I woke up with a catch in my back, which only gets aggravated during the day. As I obsess over it, it grows, then disappears only to reappear again! By evening it appeared to have subsided after a small massage. It was time for a sustained release pain killer. Watched “Chariots of fire” for inspiration and imagined myself sprinting to the last 400m like the guys, with the much played theme song, ringing in my ears and me running in  beautiful slo-mo(of course no such thing happened!).

Sunday 3.52 am

Slept well, woke up feeling fresh. The back spasm was still around to torment my head. I decided to kill that thought with a combiflam. Then I armed myself with a brand new ipod( for the last 15 k) and my gels and was off!

Battle gear on….SCMM 2014 here I come…………

The race strategy was worked out well in advance. A a slow warm up, followed with a constant pace through the race with a bit slower pace on the inclines.

The 3 musketeers (Rohan, Vishal and me) started well and stayed together and bang on target race pace.

It was a glorious day and I felt invincible.

I was running with Faith,Faith that I could make it happen.

With Confidence, that it was my day.

With Belief, that I could do it, that I would do it.

All along the way, as usual we were chatting away as if it was another Sunday long run. My refrain for every km was, “Don’t make me talk! I should not be talking!” Just before getting onto the sea link I discovered that my ipod had fallen off along the way, and the first of my demons returned! I would have to battle the slog kilometers by myself!

By kilometer 21, we became a quartet with Raghu, a runner from Bangalore who like us, was a 4.30 runner, running for his personal best! He had been tailing us the whole way and after 2 hours we officially inducted him into our bus. More conversation! Whew! The pack stuck together for the next 7-8k. we motivated each other and got into rhythm. As we reached Worli sea face, the boys felt the heat and they faltered. I gathered all my courage and decided to keep going.

I maintained the same steady rhythm and pace until the 35km mark. I was all alone; I had passed some good runners who had run out of wind. My wily mind was playing new tricks on me by the minute. I surrendered to the steep incline of Peddar Road, as I walked 20m, and then started a slow jog, just in time to save my face, as I passed by friends and family, all rooting for me!I increased my pace with their encouraging words and once the uphill was done with, I started flying. Approaching my building, where I knew a large crowd was waiting for me, I was in high spirits. A fellow runner nick named me : “Celebrity of Peddar Road”  The hard work was done and the hardest part of the race was over. Now only the home stretch – 6 km to go. I blazed downhill, with Rhea and Aadit (my niece and nephew) in tow- as I did my fastest 1 km with them! I was on a roll…….

Come  Chowpatty , Samir Bhatia ran an inspiring 500m with me. He restored my confidence for a great finish at a consistent pace. I looked strong, and felt strong.The battle between my brain and my fatigued legs had started to get ugly! After every kilometer I was pushing the pace for 20-30 steps and I just kept going. It was a glorious feeling to pass by the brave marathoners who had now slowed down to a walk. Each step was me reinforcing my belief- I was going to make it happen.

“Failure is not an option”

“I have not come here to walk!”

With this mantra I forged ahead. Passed by more family at Marine Drive and Churchgate, by when I had run out of steam and greeted them only with a tiny wave of my left hand! I had only one focus.

With 500m to go, my partners from my previous marathons- Raina( my friend’s daughter) and Sukpreet paced me. I struggled to keep up with them. I saw the 300m mark approaching and then the finish line appeared. An open road ahead of me. I left everyone and everything as I sprinted to the finish!

SCMM 2014: -4:09:21: my personal best

I set a target.

Trained for it.

Achieved it.

All the hard work paid off.

All my words worked. Words and dreams, which are strong enough to start wars.

It is 4.25 am on Monday morning (when I wrote this). I have been  awake since  3 am because of excruciating pain in my back and legs. 

But it has all been worth. In one month all this pain will be forgotten, as I set new targets, and gear up to push myself harder than ever before.

The end of something is merely the beginning of something else.

New horizons await.

A new frontier beckons.

All the hard work done- only the final remains- treat it as another Sunday run as Savio says- yes that’s true, because all those Sunday runs have taught us many things and now we need to apply them all the heat, the hills, the endurance- and if something fails then we need to innovate- because ………………..

” FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION!”

The mind constantly wanders when you’re engaged in a repetitive activity for a prolonged period. Many times I have been thinking of other things and I need to snap out of it and say, “wake up!” you’re in race.

If your mind wanders so will your body. You can wake up and check your form- see if your shoulders are relaxed, if you’re breathing right- from the belly, and most importantly – am I working as hard as I possibly can?

In an endurance athlete’s life pain is never far away. Pain is a little more than a conversation between body and your brain. That’s another reason why a fit mind is so important.

