Goa River Marathon 2013

Well, I had decided to run the Goa River marathon this year instead of  the ADHM basically because they were too close to each other and this would be my first run in Goa. Normally, ADHM is conducted in November. Well, am I glad I did that, as I thoroughly enjoyed the run. To be frank, I was not well prepared for the run as I had just returned from a trip to Delhi and on the previous weekend I had gone for a family outing to a scenic place near Bhimashankar. So while I did enjoy myself, I missed out on  the long run on Sunday and the other training runs on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  I was having trouble with my right knee outer lateral side( ITBS), and  stiff hamstrings. I had booked in Konkan Kanya Express on Friday night which reaches Madgaon next day morning at 1045 hrs. I was travelling 2nd sleeper as there were no reservations available in AC and I had a side lower berth. The konkan journey was really scenic but it started getting cold in the night and I was only carrying a bedsheet to cover myself. The berth was  a wee bit short for me and a bit uncomfortable. The train was 1 hr late and we reached Madgaon at 1145 hrs and I took a pilot bike to reach my relatives place in NOFRA, Vasco. 

    I slept in the afternoon for about an hour and went to collect my Bib at Baina beach at around 1745 hrs . Dr Vallabhjee( am I getting the name right?) was giving  a speech on injuries and sports science. He had completed Comrades twice in less than 8 hrs. Amazing man, I must say. Well, he addressed the exact problem as if I had told him that I was having a stiff hamstring and ITBS, and made us do some glute pumping exercise. It seemed to provide some relief. He also explained that knee pain especially on the outer side ( ITBS) was actually due to the gluteus medius not firing and leading to stiffening of the IT band and causing the patella to be pulled outward , causing pain. So the root cause was identified and that was needed to be treated and not the knee. He also showed some exercises for the glute. I sincerely followed whatever he taught and tried doing it at home that night itself. I also did some exercises taught to me by Sushant Karkera, a great runner in our group. I did get a lot of relief and was feeling much better. I applied Volini gel and went to sleep early at about 2030 hrs after a nice meal of pasta and rice. But trouble was waiting for me, I was feeling very heavy in the stomach and had this queasy feeling when I went to bed. I woke up at 0330 hrs with a very bad feeling about my tummy. I drank a lot of water and had a banana. I was suffering from indigestion and had loose motions. I gulped a pudin hara tablet and hoped like hell that it would become alright. I then started getting ready for the run. My  right knee was still a bit stiff but much better. I did some dynamic stretches and crossed my fingers. I was definitely not in the best of my spirits, but I told myself that there was no way that I was going to pull out in the last minute and focussed my thoughts and energies on being absolutely fine and healthy.

    We left home at 0515 and reached the site at about 0535 hrs. I couldnt spot the Savio group runners anywhere. I searched around and finally I saw Pervin, Aishwarya, Santa and the entire gang near the start point. I did my warming up and joined them for the start. Savio was flagging the race and then he jumped down and joined in the run. We started dot on time and I started running slowly. It seemed people were trying to run too fast or something because I saw Sunil take off very fast and heard Pervin telling Parin that if you want to do a sub 2 hr, you have to run like Sunil. I heard that and increased  my pace a bit, but normally, I always start slowly and increase my pace only after about 4-5K. Here I found myself running the first 4K with the 2hr pacer Mr Dinesh, who has very strong strides. I ran with him till about 4k and then as the uphill began, I slowly overtook him, I enjoy uphill running as I guess I am used to uphill running, it is tough but I still enjoy it more than running on a flat stretch. After about 6-7 k , we started running next to the river, the climate was a shade cooler here as compared to Baina Beach. At about 7 or 7.5K, I spotted the Pilot jeep coming and the Kenyan runner sprinted past. The next few runners were all of the same breed. I was waiting to see some Indian and then I saw some brilliant runners. One of them , I think his name is "Raj" was really running very strong. It is a treat to the eyes and an inspiration to watch strong runners. I saw Savio Sir at about  10K mark and felt good that I was not too far away. Then as I was about to reach the U turn for the return leg, Rahul and Sunil shouted out to me and they were already on the return leg. I was amazed at their speed. I decided then that I had to catch up with them, so I made my strategy and slowly started pacing up to  catch them at the "8K left to go" milestone. Initially I couldn't spot them  but as soon as I crossed the 9K milestone I saw the "Savio's Stars" blue and yellow T shirt pair running far away on an upclimb. I ran along and kept my pace and sure enough just before the 8k milestone I was about 25-30 metres behind them. I decided not to overtake them as I started feeling a bit tired and a little pain in the knee had suddenly shown up and then disappeared. Slowly I inched up to them  near the 7K milestone and then I tried to keep pace with them.  Somehow, I tried and kept pace with both of them and at some point even went ahead of them. We overtook "Khurshed" on the upclimb and we were surprised as she is a podium finisher. We yet had 4K to go and Sunil and Rahul were both going very strong. I was a bit zapped out so I stopped at the 2K milestone to have some water. I decided to catch up with them but I just couldnt, as they were way ahead by now. Again there was this small upclimb near Baina beach and I just managed to keep up my pace somehow, the sun was also up by now. I saw these two guys way ahead turning into the Beach finish point. I challenged myself saying that I had to make it to them somehow and I mustered myself and tried to step out as much as I could and as soon as I saw the finish mat, I sprinted and managed to stamp on the mat just about 30 seconds after Sunil and Rahul. So I bow down to these two guys, who inspired me to finish strong and get a decent timing. I am extremely grateful to GOD that I could enjoy my run inspite of the scares that I had the previous evening and night. Overall, an enjoyable experience.

