Singapore Full Marathon (42k): 5hr 30mts

Singapore Marathon will always have special place, as it all started from this event, my first attempt at 42km. This was the third consecutive year that I was participating in this event. As I stood at the starting point of the Marathon, with tall scrapers of May Bank, OCBC, and other big names, at the back drop, famous Fullerton Hotel on your right, Singapore Flyer on your left, it took me back to the feelings I experienced before the beginning of the first run. Now almost 6 marathons and some 10 half marathon old, preparatory steps are mechanical affair. This event has really grown in size. While some 6000 runners participated in first run in 2002, 50,000 runners participated in the 2009 edition!! This was one of the biggest participation count in the world. Of these 50,000 runners, 17,000 were doing the 42km. Around this time of year, Singapore is all lit up. Even at 5:30am, the lights were dangling on the trees across both sides the road.

6th Dec 2009: 5:30 am, Esplanade: Be it Delhi, Amsterdam, Singapore, MJ’s music has been omnipresent everywhere, after his demise. Theoretically I should have been really prepared for this run as two times in last six weeks I had trained for 30+km. But somewhere, somehow, 8-10 days prior to the run I lost the focus. As I stood at the starting point just a minute prior to the run, I realized that I have never ever felt so burdened with the distance of the run. The first few kilometers we ran across the Business District. The humidity level was very high and runners were profusely sweating. To top it, even at 3km, my mind was already playing games. I was actually counting 39km to go!! I knew I would not last long with this approach. I had to have a strategy. I just waited for completion of 10km, which I did in 1hr 9mts. It was way slower than my Amsterdam timing, where I had taken 55mts.

11k-20k: 1hr 4mts: At around 10k I decided that I would take a two minute walk break after every 5km thereon. At around 12 km we reached the Kailang area and from there we entered the East Coast Park, as always, my favorite part. Almost a 10km stretch across the sea, adorned with lots of trees, well marked path the cyclists, roller blade runners, joggers, camping families. Around 14km, I saw one handicapped runner, with one leg having an artificial running blade. Well it was great to see that there are souls floating at much higher levels of insanity. This stretch took us almost to the Changi district, from where we turned back. With the new found strategy I was looking forward for the next 5km, rather than the 42k mark. I just kept myself well hydrated. In no time I was past the half way mark. Well ‘no time’ technically was equal to 2hr 13mts, but mentally it was one milestone.

21k-30k:1hr 20mts. One of the prerequisite of distance running is to get used to you. In the times of wireless world, even the time spent alone is not our own. While doing sessions with his writer, for the controversial autobiography 'Open', Andre Agassi has famously quoted that it was very difficult as he was asked to talk on the subject he hardly knew about: me. Consider this, in the darkness of early mornings, for hours the only company you have is of 'me', the only thing that your ears can hear is the rhythmic sound of your shoes and your breath. If the mind is managed well, they can be 'thought altering' experiences, else these moment can drive you insane, only to ensure you never get off your bed the next time. I see a lot of runners practicing with headphones on. They claim that it helps them focus; I classify it as an act of escapism. On the way back on East Coast Park, it was a sight watching scores of ship docked. At a few junctions where was lot of music but my ability to enjoy was diminishing and ankle was becoming stiffer. I saw one runner with caption on his singlet, “3 months back it was a great idea “and I could not help but laughing at myself.

310k-42k; 1hr 57mts; In the last leg of the run, we were heading back towards the City Hall. The sun was very strong by now and it was very a difficult situation by any standards. I was almost tempted to hitch a ride with the cyclists who were passing by. During this course I got to pass by some scenic places like the Kailang Cricket Ground, Kailang Riverside Park. I just kept on moving at a snail’s pace, watching a lot of runners pulling aside due to cramps. This race was turning out to be one big lesson that so important it is to keep oneself extremely focused and fit to the last hour to ensure that you finish the event as strong as you started it. I finally crossed the line at 5hr 30mts, definitely not the best of my timings. Nevertheless, this race was a small tribute to the two superwomen back home, who ensure that I always get the right feed and the right mental makeup to get back on the track time and again. It is said that every sportsperson gets one chance to run the race of his or her lifetime, when everything falls in place; as though the universal forces have set the stage...…I will strive for that moment.

