some reason, a lot weaker than I want them to be. So instead of hitting the road right away, plan to do about 6-8 weeks of weight training (with the odd treadmill run thrown in), and spend the last 4-5 weeks doing the mileage build-up thing.
Here's hoping for the best! :)
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
Status update...
One day past race day and finally found that solitary cause for complaint that I was so keenly awaiting. Despite it being a nearly perfect race day, fell short of my goal of a sub 1 hour finish, and crossed the finish line at 1.02.33 hours :-(
But personal milestones aside, the race was an unqualified success. Because in the larger scheme of things, this run was about much more than individual finish times – it was about determination, dogged persistence, mutual inspiration, and an ultimate collective effort to cross the finish line.
I like to think that for each person in the group, that finish line denoted something much bigger than just completing 10 kilometers. For some people it was about shaking off years of lethargy and motivating themselves back to fitness, for others it was a symbol of a much bigger goal – to quit smoking, and for some of us it was a means of proving to ourselves that we were not just a one-race horse but on the way to becoming proper runners.
To provide some perspective, the whole idea started off as a mail thread among the 60kph Bangalore gang about a collective effort to quit smoking, and soon progressed to training for the Sunfeast 10K as a means of motivating people to stay off the habit. The initiative crossed geographic boundaries when a fellow-60kpher from Chennai and self from Hyd joined in :-)
Except for a few folks who had months/years of regular training under their belt, most of us were novices when it came to running or even fitness. But I don’t think any of us really let that little fact get in the way. We trained individually, but kept posting training updates, little motivational speeches, training and nutritional tips day after day on the mail thread. Soon it became a daily habit to switch on the PC first thing in the morning and check for new additions to the ‘status update’ thread…and the odd day when there weren’t any would invariably turn out to be a depressing day at work!
As race day neared, the excitement and nervousness increased. For almost all of us, this was the first time in our lives we’d trained this regularly, that we counted the miles this diligently and the race soon assumed proportions of a final exam. Thankfully, we continued to be in decent shape. There were a few injury scares, but apart from one highly unfortunate case of our fastest runner falling victim to a spell of overtraining, we made it to race day unscathed. Assembled at Bowring club at 7am and made it to Kanteerava. And then an hour later, 8 of us started what probably be the most memorable run of our lives.
Save for Ambar who’d got a timing chip and therefore had an earlier start, the rest of us started our run together. Wish I could describe what the run was like for the group, but I ran a solitary race in my quest for the sub one hour finish. It was actually a good run for me. I got into my rhythm almost immediately, some niggling aches I had earlier vanished pretty quickly, the course itself wasn’t bad given that the inclines were less steep than ones in my practice runs, and save for some humidity the weather was perfect. I guess the primary error I made was in not pacing myself properly. I didn’t check my timings often enough from the 5th to the 8th kilometer, and when I did check on the 9th my watch read 56:00:00 and it was too late to do anything about it. Towards the end I kept saving myself for a final hard sprint around the stadium which never materialized given that the finish was outside the stadium. Maybe I should’ve just tried to run the whole thing a little bit faster. Anyways, whatever be the cause, it didn’t happen and I’ll have to try again in my next 10K. Even if I do achieve it, it isn’t as great as saying that I made a sub 1 hour finish in my first 10K, but I can live with that.
But again, in the larger scheme of things, it was an unqualified success. Every one of us crossed the finish line, and 4 of the group made it an extra memorable event by sticking together through the whole course, motivating each other through the inclines when they felt like walking/stopping, and ultimately crossing the finish line holding hands.
The worst part of any race, though, is once you cross the finish line, when you’re suddenly demoted some someone special – a participant, a competitor, a runner – into just another member of a huge junta. In fact, the only crib I have about the race is the lack of organization at the finish line. From the over-aggressive co-ordinator who kept yelling at participants and volunteers alike, telling his helpers to “just push them in quickly”, to the sub-optimal use of space at the stadium to the people squashed like sardines at the certificate collection counters, it wasn’t a pretty sight. It’s a shame that something that was so well organized and conducted had to fall apart at the last minute, that we were made to feel more like a hindrance to the organizers just at those moments when we were feeling special about ourselves.
But that little issue aside, here are tributes to some of the individual efforts put in:
Ambar – Our most experienced runner with a full marathon under his belt, the one who started the whole initiative, in house expert on running issues and chief motivator when any of us felt down. Finished the race in a 1:01:40.
Subash – The most inspirational figure in the group. A guy who went from smoking 3 packs in one day (for 21 years) to smoking zero cigarettes the next day. His practice runs consisted entirely of running 100m rounds around his apartment block…he finally ran 100 rounds a few days before the race to complete 10K. And what’s more, we discovered in the latter days of the training that he was doing his running in jeans…in the Chennai humidity! Finished with a time of 1:26
Biju – The fastest runner, who posted speeds of up to 10.43 kph in the training runs. His timings kept motivating me to better my own. Unfortunately did a spell of interval training a little too enthusiastically and screwed his knee. It didn’t keep him out of the race though…he signed up a few days later as a race marshall, and was there to give us high-fives at the start and finish points. Also practically sponsored the celebration party from his earnings as a marshall.
