So I had initially registered for the Chennai trail Marathon which is scheduled in Sep 2015, but then, I was not sure whether I would be able to come to Chennai that time, so I decided to transfer my registration from the Chennai Trail marathon to Javadhu Hill Ultra. This is a great thing about Chennai trekking Club that they are a no frills club, and are very accommodating to all these changes. So the registration happened and I decided to run a 25K. Why, because I had not practiced much, the longest distance I had done last Sunday was 22.5K and was regularly doing a 10/11K only. But I had done a three hour run in Chennai‘s hot and humid weather. I also was sceptical that doing an Ultra now could cause an injury that would not allow me to run for more time. I also had this fear that it could be a DNF and that would be a blow to my morale. The mind is always playing these games and trying to dissuade from taking the plunge. But on the day I boarded the bus and met many people who were participating in the run, I decided that I am taking the plunge because, it was an opportunity and CTC is well known for its support organisation, so it would be a perfect way to complete an Ultra and the name of the race was Javadhu Hill Ultra, so what was the point in doing a 25K here anyways. So the decision was made and I decided to get my registration upgraded from 25K to 50K.
Caution: While I took this decision, I had been running consistently with small breaks here and there and have enough experience of distance running. So if and when I ever feel uncomfortable, in the sense that my body gives me the signals to STOP, I will definitely stop and pull out. Runs will end, running never ends, so that is the spirit with which I take up any run. Running has to be for enjoyment and I love nature trails, so that was my biggest motivation to take the plunge for the 50K. I also had confidence since I have done a 50K earlier at Pune albeit it was on a flat stretch of road.
I was facing a peculiar problem at Chennai, one day, I felt the recurrence of pain in my left butt( gluteus maximus) and was bit worried, the other day, I woke up with a stiff left neck and it was a bit painful. It became alright in a day or two and I ran with this pain. I was warned by some people not to neglect my neck pain and when this pain recurred after a couple of days, I got it examined by a doctor who told me that my muscles were in contracted state and needed to be relaxed. Probably I was spending too much time in front of the computer doing my blogs or social network and causing strain to the neck. Anyways, I went on to Youtube, and did exercises shown there to get my neck back in shape, and I was feeling much better after 2 days of exercises. Decision making in such situations is very tough as a lot of pros and cons have to be played out and weighed, and if you are having a history of injury, it becomes even more difficult. Here, I took a chance because somewhere deep down, I had this feeling that I was being too over-cautious and I was actually all right with only a minor niggle here and there because of some imbalance in the kinematic chain, which has to be corrected. So running slowly and peacefully in correct form will actually help me, is what I felt at this point in time.
So as I reached Javadhu, and met up with some running friends with whom I had run the TCS World 10k in Bangalore, I was again told that I was doing a stupid thing by running an Ultra, as I had just come out of an injury. My mind was again disturbed, but I had decided, and there were two of my partners in crime from the Chennai Pillar pacers group who were instrumental in my decision to take part in this event, and both of them had registered for the 50K , so there was no way I was backing out. The event was a no frills event with all participants staying in classrooms of a school with their own bedrolls etc. Some people had got their tents and pitched it in the school grounds. The food was served in the school itself. Everything was organised perfectly and yet there was no fancy stuff anywhere, no bollywood celebrities, no Zumba dance, no VIP for flag-off etc. etc..
My partners had come with full preparation, one of them had got peanut butter, sandwiches, dry fruits, salt tablets and energy gels. The other partner, an ex- army personnel, had got a mosquito net, double bed sheets, and two large bottles for water. I was kind of travelling light with only a bedsheet and an extra T shirt. Yes I managed to carry an Odomos for the mosquitoes. So I slept on a bedsheet on the floor and my bones were paining after some time, and I was changing position every few minutes. I woke up at about 0200 hrs to find my partner heavily exercising with both his legs up on the wall and then doing body parallel pushups, and when I asked him, he said that he normally does that to get his bowels moving. This man is 53 years of age, but full of josh and a fiery spirit. I was awestruck at his energy levels. So we finished our stomach cleansing routine by 0230 and it was good that we finished early because we were sleeping in a classroom and using the school toilets. By 0330 hrs, there was a long queue for the toilets. Many people were sleeping in the open as well as in tents. The weather was nice and breezy, not cold, but a bit chill in the morning. The sky was starlit and no sign of clouds, so we were in for some Sun running for sure.