The brain is constantly trying to impose limits on what it thinks it can achieve. We should constantly question it; fight it, which means enduring pain. Successful athletes relish their relationship with pain. Not the mechanical kind, which tells us when something has broken down, but of the emotional pain. Pain is our brain’s way, like a caring parent, of telling us that it doesn’t like how hard it’s working right now! We need to challenge that.

So come one- it’s up to you to find the motivation to win. This is your only chance- squeeze all the will into the race. The truth is that you CAN do it. What you can never allow yourself  to fail because of loss of will. You can feel like you have lost if you don’t reach your target due to an unforeseen situation, but you can’t admit defeat because you failed to give it your best shot! That is a crime- we need to always give each race our best.

So rise above the pain and exhaustion and summon up the desire to run- the desire to be a winner. Adrenaline and the mind will triumph over the pain. The defeatism will go and the need to win will prevail. The challenge of overcoming the predicament is not something to fear but to cherish. So hang in there and  to push yourself to the very limit of your abilities.

Construct an armour plated mind.

It is upto each and every one of us to change the “I can’t” to “I can”.

We all have a little voice inside all of us that urges us to fulfill our potential. Some of us can’t hear it amidst the din, others are too afraid of it, to go for it and to fail. That fear, is immobilizing. But in reality,

FEAR DOESN’T EXIST!!

Nothing is impossible. Never give up.

Smile, and feel the joy of the wind in your hair, and the rhythm in your feet.

Whatever you can do,

Or think you can,

begin it.

Boldness has power, and genius,

And magic in it.

– Goethe

10 days to go for the SCMM- time for bib collection.

All the training is done- now only rest and more rest.

And what a year it has been!

A remarkable year for most of Savio’s Slaves.

We have seen a new level of dedication.

And pushed the boundaries back with mileage.

A by product of all this, has been the camaraderie that has developed amongst the sufferers. Amidst song, conversation and shared pain we have forged many a new bond. There is a reason we love to run, there is a reason – timeless and true- why we seek each other, why we work so hard, why we search for the best path, why we challenge and inspire each other, why we seek hills and practice acts of endurance. We are training and it matters more than we understand

This is my tenth year of running. I feel I have now graduated as a runner. From a “happy runner” I have become one of those who chases a goal. And sometimes fails! But this failure has taught me to take the irrevocable in my stride and continue moving forward. Weather and the like…..

Running has enriched my life in so many ways. Most importantly brought all you wonderful people in my people-people whom I would have otherwise never met- really awesome people with whom I have had my moments- moments of laughter, special moments of joy  as well as some of admonishments.

Thank you all of for making my journey so memorable!

This is my first post post my birthday. It was a wonderful birthday. Ran a wonderfully easy 10k- great weather and great friends! This can become a ritual for every year. So this year for me-it will be 42@42- 2014 watchout!

This is my first post in 2014. As a part of my resolutions ofr this year:

1. Run more hills
2. Pick a new target for 5k and 10k.
3. Set a bigger goal than you ever thought possible. And figure out what you need to do to get there. Then do it.

So cheers all of you!

Happy 2014!

“How much” is the question most asked, and the answer varies from “only” 15 to 36!!!! We have all gone insane. Adrenaline is keeping all of us pumped up. A feeling of perpetual exhaustion has settled into the group. Even on rest days I wake up at 5 am and twiddle my thumbs (on my phone!).

Days are flying past faster than ever. Only 6 weeks separate us from the big day.

Two weeks ago, I ran a fast 15km at the Race Course. Continuous circles in alternating directions for each lap, made the kms go by. Suddenly it became about doing only 7 rounds. The distance had been split in my head into smaller milestones!  It was a Eureka moment! This took me back to a post I had written over two years ago – Tuesday November 15- 2011 – my first long run for my first full marathon

ESPER(click here to read)

Establish, Strategise,Plan,Execute, Review- worked for my long run on Sunday too, which was split in 2 legs with a negative split.

It has taken me a long time to realize all this, and understand what “being experienced” really means. We tend to take things for granted, but each run and each day is teaching us something.  We should assimilate this, because runs which end with a cab ride, all are valuable!when we need to dig deep, in difficult moments, this is the bank from where strength will emerge! From tough days, and Hard runs! Bad runs, failed runs,

Over the last few weeks I have developed one motto- that I will not stop- will keep going- just one foot ahead of the other and go on and on. This resolve is easy to have in the calm before the storm. Resolve is a breeze when the commitment is not tested. But if we work diligently, then when the true test comes, this Resolve will make us rise to the Occasion.

SCMM 2014 is here. We are all running well. Many achieved their PBs at goa, and some more will get in Delhi!