Satish – The biggest guy in the group, and a fitness maniac. Was quite overweight until a little over a year ago when he took to gymming and subsequently lost some 12-15 kgs in record time. Does insane things like swim 100 laps of a 50 meter pool non-stop after work. The default sweep in all our rides, he was true to his image by doing the run slower than he could have, so he could encourage Subash and others to keep going at the tougher points.
Srinidhi – Our in house wiki expert. Was always on hand with a wikipedia copy/paste when a particularly difficult question was posed to the group, and showed the rest of us how to map our runs on wikimapia. On the rare occasions when Wikipedia failed him, provided guidance with his mantra of “Listen to your body”. Also ran repetitive rounds around a park for his training, and finished the race with Satish, Vishu and Subash.
Vishu – A biker turned cyclist (and now cyclist turned runner!), was one of the first few to sign up for the run. Apart from Satish, one of my original inspirations to get fit. Was part of the quartet to finish together.
Manju – Initially somewhat overweight, not too fit, and a smoker. One of those who started training in an effort to quit smoking. Soldiered through his runs, and was there at the race day despite a sports doctor’s diagnosis that his lungs were performing sub-optimally. Ran/walked the entire 10km and was triumphantly waving his certificate in our faces for several hours later.
Biren – The guy everyone wanted to see finish. Currently the most overweight person in the group, but makes dubious claims of having lost 3 kgs in training. Almost didn’t get his running number, but made it to Kanteerava at 7pm on May 30th (two hours after closing time) where he caught hold of an official and pleaded/argued/fought for 20 mins to get his number. On race day he overslept and nearly missed the race – we woke him at 7am after repeated calls – and he finally made it to the stadium a few mins before the race start. Also ran/walked the entire distance and keeps waving his certificate proudly at our faces, despite allegations that he took an unscheduled U-turn in the out and back part of the race.
And where do we go from here? Well, everyone who ran (and hopefully a few who didn’t) agrees that this was a great experience and feel they want to keep going, which I think is the single greatest takeaway. Personally I’ve set my sights on the Aug 30 Hyderabad half-marathon, and I’m almost sure to be joined by one or more people from the group. A common target for the group is the Bangalore Ultra-Marathon in November, where everybody is confident they can run at least 25km.
Now if that isn’t the start of a lifetime, I don’t know what is!
But personal milestones aside, the race was an unqualified success. Because in the larger scheme of things, this run was about much more than individual finish times – it was about determination, dogged persistence, mutual inspiration, and an ultimate collective effort to cross the finish line.
I like to think that for each person in the group, that finish line denoted something much bigger than just completing 10 kilometers. For some people it was about shaking off years of lethargy and motivating themselves back to fitness, for others it was a symbol of a much bigger goal – to quit smoking, and for some of us it was a means of proving to ourselves that we were not just a one-race horse but on the way to becoming proper runners.
To provide some perspective, the whole idea started off as a mail thread among the 60kph Bangalore gang about a collective effort to quit smoking, and soon progressed to training for the Sunfeast 10K as a means of motivating people to stay off the habit. The initiative crossed geographic boundaries when a fellow-60kpher from Chennai and self from Hyd joined in :-)
Except for a few folks who had months/years of regular training under their belt, most of us were novices when it came to running or even fitness. But I don’t think any of us really let that little fact get in the way. We trained individually, but kept posting training updates, little motivational speeches, training and nutritional tips day after day on the mail thread. Soon it became a daily habit to switch on the PC first thing in the morning and check for new additions to the ‘status update’ thread…and the odd day when there weren’t any would invariably turn out to be a depressing day at work!
As race day neared, the excitement and nervousness increased. For almost all of us, this was the first time in our lives we’d trained this regularly, that we counted the miles this diligently and the race soon assumed proportions of a final exam. Thankfully, we continued to be in decent shape. There were a few injury scares, but apart from one highly unfortunate case of our fastest runner falling victim to a spell of overtraining, we made it to race day unscathed. Assembled at Bowring club at 7am and made it to Kanteerava. And then an hour later, 8 of us started what probably be the most memorable run of our lives.
Save for Ambar who’d got a timing chip and therefore had an earlier start, the rest of us started our run together. Wish I could describe what the run was like for the group, but I ran a solitary race in my quest for the sub one hour finish. It was actually a good run for me. I got into my rhythm almost immediately, some niggling aches I had earlier vanished pretty quickly, the course itself wasn’t bad given that the inclines were less steep than ones in my practice runs, and save for some humidity the weather was perfect. I guess the primary error I made was in not pacing myself properly. I didn’t check my timings often enough from the 5th to the 8th kilometer, and when I did check on the 9th my watch read 56:00:00 and it was too late to do anything about it. Towards the end I kept saving myself for a final hard sprint around the stadium which never materialized given that the finish was outside the stadium. Maybe I should’ve just tried to run the whole thing a little bit faster. Anyways, whatever be the cause, it didn’t happen and I’ll have to try again in my next 10K. Even if I do achieve it, it isn’t as great as saying that I made a sub 1 hour finish in my first 10K, but I can live with that.
