Monthly Archives: January 2009

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(contd from prev post in some sense)
So, I prepared for midnight marathon..ran 15 kms well before a fortnight..but after that was again lazy. Ha! Some days ran only 30 minutes. A week before I wanted to run 15km again, but took a grand rest of 12 days..which was more than necessary and in a way bad.

Anyways, coming to marathon..was quite confused what to eat, what to drink in the days just before marathon..also the amount of water to be consumed during runs..did lot of research..some a little too late..

However everything pointed to “what you are comfortable during your normal long run practices”..damn, I had just one long run. And, I had no different facility for that..i still ran around my usual field..I didn’t drink a drop of water till I came home..So I decided I will go without water for the same distance – around 15kms.

Also of another concern was the shoes..I read, we should have 2 size larger shoes as feet tends to expand…there was no way I could change my shoes that lately-which were perfect fit – not bigger. Also, frequent blisters and lost nails, when I ran long distance were of concern. Plus since it was midnight – different than my schedule..eating, sleeping..everything mattered ..or so I thought.

With some anxiety .. with excited family members… all went to the venue well in time…

and the run started….i had forgotten watch..which meant I had to ask time at various points..more about that later. So I started and kept at my usual pace..which by my calculation was between 7-8kms in an hour..the first half of the lap looked interesting..except for the fact that everyone seemed to overtake me some ran and walked..by which time if I had passed them, they again overtook me..hehe..so I just saw people going past me and despite my best efforts I seem to go very slow..which is happening in my life too currently.

i wondered at some people wearing jackets..i had already started sweating profusely…due to excitement..due to fear..due to running.

i saw people….elder to me..younger to me..faster than me..some slower than me..it felt good.

as i don’t listen to music, i let my train of thoughts run..and my mind..circled the same old things..recalled happenings in last years..thought of dreams..past..future..past..future.

i observed one thing apart from my pace which i felt was slower than my usual …the surface..the tar surface clearly notified the difference..i usually run comfortably in normal ground..on mud..but this was hard.HARD.

instead of taking water from volunteers i asked time..one of the volunteers turned his glass of water he had held to offer, to see the time..that classical practical joke ..hehe..i felt bad and after that made sure i asked time to other people instead of those holding water cups..

i had roughly finished 5.5 kms at 12:45 ..45 minutes..which more or less was my pace..felt comfortable..kept the same pace..much before finishing first half, few probably Kenyans and few Indians had already started back..saw them on the way..roughly guessed their speed must be twice of mine..which means they might finish in less than 90 minutes..which is not heard of I thought..so the speed might get lower further down..

so wanted to pick up pace…but didn’t want to burn out..so i kept running at my pace..

and my train of thoughts at its pace..

the night marathon …(as against what i read about ultra) is boring in that, it is dark everywhere..nothing to see..

i finished first lap…it felt good…i asked time..it was 1:30 ..45 minutes..ah..what consistency…

and as expected, the fast runners were on their 4th half..end of second lap..double my speed..

i during my normal practice runs…run continuously..not run, jog actually…but never walk..i have read many run-walk-run rules ..but i can’t keep count or follow it..because after walking, i feel lazy to jog again..

so i kept the same mindset here..not going to walk until i have finished at least my maximum distance covered or more than that…which was 15 or more..so 3 halves…

after sometime i asked time..i was told 1:15…clearly some where it was wrong..so i lost track of time..

so i kept jogging..but this third half was the longest…the end didn’t come at all…after half of it ( which is like 13.5kms) i was very tired..but i didnt want to stop or drink water till i finished the lap..

but i could not complete 3rd half..almost at end, i drank water…walked a little..stretched a bit…bent … took a leak…and then proceeded..i felt better..i guess i should have taken water little earlier..it gave me good feeling..

i tried to smile at people on the sides…like those security guards..or supporters..some smiled back and encouraged…but some guards looked puzzled..but i like to smile at random strangers and observe their reaction..hehe…so i continued to smile at people..

now started drinking water little regularly..yet i took care not to over do it..but now i was entering into new distance…so no previous experience to follow..not sure if i can just expect to extend my body behaviour …

i asked time..at the end of 3rd half..it was 2 !! there was no way i had run 3rd half faster than the earlier two…damn, my time track was waste..why did i forget watch…

if i thought 3rd half was longer,never ending… 4th i knew would stretch to an eternity.. but i just wanted to finish it..not back out in between…in googlegroup, i was told “run,walk,limp,crawl…but finish that line and be happy that you did it..” that was only my motto..now i had become lazy to jog..and even if i did jog, i was so so so slow, slower than slow motion, despite the fact that i did jog, i was slower than those who walked..

