I LIVED. To tell the tale

I had a couple of other title name options for this blog

A full before forty

A runner is born

Now all bipeds can walk. That’s basic. If we walk a little faster like on a trot, it is a run. If we run for long enough it is a marathon. This is what I honestly thought till today. Save your laughs for later. There are more stupid confessions coming your way.

Endurance sport is a mind game right. So, I had learnt all the little tricks to fool my body with my mind. I just left out one small aspect. I didn’t train my body enough for this long haul. So, mind over matter just doesn’t matter.

I got introduced to running by R. He can easily be the Dronacharya of runners in Goa for the sheer number of people who run inspired by him. Thanks to him & his beautiful wife  by his side always ,anyone on the peninsular side  of Goa thinks they can run .He called me a ‘natural’, at running 2 years back .(Just a couple of weeks before the marathon I heard him say that to another newbie, something to do with encouragement I am guessing) But I am a  C grade in PE through school & a sucker for praise. I fell for it. I called running my primary sport and myself Vasco Sussegad Runner. Everything else was for the sake of cross training. I spoke the running lingo. Dec 2017 – 10 km, Feb 2018- half marathon and the next day I wanted to do A Full Before Forty. I know cheesy line, but it stuck. I take complete responsibility for this temporary insanity because family and friends did not veil their displeasure at my attempt.

The event Goa River Marathon is organised by Vasco Sports Club members, bonded together by love for running and fuelled by happy hours. It features in the top 5 marathons of the country & not without a reason. It was also home turf for me. Fellow runners and family would watch out for me. Training started at the VSR school. Here runs were always accompanied by organic fruits, home baked cakes, lots of gardening and Good Housekeeping tips. Morning runs were social events. Eventually I graduated to VSR college. They are the running quadruplets who had taken up a 100-day challenge to run everyday, come rain or shine. Hard Core Stuff. But they kid gloved me and I eased into real running. As hindsight I should have trained harder at college. But it was not to be and I found out the hard way on the race day.

2018 ends for me on December 9

The race day

All my being was channelled into the grand culmination of my debut Full marathon

I was so scared that I even said my final byes to family. Even if I made it through this one, I would come back as a new me. So, bye old “C in PE” Me and A runner will be born or martyred maybe.

Running pearls

1.       In a full marathon the race starts after 25 kms.one who runs hence after is a winner and an honourable finisher

2.       It is mind over matter only when the muscle matter is reaaaallllly good aka training. Else one will be left mindfully breathing in and out till even that hurts

3.       Every muscle, sinew, tendon is used to run a full marathon. So, train all of them. I had to spray muscle relaxant on my stomach, back, neck, even hands during the run…just imagine

4.       Running is a sport and is supposed to be competitive but the comraderie shown is exemplary. I needed all of it to get to the finish line

5.       Towards the end I was so sloshed that walking hurt so much that running felt better. Running paradox maybe. Or my mind playing games due to dyselectrolytemia

6.  The good thing about running a marathon is that I got to pig out on curd rice ( in the name of carb loading) and yummmmmmmy energy bars painstakingly made by a dearie ( who holds the recipe as a family secret, lest someone asks for it)

PS

Title clincher

A full before forty- when the dark thoughts clouded my head, I thought I might not make it to my fortieth and it is going to be a tarry grave for me and it was too cheesy.

A runner is born- Well a person who respects the endurance that it takes to scramble to the finish line is definitely born

So, it is I lived to tell this tale of me eating the humble pie.  A thankful pie- I finished just in time to qualify for a finisher medal. Thankful for the numerous runner friends who stayed back to welcome me at the finish line. Thankful I made it back alive .