Organizers : L S Sports
Race Category : Half Marathon (21.1 Km)
Date : 4th Jan, 2015
Result : 2 Hours 22 mins and 45 secs. 335th in Age category & 425th overall. Total participants 866.
Pain is Temporary..Glory is Eternal !!
Preparation :
I started running in Aug 2014. Joining ADR ( Amdavad Distance Runners) was the turning point for me. I learnt the importance of form, stretching and cross training from my excellent mentors at ADR.
After the highly successful Chennai Triathlon, I took a break for a whole week. I wanted to rest and do basic physiotherapy to get in shape for the Half Marathon. Statistically I had never ran a distance more than 14 Km in a single attempt. Also my pace was around 7 min/km on most training days. But all the running before the Chennai Triathlon gave me the confidence that I could do a half marathon, no matter how slow. The only concern was the ITB pain in my right knee.
With a week to go, my confidence took a dent when I had to turn back at just 2 Km on my first run after the Triathlon. I decided not to run anymore, rest the knee and directly run on Race day. With 3 days to Race day, my sweet wife (who was preparing for her 10K) asked me to accompany her for as long as possible for a slow long run. We ended up doing a 10 km in about 1 hr 40 mins, which though slow, went easy on my legs and gave me the much needed shot of confidence.
Overall I went into Race day with around 240 Kms of running under my belt in the past 5 months.
Travel and Acclimatization :
This was home turf, so no travel or acclimatization required. Race venue was about 3 km from my residence.
Eve of the Race
I had always dreamt of a sub 2.15 on my first HM. I knew it wasn't going to be possible anymore, considering the injury. I made a more conservative target of 2hr 30 mins and made a small note of the splits that I would have to achieve at 5-10-15-18 km points. Even a 2.30 sounded over fetched but I tend to make myself targets that are slightly out of reach.
Hogged on home cooked dinner, drank an extra bottle of water and hit the bed at 10 pm.
Race Course:
Race course was primarily flat with tarred roads. No uneven or trail surfaces were to be encountered. All hydration and aid points were well marked and evenly distributed. Thankfully the route of the 5Km race didn’t coincide with that of the 21 or 10 km race. Race Director Lihas and the committee had smartly designed the race course.
Race day :
It was slightly chilly and windy at 15 degree Centigrade. Had a pre-race banana and a glass of water before leaving home. The atmosphere at the race venue was electrifying. You feel pumped when you see the elites warming up and stretching. Took a few pics with my run buddies, jogged, stretched and warmed up.
First to go out were the 10K participants. Tried to look for wifey but couldn’t trace her ( She eventually triumphed with a personal best of 1.32 for her 10K). After a gap of 5 mins the 21K participants were flagged off. The first Km was very unnerving because I felt everyone around zip-zapping around me and flying off. Most of the crowd just shoots out of the starting mark. I consciously took it slowly as advised by experienced runners and also to conserve my legs for the later part of the race.
I chugged on slow and steady, smiling to everyone standing on the sidelines with a camera( can’t find my pics anywhere though :P). By 4Km, my bladders were bursting with all the extra water I drank before the race in the name of hydration. Thank and God Bless the organizers for keeping portables at regular intervals.
My happiest moment was at the 5Km point when my mobile app announced that I was doing a cool 6.45min/Km. I was required to do a 7.17min/km as per the small note in my pocket and here I was doing pretty good pace without any trouble on the knee.
By 7 km, I could see that a lot of the crowd who had sprinted ahead at the starting point, were now walking. At the 9 km mark, I saw a van with a flashing beacon going pretty fast in the opposite lane. My jaw dropped to see that the race leader was being led by that vehicle. Here I was at 9 K and that guy had done 17. The sheer pace and athleticism left me in awe.
I was enjoying the pace that I had set. The DJs and their music at strategic points made sure that everyone remain pumped. A lot of school students were volunteering for the event and pleasantly handed out energy drinks, water and oranges at every Km interval. I kept sipping in small doses on the ORS(electrolyte) to balance the salt and water loss.
Meeting Anu(wife) in the opposite lane as she was returning was another happy moment. She looked really good. I was wary of accelerating as I was already going better than my plan. I stopped looking at the note altogether, as my average pace never fell to 7 min/km.
Running and chatting with my run buddies took me till 14 K mark where I took a breather. Stretched out my legs, took another sip and off again. They journey of the 21 km in an actual event is so different from a training run. You meet so many inspirational people, who have come from far and wide to participate. Some really elderly participants who ran so effortlessly. Most people in our society just want to rest in an easy chair at that age, and here there were a few who were being inspirations for youngsters like me(Young at 31 :P).
At 18 Km, I was pulling on my reserves. Exhaustion was creeping in and I had was struggling to keep it going. Our wise chief at ADR would always say, “ The race actually starts after 18Km”. I struggled with each step and slowly the pain was catching up. At 19 Km, I stopped and bent down to stretch my hamstring. I kept holding onto my ankles when I heard someone shout out my name from behind. One of my run buddies was shouting at the top of his voice. Asking me not to stop, asking me to keep running. It was the kick in the butt wanted. I shot off from there, closed my mind of all pain and ran to the final corner.
The rousing welcome at the finish line by my wife, friends and all the ADR members is etched in my memory now. I crossed the finish line at 2 hr 22 min 45 secs, well before the targeted 2.30.
Event Organizer Review:
The Good
- Nice route planning
- Good volunteering by school children
- Good traffic blockage and security by the personnel
- Good sponsor support.
The Bad
- There should have been some cleanliness guidelines too. People were throwing water bottles, ORS packs, orange peels etc on the road. I personally saw one runner almost having a nasty fall when he slipped on a water bottle cap thrown carelessly on the road. Even the police personnel who were participating in the race were throwing litter right on the road. Shouldn't the authorities lead by example?
- When the nation is talking about Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan, the race route didn't have ample dust/litter bins. I believe that a dust bin should have been kept around 200-500m from every nutrition station so that the runner can discard the bottle property.
- Wastage. There was so much wastage in terms of fruit, water, drink. If it could have been given in smaller installments then wastage could have been reduced. Many runners didn't get refreshments at the end of the race. Water and ORS could have been brought in 20 litre capacities and handed out in paper cups. No one can drink 200 ml in one go while running. Around 100-150ml is always wasted.
Dose'O'Inspiration:
My inspiration have been all the senior citizen who participated in 10k/21k and my wife who shaved off a mighty 30 mins from her previous 10Km race.
Take Home Lessons:
- Don’t drink excessive water before or during the race. Drink(water) like fish on the eve of the race, not on race day.
- Manage injury better ie Train smart. If possible train at lower intensity instead of stopping altogether
Next Target : A sub 2.10 HM
Conclude
This was the first time ever that I ran 21 Kms(Inclusive of training). Incredibly happy to finish the race well within my targeted time and to see the other half do it in style too. Am I in pain after the race? Hell Yeah!! But then, PAIN is temporary…. GLORY is ETERNAL !!!!
PS
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Event Pics
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Event Pics