This is our season.

Our season of Joy and Revelry

Our season of Food (carbs) and Drink (enerzal)

Our season for Hope and Hard work.

So let’s all lace up, develop steely resolve and take the final weeks head on.

“When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in.

That’s what this storm’s all about.”

― Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore

My grand ambition to was do a Sub-2 Half Marathon at Vasai (yes, I took a train and actually went there!) I had worked hard for it. Fought the Demons of Doubt, and actually convinced myself that I was capable of doing this. This was it. Do or Die.

Unfortunately, Die, it was!

27^th October, Vasai, one step behind the elite runners at the start line. (We had wormed our way all the way up!)

I took off with a flying start at 7 am. I saw the red sun, rising above the grasslands, and thankfully the sky remained cloudy. I blessed the weather gods as I developed a good rhythm within a couple of minutes of 5.30 mins/km. Soon there were a lot of familiar faces, a runner from Hyderabad and a girl I had met in than and the usual suspects we see while training,  in races within Bombay and other cities. We stayed togethe,r with the two hour bus, which we thought was going too fast. After a while Rahul and I decided to let them go but keep it within our sight. All was well!

It was 8.02 am .We completed the required 11 km in 62 minutes. The hard work was done, now only 10k  in the second hour.

At 8.03, something changed, in me and around me. I just could not keep going at the same pace. My pace was slacking, I stopped checking it, I ran on instinct. Sweat was flowing down my back faster than my feet were running. I could see the flag of the sub -2 bus disappearing into the crowd. Then, life got more interesting! A flyover showed up and a couple of kilomteres along, another one, which was much bigger than the previous. The momentum of the entire pack had dropped.

All along the way, the crowd support was rousing. People were out in large numbers and children in their crisp school uniforms lined the streets high-fiving all the runners.  School bands and djs blaring pulsating music were at every corner.

Despite all this, I could not pick up my feet to match the pace that I was supposed to be doing.

By kilometre 16 I saw that the dream was gone, a part of yesterday. So I plodded along, found an injured  Rahul and Mulraj, both accomplished runners, struggling was in elite company ;).

Anyway. 2.08 it was.

What can I say about the run?

It was organised very well, from the buses to pick up from the station to the well stocked and covered finishers area. I should treat this as just another 21k run, and not a race for my personal best, due to the crazy October heat.

What do I learn from this run?

You can train all you can, as hard as you can, but the outcome depends on various factors, some of which are beyond your control. Yes, we can fight them, try our best to go against it, but at a point we need to weigh whether the struggle is worth it, and to what end.

Had I pushed a bit harder I would have cut a couple of minutes of my time, which would still have not brought my time to the much coveted timing of 1.59. I had resigned to my fate when the outcome was certain.

Maybe thats what it is.

The acceptance of reality.

We can analyse, regret and repent.

But accept we have to. We must

The sooner we face the certainty of the reality after overcoming all the excuses, causes, factors, the sooner we can resolve it and move ahead.

So sometimes…….que sera sera

Slept at 3 am on Friday.

A Ridiculously packed Saturday.

Slept at midnight on Saturday.

Slept 8 hours in 48 hours.

Paid the price on Sunday.

I head out for my 20 km run at 5.30 am. Amidst self doubt I plod along. I was sure that this was one run I would not finish on my feet. At the 3.5km mark, Vishal and me passed by Reshma, Jasmine and Pankti. Jasmine reminded me of my previous blog, where I had ignored the weather and had just run. Today, I had forgotten my own words , as I looked for excuses. Humidity. Heat.

Thank you Jasmine. Your words took me far. I kept repeating that mantra in my head, as we reached the 10 km mark. There we met Rahul, who pushed us both, at in incredible pace. Soon enough, I ran out of wind. Memories from SCMM 2012 cam

e flooding back as I felt my legs solidifying and I walked up 400 m on Peddar Road. There at HSBC, Rahul was waiting to pull me along. And then there was no looking back. We raced back at a sub- 6 pace……I overcame a few moments of complete breakdown, as my running partners did not let me stop!

65 mins to go 10km

59 mins to return…including walking and all drama!

20 km.One of the hardest runs of my life.

All these days, I was confident and self assured. But today a small crack allowed the flood gates to open! The wall came crashing down. Weather and incline became factors in my life again! I allowed it all to get to me. I created room in my head for doubts to creep in.

After this crackling finish, Vishal and I walked back to car, ready to crash. But not Rahul. He went back for another 4km, after his 21 with us, to pace Abbas and Dev who completed a whopping 60 km run in this treacherous weather! These stalwarts completed an Ultramarathon! Hats Off!