So by 0430 hrs, we all reported to the starting point as the 50 & 75K races were to commence at 0500 hrs and the 25K at 0600 hrs. Met a lot of interesting people there, and we all did a warm-up session organised by one of the runners. We did some nice dynamic stretches to open out all the essential running muscles and associated parts. Then the race director made this announcement that there is an option available for all 50K and 75 K runners at the milestone of 25K and 50K, in case they don’t want to continue, they should state so and they would get their finishers medal for 25K or 50K, but if they decide to turn around and continue and then they are not able to complete the distance, they would be declared DNF. I guess this is the way to get more people to take up challenges and try themselves out. And we did have many participants for 50 & 75K.
Run began in darkness and there were volunteers including Peter van Geit (Race Director) who were positioned at all dangerous spots to avoid anyone stumbling/ injuring in the beginning of the run. The run started from a ground opposite the school and we ran on the ground mud road till we reached the tar road, and then, it was road running for 4.2k. The weather was awesome with a slight breeze blowing and I consciously kept my pace very slow, because I have a habit of speeding up and I know very well that ultra running is not about speed but about smart pacing. So the run started very smoothly and we were about four or five in a bunch who were pretty much together for the first 8/10K, as we crossed the tar road and started the trail run into the hills of Javadhu. The scene all around was of an untouched forest with few villages in between and early morning and in nights, the sky was resplendent with the glory of the stars and planets visible very clearly to the naked eye. I believe that this is an attraction of this place and there is an observatory nearby which is frequented by tourists to do astronomical gazing. I had planned to run with my partners Babu and Arun jain, and all of us had decided to run slowly and pace ourselves comfortably for the entire race, and we did that for about 10/12k, after which I do not know how it happened, but I was not able to run that slow, so I just did whatever my body was feeling comfortable with. Now there is a catch 22 situation here: You can run very slow and in effect, you will have to run for much longer time, if you run at HM pace, by 30k there is a high probability of muscle cramps and spasms, so it is very important to adjust your pace to an optimum one, so that you don’t spend too much of time because the return leg will have the sun blazing which will only increase. So it is important to understand one’s capacity and accordingly pace for the run. The lesson I learnt here is never to force your body to speed up or slow down, it is critical to keep the muscles relaxed while running. While it is the case in the beginning of the run, but as we start running on hill routes, the body tends to get stiffened and leads to cramps. So I focussed my energy on my form and relaxed all my muscles as I ran and eventually as I was doing this meditative exercise with myself, when I looked around me, I was all alone, and my group was left behind. I reached an aid station and waited for them to reappear, and as they appeared in sight, I slowly started jogging thinking that they will catch up soon, but again as I got into my meditation and enjoying the pristine environment while running, I was all alone, but I must confess I was enjoying the solo running at those heavenly stretches ( believe me solo running in such environments is an absolute pleasure).
I then took a decision that I will not slow down and just continue running at my pace. I found myself overtaking many people at this juncture. I caught up with two mallu runners from Kochi (Soles of Kochi), who were running an ultra for the first time and that too 75K, hats off to them. Their group leader too was running the 50K and he was too fast for all of us. Amazing runner, Ramesh is aged 46, does a FM in 3 hrs 05 min, did this Ultra 50K in 4hrs 45 min and was strong as ever and as cool as a cucumber at the finish point. I was awestruck by his fitness.
