Auroville Marathon 2010
Posted by Hemant Soreng in Running on March 23, 2010
Auroville Marathon : Feb 14th, 2010
Auroville (City of Dawn) is an “experimental” township in Viluppuram district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India near Puducherry in South India. Auroville was founded as a project of Sri Aurobindo Society on Wednesday 28 February, 1968 by Mirra Alfassa, “The Mother” and designed by architect Roger Anger. Auroville is meant to be a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony, above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realize human unity.
And in this serene township the third edition of Auroville marathon was being held this year. Auroville marathon is one the last marathons of the season in India. The next one would only happen post summer. So I was very keen to run this one after completing my first full marathon and December and sadly missing the Mumbai one in Jan.
At Auroville
We had registered well in advance. Kiran for half and Aravind for 10 k. And on 13th Feb we set off in my car. Roy was driving with us to Pondicherry with his wife and daughter. We started at Madiwala and took the elevated road on Hosur at 7 am. 9 km of smooth driving was nice. We took the following route to Pondicherry. It was an awesome drive with very nice roads and music from my iPod.
Route : Bangalore to Pondicherry via Krishnagiri and Tiruvannamalai
Distance: 320 Kilometers
Average Journey time: 5 to 6 hours
Bangalore-Sarjapur- Hosur(Bangalore to Hosur-40 Km)-Krishnagiri (Hosur to Krishnagiri 55 km on NH 7)- Kannandahalli(NH-66)-Uthangarai-Chengam(Krishnagiri to Chengam is 77 km)-Tiruvannamalai(Chengam to Tiruvannamalai is 35 km)- Gingee(Tiruvannamalai to Gingee 43 km)-Tindivanam (Gingee to Tindivanam 25 km)-Pondicherry(Tindivanam to Pondi 45 km)
This is the standard route. The road to Krishnagiri from Bangalore via Hosur is excellent through NH -7. From Krishnagiri as you leave the toll gate, cross the 1st flyover. Then just before the 2nd flyover take the left sided road which is parallel to the flyover. Remember not to go over the 2nd flyover. Then you have to take a left turn to a road that goes towards Chennai. After proceeding for about half a kilometer on that road, you have take a right turn to NH-66 that eventually takes you to Puducherry.
Stay
The dorms at Auroville were booked so we stayed at a new hotel, called The Neem Tree located on ECR road around 4 km before Pondicherry, while Roy moved onto Pondicherry hotel in Pondicherry (very original as I reminded him later)
Pre-marathon
The registration process was a simple one. We paid online at the website http://marathon.auroville.com. However, for weeks we did not hear from the organizers. Tho’ we called and clarified our doubts. One week before the run we were sent a mail with complete details on the route, the start timings, how to collect bibs and even running etiquette 
After a quick lunch we headed over to Auroville in the evening to collect our bibs. It was a festive atmosphere at the place filled with the marathon participants. I did meet quite a few friends who had come out of town as far as Mumbai. We roamed around at Auroville, took snaps and shopped at the Kalki boutique. Now Auroville produces a lot of eco friendly organic stuff. Items such as soaps, bathing salts, oil, fragrances etc. will always be a good buy from here.
Kalki Boutique : Inside the window
As the sun set, we also set off to our hotel, not before the boys (Aravind and Kiran)socialized with some of the Aurovillites and tried their Spanish/Mexican skills. We had early dinner and by 9 we were sleeping.
Marathon day
Temperature at 27 deg Celsius and humidity at 60%
I was the first to wake up at 3:15 am and after waking up the boys, we reached Auroville at 4:30 am the reporting time. It was dark and we were given small torches which we will use while running till the day breaks. Kiran and Aravind would wait as their events half marathon and 10 k would start later at 6 and 7 am respectively. I had couple of bananas before the race.
At the start
Kiran, Me and Aravind at the starting point
The marathon started right on dot at 5 am and I set off with a slow pace following a large group. 1 km down I checked my watch and I had clocked a very slow 7.5 min. I increased my pace till I was on heels of a couple (apparently from Auroville) who were running a very steady pace. 20 min into the run I was sweating profusely. The humidity factor was into the play. I decided to take regular water and electrolyte breaks and keep on following the couple. Running alone would become demotivating.
As the sun rose at around 6 am I could see the route around me. We were running in the Auroville forest. The route was a mix of dirt trails with little bit of tarred road. There was greenery all around. We passed matrimandir, various residential sections, snack shacks and more. It was a beautiful route.