 

"When the Mind is strong, the body just aligns itself  and lets you achieve whatever you want! "

-Naveen

Run on 24 Nov 13- First run beyond 21K afte the SCMM FM in Jan 2013

Today I had decided to break the mental barrier of 21K. Actually after the FM of SCMM in January, I have not run greater than 21K in 2013. Reasons  or excuses are many, but I finally decided that I have to break the mental barrier today. I just finished the Nashik Sula Half marathon on 17 Nov  and decided to use it as a launch platform to start pushing my mileage more. I know it is too late for SCMM and I will have to be happy running only a HM here. Actually, I have registered for a HM and I had thought that in Nov, I shall change over to FM, since I was told that it is possible to do that. HM gets over much faster than FM. After 17 Nov HM, I ran on Wednesday(20 Nov) in PDP along with our running group of Savio D'Souza( 800s and 300s ). I did 7 of the 800s and then ran one fast 400m. I was feeling fit.

 

22Nov 13 ( 2hr run).  On Friday, I decided to run a 2 hr run, whatever distance it is. Being a working day, I wanted to start at 0500hrs and finish by 0700hrs and then do my stretching and be ready to leave for office by 0800hrs. My alarm was set wrongly and I woke up at 0430hrs instead of 0400 hrs. Yes, I need 1hr to comfortably do my routine and set myself up for the run. Nevertheless, I was ready to go by 0500 hrs. I did my dynamic stretches and warming up for about 10 minutes and about 05 12 I started my run from NOFRA( Navy Nagar). The RC church bus stand entry gate is the only gate open at this time. All other gates open at 0600hrs. So I ran from there, in front of INHS Ashvini Hospital and then took the colaba causeway road and joined the Cuffe Parade road in front of Badhwar park. I then went straight to Marine Drive near Air India Building. I saw my watch here, I had clocked 26 minutes to reach here, This distance is about 4.6 kms, so I was clocking about 5.65 min/km at this  point. I ran till end of marine drive and turned around at the Amul Hoarding ( 4.1 kms from Air India Building). I crossed the runners who start in the mornings of Friday from Chaupatti/ baulNath) and then on the return leg, I crossed the entire group which starts running at 0600hrs from NCPA. I was running well and effortlessly and crossing distances very fast. I decided to go all the way upto the end at NCPA and then turn around and go through INOX (Nariman Point) to the cuffe parade road. This would increase the mileage a bit more. I did that and I reached back to my starting point at NOFRA in front of my house in 1hr and 40 min( approx. 18K @5.55min/km). I continued to run for another 20-22 minutes and then I did my stretching and was just in time to get into my car pool which leaves at dot 0800hrs.