now even my train of thoughts deserted me…i didnt know what was happening..i just wanted to finish..that smile too deserted me..i didnt become hopeful of finishing sooner as i had hoped in 3rd half..i knew the end might come after eternity..so mentally kept telling me lot more lot more distance to cover, but deep inside hoped, somewhat magically the end would appear just then…this again, i do in my life..i keep my expectations low only to make myself happy … but as these days, even low expectations are being turned into disappointments..so it happened here, my magical end line, didnt arrive, a second sooner against my deep hearted wish..wishes, i tell you.

i felt comfortable walking..i felt bad that almost whole 6.5 or more i would be walking…much more than my target…probable reasons could be slower pace…also night food…or tar surface..or something else….

i observed people…as i do every where..some were really enjoying..especially those who had company…they chatted and sang…and jogged together…to watch a couple put steps(speed) perfectly in syc with each other was a beautiful sight..wavelength i guess

now along with time, i also started asking distance remaining…at one point i was told 2:30 and 2.5kms remaining..so i felt comfortable i might make it within 3 hours ..

i decided to ask distance much later..and after walking what i considered a long walk, i enquired..it was 2kms pending…i was disappointed…if that much distance covered was just .5 km, i dreaded to think further…

i tried to finish this thing fast and tried to start slow jogging…but now, the left muscle had pulled…it was paining little…i did some stretches…but i realized if i jog, it gives time to pull and hence pain..

at one point i almost wanted to stop..not because of tiredness – i didnt get tired..just was pained.. i wanted to stop because the boredom had hit me again…this lack of motivation, again as in my life, is leaving me clueless..

but stopping too would pain the leg due to muscle pull..now i realized the importance of warm up or stretches before the run..

so there i was, i could not jog..i could not stop…so there was nothing i could do but to walk…i HAD to walk..whether or not i like it. haha. problem solved.

now distance or time did not matter…because i knew, i just had to go whatever..there was no way i could quit after having come this long..and out of curiosity i asked distance..he said, just here half km…he was encouraging me or motivating me i felt..

now again, i observed lot of people went past me..some of them might be from next race too…i hate to be overtaken..

i started to feel very hungry too…thought if i could somehow grab a sandwich (no idea why sandwich..)

i decided to consider it more than half…but hoped inside, that it could really be half km….but as usual, i was disappointed..the half km never seemed to get over..it felt more than the entire 3rd half !!

i realized..i was not tired…i was just plain pained…(or am i differentiating the same thing)…point was, only legs were paining and refusing to move..but entire body and mind was willing…it almost felt like being chained up in a restricted body…

now with no train of thoughts, no smile, with no option but to walk, irrespective of distance or time..i kept walking..walked a little with closed eyes too…felt good. mind, sight everything was blank.(except one thought..)

also at this crucial junxture i promised myself a Chocolate fantasy if i finished this…aaah….not exactly motivation, cos there was nothing i could do -with or without motivation – but to walk..but a feel-good thought..

and finally i saw the crowd… i kept hejje-mele-hejje(foot upon foot) and proceeded..i saw someone munching something yummy in the spectator line..i looked at him ..he said “So you finished!” …i said “Yeah!!”.. what a feeling. feel it to know it.

now i cared not for the timing but for academic interest or to improve it next time, or if i was the last..i saw the digital clock..it looked 3:02..or it could be little more, not sure..(my next target is to reduce this to at least 2:30 .. and keep doing 2-3 half marathons a year…yeah, not even planning full marathon..)

Just to convince myself, I wanted to look behind if someone was left ..but then I smiled at myself. It didnt matter. I had finished..well..and sound enough..thats all mattered. i wasn’t as broken as i had expected to be..

A halt to look behind, but dismissing that thought, smiling and moving ahead with an accomplished feeling…can’t express it in words.

(And that of chocolate fantasy too…is beyond words…and the train of thoughts too.)

“Every morning in Africa a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the lion or it will not survive. Every morning a lion wakes up and it knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle or it will starve. It doesn’t matter if you are the lion or the gazelle, when the sun comes up, you better be running.”

(at some place credited to Maurice Greene..at other to anon). (Though there are better running quotes, I like this one..because it is not about running ..he he. )

Time has come to make a mention of one of the things I mentioned in an earlier post

And there were a couple of important things(1,2,3) which I will write in separate posts sometime later.

So I have been jogging on and off since October 2007 ..discontinued till January..again ran till March ..again became irregular. I had a target of running marathon – or rather wish, not a goal… So much off-hand wish that I did not even know the distance covered in a marathon and how much I was running. On first week of May 2008, I realized some marathon is just 20 days away..and I realized I need more than a month practice to hit those kilometers.