Along the route
Within no time (actually 2 hours 20 min) I crossed the half way mark (21 kms), one loop i.e. I will have to repeat the same loop of 21 km again. It was so refreshing to see the route around which did not look repetitive at all. And I kept my pace and kept on running behind the couple. At around 30 km mark I stopped at the water station, and took a prolonged break spraying muscle relaxants on my ankles, Gluteus. Pocketed some bananas. Drank extra bit of water. From hereon I slowed my pace. I was way behind the couple and I decided to slow down my pace. Somehow, I crossed the 36 km mark and was feeling the muscular cramps. It had been four hours now, since I have been running and it had become hot. I focused on the music and set small milestones. I walked after each water station for a few meters, stretched and ran. After the 39 km mark the last of the water station, I picked up my pace and it coincided fortunately with some fast paced songs on my iPod’s playlist. I remembered the route and I ran on, overtook quite a few of the marathoners on the way and i finally crossed the finish line.
My time was 4 hours 52 min 25 sec. Slower than my earlier marathon (4 hours and 36 min) but neverthless more enjoyable.
Aravind and Kiran were elated at their own performances. Their firsts. They had breakfast incl. a failed attempt at “Hungarian goulash”. Incidentally, they failed at their attempt at “Mexican Nachos” the evening before. Not quite upto the continental fare, I guess!! 
After the run (phew!!)
Kailash, the masseur, my savior !!
The organizing committee had arranged for salt water where one could soak one’s feet and yes, massage as well courtesy the volunteers from Auroville. Thanks to Kailash (from Germany) and two others, I was back on my feet to head back to the hotel.
Later in the evening we went to Pondicherry, walked by the sea and celebrated our run with a dinner at the Lighthouse, The Promenade. And yes, satisfied the huge cravings for ice cream.
Well, the boys were not too happy with the portions and continued their dinner at Mr. Bean. Wow !!
It was a satisfying experience. Milestones in life for all the three of us. A scenic and enjoyable run and of course the post run much needed massage !!
Kudos to the organizing committee at Auroville for a successful marathon.
We will definitely be back next year. Till then….to more runs and marathons!!
Me, Kiran and Aravind !! cheers !!
Kumara Parvatha Trek by the “Magnificent Seven”
Posted by Hemant Soreng in Travel on March 23, 2010
Kumara Parvatha Trek: Feb 6th – 7th 2010
Oh well!! This is not a movie…but after what happened in those two days of trekking…it could well be.
(Magnificent) Seven is the number of people from office (incl. me) who went for the Kumara Parvatha trek after a great initial response. That would be Sachin, Prema, Ravi, Drupad, Chetan, Akshay and me.
The Magnificent Seven
Kumara Parvatha is a mountain located in Subramanya (village) of Sullia taluka, Karnataka. The peak is at a height of about 1712m, and is about 13 km from the Kukke Subramanya Temple , which is a prominent pilgrimage location in South India. Here, Lord Subrahmanya is worshipped as the lord of all serpents. The temple is located at the town Kukke-Subramanya, 230 km from Bangalore on the route to Mangalore.
Kukke Subramanya Temple
After 2 weeks of meticulous planning, finally on 5th Feb, the seven of us set off for the Kumara Parvatha trek in the “Tempo Traveler”, which we had hired. Before setting off from bangalore, however, we did an inventory check of sleeping bags, tents, food items, water, medicine kit, torches, walkie talkie, my new GPS device etc. etc. (Special thanks to our equipment supplier/consultant – Vikram Raghavachari)
After, an uneventful journey and loads of Kannada songs, we reached the town in the wee hours of the morning. It was misty and cold. We quickly booked us a couple of rooms in the local “Ashram” to freshen up. After breakfast (Neo Mysore cafe) and another inventory check wherein I ensured offloading of some excess weight particularly some dozens and dozens of bananas. Apparently the monkeys in group had clearly “over shopped”.
Neo Mysore Cafe
We entered the forest around 8 am, delayed by an hour as per our plans. It was a nice steep walk in the forest shade. We took it very easy and stopped wherever we could for rest and take photos. It was a nice walk and as I walked I got to know the guys better. Akshay, the main organizer of the trek was a passionate photographer, which explained his tripod I was carrying. Chetan, one of the fittest of the group, was a fabulous cricketer and was looking forward to the up and coming season to make it to the big league. Drupad lived very very far away. So did Prema, the only girl in the group, who I thought was the weak link in the group, till I was proven wrong at the end of the trek. Ravi had a point to prove to his son and more to himself as well that he could do this trek. Sachin the creative designer, was an athlete and a NCC cadet in his early days. This was the first ever trekking experience for all (except for me). The way everyone was upbeat, it looked promising.