But again, in the larger scheme of things, it was an unqualified success. Every one of us crossed the finish line, and 4 of the group made it an extra memorable event by sticking together through the whole course, motivating each other through the inclines when they felt like walking/stopping, and ultimately crossing the finish line holding hands.
The worst part of any race, though, is once you cross the finish line, when you’re suddenly demoted some someone special – a participant, a competitor, a runner – into just another member of a huge junta. In fact, the only crib I have about the race is the lack of organization at the finish line. From the over-aggressive co-ordinator who kept yelling at participants and volunteers alike, telling his helpers to “just push them in quickly”, to the sub-optimal use of space at the stadium to the people squashed like sardines at the certificate collection counters, it wasn’t a pretty sight. It’s a shame that something that was so well organized and conducted had to fall apart at the last minute, that we were made to feel more like a hindrance to the organizers just at those moments when we were feeling special about ourselves.
But that little issue aside, here are tributes to some of the individual efforts put in:
Ambar – Our most experienced runner with a full marathon under his belt, the one who started the whole initiative, in house expert on running issues and chief motivator when any of us felt down. Finished the race in a 1:01:40.
Subash – The most inspirational figure in the group. A guy who went from smoking 3 packs in one day (for 21 years) to smoking zero cigarettes the next day. His practice runs consisted entirely of running 100m rounds around his apartment block…he finally ran 100 rounds a few days before the race to complete 10K. And what’s more, we discovered in the latter days of the training that he was doing his running in jeans…in the Chennai humidity! Finished with a time of 1:26
Biju – The fastest runner, who posted speeds of up to 10.43 kph in the training runs. His timings kept motivating me to better my own. Unfortunately did a spell of interval training a little too enthusiastically and screwed his knee. It didn’t keep him out of the race though…he signed up a few days later as a race marshall, and was there to give us high-fives at the start and finish points. Also practically sponsored the celebration party from his earnings as a marshall.
Satish – The biggest guy in the group, and a fitness maniac. Was quite overweight until a little over a year ago when he took to gymming and subsequently lost some 12-15 kgs in record time. Does insane things like swim 100 laps of a 50 meter pool non-stop after work. The default sweep in all our rides, he was true to his image by doing the run slower than he could have, so he could encourage Subash and others to keep going at the tougher points.
Srinidhi – Our in house wiki expert. Was always on hand with a wikipedia copy/paste when a particularly difficult question was posed to the group, and showed the rest of us how to map our runs on wikimapia. On the rare occasions when Wikipedia failed him, provided guidance with his mantra of “Listen to your body”. Also ran repetitive rounds around a park for his training, and finished the race with Satish, Vishu and Subash.
Vishu – A biker turned cyclist (and now cyclist turned runner!), was one of the first few to sign up for the run. Apart from Satish, one of my original inspirations to get fit. Was part of the quartet to finish together.
Manju – Initially somewhat overweight, not too fit, and a smoker. One of those who started training in an effort to quit smoking. Soldiered through his runs, and was there at the race day despite a sports doctor’s diagnosis that his lungs were performing sub-optimally. Ran/walked the entire 10km and was triumphantly waving his certificate in our faces for several hours later.
Biren – The guy everyone wanted to see finish. Currently the most overweight person in the group, but makes dubious claims of having lost 3 kgs in training. Almost didn’t get his running number, but made it to Kanteerava at 7pm on May 30th (two hours after closing time) where he caught hold of an official and pleaded/argued/fought for 20 mins to get his number. On race day he overslept and nearly missed the race – we woke him at 7am after repeated calls – and he finally made it to the stadium a few mins before the race start. Also ran/walked the entire distance and keeps waving his certificate proudly at our faces, despite allegations that he took an unscheduled U-turn in the out and back part of the race.
And where do we go from here? Well, everyone who ran (and hopefully a few who didn’t) agrees that this was a great experience and feel they want to keep going, which I think is the single greatest takeaway. Personally I’ve set my sights on the Aug 30 Hyderabad half-marathon, and I’m almost sure to be joined by one or more people from the group. A common target for the group is the Bangalore Ultra-Marathon in November, where everybody is confident they can run at least 25km.
Now if that isn’t the start of a lifetime, I don’t know what is!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Touch wood!
One week has morphed into four, and so far I’m still looking for that solitary cause for complaint :-)
While I’ve not stuck to the schedule as closely as I would’ve liked, I still managed between 3-4 runs on most weeks. There were significant ups and downs (significant for me, that is!) like the day I started out with all the enthusiasm in the world aiming to run 60 min continuously but couldn’t even do 10 (down!!) and the day I completed 9km in 50 min without too much of a fuss (up!!), but overall its been a fun ride.