 

It is strange, that though I like running in the Group, but now I have started enjoying my solo runs. It is a kind of meditation for me, I am in touch with myself and try to understand my body. I feel every part of myself while running, I keep telling myself to relax while running and observe my shoulders, my legs, quadriceps, hamstrings etc. and keep relaxing them while I run. I intend making running absolutely natural and easy like talking or walking. This is possible only when I am alone, because in a group, while you just don't realise the distance and can keep chatting while running, you can miss out on the signs that your body keeps giving you. A couple of times, I have had to back off almost for a week due to a long run when I didn't realise that I was hurting myself because I just ran in a group without observing myself. You also feel tempted to push in more mileage much beyond the 10% rule and increase the risk of injury. Yes I enjoy observing good runners( effortless runners) and their gait and try to emulate them so as to improve my gait.

 

24 Nov 13( 25K run). The previous day was an official picnic and I had participated in a Tug of war competition and had pulled my left lower back muscle. Whenever I bend in that side, I face pain. So I iced it, applied MOOV and slept hoping like hell that it would become alright the next morning. I kept the alarm at 0400hrs and slept early at 2100hrs itself. The alarm rang at 0400hrs, I dismissed it and continued to sleep and then when I woke up , it was 0426 hrs already. But I was feeling better, the pain was very slight. I got onto my preparations and was ready to leave by 0540hrs. I packed up  a change of T shirt and bananas and Energy drink and drove to NCPA. Nowadays, you do not get parking space due to the large number of runners ( in thousands) and I had to park quite far off .

Nashik Run by Zendurance.

The inaugural event at Nashik organised by Zendurance at Sula Vineyards was a good experience. Sula Vineyards is located at the outskirts of the city and it is more convenient to have own vehicle when you go there. The local autos fleece you and buses run from the city till Gangapur Village and you have to take the auto from there. Minimum fare is 100/= to120/= post negotiations.

The run was very well organised with sufficient water points( every 2 Kms) in a 10K track which had to be done twice and then the balance distance was in the road leading to the vineyard. Most of this 10K track was a trail run in the backdrop of villages and farms and was a real pleasure for me. Small children from the villages were cheering the runners.

I stayed in a hotel in town ( it was the cheapest option available). So my day started early at 0330 hrs. I left my hotel at 0430 hrs and reached Ibis hotel by 0450 hrs by auto. ( had tied up with an auto guy the previous day, who agreed to drop me for 200/-). Another participant who was staying at IBIS hotel had agreed to give me a ride to the venue viz. Sula Vineyard which was another 8-10k from Ibis Hotel. So we left for the site at 0500hrs and reached there by 0515 hrs. It was pretty dark and the organisers had just started their arrangements. Crates of Water bottles, sign boards etc. were being loaded onto the tempo which had to go and place them on the route. The weather was kind of chilly for a Mumbaiite like me. The toilet complex at Sula vineyard was clean and warm. So coming early helped as I could freshen up there. Slowly, the crowd started pouring in, the DJ music was set up and loud music had started to pump up the spirits of people. People were feverishly warming up and the scene was of a professional marathon start point. The race start time for the 21K was 0630 hrs, and there was a lot of time as it was only 0545hrs, when I had finished my first round of warming up. I generally do dynamic stretches which includes lunges, side kicking and frontal kicks, running with my heel kicking my butt and running with knee lifts (20 steps each). Then some stretches for the hamstring and quads.

