As I
boarded the flight to Hyderabad, I continued to think about the big event (AHM
2016 – Half Marathon) on the following day. In the months leading to the event,
I had done fair amount of training and was confident of a sub-100 mins finish
on the hilly course of Hyderabad. However, I had those pre-race day anxious
moments where I kept thinking – maybe I should have done some more hill runs,
maybe I should have done a bit more strength training for legs and what not.
This article describes the beautiful memories from the point I boarded the
flight to the point I crossed the finish line on the following day.
I realized that thinking about the event on the following day was
only adding to anxiety. As the plane took-off, I put on my headphones and listened
to music to divert my thoughts. As always, music helped – though only for a
short duration on that particular day, and I was soon back to my dream world
where I continued fantasizing about crossing the finish line in less than 100
minutes.
About half an hour into the flight, the air hostess arrived with
refreshments. I was not going to take a chance with any outside food a day
before the race and was carrying my own food. I carefully got up and grabbed my
bag in which I was carrying 6 different meals that I had planned to have
through the day.
…The first meal to go down my throat was a healthy fruit salad
…shortly thereafter, I had a bowl of pasta
…and just before the plane landed, I managed to finish the idlis
too.
I did notice the gentleman sitting next to me quizzically staring
at me and (probably) wondering – “this Sardar ji eats like crazy!” But it was
all a part of the pre-race Carb loading plan, which we runners are well aware
of.
On landing, I immediately went to the expo to collect the bib. I
had promised myself that I wouldn’t spend much time socializing with friends
and would get to the hotel room as quickly as I can. After catching-up with a
few friends, I headed back and was in the hotel room by 1:00 pm. I had all the
time in the world to sit alone and relax before the race day. On most occasions
it is a good thing, but it can also lead you to over-think and can add to
anxiety. For me, I think it was the latter on that day. I went-off to sleep at
around 6:30 pm. At around 3:30 am I had a dream (rather nightmare!) – I saw that
somehow the length of my shoelace has become unmanageably long, about a meter
long, and I just couldn’t manage to tie a knot even after the race started. It
was one of those terribly ‘real’ nightmares. I got up with a shudder and immediately
picked up the shoe lying next to my bed, ready to be worn and taken around the
hills of Hyderabad. I was relieved to notice that the shoelace length was
exactly what it was supposed to be!
…so, there I was ready and raring to hit the road, standing and warming-up at the start line. The much awaited moment had arrived! If there were any butterflies in the stomach, it was soon a thing of past. The run started well and it got better as it progressed…
05 km – 00 : 22 :43 mins
10 km – 00 : 45 : 58 mins
10 km – 00 : 45 : 58 mins
15 km – 01 : 10 : 17 mins
20 km – 01: 34: 21 mins
While crossing the 20th km mark, I was fairly certain
that I would manage the sub 100 mins finish that I was so keen to achieve on
this hilly course. My chest swelled with pride as I continued to march along
the final km of the run. In a moment of (pre-mature) self-glorification, I
remembered the title of the blog I had written exactly a year back after
completing the same race –
“All it takes is ALL you got!”
What I didn’t realize was that the run was not over yet and half-marathon
distance is 21.097 km (good 97 meters more than 21 km). The sub-100 mins finish
was slowly but surely slipping away, without my realizing it.
Around 20 meters from the finish line, I noticed the watch cross 01: 40 mark. It was disappointing to not finish sub – 100 mins after getting so close. As I crossed the finish line, I thought –
Around 20 meters from the finish line, I noticed the watch cross 01: 40 mark. It was disappointing to not finish sub – 100 mins after getting so close. As I crossed the finish line, I thought –
“All it takes is ALL you got…and at times a bit more!”
On the brighter side, every moment from the plane taking-off from
Delhi to crossing the finish line was worth it. These are memories to be
cherished forever.
What next?
Airtel Delhi Half Marathon (ADHM 2016) is not far – very keen to
find that “bit more” ahead of the mega event...
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Sundeep Singh
+91 - 98181 19794
About the Author: By background, Sundeep Singh is a
Mechanical Engineer from IIT Delhi and holds an MBA from IIM
Kozhikode. Given his flair for mechanics and passion for running, he loves
to analyze and write about the finer nuances of running techniques /
strategies. Sundeep’s best run till date is ADHM 2015, which he completed in
1:31:20.