Every day can’t be a good day. I know that. So I hang in through the bad runs,hopefully my next run will erase this memory. Reflecting on the Sunday run, I look for positives. Alteast I was out there. Running. I fought the exhaustion and my ghosts. Post run,  I was on top of the world, floating, as my legs were numb!

I learn, on the days when you don’t feel like a run, are the ones when you need it the most. There is a different sense of accomplishment we feel when we complete something which we never thought is possible.

“Your body will argue that there is no justifiable reason to continue. Your only recourse is to call on your spirit, which fortunately functions independently of logic.”

– Tim Noakes 

Professor, runner in more than 70 marathon and ultra-distance event
s

I am working now on Negative Splits, increasing my speed as I believe stamina for mileage will come. After 2 full marathons below my belt, I want to test  speed along with endurance. Hence, I am running relatively shorter distances, at faster paces.

I run the first half at a regular long run pace, and step it up in the last 5-6 km. it takes a lot of determination to pick up my tired legs and to push the drained out brain. But, once I start its even harder to keep at it for the next few kilometers. It consumes my entire being to keep going.

But I stick at it,with only one single thought, that I should keep going, and this too, shall end.

Today, I ran 18k, with 4 km – from km 13- km 17 at a faster pace.  I got a stitch at this speed, I wanted to give up. I actually stopped for two seconds, but started running immediately after.

I ran with pain.

I ran because I wanted to.

I ran because I could.

I focused all my energy towards the one goal I had today. And, I did it.

4 km – from km 13- km 17 @ 5.33 min/km.

I felt I had died.

But, died and gone to heaven!  

On reaching NCPA, I heard some of the runners  discussing humidity….But I had not even noticed!

Me- me whose favourite peeve is the weather- the sun, the temperature!

I just ran.

It was only me and the road.

Today, I found a quote on Kristen Armstrong’s blog:

“What you focus on, Expands.”

Wow- an epiphany.

I now understand what has been going on in my brain. All this time I was focusing on the difficulties- weather…distance…..et al, which only made the run harder. The mere thought of it and what it might mean becomes consuming and much bigger than the actual challenge.

It was the same for the hill run last week. I just put one foot in front of the other continuously,  and kept going.as a result- I ran all the hills- non stop- something which I have always aspired to do!

The walls are crumbling…….the mind is getting clearer……

When we focus on problems- doors close.

When we focus on possibilities- doors open.

Let us remember we can decide what we want to focus on.

The choice is ours…..ours alone.

That he is a champion runner, a Marathoner who showed Indians for the first time how to run the entire distance of 42.195 km at a blazing pace.

That he has won the State Award for Excellence in Sports in 1984-85.

That he is a wonderful earthy person, who is always ready to knock some common sense into our irrational minds……be it about a run or bringing up the children! His no nonsense attitude towards life puts our seemingly major issues in perspective, and we learn to smile……

That he has given us a gift that will stay with us for life….the will to stay healthy, the need to run and the love for running. He has made an indelible mark on our lives, in the way we think and the way we approach life.

Speaking personally about me, because of Savio, I have reached a place in my life which I never thought was possible. I have successfully and repeatedly challenged my mind and body over the last few years. I have learnt to convert the “I can’t to I can!”

“Don’t worry about timing, just relax and enjoy the race”.

“Timing will come”.

We have heard Savio say these words time and again- to each of us- these are words which hold the key to us getting our best times in our races.

As life goes on from recovery runs, speed workouts to the two long runs…..each year passes by, making us stronger. With Savio we are getting more out of life, we are making each minute count, we are making each run count.

Savio’s rules of running have now become our rules for life. We have imbibed the discipline, hard work and the mental grit as a part of our being.

Although his group is growing larger each week, every time one of us calls out to him, he listens patiently giving us the advice that we need. One of his greatest qualities is in treating each runner equally…..and knowing us as the individuals that we are.

The group that he has created has come together as a family. This family is held together by a bond, a bond that was forged by sweat, tears, shared grief and moments of intense joy.

Savio – our leader. He takes our hand, opens our mind, ignites the spark, fuels the passion, touches our life with positivity,  inspires us to excel and empowers us to write our future.

Thank you Savio for guiding us through uncharted waters towards unconquered territories. Who knows where it will take us? The never-ending setting of targets and the tangible results keep us coming back for more and more.

Abbas: A miracle runner, whose feet don’t even touch the ground. He seems to fly. He shows us how little is required to run- a strong mind and the will to succeed. He exemplifies the minimalist nature of running. He’s ready to help any runner – always with a smile. He has a selfless nature, friendly personality and a big heart.
Salaam Abbas !
At 3.27 he’s truly a star. He is Born to Run.

“Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up, it knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn’t matter whether you’re the lion or a gazelle-when the sun comes up, you’d better be running.”
~ Christopher McDougall, Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen

Vidhi: Discipline , Dedication and Determination thy name is Vidhita( her real name which I found out much later!) A truly wonderful person who always encourages new runners. It was ironical how she played the Bournvita mom with such panache, losing to a kid!! I have seen her give each workout everything, teaching is how to make every run count.
Hats off Vidhi!
4.04 on a course with 30 km of hills which you dread. This is taking your fear head on and killing it. You’re truly an inspiration!!

Mulraj :aka mulchand : 4.19-One of the most modest runners of the group who has scaled new heights each year with every marathon. A deceptive runner who begins easy and finishes at an astonishing pace with a smile. He is always relaxed- and he was the one to defuse the pre-marathon stress about the hills. His take it easy attitude on Sunday runs magically transforms into a hard steely resolve on race day, as he effortlessly shaves off minutes.

Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.  ~Winston Churchill

Dev: He is the answer to the question that the Bangamore Ultramarathon tshirt asks……..It’s Tough – are you? A hardworking and accomplished runner- who shows by hos actions that all limitations are in our head…..there are no boundaries to your capabilities. Year after year he goes for 75k…… ! To complete the grueling Hyderabad course with cramps over teh last few km shows true grit and indomitable spirit.

Some men are masters of their fate.  ~Shakespeare, in Julius Caesar

Us , half marathoners started at 6 am, and at 5.15 all of us were warming up in the lobby. As the race started we realised that the course was worse than what we had imagined. It was a series of long gradual undulating slopes and as we went downhill we saw another one coming. The worst was at 14km mark when we turned a sharp left turn only to go up a steep hill! A blind turn , indeed!

Samir Bhatia: The fastest Half Marathoner from our group was unhappy with his 1.55 hour finish! He is an amazing runner with amazing bad luck with injuries! But now he is back with a bang- This great Sub -2 run with a calf pain and an upset stomache……This was only one more run as a part of his Chicago training . He trains hard and is hoping to crack his PB.  He is a wonderful person always ready to advise novices on how to better our time. Here is wishing him all the Best!

“And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”  ~ Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

Malay did a 2.03 run. Sumin helped Ashima and Hemali for a 2.20 half marathon. I did a 2.09- I am thrilled  

This is a story to celebrate the accomplished runners, who took on a knowingly tenacious course, and showing us that it was possible. This is a story of The Hyderabad Heroes……thank you samir for a very apt title.

24km.

What a fun run that was. Easy. With the evergreen Pervin and Santa.

One of my easiest long runs ever!

Completely energized, I come home feeling like a star.

INVINCIBLE.

I felt in great shape, in full training with no race on my plate. Wondering what to do , I got a sudden flash!

A lot of talk of the upcoming Hyderabad Marathon was flying around. Some of our runners were going for the Full marathon and some more for the Half Marathon. It was a challenging run because of the elevation- via the flyovers and the Jubilee Hills area. That’s it! I’ve found it!

In my euphoric state of mind, I registered for the run and in minutes I booked my airplane tickets. I was on!

I was in seventh heaven. In peak training and a tough race coming up. This would mean more running, serious hill workouts and more tempo.

More, more, more!

Yay!

As Sunday evening approached the enormity of my decision overwhelmed me.

Me – who hates hills, had just signed up for a killer race. What was I thinking?

Me – with my Peddar-road-o-phobia was going to go over 4 flyovers and numerous undulating hills. Clearly, I wasn’t thinking!

As I related my story to my non-runner friend- she says- it’s your endorphins!

ENDORPHINS:- “Morphine within”

Oh! I was riding the high! These brain induced opiates had made me euphoric and the perception of pain had been reduced. Scientifically, endorphins are produced during running and they attach themselves to the areas of the brain which are associated with emotions- the same areas which are activated when one experiences romantic love or while listening to music which gives you a chill- a shiver down your spine- like Rachmaninoff’s Concerto No. 3. The greater the endorphins in the brain- the more the Euphoria! That is why runners are happy people!

After most runs- one feels relaxed and clear headed- but it is these 2 hours plus runs that generate an extreme experience like this.

So here I am – staring at my half marathon looming up in two weeks. I am tackling it head on- by stepping up my hill training. I hope that this race will help me to overcome my fear of hills. All I want is to run the entire distance of 21km non stop.

I was experiencing a “Runner’s High”, when my mind took over my body and the unconscious led my mind.

LESSON LEARNT: Don’t take ANY decision until  after 2 pm on Sunday.