Into the wild
Did I speak/write too soon? Some 3 km into the trek, the tiredness set in. We divided ourselves into two sub groups, tho’ not much apart and communicated through the walkie talkie (and how useful it was). I was monitoring the distance and the height we were covering through my new Keymaze 500. As we approached our first destination, Bhattara Mane (House of Bhat family), which is 5 km from the starting point, fatigue and cramps set in to some of the trekkers. We started redistributing luggage and started walking with sticks, which helped.
Now Bhattara Mane is run by Narayana Bhat and family. This is the stopover point for the trek and is also used for the night stay usually during the return journey as the trek can not be completed in a single day due to its toughness and distance. The Bhatt family provide trekkers with night shelter, water and plain vegetarian meal on request at a nominal price. Trekkers need to use their own sleeping bags though. PH No:+91-9448647947
Bhattara Mane
We finally reached the place and immediately, attacked the food, which was simple rice, sambar, pickle and buttermilk. But it was the most delicious meal I have ever had. After a one hour stopover, which included sleeping, stretching, massaging and muscle relaxant sprays, we took off. However, Drupad opted to stay back, and we offloaded some more weight with him. It was a hot afternoon and suddenly we realized there was no forest cover anymore. We were walking in the hot sun from mountain to mountain in sail trails. After a point we again were separated into two groups.
The sleepin’ trekkers
Along the way…..
Around 4:30 pm we reached Mantapa, our next destination. Now this is a camping site with close proximity to the stream.
However, we trudged along in the hope of catching the sunset at the peak. By this time most of the fellow trekkers were exhausted, but we pushed. An hour later the peak was nowhere close. As other trekkers (many young RSS recruits) passed by, we came to know the peak is more than 2 hours away., with the nearest camping site an hour away. We panicked and started looking for a flat patch of land, otherwise we would’ve had to go back to the Mantapa. We were lucky and we found the patch which was between two mountains and this was just before the sunset.
The Sunset
For the next 45 min we tried pitching the two tents, one of which was faulty. It was now night and the temperature had dropped. And we realized that it was very very windy esp. since we were right between two mountains. We quickly had dinner – puliogare, biscuits, bananas (whatever was not crushed) and more. And took to our respective tents. Sachin and I took the faulty tent and the rest took the other one.
Our Tents
The wind speed increased as the night went by. After sometime, our tent was in a wreck, we could feel the roof. The other tent was in a worse state. Finally, the sun rose and morning welcomed us. But the wind speed didn’t slow down at all. Finally, we decided to move on, barely ignoring the wind. At this point Ravi and Sachin decided to go back and the four of us went towards the peak.
We walked briskly across the many peaks and green mountain tops till we entered a forest, which had a stream. Now this was supposed to be the camping site before the peak as we saw many trekkers cooking, packing up, extinguishing fire and so on. We walked along till we reached a very steep incline. As we climbed that very carefully, and some 100 mts away we were on the peak. We had climbed a height of around 700 m and walked around 3 km today. The landscape from the top was breathtaking. We spent almost an hour on the top, had breakfast and clicked away as many photos as we could.
From the Top
On the Top
Eventually we started the descent and it was difficult on the knees. In one and a half hours we reached our camping site and picked up a packed tent which we had left behind. In the course we established contact with the other group through walkie talkie andasked them to keep lunch for us at Bhat’s and to proceed to Subramanya.
Now all this while, Prema had been stoically walking without many breaks. This was awesome. We walked past mantapa and into the open hot sunny sky. After couple of hours we reached Bhat’s place, had lunch and after a bit of rest we set off again. It was 3:15 pm when we set off, we needed to walk fast to reach Subramanya before dark. However, the pace slowed down with the descent and fatigue due to hours of walking since morning. And as we entered the last leg of the trek i.e. deep inside the forest the light began to fade and quickly it became dark. The torches were out and we began prodding each other to quicken pace. The pace quickened further when heard something move in the bushes. Finally, around 6:30 pm we exited the forest.
We joined Ravi, Drupad and Sachin at the lodge and after dinner set off for Bangalore.