I was facing a peculiar problem at Chennai, one day, I felt the recurrence of pain in my left butt( gluteus maximus) and was bit worried, the other day, I woke up with a stiff left neck and it was a bit painful. It became alright in a day or two and I ran with this pain. I was warned by some people not to neglect my neck pain and when this pain recurred after a couple of days, I got it examined by a doctor who told me that my muscles were in contracted state and needed to be relaxed. Probably I was spending too much time in front of the computer doing my blogs or social network and causing strain to the neck. Anyways, I went on to Youtube, and did exercises shown there to get my neck back in shape, and I was feeling much better after 2 days of exercises. Decision making in such situations is very tough as a lot of pros and cons have to be played out and weighed, and if you are having a history of injury, it becomes even more difficult. Here, I took a chance because somewhere deep down, I had this feeling that I was being too over-cautious and I was actually all right with only a minor niggle here and there because of some imbalance in the kinematic chain, which has to be corrected. So running slowly and peacefully in correct form will actually help me, is what I felt at this point in time.
So as I reached Javadhu, and met up with some running friends with whom I had run the TCS World 10k in Bangalore, I was again told that I was doing a stupid thing by running an Ultra, as I had just come out of an injury. My mind was again disturbed, but I had decided, and there were two of my partners in crime from the Chennai Pillar pacers group who were instrumental in my decision to take part in this event, and both of them had registered for the 50K , so there was no way I was backing out. The event was a no frills event with all participants staying in classrooms of a school with their own bedrolls etc. Some people had got their tents and pitched it in the school grounds. The food was served in the school itself. Everything was organised perfectly and yet there was no fancy stuff anywhere, no bollywood celebrities, no Zumba dance, no VIP for flag-off etc. etc..
My partners had come with full preparation, one of them had got peanut butter, sandwiches, dry fruits, salt tablets and energy gels. The other partner, an ex- army personnel, had got a mosquito net, double bed sheets, and two large bottles for water. I was kind of travelling light with only a bedsheet and an extra T shirt. Yes I managed to carry an Odomos for the mosquitoes. So I slept on a bedsheet on the floor and my bones were paining after some time, and I was changing position every few minutes. I woke up at about 0200 hrs to find my partner heavily exercising with both his legs up on the wall and then doing body parallel pushups, and when I asked him, he said that he normally does that to get his bowels moving. This man is 53 years of age, but full of josh and a fiery spirit. I was awestruck at his energy levels. So we finished our stomach cleansing routine by 0230 and it was good that we finished early because we were sleeping in a classroom and using the school toilets. By 0330 hrs, there was a long queue for the toilets. Many people were sleeping in the open as well as in tents. The weather was nice and breezy, not cold, but a bit chill in the morning. The sky was starlit and no sign of clouds, so we were in for some Sun running for sure.
So by 0430 hrs, we all reported to the starting point as the 50 & 75K races were to commence at 0500 hrs and the 25K at 0600 hrs. Met a lot of interesting people there, and we all did a warm-up session organised by one of the runners. We did some nice dynamic stretches to open out all the essential running muscles and associated parts. Then the race director made this announcement that there is an option available for all 50K and 75 K runners at the milestone of 25K and 50K, in case they don’t want to continue, they should state so and they would get their finishers medal for 25K or 50K, but if they decide to turn around and continue and then they are not able to complete the distance, they would be declared DNF. I guess this is the way to get more people to take up challenges and try themselves out. And we did have many participants for 50 & 75K.