Some pleasant (and much hoped for) surprises included the wife remarking “You look so malnourished” when she saw me at the airport after a 3 week trip to Bangalore. Of course, under the circumstances I’m taking “malnourished” to mean “a wee bit slimmer than when I saw you last”.
Nowhere even near becoming an exercise addict (endorphin junkie??) yet, but I’m kind of approaching the stage where I start to feel very guilty on the days I miss out on a scheduled run, and I run up the office stairs extra hard to make up for my sins.
Started to do a few small variations to the regular run, like one session of hill-training and two sessions of interval running thus far. Tomorrow I’m going to try out a little version of Fartlek. Was supposed to do it today, but again woke up late!
25 days left! Keeping my fingers crossed and hoping I don’t injure myself somehow in the interim!
While I’ve not stuck to the schedule as closely as I would’ve liked, I still managed between 3-4 runs on most weeks. There were significant ups and downs (significant for me, that is!) like the day I started out with all the enthusiasm in the world aiming to run 60 min continuously but couldn’t even do 10 (down!!) and the day I completed 9km in 50 min without too much of a fuss (up!!), but overall its been a fun ride.
Some pleasant (and much hoped for) surprises included the wife remarking “You look so malnourished” when she saw me at the airport after a 3 week trip to Bangalore. Of course, under the circumstances I’m taking “malnourished” to mean “a wee bit slimmer than when I saw you last”.
Nowhere even near becoming an exercise addict (endorphin junkie??) yet, but I’m kind of approaching the stage where I start to feel very guilty on the days I miss out on a scheduled run, and I run up the office stairs extra hard to make up for my sins.
Started to do a few small variations to the regular run, like one session of hill-training and two sessions of interval running thus far. Tomorrow I’m going to try out a little version of Fartlek. Was supposed to do it today, but again woke up late!
25 days left! Keeping my fingers crossed and hoping I don’t injure myself somehow in the interim!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
A week of running...
Been running for about a week now, and for some reason feels like I’ve been doing it for months and months. Been careful to pace myself so I don’t aggravate any injuries, and so far I can’t really complain. In fact, I’m actually rather keen to keep it up and work towards increasing my speed. One issue is that the knee twinging injury has slowly started to act up, but I’m hoping it’s nothing that some rest and ice can’t cure.
I know it’s only been a week, but this is probably the first time in my life that I’ve been this disciplined about exercising, and I’m quite kicked about it. I guess having a bunch of crazy, inspirational friends makes all the difference in the world!
‘Training’ updates on www.weendure.com/user/kaushikak :-)
I know it’s only been a week, but this is probably the first time in my life that I’ve been this disciplined about exercising, and I’m quite kicked about it. I guess having a bunch of crazy, inspirational friends makes all the difference in the world!
‘Training’ updates on www.weendure.com/user/kaushikak :-)
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
...And I'm back!!
After an extended break from most forms of physical activity, it’s back to the training grounds for me. Just registered for the
The difference this time around is that I won’t be doing it alone, but will be joining a bunch of friends from 60kph. If there ever was an eclectic crowd, this will be it; the group ranges from accomplished, veteran marathoners to fitness freaks to wannabe fitness freaks to the laziest SOBs under the sun, so this promises to be a fun experience.
I’m also determined to approach this differently than my 25K run. The goal now is not just to drop dead at the finish line, but to finish comfortably in a respectable time. No clue what that respectable time is, but I’ll no doubt find out during the course of the run ;)
Time to clean my shoes, load my iPod and bring out the Bangalore Ultra tee. I hit the road tomorrow!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Frustrated...
It took about 10-15 days for the post-run aches to die down, so went for my first jog on Nov 30th. Felt absolutely great for the duration of the run, but just towards the end felt this twinge near my left knee. The pain escalated alarmingly quickly, and a few feet later I was forced to stop and limp back home. That pain continued for a couple of days, until I started applying ice packs and then it went away. Rested for another week or so, where my only physical activity was losing at table-tennis at the office. Consulted a doctor yesterday, and he mentioned that I was 'running on deflated tyres'...apparently some muscle that supports the knee was very weak and needed to be strengthened. Gave me some simple leg extensions, to be done twice a day. Tried another tentative jog today and felt the muscle twinge again after about 2 - 2.5km so forced myself to walk back home, which was highly frustrating because I was just getting to the stage where I was starting to enjoy myself...would have loved to carry on for at least another 2.5km. By the time I reached home I was limping badly again, and I still am several hours later.
What's most frustrating is that I see my goal of doing the Pondy marathon in Feb slipping away. Maybe I'll restrict myself to the half-marathon again, which is a bummer. Anyways, for now perhaps I'll stay off running and try swimming instead. There's a horrible pool in the neighbourhood with water that's filled with chlorine and shrieking kids, maybe I'll try that for the next 2-3 weeks and do these leg extensions before attempting to run again. Swimming will not be as helpful in improving my 3-months pregnant look, and I'll probably end up looking like a red-eyed Chink at work, but I guess it'll help in the long run.
