It was around 530pm in the evening on a wet winter day in Kodaikanal. My calf muscle was stiff and hurting. I was running the the 15km school run on the Berijam Lake road for 8,9 and 10th standard students. My P.T. teacher (on a motor bike) told me that I was about 2km away from completing. He told me that he never thought I would come this far (in a polite positive way). I came in last or second last but was really thrilled that I finished. This more or less has been a running theme in many of the runs/races I have done and still do. Running long distances was my only option in school. I was always 8th in the 100, 200, 400 and 800 meter dash. I started running larger distances because: it was okay to finish last; everyone was glad to finish wondering why we endure such pain; absolutely thrilled that we did it; and a genuine respect for the person who finished after you (as this person has worked longer).
Marathon running began in college. I had heard before that a marathon was 42.6km race and was quiet hard to do. A few of my friends where getting a lot of attention as they were training for the 1991- Delhi Rath Marathon. There were two months left, I decided to train and give it a try. I remember the run very well. It was a sunny cold day in February. We had to go from Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium to Gurgaon (or half way there) and back on the ring road. I was doing well at the turn and I hit what is popularly called the “runner’s wall” around the 34 km mark. At this wall you are in real pain, muscles don’t want to move, life seems to come to a standstill. The encouragement I got from the folks who were watching was “all the ladies have gone ahead, why are you so slow..” I did not even have the energy to give a tight slap. I limbered along, the traffic was let on the streets at 3 hour 45 minute mark. There was only one other runner behind me, the rest had given up or finished. At an abandoned (last before finish line) water stall, I was sipping water. A police cop on his last round told me in hindi “bus chalte jana”. I remember running into the stadium: labourers were removing the presentation ceremony tables; rows of empty seats; and everyone was gone except around 10 of my friends. They had either run the half or full and were waiting for me. I crossed the finished line at the 4 hours and 9 minutes by my friend Nikhil’s stop watch. The runner behind me also finished and we shared a mutual admiration. There it was, I had done my first marathon. I was invited to give a speech at “sports dinner” at college, a nice icing on the cake for finishing. My title was “the also rans”.
It took me 6 more years to run my next marathon. This time I was doing my Ph.D. at the University of Washington, in Seattle. It was a cold, rainy November day. It was my best marathon and I had trained well with my friends Robbie and Ingo. The course was mainly on the Burke-gilman trail. The current Seattle marathon runs through the city.
Since then I have done Vancouver (2000), Mumbai (2005,2008), Runners-for life (2007), Kaveri-Trail (2008), Auroville (2010) marathons. Each has been a different story. Vancouver was great fun. The roads were filled with people on a warm April day and the race ran through Stanley park and other scenic points. I recall one funny incident. I was climbing a hill slowly in Stanley park and there in front of me was a sign which assured me the reason I was so slow. It read “speed limit 10km/hour”. Mumbai (2005,2008) were both hard to do. The heat and humidity are very energy sapping. Nevertheless it is still the best city marathon organised in India. The crowds come out, are very very encouraging, and the city celebrates. You can read more about my Mumbai run if you click here.
Kaveri-trail is along the canal next to Ranganathitu bird sanctuary, near Srirangapatinam. This is well organised by a group called Runners for life. It is a beautiful route on a mostly mud road; a 21km up and down route. So you do two loops to finish a marathon. There are water stops at regular intervals and an enthusiastic group of runners take part in it. Auroville marathon takes place in Auroville, Pudducherry. It is a fantastic forest covered route. It is well organised and also the waste is controlled here. It is a little hot but water stops and mile markers are neatly done. I really recommend this race if you are doing one in India. How often can you run in India: where you are alone; the entire area is wooded and the only sounds; and sights you hear are from the insects, birds and the movement of leaves from the wind ? Sadly, not many places.
The last three years I have been running for causes. Initially, I found this odd. You run is okay, you support a cause is okay but put together it sounded as an odd combination. As odd as a “pineapple and Jalapeno” pizza. If you have not tried those pizza toppings, the pizza tastes really good and you definitely finish it. The same is true for “running for a cause”. Somehow everybody takes it positively that you are reminding them that a cause is there for them to see. Additionally for you, since you told everyone, this obligation helps you to be more sincere towards the objective. So losers like me, even in the middle of training, do not slack off. There is not much pressure, as folks really want to see you try and are happy to donate to “the cause” that you have gotten them to notice. For me personally it has been a lot of fun to be in the Asha Bangalore marathon program. The amount raised has been consistently upwards on 1lakh rupee range and I have finished all the commitments that I promised as well. Take a look at my pages on that here (2007, 2008, 2009).
As always one should know that there are people way beyond oneself. One such person is, a super-star in his own right, Santhosh Padmanabhan. He has run 100 mile runs and is a truly inspirational figure in the Asha Bangalore marathon program which he currently runs. He has managed to get children from Asha supported projects to run in the races as well. A true self-belief inducing activity for the under-privilege children. He also sends us regular newsletters, quizzes along with each weekly running schedule email. Santhosh is now a full time coach and has started Runner’s High. They run several programs for both the uninitiated and the serious runners who want to go to the next level. I recommend them.
Marathon running can be tricky. The training is long and hard. It is still enjoyable always but painful at times. Typically one starts around 3 to 4 months before. In a gist, you start by running a 3-5km (say) the first weekend and slowly increase your mileage every weekend till you hit as close to 42km as you can three (or two ) weekends before the marathon. In the week you do a a variety of short runs and other activities to build up strength. A lot of things go wrong: you need to party the night before your long run; a virus hits you and you are down with a flu; you get injured; and the list is endless. It is a journey and has its ups and downs. For me running long distances on empty Bangalore roads on Sunday mornings or on lake trails or Cubbon park is a lot of fun. After the initial warm up pains, the middle stretch when everything is moving well is something that I remember a lot. Of course on a long run the last part which is new in terms of distance can get painful. Most of the time I tell myself, to make sure that I remember the painful parts so that I do not put myself through this again. It rarely works. The empty road/trail is there, you have t-shirt, shorts, socks and shoes, you got to run!
My next race will be the Kaveri-Trail marathon 2010, on 19 September, 2010. If you want to train with me then please do join. I will start slowly in May and really in June.