Run began in darkness and there were volunteers including Peter van Geit (Race Director) who were positioned at all dangerous spots to avoid anyone stumbling/ injuring in the beginning of the run. The run started from a ground opposite the school and we ran on the ground mud road till we reached the tar road, and then, it was road running for 4.2k. The weather was awesome with a slight breeze blowing and I consciously kept my pace very slow, because I have a habit of speeding up and I know very well that ultra running is not about speed but about smart pacing. So the run started very smoothly and we were about four or five in a bunch who were pretty much together for the first 8/10K, as we crossed the tar road and started the trail run into the hills of Javadhu. The scene all around was of an untouched forest with few villages in between and early morning and in nights, the sky was resplendent with the glory of the stars and planets visible very clearly to the naked eye. I believe that this is an attraction of this place and there is an observatory nearby which is frequented by tourists to do astronomical gazing. I had planned to run with my partners Babu and Arun jain, and all of us had decided to run slowly and pace ourselves comfortably for the entire race, and we did that for about 10/12k, after which I do not know how it happened, but I was not able to run that slow, so I just did whatever my body was feeling comfortable with. Now there is a catch 22 situation here: You can run very slow and in effect, you will have to run for much longer time, if you run at HM pace, by 30k there is a high probability of muscle cramps and spasms, so it is very important to adjust your pace to an optimum one, so that you don’t spend too much of time because the return leg will have the sun blazing which will only increase. So it is important to understand one’s capacity and accordingly pace for the run. The lesson I learnt here is never to force your body to speed up or slow down, it is critical to keep the muscles relaxed while running. While it is the case in the beginning of the run, but as we start running on hill routes, the body tends to get stiffened and leads to cramps. So I focussed my energy on my form and relaxed all my muscles as I ran and eventually as I was doing this meditative exercise with myself, when I looked around me, I was all alone, and my group was left behind. I reached an aid station and waited for them to reappear, and as they appeared in sight, I slowly started jogging thinking that they will catch up soon, but again as I got into my meditation and enjoying the pristine environment while running, I was all alone, but I must confess I was enjoying the solo running at those heavenly stretches ( believe me solo running in such environments is an absolute pleasure).
I then took a decision that I will not slow down and just continue running at my pace. I found myself overtaking many people at this juncture. I caught up with two mallu runners from Kochi (Soles of Kochi), who were running an ultra for the first time and that too 75K, hats off to them. Their group leader too was running the 50K and he was too fast for all of us. Amazing runner, Ramesh is aged 46, does a FM in 3 hrs 05 min, did this Ultra 50K in 4hrs 45 min and was strong as ever and as cool as a cucumber at the finish point. I was awestruck by his fitness.
Somewhere deep in my mind,I had this time of 2: 40/2:50 for the half way mark, and I knew that the first 10K was very slow, so I thought some amount of time could be made up in the balance 15k. But as I approached the 15K point and then on, there was a steep climb and it continued for about 2K and I religiously followed the rule of climbing up the steepest slope by walking, and started running as soon as I hit the peak. While walking, I ensured that my pace was fast but minimum effort with muscles relaxed, and of course, correct form. As I crossed the 21K point, I saw the first guy cross me( a foreigner) running very fast and strong and soon I saw Vipul ( 75K) behind him and then Ramesh and so on. I made it a point to count each runner and announce their position as they passed me and I counted upto 16 before I reached the turn around point.
There were aid stations every 4.2 K, and very well organised with electoral, water, fruits, salads, chocolate and chikki pieces cut into small bits making it easy for runners to have, even the fruits were kept chopped and easy to have, minimum effort for any runner. The trail part was really beautiful but the path was uneven and stony. The trail got over at about 23K and I hit the tar road which was again a steep downhill run which meant that in the return leg, this was going to be a tough one, and then again entered a mud track and finally reached the 25K point just about 8 min short of 3 hrs. I took a water break, had some chocolate pieces and then took off on the return leg. The climb started almost immediately and all sorts of thoughts started playing in my mind asking me if it was OK to have turned back, Can I just turn back again and cancel this 50K and take away the finisher for 25K etc. etc. I silenced my mind and just trudged along, and the moment I felt my quadriceps tightening in the stress of the climb, I started walking uphill and as soon as I reached the peak, started running again. This continued throughout the return leg. Now, interestingly, when one crosses the 35K mark, the first thoughts of fear of DNF start hitting you, past memories of muscle breakdown at 33/32K also torment you. I shoved them aside by saying that it is only 15K from here, so if required, just stop do a complete stretching and then again begin a 15K run and be over with it. But the mind plays truant always, and as the sun picked up, I was feeling very thirsty and hot and wanted to wet my throat continuously. But aid stations were spaced about 4.5k from each other, so I had to count my steps for each KM and do that four times before I could get water/ hydration.