Delhi Half Marathon 2009 (21k): 1hr 52mts

Attempting a half marathon within two weeks of a Full Marathon is a big challenge, well atleast at my level. There are always possibilities of injuries. Delhi has been hosting Half marathon event for last 5 years. This was my fourth consecutive participation in Delhi Half Marathon. Organiser claim this event to be the richest Half Marathon event of Asia. A very interesting claim, considering that this is a sport interest has arisen very recently, in our country. A participation of almost 30,000 people is high by any standards. Some 10,000 runners did the 21k and another 19,000 participated in 7k. Arrangements during the run are world class. Preparing of this run was a different experience, as I was just through with a 42k two weeks back. Rather it was more of recovery focussed strategy, doing only small distances at leisure speeds, termed as 'active rest' in long distance running parlance.

1st Nov, 2009, 7:30 am, Nehru Park: Each year the fanfare increases in this event. You come across a lot of first timers, vocal about their apprehensions. One runners was heard enquiring on what should he do if he realises that he cannot do more than 10k. Some smart guy told him to walk back the same distance to start line! The weather was good, with temperature hovering around 18 degree. As the race started, I dodged across the runners. I had a time target in mind. From the Nehru park, course head towards Lodhi Garden. Its only on foot that you can appreciate the beauty of this city. Wide and flat roads, adorned by trees on both sides give a good feeling. I finished the first 5k in 25mts 15sec.

6k-10k: 26mts 20sec: The next leg was from on the Prithvi raj road. I was running at a good pace and kilometer marks were zipping past. There was one big change I noticed this time around. A few local rock/metal groups were positioned on key places, belting out popular number Eric Clapton, Rolling Stones, Shankar Ehsan Loy, U2. Some of them were really good, making the journey to finish line more interesting. My leg were feeling strong and I was going as per the plan.

11k-15k: 27mts 48sec: This leg takes us to Rajpath leading to Rashtrapati Bhavan. The moment you turn left from India gate, towards the residence of President, view is amazing. The road as straight as it can be elevating far ahead, giving a glimpse of the majestic building. I have grown up seeing this sight, but it never seizes to amaze me. At around 13k, I started having pain in my right knee. A four year old pain, which was resurfacing. I reduced the length of my strides, as I did not want to put more stress on the knees. There are some interesting runs lined up. This race was won by Derbia Merga from Ethiopia in 59:54, for second consecutive year.

16k-21k: 32mts 37sec: At around 17k, I had lost the pace because of the pain in my knee as I was very cautious not to over exert the knee. The weather was still good for running, As we kept approaching the finishing line, intensity of music, cheering also increased. Fortunately, with the change in running style my knee pain subsided by 18k. But I was in no mood to sprint. I crossed the finishing line in comfortable time of 1hr 52mts. But the race was still not finished for me. My much inspired sister was attempting her first ever 7k run. The 7k race started the time I had finished my run. Immediately after finishing my run, I joined her in 7k race to pep her up. Frankly, I had vested interest in it. As per the plan, she was to drop me back to the airport directly after the race and I wanted to be sure that she does not faint somewhere and also that she finishes the race in good time. Well, she did finish it comfortably and she did drop me to the airport. I guess my race finished only when I sat in the plane, took off my shoes, closed my eyes, putting my body in auto recovery mode. So as Jimi Hendrix says, ' Excuse me, while I kiss the sky......'.

Amsterdam Marathon (42k) : 4hrs 50mts

"What gets me back on the track to run 42 km, or what wakes me up on a fine Sunday morning, to do 70k to 80k of cycling, I don't know. But I surely would want to do more of it, till my will and body permits". These thoughts crossed my mind, as the plane soared into the sky, towards Amsterdam, the capital city of Holland. This was my fifth Full marathon. Amsterdam has been hosting marathon for last 33 years. It is considered as one of the top 10 marathons of the world (2/10 done, 8/10 to go). The beauty of canals and typical Dutch houses around these canals, tulip gardens, can take the breath away. If that is not enough, the race starts from the Grand Stadium that was built in 1928 to host the Olympics. The magnanimity of entire place leaves you in an awe. For statistics, Olympic Flame was lit for the first time and India had won its first ever gold in hockey in these Olympics.

18th Oct, 2009:10:30 am, Olympic Stadium: In cold countries, races start very late compared to tropical countries where start time is around 6am. There was a participation of 30,000 runners in all categories, while 42k comprised of 9000 runners. Outside the stadium, flags of 60 odd countries were put up, because there were participants from all these countries. I searched for it,. Yes, it had to be there, the tri colored flag fluttering in the wind. A temperature of 10 degree and some cold winds had forced me to buy an extra running top to keep the body warm. Race started in staggering time. No matter how any runs one has done, a distance of 42k is so long that you always start from the scratch. Runners took on the streets of Amsterdam. The first 10k took us through one of the greenest patch of city, the Vondelpark. Small canals, gardens , numerous trees made the scene look so perfect. This stretch also saw us pass through Rijksmuseum and Van Gough Museum, which house some of the most recognised paintings in the world, The Sunflower and The Night Watch, by Van Gogh and Rembrandt, respectively. Each of these paintings would cost millions of dollars. The city of Amsterdam is very small (219 sq km with a population of 8 lacs only). After the loop of 10k, we headed towards the country side. I finished the first 10k leg in 55mts 47sec.