I have been trekking for quite some years now and I’d say this was one of the tougher treks I have been into. Kudos to my fellow trekkers for making it.
Look forward to the next one. Till then… cheers…
Hampi : The empire strikes back
Posted by Hemant Soreng in Travel on March 22, 2010
Trip to Hampi: Dec 26th – 28th 2009
” Goddess Pampa Devi was sexually attracted by the blue skinned Lord Shiva in tight leather pants ……”, Rajesh, our guide, tried hard to explain how Hampi and the main Virupaksha Temple came into being. As I tried hard to suppress my laughter, I knew then that this is going to be an unforgettable trip. A post long due of this trip which I made back in December 2009.
Hampi was the capital of Vijaynagar empire (1336 AD – 1565 AD) covering almost entire South India. It had a population of around 1 million and the empire was the one of the richest in the world at the time. More on the history…
After years and years of contemplation, me and a friend armed with our SLR cameras finally made it to Hampi (during the Christmas weekend in 2009).
We quickly determined when to go? How to go from Bangalore? Where to stay?
When to go?
The best time to go to Hampi is from October – February, when the temperatures are a bit bearable.
How did we get to Hampi from Bangalore ?
The best way is to take the train – Hampi Express. Its an overnight journey from Bangalore to Hospet and back. And thats what we did.
Where to stay?
There are many options now available at Hampi thanks to the influx of tourists esp. from abroad. Tho’ these are not the luxury types.
Option #1 is to stay near Hospet, where one can get accommodation – not advisable as Hospet is around 13 km from Hampi
Option #2 closer to Hampi with 4-5 km – Yes, one can stay in some good hotels such as Hotel Malligi.
Option #3 At Hampi town – there are many guest houses and lodges – However, since this is the temple town, non-veg and alcohol is not served. To get that one has to stay across the Tungabhadra river.
Option #4 Across the river, there are many places which have a typical hippie, Goa feel. Yes, one gets non-veg, beer etc. here. The lodgings are basic but scenic. And is a popular haunt of backpacking foreign tourists (esp. Israelis). To get across the river, there used to be a bridge which is now broken because of the floods. Therefore, one has to take a ferry to cross the river (2 min ride, ferry runs from 7 am to 7 pm). Obviously, the bridge can be built but the “ferry lobby” seems to be strong here.
We stayed at this quaint and popular place called Mowgli Guest House next to the river and scenic paddy fields.
Mowgli Guest House
Paddy Fields - view from Mowgli Guest House
Mowgli Guest House Reception
Regardless of where one stays, it is advisable to book the place in advance (we booked one month in advance)
Day 1 :
As we came out of the Hospet railway station in we quickly took an auto rickshaw to Hampi. It dropped us into the town on the banks of Tungabhadra river, where we had to lug our luggage into the ferry to go across the river.
Mowgli guest house was unexpectedly hippie. I liked it. Not a large room, but was clean. We quickly had breakfast (read – “Jakhnoon” – an Israeli bread which is cooked overnight). Interesting….but not quite the fare for the Indian palate.
Jakhnoon - Israeli Bread
The first day we decided to roam around a few places and take it easy (after all Hampi is a huge 28 sq. km). We hired bicycles. And we clicked away, the sights, people, the market and the buzz at Hampi.
Women from Rajasthan, always adding color
Sadhus at Hampi
Armpits - thats how they do it at Hampi
There are supposed to be more than 80 things to see at Hampi, but we wanted to explore on a few and this day we decided find that out. We checked out the Riverside ruins, Sulé Bazaar (the prostitute’s market), Hampi Bazaar , Pushkarani – the Queen’s bath and finally we biked all the way to Hemakuta hills to catch the sunset. Except that we were a bit early at 4, with clouds covering the sky. We waited. However, impatience gave way and we made it downhill, only to our disappointment as the sun appeared from the clouds…well….
Virupaksha Temple from Hemakuta Hills
Where to go from here?
Sule Bazaar
The Sunset from Hemakuta
It was a nice exploratory day and we hooked up with Rajesh, a guide (rather an up and coming guide) for the next day. Ferried back to the guest house.
The evening at the Mowgli’s was awesome, with a low light, low seating arrangement, amazing starters and of course the wine which I brought from Bangalore. Looking forward to the next day.
