Singapore Full Marathon 2008 (42km): 5 hrs 00 Min 35 Sec

Almost a sub five hour run.. !!!
This was something I had been planning, but it will come in just fourth race, was something I had not contemplated. Cutting down almost half an hour from the last years timing is a great feeling !! Till November, I was hardly prepared for a Full marathon, physically or mentally. It was only in last 30 days that I really slogged. If one can get used to the humidity levels, Singapore marathon is a great run. It remains one of the fastest growing sports event of Asia. A participation level of 50,000 runners in all levels is huge. They say, "Whatever time you finish, we will be waiting for you", shows to such a great extent the Organisers go to take care of the runners.
7th Nov, 5:30 am: Approximately 15,000 runners lined up for the run. Even at 5:30 am it was very humid. Since last year when I ran my first marathon over here, my entire approach had changed. Last year I was nervous, excited. Now it was a very mechanical activity. Land on Sat morning, run on Sunday and back on Monday. The race started near the Esplanade, leading thru the Business area for Singapore. In the month of September, on the same roads, there were formula 1 car scorching in the middle of the night, when Singapore hosted the world's first Night Grand Prix. Race was won by Lewis Hamilton, eventual Grand Prix champion for 2008. So while our shoes scorched on the same roads, the humidity level was very high. We were sweating profusely even at 6:00 am. The first 10 km finished in 1 hour, 6 mts.
As the sun rose, the weather become better, with little bit of clouds and wind. Running was smooth. I ensured that I was properly hydrated. At the 12km, we joined into the East Coast Park. One has to fall in love with this part of city. I had been waiting for this section of the run since last night. Lots of greenery, running view of the sea across the entire park, Ships anchored. The entire stretch of this park is 18 km and its worth every minute you spend over here. This stretch takes you almost till Changi Airport. The 11km to 20km were very smooth and comfortable. I was able to finish this leg in 1 hour 4 mts. For long distance runners, after a point, running becomes more of a yoga, control of breathing. There is a "breathing" pattern every runner has, synchronised with the steps. Once that is achieved, the runner can keep on running till finally legs give away. Once this state is achieved, he/she will never be out of breathe. This is what a runner means when one says "I got the rhythm".
The race was won by Luke Kibet, Kenyan, in 2 hours 13 mts, a record for this event. He had won the gold medal at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics in a time of 2:15:59 hours. That was the first Kenyan marathon victory at the World Championships since 1987.
As I closed onto the 20km to 30km, which took me 1 hour 13 mts, I was still feeling strength in my legs. Interestingly this was the first time I was not experiencing any feeling of a cramp or fatigue. It is at around 32km, the sun was shining brightly and was becoming hard for the runners. Thankfully most of Singapore is covered with lots of trees, imported from Malaysia. As I closed on the 35km mark I was feeling very upbeat, as I was exactly into 4 hours of the run. My best till date. Unfortunately I ran out of fuel after 35 km, as I took 1 hour to do last 7 km. The last 2 km of these runs are the best for obvious reasons. There are hoards of people to cheer and the feeling of finishing the 42k is always tremendous. I tried my level best to dash for the last 1 km to beat the 5 hour mark, but missed by 35 sec. Nevertheless, it was a real runners high feeling by improving on the timing by 29 minutes since last run at Singapore!! At one point when I thought I had reached the plateau of my performance, this one really spurred my imagination further and has motivated me to catapult myself to a completely different level all together.

Airtel Delhi Half Marathon (21km) : 2hrs 03 mts

Running a 21km Half marathon in close to 2 hours is no more a challenge. My normal schedule ensures that I do this every 10 days. But this race was different. It had different challenges. One, recovering from the exertion of a full marathon done in September (Berlin Marathon). Second challenge was copping up with a very demanding work pressure. The result of the same was that I barely ran for more than 3 days between 29th September and 8th Nov. I dared to participate without a preparation only because it was 21 km. Had it been a 42km, I would have safely stayed way. But there was always a doubt of uncertainty in terms of completion.
9th Nov, 2008, Delhi: Delhi Marathon projected as the richest Half marathon in Asia, with a tofla prize money of $2,10,000. This was the third edition of Delhi Half marathon, starting from Hutch to Vodafone and then finally to Airterl Delhi Half marathon. I have been lucky enough to participate in all three. This event had some 7000 participants. The weather in Delhi at this time of year is pleasant. A bit of smog ensured that the sun did not shine till the race was finished. Buzzing with excitement, the race started at 7:30. As always, its a pleasure running on the roads of Delhi, with no cars zipping past. Wide roads, greenery around, the coarse looks beautiful though out. I had come with a mind to enjoy the race. I wanted to enjoy the journey, not the destination, for that is where I was to spend more time.
I was consistently running a pace of 6 minutes per km. The 10 km mark was completed in less than an hour. Even at 10km, I could feel that still lot of energy was left. I continued to maintain the pace at 12km and beyond. When I touched 14km, I was doing a good pace of 5:30 minutes per km. This was really giving me a kick. But obviously I was running a risk of injuring myself. The best par to 21km i that even before you realised, the race is about to finish. At 15 km mark, I realised that only 6 km more where left. The weather was good and was really helping. I remember the first editing being held in Oct had sun shinning very strong at halfway.
This time the race was won by an Ethiopian, Deriba Merga, completing the race in 59 mts and 15 sec, a record time for this event. At Beijing Olympics, he had finished 4rth in the Marathon event. At around 18km finally my lack of preparedness started showing when I started slowing down. I could feel stiffness in my calves. Nevertheless I was feeling extremely satisfied so I didn't mind slowing down. I had kept a target of 2:20 minutes, but went much beyond my expectations. As I ran past the finishing line, I finished my 8th half marathon, and another completion medal on my soft board. Each and every medal I have, has a different story and different circumstances to relate, but there is one common string which runs across these medals, the feeling of grit and determination.