What's most frustrating is that I see my goal of doing the Pondy marathon in Feb slipping away. Maybe I'll restrict myself to the half-marathon again, which is a bummer. Anyways, for now perhaps I'll stay off running and try swimming instead. There's a horrible pool in the neighbourhood with water that's filled with chlorine and shrieking kids, maybe I'll try that for the next 2-3 weeks and do these leg extensions before attempting to run again. Swimming will not be as helpful in improving my 3-months pregnant look, and I'll probably end up looking like a red-eyed Chink at work, but I guess it'll help in the long run.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Notes from a laggard
The morning of the run found me extremely reluctant to wake up…the result of a booze session with friends the previous night.
Hardly the ideal preparation for the longest run I’d undertaken yet…but then my preparation was practically non-existent. My ‘training’ runs made up a grand total of about 30 km…accumulated over seven runs spread over the course of 3 months.
In fact, my real reasons for being there was so I’d have an excuse to ride down to Bangalore. That and the ‘paisa vasooli’ factor…since I’d already paid up for the run, I figured the least I could do was show up.
Rode down to the venue to find the run in full swing…runners lined both sides of the road and were spread across the trail leading to ONV. At that stage, seeing I was about 1.5 hours behind schedule, all I was hoping for was to run a few kilometers, and then maybe help out with the volunteering or something.
The folks at the helpdesk were very friendly, and the guy mentioned, almost apologetically, that they couldn’t give me a bib because of the late start, but that ‘nobody could stop me from running’ if I wanted to. That was fine with me, as I harbored no dreams of doing anything over 5-6K. Not being officially registered meant that I wouldn’t officially be a dropout!
Just as I’d changed and started off, heard the FC announce that the 25K runners would be finishing at any time! Crap…now that was embarrassing as hell!
The embarrassment was to continue. Each time someone coming the opposite side smiled and applauded (and there were plenty of them) I’d hang my head in shame…no doubt they thought I was one of the long-distance runners who was motoring on after the initial rounds. I never felt more like an imposter!
Anyways, the weather was perfect, I had my music on, that and the sight of so many runners plugging away, a lot of them with smiles on their faces, kept my motivation up. And the scenery was enchanting…I kept wanting to go just that little bit further so I could see what lay ahead. Invariably comparisons rose between looking at this scenery from a motorcycle, as opposed to running/cycling through it, and I surprised myself by deciding that the latter was probably a better option. The thrill of motorcycling is definitely absent, but the romance is there. The feeling of being one with nature is magnified when the only effort spent getting there is your own, and the only thing breaking the silence is your own breath and the sound of your feet.
But back to the run…for a while I latched on to this lanky guy ahead of me and tried to keep pace, but I soon found myself unequal to the task.
That set a pattern of sorts. I would try to keep someone in sight all the time, because I knew that if I found myself alone for a few minutes, I’d probably give up and stop right there. I kept getting passed left, right and center, a lot of times by people much older than me, which did nothing for my morale. I guess I had done about 4K by then and was starting to get tired. For a long while I tailed this guy wearing the Bangalore Ultra Tee and tried to keep myself motivated reading the BU slogan “Its tough. Are you?” But then he started to pull away, I couldn’t read the words anymore and then, finally…I was all alone.
The worst part was that the course had exited the trail and I was running on a concrete road, which I found rather disheartening and more than a little hard on the feet. I was trying to do some mental calculations and check if I had crossed 5K…the target I’d set myself earlier…when the course plunged into the woods lining the road and went down a pleasant track with the trees on either side forming a dark green canopy. I noticed a water-spot at the end with a fair amount of activity happening and gave an inward sigh of relief…that was probably the spot I’d finish my run.
And then I saw a sign saying ‘U-Turn’. That meant I’d completed half the loop, and my heart leapt up for the first time. Suddenly realized I wasn’t completely down and out, and if I’d run this far…well, why couldn’t I just turn around and run back the way I came? And if I succeeded in doing that…well, I’d actually have finished one complete loop of the Bangalore Ultra-Marathon. Now that was something worth talking about!
For the first time, I started to smile. Thought about my target of 5K and how wonderful it would be if I more than doubled it. Loaded up with Electral, some peanuts and a few slices of oranges, and set off with renewed energy.
And on the way back, the thought of what I was doing started my adrenaline rushing up. Dammit, I wasn’t a complete failure. I would actually do a whole loop. That’s 12.5 km of running…not too bad at all!
I thought about the lanky guy who was now so far away.
F**k him, came the response.
I thought about the guy with the Bangalore Ultra Tee.
F**k him, I’m tough enough.
My thoughts went back to the previous night. To the friends who advised me not to attempt this run with my level of preparation, and that I’d be better off having a good time that night. I thought of the (good-natured) jokes about how I’d there come to run and how I was tricked into a few drinks instead.
F**k them all. I’d show them what I could do. I’d complete the entire 25km and then we’d see who was laughing.
