Panic Button Pressed

A flurry of night outs and a Balinese weekend ensured that the week went by with a lot of fun but no running. On sober reflection, a serious lapse, compounded further by the no show at the Sunday outdoor run.

So today’s target of a 15km evening treadmill run was set with the knowledge that a failure would, in all probability, end the chase.

Desperation was evident in the sugared gels and water I ran with, worthy of a Brazilian export surplus. As usual a make believe world of jostling runners populated the quiet gym. On a treadmill leading nowhere, illusion is often the only solace.

The run was exhausting and I was all out of gas at the end of the 86 mins it took. There were blisters on both feet and my back threatened a cramp. But base camp had been reached, 15km had been covered.

The Jakarta Half Marathon is less than two weeks away and I’m still in the mix.

No Short Cuts On Acquired Skills !

Last night’s 15km indoor run proved too ambitious a goal and met a pre-mature end at 12km. Clearly a shortfall in mental and physical toughness.

However, as I contemplated the result on the drive back, it wasn’t all sadness.

First, i think, toughness in endurance sports is an acquired skill and as long as the end goal is not compromised, builds up steadily.

Second, the finishing time of 68mins meant that the legs were holding up just fine.

So, no cause for despair. Just a lot more acquisition required !

A Hit And A Miss

The Friday 10km treadmill run went off fine. Managed to keep a steady focus and closed at 56 mins, my best yet.

However, the big plan was for the Sunday 15km road run. In the absolutely log jammed streets of Jakarta, a rainbow of light is provided every Sunday morning when an 8km two way stretch of road in the main commercial area is made car free. Comparable to Marine Drive in Mumbai or M.G. Road in Bangalore, this opportunity is grasped by hundreds of cyclists and runners, including Aarti and me, who give it their best.

As luck would have it, discipline took a beating this Sunday. Failing to recover from a late night bash, I slept through most of the morning. Even Aarti’s wake up call from Singapore was lost in the haze.

So now am faced with the prospect of running 15km inside the gym this evening. Justice served after a night of plenty.

But can it be done ?

Back In The Mix

The 5km speed run went off well. After the previous day’s disappointment, I was glad to be able to give it a good shot and finished with a burst at 27 mins 15 secs. It may not have done anything for the half marathon effort, but it definitely cheered me up.

Also, feeling the need for an increase in upper body strength, I got around to weight training. It’s a real pain but guess anything goes now to appease the running gods.

Tomorrow’s a 10km run. A good nights sleep should do the trick.

First Day Flop

To get the four week training for the Jakarta Half Marathon off to a flyer, a 12km treadmill run was the starting goal. And for a bit of relief, a minute’s break at 6km was planned. Big mistake. After a decent start, the 6km break somehow became the primary goal and I started counting towards it. The brain sensed the weakness and the break proved to be game over. In fact the Sunday 10km run now seemed a significant achievement.

If so much positive energy is needed just to complete an amateur run, how much mental training would be required by elite athletes to go out there and beat the world, i wondered.

Tomorrow, its temporarily tone down ambition time. Rather than risk failure again, think i’ll go for a 5km speed test.

As my father used to caution, first deserve then desire.

Off the couch & running again

A few days ago a work colleague drew our attention to the Jakarta Marathon, scheduled for 23rd September. He was planning to band together an office group for the 4x5km relay. Would I be interested? Of course. After three months of regularly running short distances it shouldn’t be a problem. That is, until Aarti expressed surprise at how anyone (ie me) could find tasks with easily predictable outcomes challenging.

So being of independent spirit, this morning I joined my runner pal Venu Madhav and after putting in a decent 10km run, signed up for the 21 km half marathon.

A little under four weeks and a lot to be done. Training starts tomorrow.

The Bali Marathon

For an amateur runner like me, to participate and actually complete an international full marathon is as aspirational as it can get. And last weekend, the plan was to take the fist step in Bali – by participating in the 21km Half Marathon.

In the last couple of months, as preparation for the event, I had run regularly, completed a couple of 15km runs, an 18km one and even started weight training. However, i was prone to injury and diverted from the road of discipline by frequent bouts of gluttony.

But all things considered, it was still sufficient training. Aarti once again thankfully decided to do her thing photographing the action and cycling the route. Also, an old classmate of mine, Venu Madhav, a blistering half marathoner, decided to go the full hog and take on the 42km run.

We reached Bali a day before, a colleague of mine arranged for Aarti’s cycle, the running gear was picked up and we were set. The event had attracted more than two thousand runners including a bunch of elite Kenyans, many very fit looking athletic types and hundreds of no-pressure hopefuls like me.

Kenyans taking centre stage before (and the podium afterwards)

The Full Marathon started at 5.00am and Venu, delayed in the traffic, was the last one to scramble off. And half an hour later, while yet in total darkness, the Half Marathon took off. In the first few pre-dawn kilometers, as all the runners focussed on getting into rhythm, there was hardly a sound except for the thudding of feet hitting the road. An eerie start though an exhilarating one.

And they're off in a blur!

Pre-dawn fire torches

After 5 kms, the highway veered off into paddy fields and villages, and as the sun rose, we were treated to some serene sights. However, pleasant though it was, starting with two immediate brutal ones, the inclines got me gasping. The more the road meandered into the villages, the more frequent the inclines became. It required all the cheering kids and Balinese dancers to move us along. The organizers also threw in their own spokes by running out of water at some stations. Thankfully, at the 15km mark, Aarti, whose cycling efforts were also being rapturously cheered, provided much required liquids.

Kids pushing us on - Run fat boy, run!

Balinese dancers gracing the run

After the initial shock I soon learnt to walk up and zip down the inclines and to combat the Bali heat by hydrating myself regularly. In fact after the 15km mark, things improved so dramatically that i greatly increased the pace to try and make up for the slow first half. It was pretty terrific as many a fit looking runner was crossed effortlessly. However, just as i had started gloating, at the 19km mark, my right leg cramped up. No amount of coaxing and stretching would help and suddenly i couldn’t run anymore. The same fit looking runners proved why they looked so and I trudged the last two kilometers, humbled and wiser, crossing the finish line in 2 hours and 26 minutes.

Aarti meanwhile had a roaring ride. With her floppy hat and her big ass camera, she gained unquestioned access as the only cyclist on the track, and was cheered by runners and audience alike.

The final trudge - Undeserved ambition maketh a wiser man!

My friend Venu had a long run in more ways than one. Having only done half marathon distances in practice, after a very quick and steady 28 kms, his leg cramped up too, grinding him to a stop. With 14 kms more to go in the unrelenting heat, it then became a game of the mind forcing its way even after the body had raised its flag in protest. Being the warrior he is, he hobbled on for another two hours plus and finally crossed the line in just over 5 hours.

Venu (right) and I with our hard earned completion medals

As a final note, on our return flight to Jakarta we bumped into two of the Kenyan elites, who, outside the race track always seem to have the appearance of rabbits caught in the light. After gawking at them for a while, I ventured an enquiry to one of them. Yes, he had indeed competed in the Full Marathon and finished in 2 hours and 15 minutes. That would be less than my time for DOUBLE the distance. But hang on.. wasn’t that the winning time ? yes, was the casual very very non rabbit type reply – that was MY winning time.

After some more gawking i left him in peace to search for his luggage.