TMM 2020
- timtim1005
- Feb 3, 2020
- 9 min read
Fact: Events and Fitness do not go together.
I have been conducting events since 2014 and this means that all the discipline and training becomes so much harder to maintain due to the erratic timings and lifestyle of being in Events.
For me, 2019 was all about being disciplined and finding that balance – between work, training and life. It got pretty hectic but I loved each moment of it. From waking up in the morning to head out for my run, followed by a strength training session, cooking my breakfast, packing my snacks and lunch, heading out to work, shopping for fresh vegetables on my way back, cooking my dinner, doing the chores around the house and then heading to bed was my routine and it was all part of the discipline i wanted to incorporate.
There was no time for a social life. But I was already living what I wanted so I never really needed a break! It was isolated and solitary but it gave me a lot of peace. I have not had a television in my house since 2018 and this has given me so much more time to think, research and explore – through the medium of books and self-learning. I have my family and few friends and they are the people who have been tolerant of my idiosyncrasies and have always encouraged me to do as I deem fit – and have been my biggest supporters who have been there through thick and thin – unconditionally.
In the build up to TMM, as my mileage increased, I could feel that my body was not recovering as well as it should be so I did the most logical thing. Focussed on healing and recovery foods ( high protein, mainly plant-based, but I do love my meat and have a fair amount of that in my weekly consumption).
A lot of the times, we tend to overlook the importance of what is going on inside the body – quite like an ostrich may I add. So, I went ahead and got myself tested for the micronutrient content. As expected, the B12 levels and D levels were low – which meant that the body was not being able to recover and hence the constant fatigue. So, I started my supplements to balance out those levels. In addition, I started augmenting my recovery with BCAA. All of this was incorporated after proper testing and consultation with my doctor.
The entire RRS crew was doing the Vasai Virar Mayors Marathon, and I was ready to test my engine as well so decided to sign up for the FM distance. I was a bunch of nerves since it had been over 6years since my last FM distance race. But that’s the joy of racing isn’t it. The VVMM was a good confidence booster.
After this event, I headed back to Bengaluru to spend sometime with the family. During that period, there was the Bengaluru Ultramarathon planned – it was home ground so it only made sense that through the taper period I do my long tempo at GKVK. That was a fun run as well since I found a friend at the 3K mark who took me right uptil the 23K mark.
After this I headed upto Darjeeling. It was a personal trip ( remember the man I asked out, DD? – well, we spent our first new year together) for me and since the town is at an altitude, it also turned into a boon for training. To be honest, I should have tapered my mileage some more and got a little bit more rest in. But as is the case, I wanted to keep my mileage high to give myself a psychological benefit. Over the period of 20 odd days, I managed to get about 18 strength sessions in addition to the regular mileage in. The fact that I was surrounded by beauty, in a new place with plenty places and trails to explore and barely any network really helped me stay focussed on training and nutrition ( I drove DDs cook a bit cuckoo and we did have some collaborative days in the kitchen which were superfun!). The cold didn’t help and to be honest, most days it was an immense effort to get out of bed, layer up and head into the cold. The runny nose was a staple and even doing the most basic of chores was a mammoth effort. As it turned out, much to my joy, DD decided to accompany me back to Mumbai.
Fast forward to 14th Jan and we were back in Mumbai. A part of me was questioning how well my body will now adapt to the insane humidity of the city. In fact, I was expecting it to be a lot warmer than Mumbai was and the weather was a pleasant surprise to me. I got a few short leg openers in and before I knew it, Race day was upon us.
Ankush, my brother was in Mumbai for work and as a last minute booster, decided to stay on in the city to cheer the runners during the run. So, the day before I was quite the princess with him doing all the chores around the house. Rushit, was also running the FM in support of his father’s first FM ( at the age of 75 – what a rockstar) and the bunch of us spent most of the day together. I put away my phone around 7pm and went to bed by 8pm. After a bit of tossing & turning, I was fast asleep by 9:15-9:30pm. 2:00am and the alarm goes off. I make coffee for all of us and wake up the boys too. 3:00am and we are out of the house, in the auto making our way to the station. The station is flooded with runners all heading to churchgate at that unearthly hour. 3:19am and we are in the train making our way to the venue.
The train was bustling with energy. You know its the Half marathoners that are full of life, excited, moving around in groups, chatting incessantly and clicking photographs while the ones running the FM are the ones who sit broodingly stuffing their face every now trying to get every bit of rest and conserve as much energy as possible because they know their body is in for a royal beating in an hour or so. As we reached the final stop at churchgate, the runners all poured onto the station, we met Rushit & his father and the five of us started making our way to the start point. Along the way, we met many familiar faces and greeted each other with warm hugs and banter.