Hang on…did I just say…complete 25km?? And that’s when I started seriously considering the possibility that maybe, just maybe…I could complete what I signed up to do. What a rush that would be! I knew I was getting ahead of myself, but what if…hypothetically…I didn’t stop at the end of the loop? All it involved was taking another U-turn, and once that was done, well…we’d see what happened next.
I found myself smiling more often. I realized I no longer felt bad about all those people who passed me. I may have joined late, I may not have a bib, I may not be competing officially, but hell…that didn’t mean I was lesser than any of them. They were here to complete the course, and so was I. That made us equals.
And suddenly, just like that, I was a laggard no more. Instead, I was a runner.
Now I was the one applauding and encouraging folks coming the opposite direction. I figured that if I took my thoughts away from my legs and focused on…say…the music, it made the run a lot less painful. The music was a lifesaver, in fact. So long as I couldn’t hear my breathing and the sound of my feet pounding the pavement, I wouldn’t focus on the actual running. I kept thinking of that moment when I’d cross the Finish line triumphantly, and that kept me going.
As I exited the road and got back on the trail, noticed one of the guys who had passed past me halted at a water-spot. He’d obviously already completed a few loops by then, but all I could think of was…I’m finally going to pass someone myself. So I skipped that water-spot and kept going. He caught up with me soon enough, and we passed each other once or twice more before he finally sped off. But now I didn’t mind. I was at that place mentally where I just wanted to see how far I could take myself.
Another random thought that popped up in my head was the discussion about triathlons the previous night. That got me thinking of the number of people in this world who motorcycled 600km on day one, and then walked/ran 25km on day two. Not too many, for sure! My own little version of a 'bi'athlon :-)
As I neared the starting point, the final thought that sealed the 12.5K/25K decision was another random one…”I’m a 60kpher. And 60kphers don’t quit!” I thought of Nicky who’d done a ride with a broken chassis. I thought of Ashwani who did the EBC trek to celebrate his 50th birthday. About all the rides that people continued on despite breakdowns. How was this any different? If I just crossed that U-turn, that would do the trick, because there was no way I would turn back now. There was no way I could run another 12.5km either, but that was fine. Where I couldn’t run I’d walk. I was under no time pressure…what was important was completing the run.
As I neared the main entrance, a few people at the entrance started to clap, I got a few thumbs up signs, and now I no longer felt unworthy. A few spectators had gathered near the Finish line and they started to applaud too, and suddenly taking that U-turn was the simplest thing in the world. As I turned, heard the MC go “give it up for the long-distance runners” and the spectators applauded again. Now that seriously felt good!
The second loop was not all hunky-dory, not in the least. I managed to keep running till the first water-spot, and then just had to stop. I guess my supply of adrenalin had run out, and I was just left with the reality of going through that whole course again. Thankfully, I guess my pace had slowed to the extent that I was no longer breathless, so I just had to deal with the pain. I would keep walking till the pain eased, and then run for a bit until I felt I had to stop.
The crowd had thinned out by now…I guess the 25Kers had finished a while ago and it was just the long-distance guys soldiering on, and it felt good being a part of this elite group. Got a new sense of respect for these folks, here I was making such a big deal about 25K and these guys were all doing 50K or 75K or more. How they kept going loop after loop was beyond me. Whenever I saw an older guy running, it would inspire me to run a few feet further as well.
Towards the end, when I hit the concrete road again, the pain started to escalate a little bit. Up to now it was my calves and thighs that felt like lead, but I now felt a twinge in the back of my leg as well, above the knee area and that started to hurt. But again, there were a few guys coming the opposite direction who gave me thumbs up signals and kept asking me to “hang in there” and that made a ton of difference.
Anyways, I finally made it to the U-turn again, and took a bit of a prolonged break there before walking back.
Those final 6km were hell. There’s no other way to put it. If I could have unscrewed my legs and thrown them away, I would’ve gladly done it. There was nothing glamorous or challenging about it anymore…finishing was no longer a question since I had nowhere else to go…it was just about putting one foot in front of the other. But I understood what Ambar mentioned in his earlier write-up. There’s this slightly perverse part of your mind that enjoys the pain. You know that, technically at least, you’ve reached your limits and are going beyond them, and that’s a good feeling.
For the final few kilometers, it didn’t really make a difference if I was walking or running. Well, actually, I was no longer capable of running, and walking hurt just as much, so I adopted this sort of slow shuffle where your legs are never too far apart. And after that my arms started to hurt so I just dangled them loosely by my side and kept going that way.
Well, anyways, without going too much into graphic descriptions, I made it to the main entrance again, while en route passing a few stationary vehicles that I looked at longingly. There were a few folks cycling up and down the trail and I looked at them longingly as well! But at the entrance, pulled myself up and jogged to the finish line. And that was it…suddenly it was over, just like that. Rather anti-climatic, as endings go :-)
But once the fact sunk in, it’s actually given me a tremendous sense of achievement. I know what its like to cross my limits and keep going, and I can do it again if I need to, and I actually want to. I know its just 25K and I don't hold a candle to those folks who completed a marathon and more...but somehow a full marathon doesn’t seem so daunting now. It’s just a matter of being fitter (and much more disciplined) than what I am currently. Because no matter how much I train, at the end it’ll just boil down to dealing with the pain and putting one foot in front of the other, and now I think that’s something I can do. And running itself for me is no longer about competition, or about proving yourself to somebody else. It’s just about you being the best that you can be.
