21st Jan, 6:30 am: It was a usual Sunday morning. I was warming up to do my usual long distance run. As usual I had planned to do 21 km. But the unusual thing about today was that I would be doing 21km with 7000 odd runners. After all it was the day for Stanchart Mumbai Marathon. The atmosphere was amazing. Like so many of other runners, I also had a point to prove to myself.
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0 km; 0:00 ; Near CST: Half marathon (21 km) started at 6:45 am. This was my 6th half marathon but I could still feel the goose bumps all over my body. ‘This is what I want to do for the rest of my life’, I said to myself. There was excitement and cheering. I knew I had to be careful not to be carried away by this infectious enthusiasm. I would be running continuously for next 2 hours.
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5km; 28 mts; Crossing the scenic Marine Drive: I turned around to see the sun rise. It was beautiful. Already half an hour into run, I could feel the fatigue and panting. I knew this is early excitement and body will get into rhythm by 8-9 km. I continued to sip some water while running.
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10km; 58mts; Near Haji Ali: We were done halfway. The first tough part of running over Kemps corner flyover was done. At 12k, I could feel the body getting tired. It was time to consume a bar of Mars. That gave me good boost to pick up the pace. On the way back, I was game for another climb over the Kemps Corner flyover. Some of the best races were run with slow first half and fast second half.
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15km; 1hr:28mts; Marine Drive crossing: I knew I was doing a good time and could look at sub 2 hours time. This thought pushed me further. I was pouring water over me, to keep myself cool. I could feel the pain in my legs. It took me another bar of Mars to give some fillip. There is always a unique bonding amongst the running community which help see thru the tough times. A chat or two on the way, with other runners helps you get back to focus.
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17km; 1hr:42mts; Marine drive: Now with just 4 km left, I went on to push my body further. It was then that I had this wonderful experience, which also inspired me to write this article. I had it in my heart to do a sub 2 hour run and I knew I was near it. I started having goose bumps and sudden rush of adrenalin. At the last stage I was doing 5 mts per km. This was my fastest pace in entire race. I was full of energy, clenching my teeth. The pain had disappeared and I was breathing hard.
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Finally I could see the finish line. The pace kept on increasing and pain kept on decreasing. I could hardly hear the noise around. Unfortunately I missed the mark by 3 mts, completing in 2:03. But the last 4 km gave me a real booster, since I knew I could have continued running, if required. In other words, I am mentally ready to aim for a 42 km, the dream of all runners…. So excuse me, while I kiss the sky.
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Till date performances in SCMM :
SCMM 2005, 21k : 02hrs 42mts
SCMM 2006, 21k : 02hrs 09mts
SCMM 2007, 21k : 02hrs 03mts
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