Berlin Full Marathon (42km) : 5hrs 18mts 47sec

"When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds: Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and your discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be."
Patanjali - Indian Philospher
28th of Sept 2008: Berlin, near Reichstag
Everytime a marathon runner gets on to the track, there are a lot of limitations the mind transcends. But then running a Berlin Marathon, one of the world's major marathon, in itself is one of the most divine experience. This is the biggest any stage can be. A participation of 40,000 people, 35 countries. A track which has created history a lot many times. It was just enough to inspire me to run a 5hr 18mts marathon, improvising my last marathon time (Mumbai) by 40 minutes and my best time (Singapore) by 11 minutes. It is the flattest of the tracks, with excellent history associated around each turn. Some of the fastest timings have been set on this course. This is year was no different. Haile Gabrselassie, from Ethiopia become the first man to run a marathon under 2hr 4 minutes.
Being used to run in the 25-20 degree temperature, a 10 degree temperature was a real treat to start with. My enthusiasm was too apparent, with runners moving around in full tracks, while I was roaming in my singlet and shorts. The temperature reached 14 degrees till the finish. As I was doing some warms up, a bunch of African runners crossed by. I knew I was watching the world champions/Olympic medal winners in action. The race was to start from Reichstag, a location which most of us recall in photographs of Hitler, while saluting his mighty army.
As the race started at 9:00 am. Some of the Norwegian runners had told me that its too early for them !! The enthusiasm was everywhere. First 10km are always a smooth sail. You enjoy the scenic beauty and enjoy being a part of the event. The city is very picturesque, having 30% of its area covered with trees, and a population of mere 34 lacs. Doing an overseas run is very different. A lot of things including health part needs to fall in place and finally being able to make it to the starting point is itself very satisfying. After this its just your mental and physical preparation. I finished the first 10k in exactly 1 hour.
My speed was good and I felt that I could do a good time. This is a very normal feeling at around 15 km. There was no reason for me to get carried away cause I knew it will be different once I cross the 25km mark. The atmosphere was vibrant, with families laying down make shift tables with their breakfast spreadout. There were rock bands playing saxophones and guitars. One samaritan went out of the way to offer beer to the runners. This is the first time I had beer while running a marathon. Not sure about others, but it did wonders for me. Meanwhile I crossed the famous TV tower "Fernsehturm" some 350 mts high, built by the East Berlin regime to prove their might. I finished the second 10km stretch in 1 hour 10 mts.
Its was a strange feeling running across from erstwhile East Berlin to West Berlin and why not. Some two decades before if I would have tried, I would be shot dead. There are a lot of stories attached to this place. As I was running in the 20km to 30km stretch, I started having cramps in the thigh muscle. This was a awkward situation. Technically thigh muscle is our walking muscle and hamstring is our running muscle. If I walked, then I would have damaged my thigh muscle all the more. I just hung on. Such situations attract lot of negative thought instantly. My mind was full with doubts and after travelling 7000km, I didn't want a DNC (Did not complete) put against my name. Minds starts to play very fast. I attracting negative thoughts which had no relation to marathon at all. But I guess the trick lay in hanging on to the last twig. As luck would have it, at around the 30km mark, cramps disappeared. I took some 1 hour and 25 minutes to complete this stretch of 20k to 30k.
After the 30k mark, I really started enjoying the run. One most remarkable thing about the run was that I did not see a single patch in entire 42km, where there were no people to cheer. Entire course was adorned with people enjoying the run. Once I crossed the 35km mark, I knew its a matter of time that I will reach the finish. This stretch took me across some beautiful Gothic structures. The pleasure of running on flat wide roads, covered with trees, autumn fall changing the color of maple leaves, historic monuments around, was immense. Berlin marathon is a dream run for a marathoners. I had to be blessed to have been able to be a part of this event. The 30k to 40 took some 1 hour 20 mts, which was faster then the 20k-30k stretch.
Then came the most romantic stretch, the last 2 km. This really gives a runners high. Its as if you have received a shot in the arm. The body runs in on its own, purely on its own momentum. Mind is numb and only thing it can think is of finishing. As I came on the last bit of the race, the feeling was awesome. The sight of Brandegurger gate towering ahead was one sight probably I shall never forget. As I successfully finished my third Full marathon, I felt that more than a platform to prove my physical endurance, this had become more of mental challenge; crossing of the finishing line. I know that with a mere 1 hour a day practice, I will be always be in the category of slow runners. But the challenge lies in stealing that 1 hour, despite the time pressure of multiple roles one has to play in life. So as they say..... Next is what.!!