Day 2:
We met Rajesh, our guide in the morning at Virupaksha Temple (inception in the 7th century AD). The only place which was not plundered by the Muslim invaders as the story goes - the door of the temple bore the empire’s emblem which bore a boar (hah!!) which is unholy to Islam. One could read about it in the link (as its better described there and its not my laziness). But what struck me the most was demonstration of the pin hole camera concept inside the temple (and this was done in the 13th century, unbelievable).
Inverted image of Virupaksha Temple - Pin Hole camera technique
Virupaksha Temple - the twin towers
The Vijayanagara Empire's Emblem
After a quick blessing from Lakshmi, the temple elephant i.e. we went off towards Vitthala temple crossing the river in a coracle.
Blessings from the Temple Elephant, Lakshmi
The Coracle
Vitthala temple is a grand and an extravagant architectural marvel. We spent sometime here to come back again the next day.
More mischief by the architects..??
After the Vitthala temple, we hopped on to our carriage for the day an auto rickshaw i.e. driven by Suresh, our guide’s brother. Suresh took us back to Hampi for lunch at a low seating tranquil place by the river.
After lunch we went to the Underground Siva temple. Tho’ its unknown whether “Underground” bit was by design or while excavation this was lower than the ground.
Zanana Enclosure or the Harem was our next stop. The major attraction of this place is the Lotus Mahal and the Elephant stables adjacent to it.
And here is where our conversation started on the the role of the eunuchs in harems. Rajesh, was enlightened by the (hilarious) discussion as he admitted later.
Our next stop was Hazararama Temple known for a thousand Rama statues/carvings. Not huge by Hampi standards but beautiful nevertheless.
And here is where our conversation started on the toilets in the past. Rajesh, fueled by the discussion points about how, where…etc. *censored*, showed me this pit (which was supposed to be a a loo used by the kings or was it?) and went on a long discourse on the same *censored again!*.
Our last stop for the day was the Lakshmi Narasimha Temple which houses the largest statue in Hampi, that of Narasimha or Ugra Narasimha i.e. in a terrifying form. Right next to the temple was Badavilinga, a massive Shiva Linga. We threw coins for good luck on the linga and finally retired with some music, wine and great dinner at Mowgli’s. Next day we decided to cover the grand Vitthala Temple again.
Day 3:
We decided not to go with the guide and hired a scooter (Honda Activa) instead (some Rs. 200 per day). We decided to start with Anegondi, the earlier capital of the empire. It was quite a ride and we were a bit disappointed when we reached there as there not much to see. The ruins and temples were few & insignificant and not maintained well when compared to the ones at Hampi. We had tea at Hoova cafe.
After, whiling our time we turned back and decided to stop on the way to explore pre-historic cave paintings. We were completely lost. There were no signboards, no directions and after asking many people when we eventually walked close to the caves, we could not locate them. Luckily, a farmer spotted up and showed us the caves and paintings. They were beautiful and yes old, more than 5,000 years old.
We quickly drove to the river and ferried our scooty along with us across and drove to Mango Tree for lunch. This is one place one should not miss.
After lunch it was Vitthala all over again followed by some “Aladin” shopping at Hampi. In the evening we left for the Hospet station for the train to Bangalore. We missed quite a bit of places to see and dwell, but we managed to soak in the “Hampi” spirit. I definitely see myself coming back to Hampi again.
Here’s to the Empire !!!
Marathon Diaries : Its all about the mind
Posted by Hemant Soreng in Running on December 15, 2009
As I crossed the finish line in my first full marathon – Bengaluru Midnight Marathon on Saturday, 12th Dec ‘09, with a time of 4 hours 42 min, my immediate emotion was not that of elation or relief. I wanted to cry but the tears didn’t flow. I wanted to shout and pump my fist in the air but I did not. I just achieved a goal I had set myself for years, an impossible one (at least in my mind) after I could barely walk post my knee surgery years ago. All the cliches “mental strength”, “human spirit”, “determination”, “against all odds” etc. did not seem so cynical, anymore.
I felt nothing. But the emotions poured out as I wrote this post. Yes, it had been quite a journey!!
Early days…
I believe I was blessed with some good genes. In my “younger” days in school/college, I was told by my coaches that I was a natural athlete because many sports came naturally to me from Soccer (football), hockey to athletics (100m sprint, long jump). Be it running the 100m dash in less than 12 sec to scoring goals for my football teams as the lead striker. This just added to overconfidence and yes, arrogance. I used to excel in sports without much preparation, counting more on my skills and physical abilities.