Hardly the ideal preparation for the longest run I’d undertaken yet…but then my preparation was practically non-existent. My ‘training’ runs made up a grand total of about 30 km…accumulated over seven runs spread over the course of 3 months.
In fact, my real reasons for being there was so I’d have an excuse to ride down to Bangalore. That and the ‘paisa vasooli’ factor…since I’d already paid up for the run, I figured the least I could do was show up.
Rode down to the venue to find the run in full swing…runners lined both sides of the road and were spread across the trail leading to ONV. At that stage, seeing I was about 1.5 hours behind schedule, all I was hoping for was to run a few kilometers, and then maybe help out with the volunteering or something.
The folks at the helpdesk were very friendly, and the guy mentioned, almost apologetically, that they couldn’t give me a bib because of the late start, but that ‘nobody could stop me from running’ if I wanted to. That was fine with me, as I harbored no dreams of doing anything over 5-6K. Not being officially registered meant that I wouldn’t officially be a dropout!
Just as I’d changed and started off, heard the FC announce that the 25K runners would be finishing at any time! Crap…now that was embarrassing as hell!
The embarrassment was to continue. Each time someone coming the opposite side smiled and applauded (and there were plenty of them) I’d hang my head in shame…no doubt they thought I was one of the long-distance runners who was motoring on after the initial rounds. I never felt more like an imposter!
Anyways, the weather was perfect, I had my music on, that and the sight of so many runners plugging away, a lot of them with smiles on their faces, kept my motivation up. And the scenery was enchanting…I kept wanting to go just that little bit further so I could see what lay ahead. Invariably comparisons rose between looking at this scenery from a motorcycle, as opposed to running/cycling through it, and I surprised myself by deciding that the latter was probably a better option. The thrill of motorcycling is definitely absent, but the romance is there. The feeling of being one with nature is magnified when the only effort spent getting there is your own, and the only thing breaking the silence is your own breath and the sound of your feet.
But back to the run…for a while I latched on to this lanky guy ahead of me and tried to keep pace, but I soon found myself unequal to the task.
That set a pattern of sorts. I would try to keep someone in sight all the time, because I knew that if I found myself alone for a few minutes, I’d probably give up and stop right there. I kept getting passed left, right and center, a lot of times by people much older than me, which did nothing for my morale. I guess I had done about 4K by then and was starting to get tired. For a long while I tailed this guy wearing the Bangalore Ultra Tee and tried to keep myself motivated reading the BU slogan “Its tough. Are you?” But then he started to pull away, I couldn’t read the words anymore and then, finally…I was all alone.
The worst part was that the course had exited the trail and I was running on a concrete road, which I found rather disheartening and more than a little hard on the feet. I was trying to do some mental calculations and check if I had crossed 5K…the target I’d set myself earlier…when the course plunged into the woods lining the road and went down a pleasant track with the trees on either side forming a dark green canopy. I noticed a water-spot at the end with a fair amount of activity happening and gave an inward sigh of relief…that was probably the spot I’d finish my run.
And then I saw a sign saying ‘U-Turn’. That meant I’d completed half the loop, and my heart leapt up for the first time. Suddenly realized I wasn’t completely down and out, and if I’d run this far…well, why couldn’t I just turn around and run back the way I came? And if I succeeded in doing that…well, I’d actually have finished one complete loop of the Bangalore Ultra-Marathon. Now that was something worth talking about!
For the first time, I started to smile. Thought about my target of 5K and how wonderful it would be if I more than doubled it. Loaded up with Electral, some peanuts and a few slices of oranges, and set off with renewed energy.
And on the way back, the thought of what I was doing started my adrenaline rushing up. Dammit, I wasn’t a complete failure. I would actually do a whole loop. That’s 12.5 km of running…not too bad at all!
I thought about the lanky guy who was now so far away.
F**k him, came the response.
I thought about the guy with the Bangalore Ultra Tee.
F**k him, I’m tough enough.
My thoughts went back to the previous night. To the friends who advised me not to attempt this run with my level of preparation, and that I’d be better off having a good time that night. I thought of the (good-natured) jokes about how I’d there come to run and how I was tricked into a few drinks instead.
F**k them all. I’d show them what I could do. I’d complete the entire 25km and then we’d see who was laughing.
Hang on…did I just say…complete 25km?? And that’s when I started seriously considering the possibility that maybe, just maybe…I could complete what I signed up to do. What a rush that would be! I knew I was getting ahead of myself, but what if…hypothetically…I didn’t stop at the end of the loop? All it involved was taking another U-turn, and once that was done, well…we’d see what happened next.
