Am on top of the world
Yeah, I guess I am feeling quite exhilarated. Never thought I would finish the half marathon today, mostly because I hadnt trained enough - I started training seriously 3 weeks ago and my longest run was just under 5 miles. I had been hoping to do 10km and call it quits....but never underestimate the power of the mind, enthusiasm of a large crowd trudging towards a common cause and the energy provided by a satchet of GU and bottles of water :-). Before I go into the details, my official time was 02:50:55 for the 21km stretch, getting that to just over 8mins per km. I did the first 10km at about 7.5 mins per km, the latter half slowed me down, quite expectedly. First of all, thanks to all your wishes, friends! I have not injured myself, and except for some cramps and tightness, I am fine:-)
We began bang at 6:30 (the full marathoners started at 6AM). Oh yes, before that I had to get up at 4AM to pick up my friend V coming into Bangalore from Austin. Crazy that he is, he was quite enthusiastic about running as soon as he landed. He has already run 4 or 5 marathons now, and this time he was content with giving me company as much as I could run. We got to the stadium around 5:30, warmed & stretched a bit, and started at 6:30 sharp. The route took us through some of the greenest parts of Bangalore; and thank God for small mercies, it was kind of cloudy till 7:45 AM or so, so the first few kms were just awesome. There is a certain quality of beauty in such situations that can only be experienced, and i certainly cannot come up with the right words to describe the way it feels when you settle into your own pace, run along looking at greenery early in the morning and just feel nice about the world...
My only long run was a 7.5 km run I had done last weekend, so as expected, I took a small break at the 5 km pitstop, got some water, stretched a bit and got moving again. The route had taken us through Cubbon Park, Vidhana Soudha, Raj Bhavan Road, Race Course Road, Windsor Manor Bridge and the Mekhri Circle flyover was just looming ahead. The course certainly offerered variety, small and nice gradients to some gradual ups and downs.
However short they are, conversations during running stick in your mind. V. was telling me about this 72-year old guy he met in the Royal Victoria marathon - he apparently started running when he was 50, and in 22 years, he had done 229 marathons...what would you say about that! And this 70-year old lady who finished & said - "Once in a while you have to challenge your mind & body and push them to the limits". And about the 92-year old Fauji Singh, who ran his first marathon when he was 89....he doesnt have a soul in this world whom he can call his family...and he is now the new poster boy for Adidas with Beckham and Laila Ali. And oh yes, this man with an artifical leg who also finished....
Before I knew it, we saw the really fast half marathoners on their way back - the first few looked like they were Army guys, running against the clock. It was also nice to see local people standing on the pavements cheering & waving at us. On we went, and the Hebbal flyover loomed up around the 9km mark, with people encouraging us that the loop was just around the corner. It was quite a beautiful sight - running over one loop of the flyover that was overlooking the Hebbal Lake, still looking green and pristine in the soft (thank God!) morning sunlight. At the 10km mark, I knew I had to take a break, and i really wasnt sure how much more I could push myself...but the good thing was that I wasnt like dying or anything. Apart from some tightness in my thighs & ankles, I was doing pretty ok. So, we took a break, I took a GU (for those of those who dont know, Goo is this energy gel satchet; V. had just got me a bunch with him today), drank some water...and started stretching. I guess I was wrecking V.'s half marathon timing! so, I asked him to go ahead from now on...I had by now done 10 km in about an hr and 16 mins, just over 7.5mins per km. The next few kms were slow, I was making double sure I wasnt hurting myself in anyway by stretching my endurance. Guess I got past the 14km mark without too much trouble, and then the leg started hurting, and breathing was also showing signs of being anerobic. Another small break, some stretching, water and a GU stop got me going again.
After this, I am sure it was pure will power and the dream to finish that kept me going the next 6km or so. Other runners cheering me, and me reciprocating that with whoever was running alongside, I coincidentally bumped into a guy who recognized me from my Rutgers days! By the 18 km mark, I was having some bad cramps in my legs, so I stopped running & just walked as fast as I could for the next 2 kms, with frequent stretching. Soon the last 1 km loomed up and that just kicked in energy like no other energy gel!
It was an exhilarating feeling to run the last stretch, see the timing at the finish & flop down in the grass and just feel good...Although it was just a half marathon, I did stretch my endurance and mind to the limit. At so many points of the run, my body was just crying out loud to stop & quit...but the mind has this amazing quality to instead push and ask for more...Never felt this way before...
Any such mentally and physically exhausting races are, I think, a metaphor for life....they can be the most exalting, or heartbreaking and potentially tragic posing every conceivable element to the human: cold, heat, bruises, cramps, bad luck, unthinkable beauty, numbness to pain, and above all a great, deep self questioning. Isnt it the same with life - we're faced with so many different elements as well, ups and downs, fight with failure, just trying to stay upright and to have a little hope. There are no shortcuts, and I realised there was no point in how long long I took to finish...It didnt matter, the fact I finished, pushing myself over and beyond what I believed my capabilities were....that mattered the most...
I could not help, but go back and read this piece from Kristin Armstrong's account of her first marathon days before her divorce from Lance Armstrong..Here is the full article.
It's an odd thing, when your body says no and your mind and your spirit say yes. It's frightening and empowering and clarifying and beautiful all at once. It was the past year of my life, shortened into a span of 26.2 arduous miles. It was the culmination of experiences, the knowledge that my body can be pushed past its breaking point, just like my heart. In both instances, when you come to the end of yourself, God's grace is all that sustains. And it is enough.
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