I then met up with few friends from my running group and chatted with them for a while. Again at about 0615 , I had my second round of warming up and got set for the race. Deepak's ( One of the main organisers) voice was resounding everywhere, building up the spirit of the run. Then the count down began and the run started when my watch read 06:33 a.m. It was a lovely starting for me as there were not too many people and thus there was no pushing . I had decided to run easy, and I had no clue about the route or the type of  road that I was going to run. So I started off very slow with a companion runner and decided to slowly warm up and increase speed only after about 7k. The initial part of the run was on road and then we turned left onto a trail path, and my companion warned me to take care as you could twist your ankle and land up with an injury. The path was stony and running across fields and villages and mountains in the backdrop. At about 3or 4K, I don't know what happened but I was running ahead of my companion and I was running smoothly but landed up overtaking people one after the other. I just couldn't stop. I don't think anybody overtook me at all after this point. The scene was beautiful, we went across a dam and water body and then some huts and fields. The track was stony and I knew I had to be careful, but my previous experience of trekking in such paths made me very comfortable with this road and I just ran naturally as my legs conformed to the path and found the right surfaces to land on without hurting itself. It is very important to harmonize with nature and I just let myself go with it. I was running very comfortably and easily generating conversation with all the runners whom I was overtaking one by one. I was not pushing at all. The weather was awesome and the scenery was breathtaking. These factors definitely gave me a boost and I was in good form. I had a problem of a stiff left glute muscles earlier and in the back of my mind, I was measuring the pain, which seemed to be somewhere lingering there. Every 2kms, I did this funny drill of kicking my butt with my heels about 15-20 times and then trotted along. It seemed to help and I felt better. The water points were the distance markers as there was one every 2K, and finally we were back on the Tar road. This road running had its share of a gradual uphill slope for about 3 -4 k and I just glided along. The first loop was over in less than one hour (approx.). I generally avoid looking at the watch while running, as I want to run naturally. So the second loop was on and this time it seemed much shorter, and I seemed to be just flying past the water points. I stopped at most and had a sip of water. ( A negative point here- The energy drink was in short supply, would have been better to have more of that). I was overtaking many people still, and I started setting targets- I would see a person ahead and tell myself that I had to get to him and voila!,  in a few minutes I would be there, I would wish him/ her "great running"! and move on to my next target much ahead of this one. This continued till I reached the road and then I saw one guy with sleeveless red t-shirt very ahead of me on the upslope. I set him as a target and moved on. Finally I caught up with him just before we entered the Sula for the finish and here one lady participant was cheering us, ( she had completed the race in 1hr 36 min) and was back to cheer fellow runners. She joined up with me and helped me sprint about 200m and then I had another 200-300 m to go, I managed to keep up some pace and then grit my teeth and sprinted back to the finish point. When I entered , the watch was showing 08:25 or 08:27( I don't remember exactly) but I was well within 2 hrs. Most of all I wasn't tired at all, and was feeling relaxed. That was my aim. I had thoroughly enjoyed my run and then I returned back and ran along with a couple of my companion runners and helped them to finish the race strongly.  So Thank you very much to the organisers for the great event, and hope to keep running at many such events. Cheers. Timing obtained 1:53:45.
 