11k-20k, 1:00:37: I was maintaining a speed of 12k/h, which I normally do in a 21k. I guess a bit of inexperience showed up here. I undermined the efforts that would be required after 25k. At 18k I did slow down a bit, but I guess, the body resources were already reducing. If city was beautiful, the country side was amazing. A small road ran right through, with the Amstel river on left, and beautiful cottage houses with lovely garden and driveways on the right. This followed by green farmlands, aesthetically divided in square shapes, randomly studded with grazing sheep and cows. As we continued running along the Amstel river. there were a few groups rowing in the river and interestingly the group comprised only of middle aged women. No wonder, Dutch have a very strong sports culture. After a point, we took a U-turn over a bridge and headed back towards city. It was a bit hot and I was sweating for the first time.

21k-30k, 1:13:57: I term this stretch of 21k to 30k as the dark phase. Runners have already covered a lot of distance, yet the finishing line is far away and running tends to get very mundane. This is the time when minds starts to play games. Stretch of Amstel river continued almost till 28k. The weather was getting a bit cold again. There were excellent arrangements of water, energy drinks, fruits though out the course, at every 5km. While I had touched 22km, the race was won by a debutante, 21 year old Kenyan, Gilbet Yegon in 2hr 6 mts, improving the course time by 1 second. Over two and half hours into the run, I was having major hunger pangs. It was around 1:00 pm in Amsterdam, but was beyond meal time as per my body cycle (4:30 pm IST). I had not had a proper meal since morning. Moreover, I had been up by 4:30 am local time, not because of excitement, but more due to time difference. At one of the replenishment station, I literally gobbled up on bananas. My speed had slowed down and ankles had started hurting by now. I really wanted to finish the race as fast as possible. This stretch saw us pass through more of commercial buildings.

31k-40k, 1:23:29: Crossing 30k mark is like passing one mental barrier. The remaining stretch saw us run along the canal till 38k mark. There are over a hundred kilometers of canals in the city, adorned by 1500 bridges. With ankles and knees hurting mad, the beauty of houses across the canals seemed a bit diminished. No practice is ever enough. I had worked on lot on my muscles and weighed some 4kg less than what I weighed in my last marathon (Dec'8, Singapore). Even then, the condition was just getting worst. There were lot of people cheering and pushing the runners. As I reached the 35km mark, I had enough of bananas, energy drink and power gel that another sweet thing in my mouth and I would have thrown up. My body was craving for salt. Temperature had dipped again and cold winds had started blowing. We entered the Vondelpark again. One common aspect of European cities is that in the name of development, Local bodies have not compromised on the quality of life of denizens. Space for cycles, pedestrians are clearly marked. There are about a million cycles in Amsterdam, which more than the city population.

As I touched the 40k mark, I got back my energy, and pain in legs didn't matter any more. Best part of the race was yet to come. We raced toward the gate of Olympic stadium and as we entered the arena, the place was full of hundreds of people cheering loudly. We ran the last lap on the tracks. Only thing I could feel was the goose pimples. I crossed the finishing line at 4hr 50mts, 10 mts better than my best time. In quantitative terms, Marathon runners burn some 2500kcal - 3000kcal in entire run, something unheard of in a country where cricket is considered to be strenuous sport. It takes weeks to recover from the micro stress and tears. Mind screams when I think of putting on the shoes for another run, but I guess taking it to another level, that's the fun!

Kaveri trail Marathon, 2009

The Kaveri Trail Marathon held in the outskirts of the historical town of Srirangapatnam, 140km from Bangalore, was a unique run. It was my first complete trial run, with the entire course running parallel to one of the tributary of Kaveri river. It was the 3rd edition of this run. This event was organized by ‘Runners for Life’ group of Bangalore and Bangalore Hash house Harriers. The trail ran between the agricultural farmlands. Running a 21k is not difficult, but life has its own ways of posing new challenges. Exactly 15 days prior to this run, thanks to the bout of viral, I was struggling to run even a single kilometer. This run was almost scrapped from my schedule. But somehow I pursued on to the training, considering that this run would be a good preparatory run for upcoming bigger runs. A strict control on the diet and schedule got me somewhere. Even then, a 10k in 1 hour which normally showed my heartbeat 130 p.m., was now reading 150 pm. Obvious that body was experiencing more stress. Only way to counter this is run, run and run. Hence I added a few mid night runs in the schedule (Recommended only if you can dodge the dogs in your neighborhood). So a weekend prior to the run, I had touched 15km mark.