I found myself smiling more often. I realized I no longer felt bad about all those people who passed me. I may have joined late, I may not have a bib, I may not be competing officially, but hell…that didn’t mean I was lesser than any of them. They were here to complete the course, and so was I. That made us equals.
And suddenly, just like that, I was a laggard no more. Instead, I was a runner.
Now I was the one applauding and encouraging folks coming the opposite direction. I figured that if I took my thoughts away from my legs and focused on…say…the music, it made the run a lot less painful. The music was a lifesaver, in fact. So long as I couldn’t hear my breathing and the sound of my feet pounding the pavement, I wouldn’t focus on the actual running. I kept thinking of that moment when I’d cross the Finish line triumphantly, and that kept me going.
As I exited the road and got back on the trail, noticed one of the guys who had passed past me halted at a water-spot. He’d obviously already completed a few loops by then, but all I could think of was…I’m finally going to pass someone myself. So I skipped that water-spot and kept going. He caught up with me soon enough, and we passed each other once or twice more before he finally sped off. But now I didn’t mind. I was at that place mentally where I just wanted to see how far I could take myself.
Another random thought that popped up in my head was the discussion about triathlons the previous night. That got me thinking of the number of people in this world who motorcycled 600km on day one, and then walked/ran 25km on day two. Not too many, for sure! My own little version of a 'bi'athlon :-)
As I neared the starting point, the final thought that sealed the 12.5K/25K decision was another random one…”I’m a 60kpher. And 60kphers don’t quit!” I thought of Nicky who’d done a ride with a broken chassis. I thought of Ashwani who did the EBC trek to celebrate his 50th birthday. About all the rides that people continued on despite breakdowns. How was this any different? If I just crossed that U-turn, that would do the trick, because there was no way I would turn back now. There was no way I could run another 12.5km either, but that was fine. Where I couldn’t run I’d walk. I was under no time pressure…what was important was completing the run.
As I neared the main entrance, a few people at the entrance started to clap, I got a few thumbs up signs, and now I no longer felt unworthy. A few spectators had gathered near the Finish line and they started to applaud too, and suddenly taking that U-turn was the simplest thing in the world. As I turned, heard the MC go “give it up for the long-distance runners” and the spectators applauded again. Now that seriously felt good!
The second loop was not all hunky-dory, not in the least. I managed to keep running till the first water-spot, and then just had to stop. I guess my supply of adrenalin had run out, and I was just left with the reality of going through that whole course again. Thankfully, I guess my pace had slowed to the extent that I was no longer breathless, so I just had to deal with the pain. I would keep walking till the pain eased, and then run for a bit until I felt I had to stop.
The crowd had thinned out by now…I guess the 25Kers had finished a while ago and it was just the long-distance guys soldiering on, and it felt good being a part of this elite group. Got a new sense of respect for these folks, here I was making such a big deal about 25K and these guys were all doing 50K or 75K or more. How they kept going loop after loop was beyond me. Whenever I saw an older guy running, it would inspire me to run a few feet further as well.
Towards the end, when I hit the concrete road again, the pain started to escalate a little bit. Up to now it was my calves and thighs that felt like lead, but I now felt a twinge in the back of my leg as well, above the knee area and that started to hurt. But again, there were a few guys coming the opposite direction who gave me thumbs up signals and kept asking me to “hang in there” and that made a ton of difference.
Anyways, I finally made it to the U-turn again, and took a bit of a prolonged break there before walking back.
Those final 6km were hell. There’s no other way to put it. If I could have unscrewed my legs and thrown them away, I would’ve gladly done it. There was nothing glamorous or challenging about it anymore…finishing was no longer a question since I had nowhere else to go…it was just about putting one foot in front of the other. But I understood what Ambar mentioned in his earlier write-up. There’s this slightly perverse part of your mind that enjoys the pain. You know that, technically at least, you’ve reached your limits and are going beyond them, and that’s a good feeling.
For the final few kilometers, it didn’t really make a difference if I was walking or running. Well, actually, I was no longer capable of running, and walking hurt just as much, so I adopted this sort of slow shuffle where your legs are never too far apart. And after that my arms started to hurt so I just dangled them loosely by my side and kept going that way.
Well, anyways, without going too much into graphic descriptions, I made it to the main entrance again, while en route passing a few stationary vehicles that I looked at longingly. There were a few folks cycling up and down the trail and I looked at them longingly as well! But at the entrance, pulled myself up and jogged to the finish line. And that was it…suddenly it was over, just like that. Rather anti-climatic, as endings go :-)
But once the fact sunk in, it’s actually given me a tremendous sense of achievement. I know what its like to cross my limits and keep going, and I can do it again if I need to, and I actually want to. I know its just 25K and I don't hold a candle to those folks who completed a marathon and more...but somehow a full marathon doesn’t seem so daunting now. It’s just a matter of being fitter (and much more disciplined) than what I am currently. Because no matter how much I train, at the end it’ll just boil down to dealing with the pain and putting one foot in front of the other, and now I think that’s something I can do. And running itself for me is no longer about competition, or about proving yourself to somebody else. It’s just about you being the best that you can be.
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