My First Full Marathon

Last two years in Mumbai, I have been running, having done the 2012 SCMM half marathon, ADHM 2012 and 2013 SCMM Full Marathon. I joined Savio DSouza's group officially in Jun 2013. However, i always used to run with some of the members on Sundays at Marine Drive. A great fact about running is that you get to make a lot of friends. The first friend on the running list i made at Mumbai was "Roshni Bakshi" who introduced me to Savio Dsouza. Roshni is a great runner and was good company to run with. I also met Pervin in SCMM as well as ADHM. Another great personality of this group I met is Beiram( Oops sorry if I misspelt your name!). These acquaintances were made in 2011 itself and I did meet Roshni on the sea link during the SCMM half marathon. I got my PB of 1hr 50 minutes in this HM.
In 2012, I did most of my runs alone and actually did not practice seriously. Actually, I did start practice seriously in Jun/Jul but in Aug, I had a serious problem. One day after a long run of 24 km, I felt a burning session while passing stools. I thought it would be due to chafing and would wear off, but I was wrong, it became really bad by next day morning. I rushed to the hospital and I was told that there is a boil in my anus and that it had burst. I was really scared as one of my colleagues said that this would lead to a problem of "fistula" which is a recurring thing and the doctor asked me to give up running and take up swimming or something like that. I walked out of the doctors office and consulted a neurosurgeon who is a marathon runner and told him that running is my passion and i dont want this to end my running. he immediately prescribed me an ointment and said that i should apply it before the run and also told me to drink a lot of water. So all this made me take a back seat and I did not run till  end Oct till I felt that the problem was resolved completely. I challenged myself that I have to take care of myself and cure myself completely. I used to sit for 15-20 minutes daily in a hot water bath called "SITZ bath" and slowly and steadily I was relieved of my pain. I changed my diet to absolutely non spicy and good food, no alcohol at all etc. etc. By October, I was feeling fine. I had registered for the Full Marathon ( SCMM) and this would be my maiden Full Marathon. I normally select a training chart from the freely available ones on internet for my training. So I selected a training chart and started my practice runs in earnest. I was also doing a Management course which had its examinations and contact programs which used to disrupt my training schedule on most weekends and week days.  In addition there was a December holiday planned to Chennai and Bangalore. I was scared whether I will able to complete the FM or not. I decided to do all my long runs as per the plan sincerely. So I managed to run my 22K, 24K, 28K  even while I was in Chennai and Bangalore in the month of December. I ran 28 K on Dec 31. I came back to Mumbai just after New Year and  ran  a last 36K on 04 Jan 13 and then I tapered down to wait for the final day. To gain my confidence  one week beforee the D Day I went  to the start point of the FM and ran about 14 K on the Marathon route. That was the end of my training for the FM. By GOD's grace, there were no more injuries. I continued to maintain my non spicy diet and lots of fluids.
On the Marathon day, I started off very comfortably. Thanks to my previous  HM timing , I was right in front at the Start point. I think this was one of my mistakes to be there in the front, because till  I reached Worli sea phase, I kept feeling that everyone was overtaking me. Infact I was running at a comfortable pace is what I felt. I was at the half way point on Sea link at 2hrs and 01 min. I was feeling light and fresh and felt that i could continue at this pace easily for the entire race. I was quite pleased with myself at this point. On the sea link , I overtook many people. I reached Bandra and then the WALL hit me at about 30K. I just did not understand what was happening. My mind was giving up. I strated walking. I did not want to stop but I stopped. I said to myself to grab some choloate from the cheering crowd and eat it so that i may get some instant energy. I did that, and as I was trying to tear the wrapper of the chocolate, i got cramps in my hands( biceps/triceps). I relaxed myself and then I strated running again only to stop again after some distance. As this continued, I started getting cramps in my thighs but the crowd was great, there were people spraying the runners with relaxant sprays. I got myself sprayed and continued my journey. Once I reached  Worli sea phase, I was extremely slow. My cousin who was way behind me, cruised past me smiling and running effortlessly at the 33K mark. I was again stumped here as in the marathon route in my mental map did not include the loop ahead of the TRATA circle till old passport office, I really was tired at this point, but I couldnt give up. I had to complete the race. So I grinded my teeth and continued step after step. Finally I reached the ultimate "Peddar Road climb" and I had to walk this stretch.  i took a 2 min break at the "Mist sprayer" to cool myself. Then I continued running and reached Marine drive. I was running-walking-running and so on. I saw a lady ahead of me, a foreigner, must be in her ealry sixties, running with constant strides comfortably. I was just unable to overtake her. I have a long way to go. The sun was out and was shone on our head in Marine drive. A good thing about Mumbai is that till we reach marine drive in the return leg, there is no sun as we are always running in the shade. Marine drive on return leg is my Bug bear as I always find it tough to run with the sun on my face. I continued ans somnehow managed to increase my pace ( normally in HM I sprint the last 200m), here I wasnt able to, my thighs were stoned and I touched the finish mat at 4hr 44min 48 sec. PHEW! I completed my first FM.  Mission accomplished. But I decided that next time it would be much better with no stops in between and confortable running. I guess training properly is the key if you have to run a FM comfortably. Timing while being a feel good factor, should not be a major concern as my idea is that I should be able to run comfortably and should be able to continue the rest of the day normally after the run. that would be my measure of a successful run.
Adios... I shall be back with my 2013 experience soon..... BYE...