13th Sept, 2009; 7:00 am, Srirangapatnam : Reaching the start point itself was a big task. It went like; wake up at 2:30am, get race ready, reach the bus pick up point at 3:45 am, 2 hr and 30 mts bus travel from Bangalore to Srirangapatnam, and finally run for next 2 hour or so. But this didn’t deter 700 odd runners (all categories) to make this event successful. As the race started, runners took off with lot of excitement. Weather was good, cloudy, slight windy. The trail was very narrow, that at some points only two runners could run shoulder to shoulder. We were to reach a point 10.5 Km away and then head back on the same course. This was no place to set personal record, keeping in mind that I was still not 100% strong ; hence I ran a very comfortable pace. It took me 1 hr 6 mts to complete the first leg of 10.5 km. There was a good arrangement of water, energy drinks and fruits throughout the course. Palm trees and paddy fields made the scenery look extremely beautiful.

The return back to finishing point was going well till 12-13 km, but after that clouds disappeared and sun became very strong making the runners slower. In such races, the key lies in finishing the race as fast a possible, as it gets difficult at exponential levels if runners spend more time on the course. The trail itself was another reason for running slowly, as one has to keep a watch of loose pebbles and stones to avoid any ankle twist or a fall. For once I did feel like stopping and walking for some distance, but then I pushed myself to continue running. At a pace of 6mt 30sec per km, I continued running. I could see a lot of runners exhausted and walking their way back to finishing line. In normal road runs, I have picked up pace during the last 5 km, but I just became slower after very kilometer. My shoes felt so flat and sole hurt, I thought I needed a new pair, to realise later on that it was because of the running on pebbles that was causing this effect. I finished the last leg of 10.5 km in 1 hour 9 mts. The sun was shinning really hard. It was definitely a feel good factor, finishing this route with no injuries and sprains. It gave me just the confidence for the runs scheduled in upcoming months.

As Tiger Woods say 'The only way to get really good at something is to practice to a point where you don’t want to do anything the next day — and then come back and continue to do the same thing'. With 14 major PGA championships and over 70 tour titles under his belt, it’s safe to assume that Woods knows what he is talking about.

BSA Hercules Bangalore Duathlon, 2009

Finally we have a duathlon event of our own. BSA Hercules Bangalore Duathlon 2009 was officially the first of its kind in India. Some of my overseas friend might find it amusing but then we are largely cricket crazy nation. Such things don't make much of news. Duathlon is typically a Cycling and Running event. Though on the surface one might feel that there isn't much of a culture for such sports, but scratch a little deeper, and you will see a completely different tribe of people leading a parallel life to make such events possible in this country. Bangalore happens to be light years ahead of other cities, with various running and cycling groups in action. Runners for life (RFL) group being one of them, responsible for conducting this event. Though this event was sponsored by BSA Hercules, it showcased some of the higher end, premium bikes from Bianchi, Trek, Merida etc. These bikes can range from INR 30,000 to INR 1 Lac and above. These bikes happen to be equipped with state of the art technology - disc brakes, adjustable shockers, smooth gear changing system, flip and dismantle concept. Some road bikes can weigh no more than 8 kilos.

This event was conducted on 14th of June, 30km away from Bangalore on the Sarjapur Highway. There were a total 300 odd participants, out of which 200 took part in 5km/10km event, and 100 of them did 10km/20km. Participants had to run a 5km distance, cycle for 20 km and then run 5 km distance again.

5 km, 26 mts 54 sec: Beautiful weather greeted us in the early hours of morning. The location being far away from city was green as far as eyes to look. The race started at 7:17 am. It was a completely difference feeling. While running 5k was not a challenge but running 15% faster than normal speed, on a road which is anything but flat course is a breath taking experience. There was adequate arrangement of water and fruits across the course. At 7:30 in the morning, even the highway was relatively empty. As we completed the 5 km run, the bikes were neatly stacked in 'transition' area.

20km, 55 mts 25 sec: As we picked up the bike, participants had to walk a bit in order to ensure bikers don't hit the runners coming to pick up the bike. Moving from running to cycling was an easy transition. Body takes this opportunity to 'recover' during this phase. All kinds of bikes zipped on the course. It was great feeling to hit the road. At some parts where there was too much of climb, it did become tough, but a great experience. Thankfully there was no unfortunate incident with traffic being manage by traffic police very effectively. Though I am used to covering 70k to 90k on my bike, but racing along with others means you are always pushing your body.