Through the security gate and Rushit gave us the ever welcome breakfast of bread & cheese. Quick gulp down and then the three of us headed over to the Procam Marquee. We made it just in time for me to strap my race belt on, place the gels into their grooves, rush to the restroom and then head on over to the start line. Any dreams to have a proper warm-up went down the toilet as there was no time to spare. Before we knew it, the countdown was on! And boom! The race had begun.
I knew my body was not warm enough and am also aware that I have a tendency to shoot off right in the beginning – its the energy of the runners, the excitement, the build-up. And as expected, I shot off – and as I did, I lost one of the gels to the momentum of the start. I had 2 choices, stop and grab it or carry on with the four I had with me and re-distribute them along the way. I chose the latter option and continued on. I met Preity Rai ( eventual winner of the overall womens category) and tried keeping up with her – it was a bad idea since it also meant that I started off too fast and burnt myself out. My first goal in any race is completion – finish strong. And then I keep changing my strategy as per the way I feel at any given point in the race. I have general rules on hydration & fuelling through the race but the minute details of when to consume what are decided on the move. Over the last few years, I have learnt to observe and understand the signals my body sends me which make it easier for me to consume required fuel at a given point in time.
I completed the first 10K in just over 44 minutes – and I knew at that time that I had pushed hard too early on and it was a matter of time before I face the consequences of this effort. And, as expected, by the time I reached the Sea Link, my energy was waning. I saw people surging past me and I couldn’t do anything about it. 42.2K is a long distance to cover, it takes a lot of time and distances such as this have to be covered alone. Your state of mind and the way you speak to yourself through the distance affects your performance immensely. I make a conscious effort to speak to myself in an encouraging tone, easing up on certain kms, giving myself tips like, shorter strides on hills, maintain the cadence, hold your posture, look at where you want to go and positive reinforcement of things to do instead of negative ones and I find that this voice of kindness goes a long way in enjoying that distance – kindness, like generosity begins with your own self.
Off course, the entertainment around, especially in an event like TMM cannot be ignored. Whether it is the aid stations, the stunning views, the change in the weather, the sunrise, your peers, the trainees or the people who turn up on the streets to cheer you on – there is just so much excitement all around that it keeps you quite occupied. Sometimes, you meet other runners as well. I met one. It was not the best experience. There was a gentleman who decided he was going to run at the same pace as me. And that would be ok – but there were so many things he did that were out of line. He was running beside me and every few minutes he ended up coming into my line of running. Most times, I would either slow down or increase the pace just a wee bit and move to the other side only to have him railroading me on there as well. And if there was a photographer on the way, all hell broke lose! it was like he had signed a pact that him amd only him must be the focus in any frame.
More than anyone or anything, I was annoyed at myself – that my legs didn’t have the juice to take me far far away from this situation. Either way, it was a lesson in patience and as they say THAT which doesn’t kill you, only makes you stronger! Also, if you are a person who does things like this – please just stop! its not cute! its not adorable and the people around you don’t like it!
Anyway, as we approached the dreaded Peddar Road ( apna ghar ka heartbreak hill) around the 34K mark, I could feel the life returning back into those legs of mine. Mentally, I knew that completion was not even a question – now it was about how much I could push in the final 7K and with that thought, I finally lost all my patience with the gentleman who was running with me – I asked him to kindly get out of my way and surged on ahead. The Peddar climb went relatively well and then I started mentally making note of a runner ahead and made an effort to catch up with him – this is the carrot motivation – the person ahead is the carrot and all you need to do is catch upto him and this way it continues right until the finish line.
2K to the finish line, Deepa Nayak was barely two steps behind me – I was HER carrot! At this point I told myself – its the final 2K – give it everything and then came the power surge ahead. 100mtrs to the finish line I heard Ankush scream out my name – that was the final sprint to the finish line. That man had done his own Cheering marathon and he deserves a finisher medal for the sheer energy he deployed in encouraging people ahead. DD was waiting for me at the end point. Ankush got me water and I went back to the finish line to give Deepa a hug! It wasn’t what I expected, but it was a PB. And off course, its always good to leave yourself wanting more. Strava Link: https://www.strava.com/activities/3023862166
The rest of the day was another marathon – a marathon of debauchery – Rushit completed his event soon after and went back to bring uncle back to the finish line. There were so many trainees who did their first FM and their HM attempts. I even received an inspiration medal from a dedicated Kartik – a guy who followed the training plan to the T!
Familiar faces, sweaty, stinky hugs – those are the things we live for – a hearty meal followed by some chilled beer – more friends, more revelry, more joy! So grateful for the powerful support system around me – of family, friends, trainees who became friends and colleagues who feel like home.
コメント