There is another feeling that I always get when I run a longish distance, which is :- As the distance increases, every 1k distance feels very much longer and takes more time to show up. So the distance kept reducing very slowly and soon, it was just 10K left, and I had absolutely no problems whatsoever, be it muscle cramps, or leg pain or anything at all, but still the mind was playing truant, at times, scaring me that anything can happen at anytime, and every 1k distance also is a big deal at this juncture. I told my mind to shut up and told myself sternly that there were only two options: a shameful DNF or a glorious completion of my second Ultra of 50K. Then I visualised the finish point and continued positively. I met fellow runners at the aid stations where we got ice sponges and ice cubes , chocolates, sweet lime, salt, lime etc. etc.. Finally I hit the tar road for the last 4.2 K stretch and now the race completion was imminent. But again this was a longish journey because it had many uphill routes and I did walk up those slopes. I knew I was in the less than 6 hrs category when I saw the 49K mark and decided to speed up because it was just about 8 minutes left for the 6 hr duration as per my watch, so I increased my pace a bit, but immediately felt the starting of a cramp, and slowed down but maintained a faster pace and soon enough, I was in the “last 200m” which I ran as fast I could and finished the run with a strong punch up in the air. So finally “Javadhu Hills Ultra” was done and dusted and confidence is up for the home ultra at Pune in November.
There were aid stations every 4.2 K, and very well organised with electoral, water, fruits, salads, chocolate and chikki pieces cut into small bits making it easy for runners to have, even the fruits were kept chopped and easy to have, minimum effort for any runner. The trail part was really beautiful but the path was uneven and stony. The trail got over at about 23K and I hit the tar road which was again a steep downhill run which meant that in the return leg, this was going to be a tough one, and then again entered a mud track and finally reached the 25K point just about 8 min short of 3 hrs. I took a water break, had some chocolate pieces and then took off on the return leg. The climb started almost immediately and all sorts of thoughts started playing in my mind asking me if it was OK to have turned back, Can I just turn back again and cancel this 50K and take away the finisher for 25K etc. etc. I silenced my mind and just trudged along, and the moment I felt my quadriceps tightening in the stress of the climb, I started walking uphill and as soon as I reached the peak, started running again. This continued throughout the return leg. Now, interestingly, when one crosses the 35K mark, the first thoughts of fear of DNF start hitting you, past memories of muscle breakdown at 33/32K also torment you. I shoved them aside by saying that it is only 15K from here, so if required, just stop do a complete stretching and then again begin a 15K run and be over with it. But the mind plays truant always, and as the sun picked up, I was feeling very thirsty and hot and wanted to wet my throat continuously. But aid stations were spaced about 4.5k from each other, so I had to count my steps for each KM and do that four times before I could get water/ hydration.
There is another feeling that I always get when I run a longish distance, which is :- As the distance increases, every 1k distance feels very much longer and takes more time to show up. So the distance kept reducing very slowly and soon, it was just 10K left, and I had absolutely no problems whatsoever, be it muscle cramps, or leg pain or anything at all, but still the mind was playing truant, at times, scaring me that anything can happen at anytime, and every 1k distance also is a big deal at this juncture. I told my mind to shut up and told myself sternly that there were only two options: a shameful DNF or a glorious completion of my second Ultra of 50K. Then I visualised the finish point and continued positively. I met fellow runners at the aid stations where we got ice sponges and ice cubes , chocolates, sweet lime, salt, lime etc. etc.. Finally I hit the tar road for the last 4.2 K stretch and now the race completion was imminent. But again this was a longish journey because it had many uphill routes and I did walk up those slopes. I knew I was in the less than 6 hrs category when I saw the 49K mark and decided to speed up because it was just about 8 minutes left for the 6 hr duration as per my watch, so I increased my pace a bit, but immediately felt the starting of a cramp, and slowed down but maintained a faster pace and soon enough, I was in the “last 200m” which I ran as fast I could and finished the run with a strong punch up in the air. So finally “Javadhu Hills Ultra” was done and dusted and confidence is up for the home ultra at Pune in November.