However, one cannot have it all as I discovered the hard way. I busted my right knee in the final year of college in a football game (which we lost). I had a severe tear in the meniscus and anterior cruciate ligament. Its a common injury among athletes, they told me as if to make me feel good. The doctor told me if I were to walk normally in life, I need to give up sports. It was heartbreaking, and so I diverted (ok, at least tried to ) all my attention to studies as I joined MBA (IIMB) the same year. Well, things didn’t go as planned, I further aggravated my injury in the campus playing football, Tsepak and would you believe it, dancing in the block parties.
After graduating from MBA in 1997, the first thing I did with my sister’s guidance (she is a doctor) was meet a orthopedic surgeon at AIIMS. The doctor recommended a surgery. After multiple scans – MRI to invasive scans, I underwent a 6 hour surgery under general anesthesia (which was pretty trippy, I’d say). The result of the surgery was pain, two months of inactivity and complete wastage of muscle in the right leg. After years of physiotherapy, building quadriceps, I still have two screws in my right knee(holding the ligaments), two long scars, and little sensation below the right knee. I was frustrated, became restless and impatient in life.
I forgot about returning to active sports and immersed myself into what every young MBA does (well, after all these year, I still wonder what?? and why??) incl. a draining (yet satisfying) entrepreneurial stint. All of these were stilled marred by my restlessness and impatience from my early days. I tried achieving too much in short time.
The goal…
And then I took a break and moved to Bangalore. I delved into philosophy (esp. Buddhism). It had a calming effect on my mind, as I started to live in the present (not in the past or in anticipation of the future). I started setting small goals for myself in life – “things to do before I die”.
Running a full marathon was one of them.
Marathons were an alien concept in India, with the population preferring butter chicken in the North and curd rice in the South to running. The Mumbai Marathon in 2004 changed all that when it brought to the country the joy of running. And it was hugely welcomed by a large number of participants – young, old, across class, caste, creed or sex. It was a huge success. It opened the door for marathons across various cities in India incl. Bangalore where I was. And when it was announced that the Bangalore Marathon is to be held in May 2005, I had one month to prepare after eight years of inactivity. I decided to go for the half-marathon.
I killed myself training for it – speed running and a reduced diet high on proteins & low on carbs. I ran the half marathon in 2:05 hours which many (incl. me) thought was a good time. After the race, my knees hurt, my muscles cramped, I was dead tired and exhausted. However, I felt great completing the 21 km distance after years of inactivity and 2 screws in the knee. For four years and many half marathons later, I was still not ready for the full one. Mentally, I was still impatient and restless. A bit calmer, but still not there yet.
Its all about the mind…
My restlessness and indiscipline took my mind off running. And I shifted my energies to cycling, and I loved it. As I started reading more about cycling, I came to know about the grueling races in various tours esp. Tour de France ( 3500 km in 3 weeks of cycling across terrains, weather and countries). As I started following the sport, I read more about the various bikers and esp. Lance Armstrong. Here was one man who was brash and arrogant and won shorter distance races just because of his natural athleticism. His fight with cancer changed all that and he won Tour de France a record seven times. (Please read his book “Its not about the bike“). I just gifted this book to my nephew, a young rebel, with gyan saying that in sports, at work, in life whatever we do “its all about the mind”. “Easier said than done, Hemant”, I told myself later.
Well over years I have tried to use these pearls of wisdom subconsciously, however what if one were to use these consciously. This has been the way of life in India for centuries esp. with Buddhism, the teachings which I have been trying to follow (not very successfully). His Holiness The Dalai Lama’s book “The Way to Freedom” is an enlightening read.
So with these weapons of inspiration, I set off to pursue my goal of completing full marathon in Mumbai in Jan 2010.
The preparation…
I had 2.5 months to prepare and I started off my prep in a scientific and disciplined way. Mainly taking cues from www.marathontraining.com :
(1) Training schedule – with distance/speed/Heart rate targets,
(2) Balanced diet (with much reduced liquor intake),
(3) Warm ups, stretches and building of specific muscles in the gym,
(4) Strategies to delay the process of depleting glycogen “stores”,
(5) Focusing on rhythm and pace during long practice runs,
(6) Choosing the right music on my iPod and more…
After 1.5 months and two long distance practice runs (upto 28 km ), I was feeling good about my prep for the marathon in Jan till the impatient part of me woke up and pushed me to register for the full 42 km in the Bangalore Midnight Marathon instead of the half one which I was planning to do earlier. And I succumbed, justifying that I need not complete it and it would be a good practice run. With that in mind I started preparing myself, but mentally this time the week before. I slowed down on my practice runs and focused on the diet, working on the niggles (esp. at gluteus maximus) and on specific muscles.
