ViRaRuns: The Race of My Life!

The alarm is yet to ring. But I had already woken up and the time was 4.30 am. The body was still a little in the Indian time zone where it was already 8 am. The house was still dark and everyone asleep. I decided to make myself a coffee, the drink I trust every day and, for sure on a race day! The race was still four and half hours away. It struck me that I needed to have a light meal or a breakfast which digests over the next 4-5 hours. I scanned the kitchen for what was left over from the previous day and ended up eating dal and rice.

5 am – I am quite good at taking these small naps and decided to get back to sleep! The alarm would go off in another 30 minutes.

5.30 am – Having woken up for the second time, I started “Reload”ing myself. I needed some solid food which was more easily digestible. A banana and a couple of Yoga bars were the planned choice!

7 am – We were ready to go! I carried my bottle of “Activate” which I would consume at around 8.15 am.

It was during that walk to the metro that I got a talk from my youngest brother which would have an impact for the rest of my race. Running is a far simpler sport than cricket or tennis or soccer. At our level you do not need to worry about a tricky opponent who will probably bowl that quicker one or serve an ace or dribble his or her way past you to hit that goal. If you have trained well, you just need to make sure you stay focussed and navigate through factors which are far more under your control like hydration, pace etc.

Just before the race I had this conversation with a friend of mine on the pace I will be setting – It was not too complex. A pace of 4.30 minutes per kilometre would take me to a time of 3.10 hours while a 4.15 will bring me to that magic figure of 3.00 hours. Looks simple but ask any runner and they would tell you the difficulty! I knew I have done a pace of 4.20s in my training and would probably settle for that!

8.47 am – Just behind the Elites who were flagged off at 8.30 am we started. It was not too cold, and I decided at the last minute to run without my gloves and head gear.

As in cricket, I typically break down my marathon into a 50 over match. The first 12 kilometres sets the tone of the match. Unlike many others I tend to make sure I am having time in the bank without putting my body through any undue pressure or strain. The next 18 kilometres are like your middle overs which needs to be played out without losing too many wickets in the form of any hydration, pain or fatigue issues. And the last 12 kilometres are the slog overs which you will do well if you have not lost too many wickets! In other words if you come into the last 12 K stretch feeling good, you would probably end this journey well.

I started off nicely and was doing running under a pace of 4.10 minutes per kilometer. The first 10 K was done in 41.52 minutes. It looked as if I was going too fast. Should I be slowing down? My perceived effort was still not too bad and I knew I had sustained good speeds in training. But this was a run which would last until the 42^nd kilometre. I was soon crossing the half marathon distance. The time was 1:28:37 and I had done my second fastest ever run for that distance!

It was at this stage while I was looking good, that I started getting a faint feeling that if everything goes well, I would probably be cruising to a sub 3.05. Somewhere in my mind I also knew a few of my friends would be tracking me and they would be pleasantly surprised at the pace I was going at. The usual questions would be asked of whether I would burn myself out. I was smiling to myself but was enjoying the race. This could be my moment. May be!

The middle overs were going off well, though I had developed some pain above my right ankle. It was nothing to worry though and I was hoping that it doesn’t aggravate too much. The route by then had a few tunnels and up hills. Around 29 K, I got another boost when I saw my family! Waving at them, I knew the last part of my journey has started.

The wave at the 29 K

30 K in 2:06:27.

My calculations had begun for a sub 3. Really? I had roughly 54 minutes to do another 12 kilometres and change. I had to go a little faster than 4.30 min per kilometre! Possible? Yes, of course. It looked like a match which was mine to lose but you never know!

35 K - I was feeling good. As good I can be at that distance:-). The time was 2:28:02. I had another 32 minutes to do 7 odd kilometres. The asking rate was still at around 4.30 min per kilometre. Still on track.

This was the time I felt was slowing down slightly. Not too much, but enough for certain thoughts to enter your mind. Is this the stage which makes people end up slightly over the 3 hour mark. Some of the more accomplished runners have found it difficult. May be it was real. Given this opportunity today should I be desperate to push myself to a sub 3 or make it happen in September at Berlin, as originally planned? These were certain thoughts running through my mind.

The pace was still not too bad, and I decided to continue without letting these thoughts trouble me. Every kilometer was taking me to that destination. I thanked my family, my friends and well-wishers. I would be surprising many if this happens, but that can wait.

40 K – 2:49:54.

Another 2.2 K in around 10 minutes. The equation was now at around 4.35 min per km. I think I thought it was nearer to 5 min per km and took it a little easy which in hind sight could have been a mistake. A costly mistake at that!

Alas the Arc De Triomphe was up there in the front! Should I be crying? I had just crossed the line in 2 hours 59 minutes and 48 seconds! The moment of truth and pride. I pumped my fist in the air and walked away. I met Pavithra, Sharanya and Anand around 10 minutes later. So how was it? You seemed good when we met you at the 29 K. Yeah I said! Not too bad…I did a sub 3! :-)

Ps – Around 5 months back I had promised Pavithra that I would stop running the day, I do a sub 3!

Happy!

Statistics

Nutrition – 7 Gels. One 10 minutes before the start and the other 6 in between the race:-) I had one more on me, which I did not use. LOL! Sips or gulps of water every 3-4 kilometer and a slice of banana at around 25 K.

Temperature - Start at around 10-12 degrees, with the end at around 20 degrees.

Timings -