And, in addition, I sprained my knee during badminton games. Badly. The knee which was quite badly sprained many times all these years, cried more this time. Many visits to doctors happened. 2 of 3 suggesting an operation which I do not want to undergo – no matter how safe and how required it is. May be foolish stubbornness, but thats how I am.

In between again I became little serious about running. Now, I calculated the distance I ran continuously – as against my walk-jog or walk routine. I ran out of breath in 2kms. What?! Yes, 2 kms.

May had gone behind..next I remembered there was one in November.

All this while I ‘thought’ marathon would be just 10-15 kms & full to be around 21kms..I found out full marathon is 26 miles and half would still be 13 miles – that is around 21kms. 10 times the distance I ran out of breath !!

It seemed unsurmountable. Then was the wake up time, to do lot of research..also does not make sense to keep a target too high and feel bad not having reached it. My rough goal was to run a marathon in 2008..without knowing what distance. Ha ha. And now I also have to keep my knee in mind.

Now the same 2km after which I had ran out of breath, looked too small against what I needed to achieve. So, in a way, it is just a mental block and proper motivation or direction. However, I reduced my target to do just a 10km continuous before year end. That seemed gettable.

From 2km,increased to 3 in a week. 5km in another week. 8km next and a few days later 10km. Yeah, it felt good. Great. Now with 10km under me, I wanted to go higher..but knee.

But still, it was a very good feeling to start with 2km and increase upto 10km in a month’s time !!

[Long time ago, our lunch time conversation were usually one pal talking about his number of his jogging rounds..so much pissed off I was with his repeated talk about jogging that we named him jagger. But now I was exactly doing the same..boasting to anyone whom I met explaining my running and its progress - surely giving a complex to them. Haha, first time in my life I enjoyed my ego and was happy about it. All because, in a way, it was giving back to them who had earlier made fun of me. He he.]

I wanted to consult a doc who is specialist in knee as well as about running. Via SwaroopCh, I found a perfect doctor Dr Rajat, who himself has run 100kms in previous ultra.

Thankfully, he didn’t insist on operation, there by making me feel vindicated about my judgment/preference. But he also cautioned against running too much without strength/workout exercises.

Bought running shoes, most expensive ones I ever invested in.

Just around the corner was Ultra and I despite wanting to participate, felt low on confidence to run 21. But after reading through the experiences, I felt I really missed something. I could have ran at least one lap of 13 kms.

Next one was Bangalore Midnight marathon around Dec 13..thought of giving it a try half-heartedly.. but had very less practise..luckily the marathon got postponed and got scheduled to Jan 10th…now I decided to give it a try no matter what.I regularly ran around 30-40kms per week with exercise and rest days included in the week.

I once touched 15km – around 100 minutes of running. And felt satisfied. And bored. Bored of running alone. Bored of not listening to music or something like that.(I dont listen to music for some lame reason) Bored of running circles in the same ground,same surrounding looks. ( I just stuck to my previous running ground/field so that I know the distance properly). Even though I had fuel for few more, I just stopped after 15km.

Now I was skeptical about my ability to run the full distance..and hence asked on runnersforlife google group whether I could walk half the distance. Just to make sure I am not odd man out.

And finally, on Jan 10th, I ran midnight marathon. I waited to finish something before posting about my good adventure so far.

So I ran. I completed. More about it in next post.(I know half-marathon is NO big deal…see below).

Meanwhile here are two things I kept reminding myself.
1. Key to life
2. Team Hoyt

Dick and Rick Hoyt are a father-and-son team from Massachusetts who together compete just about continuously in marathon races. And if they’re not in a marathon they are in a triathlon — that daunting, almost superhuman, combination of 26.2 miles of running, 112 miles of bicycling, and 2.4 miles of swimming. Together they have climbed mountains, and once trekked 3,735 miles across America.

It’s a remarkable record of exertion — all the more so when you consider that Rick can’t walk or talk.

For the past twenty five years or more Dick, who is 65, has pushed and pulled his son across the country and over hundreds of finish lines. When Dick runs, Rick is in a wheelchair that Dick is pushing. When Dick cycles, Rick is in the seat-pod from his wheelchair, attached to the front of the bike. When Dick swims, Rick is in a small but heavy, firmly stabilized boat being pulled by Dick.

From:

There have been may struggles along the way beyond the heart attack that Dick suffered. Dick had to have knee surgery when he twisted it initially in a race and again while trying to evacuate Rick when a hotel fire alarm went off. A tree went through the roof of Dick’s house and within a few short months Rick’s van broke down (the chair lift broke).

Ps: My resolution of not being verbose just gone to wind ? No time..this is single-write, no proof read, no edit..hell not even spell check.