I was not as intense in my preparation for the SCMM as I was for the Delhi run. Just managed to put in enough time on the road to stay in shape. With my brother visiting me in Mumbai it was again a question of finding time which was difficult. But one positive outcome from a running point of view was that the opportunity to do a couple of training runs on Marine Drive stared me in the face and I was really glad...the stretch along the Arabian Sea coast right up to Malabar hill is simply awesome and anybody looking for some motivation to start running need not look further than this place.
I visited Calcutta a day after Christmas and spent a fortnight at home. I had nothing but training and relaxing in mind during the time. The weather was a complete change of scene though as the city was facing one of the coldest winter in a decade and it was a far cry from the sultry humidity of Mumbai. I even had to wear a woolen inner to ward off the bitter early morning chill, but the timing I clocked put a smile to my lips!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
hiatus...!
Its been quite a while since my last post...I guess I can just be honest and admit that I've been too lazy to update the blog on a regular basis. In fact, have not exactly been setting the side roads of Bombay and Calcutta on fire so as to have enough fodder for these pages. Be that as it may, plan to present whatever little I'd done in the run up to the Standard Chartered Bombay Marathon in the next few installments. The resumption of my training for the Bombay race couldn't have been off to a worse start with my running log pulling a disappearing right off my desk. Its been with me since I started my training for the Delhi Half Marathon and has been nothing short of a document of faith for me and it was more than just losing a copy.
Anyways, having reconciled to the fact that the log was lost for good, I tried to get down to the business of training. I, not surprisingly found myself a little out of steam. Since the novelty of running in a high voltage race was gone, it was now up to me to motivate myself to compete again...
Anyways, having reconciled to the fact that the log was lost for good, I tried to get down to the business of training. I, not surprisingly found myself a little out of steam. Since the novelty of running in a high voltage race was gone, it was now up to me to motivate myself to compete again...
Sunday, December 6, 2009
gearing up...again!
It has been a slow start for my training for the Bombay Marathon in January; for starters I have found it difficult to get off the blocks and get started. I guess the enormity of the effort involved in training for my first race, the ADHM had taken its toll. The first week of training after my return, I could not complete the targeted distance on my Sunday long run and the cycle repeated itself on the following Sunday. I think these were the first occasions when I had aimed at a mark and failed. Have started strong this week and what with the placements having been taken care of (!!!)I plan to devote more time to training.
Exciting news trickling in is that the Bombay marathon would include the awesome Bandra-Worli sealink as part of the course. I'm sure its going to be a mind blowing experience to run along this latest addition to the city's skyline!
Exciting news trickling in is that the Bombay marathon would include the awesome Bandra-Worli sealink as part of the course. I'm sure its going to be a mind blowing experience to run along this latest addition to the city's skyline!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
post mortem
I guess every major activity deserves one, major atleast in the eyes of the person concerned. I must confess I did think a lot about the run in the couple of days immediately following the run and the conclusions are predictable; ills that ail the first time participant in a major run.
1) I started too fast. There was a little 'twitter' inside my head which was telling me to take it a tad easy in the beginning, but as I saw a lot of runners passing me, as its wont to happen in an event participated in by thousands, the temptation was just too great to resist.
2) I could have conditioned myself better for the last 5 kms or so of the run. This I thought became really critical though a lot of what I had read during training seemed to suggest that its not actually important to run the entire distance planned in training. Well, time to customize!
3) I should have pushed myself harder while training. This must be a common refrain from almost anybody who takes this pastime too seriously!
Thats about it, no use fretting about it too much. After all now that one has another excuse to invite those aches and early mornings back again: The Bombay Marathon.
1) I started too fast. There was a little 'twitter' inside my head which was telling me to take it a tad easy in the beginning, but as I saw a lot of runners passing me, as its wont to happen in an event participated in by thousands, the temptation was just too great to resist.
2) I could have conditioned myself better for the last 5 kms or so of the run. This I thought became really critical though a lot of what I had read during training seemed to suggest that its not actually important to run the entire distance planned in training. Well, time to customize!
3) I should have pushed myself harder while training. This must be a common refrain from almost anybody who takes this pastime too seriously!
Thats about it, no use fretting about it too much. After all now that one has another excuse to invite those aches and early mornings back again: The Bombay Marathon.
Friday, November 20, 2009
The aftermath
Didn't come across a lot of advise on coping with a marathon aftermath, but trust mr, you can certainly do with one! The weeks of intense prep, endless 'crack of dawn' starts, fighting the grogginess and stiffness, the litany of aches and pains, all build up to a crescendo on the eve of the race. Its at fever pitch as seconds remain for the race to begin. The run itself remains in your memory as a blur; the fatigue leaves you able enough to just run, not strain your synapses to retain specific memories.
Once you cross the finish line, its an anti climax. You collect your medal and sit on the ground to much your fruits while not particularly thinking about anything. Then the thought of getting a transport back occupies your mind in case if you're not lucky enough to have a car waiting. And you come back and focus on tending to the inevitable aches and stiffness. So much for resting on your laurels!!!
Once you cross the finish line, its an anti climax. You collect your medal and sit on the ground to much your fruits while not particularly thinking about anything. Then the thought of getting a transport back occupies your mind in case if you're not lucky enough to have a car waiting. And you come back and focus on tending to the inevitable aches and stiffness. So much for resting on your laurels!!!
Monday, November 9, 2009
the finishing line!!
I relived the past four odd months of my life in a span of a little over two hours; I had done it, the half marathon had humbled me!
