Pursuit of 100 HMs in 100 Days

As I stood at the start line of Tata Mumbai Marathon (TMM) 2019, I realized it was a mistake to not carry my iPod for the run that day. It was the first time I was going to run a full marathon without music. I knew that even if I ran well, I was looking ahead at spending good 210 minutes by myself – that’s a lot of time to be spending without any distraction. I was feeling increasingly anxious and thought about how I could keep my mind distracted, lest it starts focusing too much on fatigue during the run. After a few moments, I decided to do something unusual – I decided that at each km mark I would think about what life used to be at that age. I realized that the strategy would help me stay distracted for the first 36 kms (my age) and then I would somehow negotiate the last 6.2 kms. The strategy worked quite well as I navigated over a nostalgic tide of emotions over the first 36 kms. However, before I could realize, I had reached 36 km mark and it suddenly stuck me that there was nothing to think about ahead. It was during this state of mental void and masked ability to think rationally that I made three promises to myself – one of them was to run 100 Half Marathons in 100 days to spread awareness about the challenge of air pollution.

For a few weeks after the run, I continued to think about what I had decided during the closing stages of TMM. I tried to dismiss it as a whimsical imagination of a tired mind but could not. Sometimes commitments made during the most bizarre moments seem to have the most profound relevance – this one seemed one of those to me. 

So, on 5th March, 2019 I started the journey of 100 HMs in 100 days in all earnestness. I decided to call it #RightToBreathe, #100HMsForACause campaign.

The journey so far..

Phase 1 - Initial few days (5^th Mar - 14^th Mar)

During the first few days, the novelty factor associated with the runs was quite high. For someone who had never done more than 3 consecutive HMs, the thought of attempting 100 HMs in 100 days was exhilarating enough to keep up the spirit. This was the phase when I nicely settled into a routine to be able to manage the runs around other commitments. Typically, the run would start late in the evening and continue till late in the night. 

   

 Phase 2 - The fatigue starts to build in (15^th Mar – 31^st Mar)

After having completed the first 10 HMs, the novelty associated with the runs started to fade away a little bit. It was during these days that I realized the enormity of task ahead. It was not easy to get down every evening and lace-up to run 21.1 kms. 

This was also the time when I realized that for me to have any chance of continuing this, I had to find smart ways to recover. The good old recovery tactics – turmeric milk, ice pack, foam rolling, stretching, hydration, increased protein intake – all became a natural part of the daily routine. On March 29, I achieved a mini-milestone of sorts when I completed the 25th consecutive HM in 25 days.

Phase 3 – One day at a time please (1^st Apr to 30^th April)

The next phase (and probably the most testing phase) was the month of April. This was the time when fatigue had reached an unprecedented level. I realized that it was easy to get bogged down if I thought of too far ahead. The simple rule was to just take it one day at a time then come back the next day to see if it can go on for one more day.

This was also the time when I realized that I should not let go of any opportunity to sleep – sleep is when the real recovery happens after all. I slept at the airports, I slept during the Hop-on-Hop-off tour at Dublin, I slept during the waiting time at my kid’s chess competition…and it all helped to keep the engine running!

 Phase 4 – A pre-programmed robotic procedure (1^st May onwards)

This is the ongoing phase and the one that I am enjoying the most. By now, it feels like the body, mind and soul have nicely settled into a steady state of equilibrium – a state of bliss where there is no incremental fatigue or pain. Of course, fatigue is there but as I said no 'incremental' fatigue – it all feels the same as what it was on the preceding day. It almost feels like a simple automated robotic procedure which entails switching on the GPS watch, starting the run, consuming 2-liter water during the run, ending the 21.1 kms run and then cooling down – a simple robotic procedure it is! Or maybe it’s a case of mind over body, where the mind is just rationalizing things.

What next?

By the time, I started penning down my thoughts for this article, I had completed 68 HMs in as many days. 

The journey continues…

The menace of Air-pollution and the ways to combat it

Given that this is a running related blog, I have focused largely on the running journey. But, let’s not forget the overall intent. The intent was to spread the awareness about air pollution challenge and ways to combat it. The awareness drive continues in the form of a social media campaign (LinkedIn, Twitter). Sharing below some of my favorite combat mechanisms shared till date:

‘WAYU’ to combat pollution at busy traffic signals: - https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6531385051479932929

195 mobile moss walls per sq. km needed for Delhi: - https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6530710810619146240

Pigeons with backpacks for air pollution monitoring: - https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6528847004683067392

5 indoor plants to purify air: - https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6526336396666466304

Ikea’s innovation to address stubble burning: - https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6519303718775689216

To know more, follow the #RightToBreathe / #100HMsForACause posts at:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sundeep13487866

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sundeep-singh-491b91a4/

Sundeep Singh

+91 - 98181 19794
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

About the Author: By background, Sundeep Singh is a Mechanical Engineer from IIT Delhi and an MBA from IIM Kozhikode. He is a Principal Director with Accenture's Sustainability practice in India. 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 2017, which he completed in 1:26:29.