Bangalore Midnight Marathon 2009 : The race night
The race was scheduled to start at 12 midnight on Saturday 12th Dec ‘09. This was the third edition of the midnight marathon in Bangalore. and was held at Whitefield. One lap was around 4.2 km, and so for a full marathon, one had to complete 10 laps. I thought of this as repetitive and boring, however, for me it was the distance which was a challenge. Fortunately, Viji Philip a friend from MBA days was there running the half marathon. I will have company for at least half the distance. The route was well lit up with water stalls along the way and the unforgettable registration counter blaring away hard rock with the likes of Green Day, AC/DC and others. There were close to 500 + runners participating in different races from 5 km to half to the full marathon.
Earlier in the day, I ensured that I had a diet high on carbs (rice, boiled potatos etc.). I slept well in the day and was fully hydrated. For the race, I filled my pockets with glucose biscuits, 1 bar of snickers and held a gatorade. Performed the mandatory rituals of applying cold cream to avoid nipple bleeding, iodex on certain niggling parts (gluteus maximus in this case) and the usual round of warm ups & stretches.
The race started on dot at 12 midnight. I put on my iPod with the new playlists I had created just for this and we (Viji and I) started off with slow pace and we increased as we went along. We averaged a pace of around 9-10 kmph. The first 21 km was a smooth ride as we ran together matching each other’s pace. I took 2:14 hours to complete the half way mark. However, as Viji finished his half marathon and so did many of the full marathon runners (from Africa).
And from thereon I was on my own.
I had to cover the same distance all over again. The “impatient me” suddenly woke up and advised me that its just another practice run and I could quit midway. I ignored. But my body couldn’t.
As I crossed the 25 km mark, I started feeling it. My glycogen reserves were rapidly getting depleted. I had finished my Gatorade and was now on water and biscuits & the snickers bar. After 7 laps (around 30 km), I felt my legs becoming as heavy as lead. At that stage, I started setting myself shorter goals for the rest of distance (as I have tried to do so in life) . In the lap I identified milestones – where I will take water, stretch for few seconds while running, increase my pace. I started overshooting these milestones.
After 34 km, it was just becoming difficult. I had 10 km and two more laps to go. The number of runners had thinned out, tho’ there were still many familiar faces from Runners for Life. I could see many runners walking or dropping off. I was so tempted. I focused on the milestones and continued running. At each milestone I checked my time, I was averaging pretty good and with this pace I could complete under 4:30 hours, if I complete.
After 37 km, I stopped at a water stall and started to do stretches and started to do walk briskly till a runner passed me by on his way to the finishing line and advised me that I am doing more damage to my muscle stiffness by walking and not running at a pace. And I started off again. Passed the Domino’s pizza milestone without getting tempted with the pizza, passed the registration counter which was now playing Green Day’s “Jesus of Suburbia” and then reached the finishing line.
One more lap (4.2 km) more to go. My ankles were hurting bad, my knee too. My calf and thigh muscles were getting stiff. My hip muscle (gluteus maximus) started acting again. My shoulder and neck muscles ached after continuous running for hours. And my body wanted to give up.
But I just cannot let this go after years of waiting. I was determined. With that thought and at that very moment, I picked up my pace. And something strange happened. My pain started to disappear. I started passing all the milestones with a brisk 10 kmph till I crossed the finishing line. I checked my time. I took 4 hours 42 minutes and 33 seconds. I had finally done it.
Coincidentally, as I approached the finishing line my iPod played “Amazing” by Aerosmith and as I completed the race with the following lines of the song, which I thought was symbolic at least to me.
“Life’s a journey not a destination
And I just can’t tell just what tomorrow brings
You have to learn to crawl
Before you learn to walk”
I think I learned much more through the entire experience more than just learning academically the art & science of running.
This was a great milestone (and a mental block) for me and without the support of my family, friends and my doctor, this wouldn’t have been possible.
If you are still here after reading the “marathon” post above, thank you for your patience. I hope you have a good run, in life as well.
As for me, now to the next goal..!! cheers..!!
With the knee injury, many years back
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