Although I expected a better timing than the 2:13:55 (net time, the gun time being 2:16) it was my first marathon, even if a half one and the sheer thrill of having scaled this mountain was intoxicating. As I queued up to enter the venue and to the holding area for athletes, I could almost feel the buzz in the air; the atmosphere was nothing short of electric despite the unmistakable early Delhi nip in the air. I tried not to get overawed by the occasion and started limbering and warming up in the holding area. The sheer diversity of age, size and background was mindboggling and the number of senior citizens who had signed up was inspirational. Every muscle and sinew in my body was taut with anticipation as seconds remained for the starting gun to fire, signalling the commencement of the race. It was as if I was reigning myself in, itching to be let loose so that I can sprint like Usain Bolt and finish the 21 kms in 10 minutes! Eventually when I did cross the starting line the digital clock overhead indicated that more than one and a half minutes have passed since the race had started. I had something which could be termed as a strategy for the race; I marked the location of each water point (there was one every two kilometres) mentally and hoped to pass one every ten minutes till I reached the fifth and if lucky the sixth point. This roughly translated to a speed of about 12 kms per hour and I was going to need that if I was to finish the thing under two hours. The scenes along the way during the first couple of kilometres were unbelievable; people thronging the side barricade and cheering us like we were heroes. There was a makeshift stage as well with rockers belting out hits to pump the runners...it was a total carnival!
I ran a little faster in the initial part than I should have, but I guess it was expected given that it was my first race and that it takes a little experience to realize that outrunning your fellow runners for small stretches matter less than figuring out a plan which ensures you save your breath for the last 5 – 6 kms which is really the most gruelling part of the race. I fared reasonably well for the first 10 odds kilometres although I didn’t cover the 11 kms that I had planned in the first 55 minutes. I began to lose steam around the 15th-16th km mark and the last couple of kilometres I was literally on my quadriceps. I dug deep for a near sprint in the last 200 metres which made for decent snaps...I was happy and relieved!
Although I expected a better timing than the 2:13:55 (net time, the gun time being 2:16) it was my first marathon, even if a half one and the sheer thrill of having scaled this mountain was intoxicating. As I queued up to enter the venue and to the holding area for athletes, I could almost feel the buzz in the air; the atmosphere was nothing short of electric despite the unmistakable early Delhi nip in the air. I tried not to get overawed by the occasion and started limbering and warming up in the holding area. The sheer diversity of age, size and background was mindboggling and the number of senior citizens who had signed up was inspirational. Every muscle and sinew in my body was taut with anticipation as seconds remained for the starting gun to fire, signalling the commencement of the race. It was as if I was reigning myself in, itching to be let loose so that I can sprint like Usain Bolt and finish the 21 kms in 10 minutes! Eventually when I did cross the starting line the digital clock overhead indicated that more than one and a half minutes have passed since the race had started. I had something which could be termed as a strategy for the race; I marked the location of each water point (there was one every two kilometres) mentally and hoped to pass one every ten minutes till I reached the fifth and if lucky the sixth point. This roughly translated to a speed of about 12 kms per hour and I was going to need that if I was to finish the thing under two hours. The scenes along the way during the first couple of kilometres were unbelievable; people thronging the side barricade and cheering us like we were heroes. There was a makeshift stage as well with rockers belting out hits to pump the runners...it was a total carnival!
I ran a little faster in the initial part than I should have, but I guess it was expected given that it was my first race and that it takes a little experience to realize that outrunning your fellow runners for small stretches matter less than figuring out a plan which ensures you save your breath for the last 5 – 6 kms which is really the most gruelling part of the race. I fared reasonably well for the first 10 odds kilometres although I didn’t cover the 11 kms that I had planned in the first 55 minutes. I began to lose steam around the 15th-16th km mark and the last couple of kilometres I was literally on my quadriceps. I dug deep for a near sprint in the last 200 metres which made for decent snaps...I was happy and relieved!
Saturday, October 31, 2009
the countdown
This is it...as I write this; it’s less than 24 hours to go for the Delhi Half Marathon!
Reached the capital yesterday in the morning and judging by the chaos at the station, it’s hard to believe this is the city which is going to host a global sporting extravaganza in less than a year’s time. It was good to be back here, the air had a pronounced nip in it and the route we took from the station was almost identical to the half marathon route. It felt quite exciting...
We decided to check out the venue so that there no last moment glitches in getting to the start line. The venue was a scene of frenetic activity with the marquees going up and stalls being set up, athletes limbering up, officials scurrying about. The place had energy about it.
The expo presented the usual scene of pandemonium; stalls belting our guitar riffs, amateur volunteers clumsily trying to coax visitors to their stall. The collections of the running bib and timing chip happened efficiently enough, although they could have done without making participants run around the entire compound to collect the entire stuff in instalments. But the buzz sounded attractive...
So this is it...everything will boil down to these last 21 kms, you may have pushed yourself while training, did your sessions regularly and with dedication, ate all the right foods and been on track more often than, but its your surge in the last few miles that will decide whether you finish with elation of just finish.
Reached the capital yesterday in the morning and judging by the chaos at the station, it’s hard to believe this is the city which is going to host a global sporting extravaganza in less than a year’s time. It was good to be back here, the air had a pronounced nip in it and the route we took from the station was almost identical to the half marathon route. It felt quite exciting...
We decided to check out the venue so that there no last moment glitches in getting to the start line. The venue was a scene of frenetic activity with the marquees going up and stalls being set up, athletes limbering up, officials scurrying about. The place had energy about it.
The expo presented the usual scene of pandemonium; stalls belting our guitar riffs, amateur volunteers clumsily trying to coax visitors to their stall. The collections of the running bib and timing chip happened efficiently enough, although they could have done without making participants run around the entire compound to collect the entire stuff in instalments. But the buzz sounded attractive...
So this is it...everything will boil down to these last 21 kms, you may have pushed yourself while training, did your sessions regularly and with dedication, ate all the right foods and been on track more often than, but its your surge in the last few miles that will decide whether you finish with elation of just finish.
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