5 km, 32 mts 30 sec: As we approached the last leg, I knew this will be toughest one. We parked the bikes on the same spot, neatly and started our last 5 k run. This transition is the toughest and trust me, a lot of server space on the internet has been utilised to make the participants aware on how to tackle such transitions, so much so there are forums on handling transitions. Professional Athletes train specially to handle these transition phases. In simple words, body takes huge efforts to switch from usage of one set of muscles to another. Entire body goes thru a drag effect. It took me some 10-12 minutes to get used to running. Ones in the groove, it was mere momentum that kept going. As we reached the finishing point, organisers were standing congratulating each and every participant.

This was a very different experience than just running for hours and hours. But than, its a challenge conducting such events where there is not much of know-how. Seeing the first time response, I am sure it will encourage Organisers to do a bigger show next time. In a place like Mumbai, cycling is typically associated with the peons, milk man, delivery boys. Hopefully we have more of these events picking up all across the country, creating awareness on what fun it can be riding these state of the art eco friendly machines.

Sorry! No photos this time !!

Mumbai Half Marathon 2009 (21 km) : 1 hr 49 mts

"If god invented marathons to keep people from doing anything more stupid,
the triathlon must have taken Him completely by surprise."

"I want 1hr 45mts this time ", I heard her firm voice, as I was leaving the house. I nodded, with little nervousness. This was out of the box thinking from my wife. Just one and half month back, I had clocked 2 hr 3 mts in Delhi, on an absolute flat course one can get. Mumbai course was definitely not so flat. But at 5 am, while heading for the big event, my male instincts advised against any counter reaction. The course and heat were precisely the reason why I chose to stay away from 42 km this time. Last year's experience still lingered in my mind, even though I went on to do some decent full marathons after that. All I knew was that it being my last race for this season, it had to be something special.

For last few years, three of us have been representing a NGO, Multiple Sclerosis Society of India (MSSI) in Mumbai Marathon. Rajeev Khatri, from Delhi participated in wheel-chair race, Milind Soman from Mumbai ran the 42 km, and I ran in 21 km category. Rajeev has won a bronze medal in Malaysia Open, Tennis-on-Wheelchair in the month of October. All three of us had unique experience and surely some stories to share while participating in this event. In terms of participation, Mumbai marathon is just becoming bigger and bigger. A count of 35,000 runners in all categories is an evidence in itself. But 42 km (unlike Overseas Marathons) still remains a not so favored category amongst the runners with a mere participation of 2,500.

18 Jan 2009, 6:45 am, CST: As the race began, I knew I had to follow a plan and I would be required to do a lot of calculations also. The music, cheers and people added a lot of vigour. Before any long distance run, two aspects are to be taken care, eat well and keep hydrated. First 5km to 7km, body really struggles to get the momentum. Timing of 1:45 was in the back on my mind. I managed to do first 5km in 25 mts 25 sec, but I was already panting. I did wonder if I would be able to maintain this pace for next 16km. One of the best ways of increasing speed in long runs is to do fast 8-10km or fast 15 km repeatedly during training. By the time we finished the 8km mark we were on our way to Peddar road. For once I was leaving more runner behind, then being left behind. Just after Haji Ali we completed 10 km, taking 26 mt 10 sec for the next 5 km. I was almost on the target, but key lay in running faster then before. The course took turn from Mela Restaurant at Worli and continued back.
On the way back, Peddar road climb was to be tough in order to maintain the pace. The best part of this entire experience was that till the end I never frowned or felt discomfort mentally or physically. I was very relaxed and really into it. On the way back we met the lead pack of full marathon runners. As always a sight to watch them run. I kept on pushing till I touched 15km, 26mt 30sec for third leg. From here on it was down hill and then the flat course of Marine drive. A slight change in style of running and some hours I spent in Gym in past two months were showing up. For the last 8 km, I managed to tag along with two runners, maintaining a good pace. At Churchgate I touched 20km mark, 26 mts 42 sec in last leg of 5 km. It was already 1:44. There was no way I could complete the run in 1:45, but I did get her message. I was already dashing to the finishing line with personal best timing of half marathon. I finished the last 1 km in 5:12, clocking the half marathon in 1hr 49mts, my personal best time.

In last four months I successfully completed 2 full (42km) marathons and 2 half (21km) marathons. Definitely a feat I want to celebrate. While I was enjoying my achievement, lost in my thoughts, I heard her firm voice again, "You should take a year sabbatical and prepare for Commonwealth Games 2010 !!"....Powerful thought !!!