Mumbai Full Marathon (42k) : 5hrs 51mts 55sec

If you are a part of those thousand Indians out of a Billion, who are to attempt the longest recognised athletic distance, you automatically know that you are a blessed soul. Its time to keep aside your higher-end training shoes, state-of-the-art instant dry apparels, Power gels, Energy Bars, and close your eyes with all modesty and humbleness to thank God for making this happen. Whether you complete the run or not, is totally on the preparation one has done. I must admit that some three weeks down the line I had lost my focus on the preparation. This showed significantly on the last 15km of the course.

7:40 am; 0:00:00, Azad Maidan; There were not many takers for the Full Marathon. Count was limited to 1300 participants, including overseas runners. During the start, there were a lot of enthusiastic runners from various walk of life. Surely, they knew what they are into. I definitely knew this would be a toughest race I would have done till date. As the race started, participants picked up their pace. Sun was already up an shining and was to just get stronger.

0 km - 10 km, 01:02:23 ; While doing the first 10k, I was keenly watching the half marathon contestants running on the other side of the road. Till last year I was a part of them. The first leg did not take much efforts and infact I was through the Peddar road flyover without any issues. I was satisfied with the current pace, looking at trying to improve my 5hr 28mt time of last marathon. Guess it was too early to judge.

11 km - 20 km, 01:10:40; The second leg of the race saw us go past Annie Besant road, to Worli Seaface, Shivaji Park and Mahim Junction. Though I managed this leg with comfort, but at around 18k, my calves were showing signs of fatigue, This was not a very good sign, as I had a significant distance to cover. Contestants were evenly spread out across the course. As I finished 20k mark, the Full Marathon was already won by some superhuman.

21 km - 30km, 01:33:20 ; This phase took us from Bandra Reclamation, back to Mahim Junction, Shivaji Park and then to Worli Seaface. At Bandra Reclamation, my wife and kids awaited with some drinks. For the first time my kids saw me running a race. But probably it would take them another 10 years to understand the magnonimity of the task. It surely was great feeling to see them amidst all the struggle. My knee had started paining. I knew this will just keep getting tougher from here on. It was already around 11:15 am. Heat was coming out from the tarmac into the shoes.

31 km - 42km, 02:06:00 ; I must admit that I had to walk most of this distance. My lack of practice and focus was showing up and I am definitely not trained to run at 12:30 pm or 1:00 pm. We were 4hr and 30 mts into the race. At Mahalaxmi race course, a police van was escorting a bus, meant for tired runners who wanted a hitch back to finish point. Some of the runners in the bus asked me to come in. Nothing doing. My legs were hurting, my sole was numb, but this option was definitely not on cards. They cheered my spirits as the bus went away. I was left wondering if I did the right thing. But this was not the end. Trust me, trying to run on the Peddar road at 1:00 pm, after you have already done some 35km is no joke. It can send your thoughts spiralling. I just wanted to go home, snuggle into my bed and go off to sleep, pretending that it was just a bad dream. I almost stopped a cab to take a ride back home. But just the thought of going back empty handed, without a completion medal was very depressing. My kids look forward for such booties. I continued walking. By this time traffic was released and we were left to fend for ourselves, mostly running or walking on the footpath. As we reached near the finishing point, I was in no condition to run, but managed to cross the line at 05:51:55. This was surely a bad day at the office. I did get the completion medal, which I gladly handed over to my kids as soon I reached home. They were thrilled. Now it is lying somewhere at the bottom of their toy basket. Anyway, its was never mine, it was always theirs.

I read this line somewhere, "I am a dedicated and determined marathon runner, only God can judge my running and only God can stop me from running."- Anonymous.