18K run on 07 Sep 13. I got up at 0420 am and sat down for my studies. I am preparing for my PMP certifcation exam on 24 Sep 13. I studied till abouyt 0515 A.m. and then started my preparations for the morning run. The morning routine starts with a fresh lime and hot water combination followed by a banana or two which sets the bowels in motion. Then I prepare my gatorade bottle for the run. I normally run with a bottle in my hand to hydrate myself in the return leg.
  I left for NCPA at around 0545 am and reahced there at 0555 am. Not many runners had arrived,. I just saw Rishi and  Rajesh Shah. Today happened to be our coach's birthday too. So a party is planned in the night at radio club. However, it is also my pop's birthday, so I may not be attending the party. Vidhi also arrived then and at around 0612 we started our run - target was 15-18 km to be finalized as we run. Generally when this is said, it means the larger distance only. I had mentally prepared for 15 K only. The group I ran with today consisted of Vidhi, Rishi, Kiran, Chetan and Sagar, led by the great Abbas Sheik. Abbas runs 7 days a week, has a FM timing somewhere around 3hrs and 20 minutes or maybe better than that. He has a great stride to emulate. Rishi is a strong built guy with bulky muscles and is an extremely strong runner. Kiran , I guess is older than all of us, but the best and fastest, because all were saying that he is running slow for us to keep pace with him. He has an amazing spring in his stride and runs very smoothly.  I normally go with a slower group, but today I decided to take up this challenge of trying and matching with these elite runners. So the run started and  though Vidhi was complaining of sleepiness and late night, her strides and pace did not show that at all. I started feeling in the first Km itself that maybe it was a bad idea to have started with this group and I am going to be left behind very soon. The mind started playing tricks. Somehow, I decided to overcome this mindset and hang on by staying close to the forerunners viz. Rishi and Vidhi. So I  mentally tried to copy the running strides of Abbas and tried to control my pace to get into a rhythm that i could sustain. It was really tough as I was not used to starting fast. Normally, the first 4-5 km for me is very slow and then i get my rhythm. Here I was stepping out in the 2-3Km mark itself just to keep in pace with this group.
Running in a group is a different experience. Your mind can be controlled easily as you are not thinking much and jsut following a leader, i.e if you are running with a group faster than your normal pace. So i played this game with my mind and built my rhythm to match up to the pace of the group and voila, I was comfortable at the 6Km mark. Just before the 6Km mark there is a small upclimb stretch, where I really felt that I was cracking, but as soon as that got over, I was charged up and able to smoothly move ahead. Then came the downslope near mahalakshmi, a favourite of mine to loosen up and I suddenly found myself campering loosely and very fast much ahead of the others. I continued the lead till the Haji Ali juice shop and went ahead till the 7.5 K mark and stopped to turn around. ( mentally prepared for 15K) when the group signalled to me to go ahead, so I slowed down and waited for the group who then told me that we would go upto "mela" which is the 9K point, so I again started out with them. Here I felt that i was exerting myself more and could cause an injury or would not be able to keep up with the group in the return leg. Again the devil of a mind was playing games. I told myself "Just hang on" and keep moving step by step till you reach at least Marine drive.  So I continued with the group, Chetan is also an ace runner(1st  FM: 3hrs 45 min) and he was being chided by Rishi to keep up. Now it was a real issue, I couldnt be left behind at any cost, it would be shameful if I couldnt use my will power to manage to stick on, so I gritted my teeth and continued with a  half confidence level. As we turned into the Peddar road climb, Rishi was cruising along easily and moving ahead, fortunately I had Vidhi alongside who was panting a bit, and that gave me some confidence that i could keep up. Abbas slowed down for Vidhi and matched steps with her and then both of them started going ahead. I was again getting left behind, and so I focused on my mind and maintined my rhythm with Vidhi and managed to hang on. Then there was a small pit stop for water which Abbas got and then as we started running, I found Vidhi and Abbas speeding to catch up with Rishi. Sagar was also alongside all this while and I also decided to follow them. I was panting badly by now but I didnt want to give up now. I was successful in catching up with them and managed to be with the group till we reached Marine Drive. This stretch is my bug-bear and I always find it tough to maintain my pace in this last stretch. But I  made up a resolve not to leave this group and I continued keeping close to the group. All of a sudden Rishi looked at the watch and said something about going home early and he just took off as if he was running very slowly. Amazing guy!. I continued with my pace and all of a sudden as we crossed the flyover on marine drive( about 3km left to reach NCPA), I found my pace increasing and i easily overtook the group and went ahead. I was panting a bit but was comfortable, this was a pleasant surprise to me. I managed to even sprint up the last 500 m. I finished the 18k at about 0745 AM. Sagar just finished seconds behind me. Vidhi and Abbas went for a longer stretch of 18.5-19.0 Km, i think so, as they came in much later. Phew! I made it! It was a great feeling to have kept up with the group and doing an 18K in 1hr 32min approx. My PB for an 18Km run. But I must mention that it would not have been possible if not for this elite runners group which motivated me to increase my pace and keep up with them, So thanks to Kiran, Rishi, Vidhi, Abbas , Sagar and Chetan. Great Running with all of you.