Marathon musings-firsthand experience

I have finally taken the plunge into the world of blogging.  As I was running the Mumbai Marathon (half marathon) last weekend, I realised that the clarity of thoughts while on a run could help me get started with something which I had been wanting to start for a very long time. So here goes my first person description of this highly memorable experience called the Mumbai Marathon

The day had finally arrived. The hugely anticipated Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2016 was here. After having participated once back in 2007 to just be a part of a mega event, this was an opportunity to be a part of an annual phenomenon which had kindled running as a lifestyle among millions of Indians. A gap of 9 years and a new found love for running made this my “First Half marathon”. After getting the pre-requisites of the timing certificates sorted out through 2015, after going through 3 pairs of running shoes, I was ready to run, rearing to push myself to run longer and better than before

As expected, the excitement for the event made it difficult to get hold of sleep. The thoughts of the amazing route encompassing the sea link, Worli sea face, Peddar Road and Marine drive flooded my mind as they might have done with many of the other 10000+ half marathoners. I still managed to be up before my alarm and leave following a light breakfast. The trains in the morning were full of people wearing SCMM running bibs, heading to Lower Parel or Churchgate. The holding area for the Half marathon was the Worli dairy premises. The holding area was enormous with baggage vans, mobile toilets/urinals etc. all in order to facilitate a smooth and structured start to the half marathon. 

In spite of starting in block E, I crossed the starting line in less than 3 minutes. It was great to hear the wide concrete road of the Worli sea face being pounded by the rhythmic strides of runners. Turning onto the Bandra Worli Sea link for the first time while not in a car was exciting. The hype about running on the Sea link just turned to a kind of mental calmness. The gentle sea breeze seemed to be welcoming us, asking us to experience the joy of running on one of Mumbai’s if not India’s most iconic structures. The only drawback seemed to be that the moisture rich ambiance caused a lot of perspiration in spite of the relatively low temperature. A u-turn on the sea link at the Bandra end took back towards Worli. It was liberating to motor through the Sea link on my own muscle power instead of fossil fuels. The kilometer markers just seemed to go by with everything flowing in a beautiful rhythm driven by the cadence of my steps

The next leg took us through Worli sea face, where people had started gathering to cheer us on. This was where I saw the first scary bit of the marathon. A person had collapsed on the side of the road and was being attended to be medical personnel. It served as a reminder that whatever one may say, distance running is a physically demanding sport where mind over matter doesn’t always work. The mind needs to be in sync with the body, not pushing it beyond its breaking point. With that in mind, I continued, realizing that I had run the first 10km faster than any of my previous 10km runs, in approximately 56 minutes. The stretch leading to Haji Ali was quite magical. As soon as we reached NSCI, it was as though we were hit by a sudden wall of cool air which seemed to say, “Peddar Road is up ahead. Stay cool and fresh while tackling it.” Every year, people living in the areas through which the marathon routes pass, tend to cheer on and refresh the runners with fruits, chocolates, biscuits etc. One such group was distributing Cadbury’s dairy milks to runners at Cadbury junction. It dished up a nice little sugar rush to handle the steepest incline on the route, Peddar Road. I had once tried to get a feel for Peddar Road by running from Cadbury junction to Babulnath in 11 minutes. But running 13 kms prior to such a slope kill your ego making you realize that you need to respect the route. The relatively slow climb up Peddar road led to a flat stretch where one could pick up some momentum before Kemp’s corner flyover, the last incline on the route.

The climb up Kemp’s corner flyover was fine, but as I was coming down the slope and heading to the Babulnath turning, I realized that something was amiss. My legs started screaming with pain as cramps started to set in. I had run continuously farther than ever before and was looking good to complete the half marathon in under 2 hours 10 minutes. But the cramps hit me like stone wall raising doubts if I could complete the race. I stopped at Wilson College, tried to stretch my legs before trying to jog. The scorching pain came and went as I moved forward, taking me to the verge of tears. I started saying my prayers in my mind with the hope that some divine intervention would carry me forward till the end. That’s when I managed to get some Relispray on my legs. My mind was way too cluttered to realise that my legs felt a little better after the spray. As I ambled on, at a distance I saw an open bus heading in the opposite direction, followed by a car with a timing display. Right behind it was a group of Elite African athletes, who seemed to be sprinting effortlessly. Watching masters at work can do miracles. The pain seemed to go away enabling me to go on. Perhaps that’s why masters like Sachin are called Gods of their sports. I alternated between walking and jogging through Marine Drive, not going too slowly but nowhere close to the pace which I managed for the first 14km.

The live performances by bands playing a variety of motivational, patriotic and other songs helped divert the mind from the pain which had made things pretty difficult. I had initially planned to run the last kilometer from Flora Fountain to the finish line. But like in life, one needs to adapt plans as per the circumstances. I alternated between brisk walks and running, cheering the champions with disability in the adjoining lane. One of the best ways to motivate oneself is to motivate others. That line definitely proved itself as I managed to muster the strength to put in a 100m sprint to the finishing line which was probably the fastest my body would have allowed at that point. The only word I could think of after completing the half marathon was “Ecstasy”. Perhaps this is what is referred to as the runners’ high. I’m certain this is not going to be the last Half Marathon I run, be it the Mumbai marathon or any other event.