The upcoming Thane and Alibaug half marathons have kept the group motivated. Our training still continues.
However, Savio has changed the strategy. Distance is not a challenege anymore….he says, its about the Time! There is no need to run long. Instead, run Fast!
We, who are used to chugging along at an easy pace, kilometre after kilometre while solving the world’s problems and cracking bad jokes, are now forced out of our comfort zone. Wake up and smell the coffee!!!Oh no!
Question :
Will you run 30 km at the pace of 6.5 min/km or 10km at the pace of 5.30 min/km?I pick 30k anyday………
So here I was on a Friday morning with Sunil, Rahul and Ninad. As per the new mantra- I was keeping up with them. Faster pace, shorter distance and my mind was in a place it had never seen before. Huffing and puffing. It was so hard. I struggled with a protesting mind, but kept going.
I could see the end of my 10k run, a kilometre down, where I would make a right turn and head home. Thank god! Suddenly, Rahul tells the others to make the turn with me! Huh!!!! NO! I possibly couldn’t continue beyond the point….a point where I had said I would stop! i told them all to carry on as per their usual route so that I could get a breather.
Obviously another kilometre at that pace would have not killed me – as I did run the last 200m at killer pace. It was my mind that had given up. I was craving to be back in my comfort zone. I “jogged” home- slowly.
I was reluctant to run beyond my predetermined point, and worse, lazy to run at a pace where I needed to put in effort.
Mulraj, a superb Marathoner, who has knicked 15 minuets off in each race- over the last 4 runs, has some advise for me.
In Thane, its only a half- so either it should be sub-2 ( my dream finish) or it should be 2.45- as you killed yourself trying. So run like hell, run with discomfort, that’s the only way to achieve your target.
This is the truth.
“Long is the way, and hard, that out of Hell leads, upto Light.”
– Milton, paradise Lost- Book 2
