Dude,
I have read this report twice now - I am thrilled to bits... you are awesome! A great inspiration, as I had said earlier on my mail cc'ed to ECR Siva - I am in tatters now, not much running coming as planned, 10K+ runs here and there. Your mail comes as a breath of fresh air to help me focus. I am better this month (I have an RP who helps keep it as non-regular as it can get, but only till Auroville) and hope to get in form this year. I will read your mail many more times, I will remind myself of how you were toiling alone whilst I was squandering good company. Great to know now you have company and in good hands :D
'Great run' reads always get me emotional how many ever times I read, you did one great write up. Thanks buddy.
Okay - keep'em coming dude... I am really proud of you...
-----Original Message-----
From: chennairunners@googlegroups.com [mailto:chennairunners@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Navin Sadarangani
Sent: Monday, February 01, 2010 2:20 PM
To: chennairunners@googlegroups.com
Subject: [ChennaiRunners:15238] Finished the MM,M in 4:15:07
Hey guys,
This morning (Sunday Jan 31st) i attempted my second marathon.
The weather was great (mid 60's to 70's with moderate humidity) and
with most of the course being flat (with the exception of three
bridges), i was hoping to attain my goal of doing a sub 4:30 this
time.
The determination was high, especially after the struggle i went
through in my first marathon back in August 2009 when i ended up with
a timing of 5:42 in Hyderabad. I told myself after completing it back
then that i need to be more fit and be able to run stronger post 30km,
which is when i hit 'The Wall' back then. I learnt that to conquer
this, i had to increase my running efficiency by strengthening my core
overall and building more endurance into my heart and legs.
What followed then was a 4 months investment in a decent amount of
training (and conditioning) including a moderate 18 weeks training
plan, practicing Yoga regularly, making sure to get enough sleep and
sticking to a good nutritious diet (being a vegetarian - eggetarian
actually - certainly made it easier). While there were times when i
missed a run now and then, binged into a few things i could not resist
(the sweet temptations!) and skipped my asanas, by far i think i did
go by what i had laid out in the beginning. You really can't reach
100% of the desired level of training after all, at least that's been
my experience until now!
Like everything that contains planning, nothing really goes the way
you chalk it out. I did meet a few roadblocks - left hip pain (around
the femur bone region), mediocre pain suggesting introductory symptoms
of plantar flexion, not getting into a proper strengthening program
since i didn't have a gym to join during the beginning stages and no
real cross training program to take care of the rest days to keep my
heart rate going. The last two were something i came around with and
got a start to it in the middle of my stint. But the first two, like
everything related to the body, was slow-paced in recovery and i had
to constantly keep giving it attention so that it doesn't flair up to
a level of requiring a complete break from my running, and more
importantly training schedule and me reaching a higher level of
fitness.
One of the crucial roadblocks, once again, was (what i think was) a
muscle cramp i got hit by on Monday (a week back) during the last week
of the taper period, just 6 days before Miami. Thanks a ton to Arun
Krishnan who once again reminded me of the tips he shared earlier on
healing the muscles in my left calf and that indeed helped me.
Around October 2009, i met some folks of the 'Bahamas Roadmasters' and
just like the 'Chennai Runners' group that i love being affiliated
with,they too had a bunch of interesting folks that ran regularly in
the streets of Nassau, Bahamas. I started with joining them on the
long runs and within 4-5 weeks i was a regular (i'd like to call
myself that by now!) participating in at least 3 of their 4 weekly
runs. People who have the pasion to Run have a common (universal)
behavioural pattern. They're all addicted to getting out there almost
every day, dedicating time in promoting the cause of running in the
local community, helping one another in running methods, sharing
proper techniques, pushing the limit of one-self & thereby their
co-runners, and taking everybody into new territories in aspects of
their stamina, endurance, strength and passion. That was something i
witnessed back at home with the 'Chennai Runners' and i wasn't
surprised in seeing that in some great friends i made in the 'Bahamas
Roadmasters' running group. With a coach who just completed his 35th
marathon, we had enough of expertise, mentorship and assistance to
learn from. There were also a few speed runners (2-3 of whom have
qualified for Boston), and some great men & women i found company in
to share this passion with and have been instrumental in showing me
the improvement i've been noticing in the recent past.
Otherwise i would think that the long runs helped quite a bit. More
than the physical part (which does not need much of detail on), the
mental confidence one gains is immense. I did 3 long runs of 20+ miles
(6 above 25 kms) and that gives you a great deal of confidence into
what to expect and at the same time helps you test different paces
giving you a better understanding of how to plan out the entire
distance. After my last long run of 24 miles, i was looking positive
for a 4:24-4:26 finish 3 weeks later.
Marathon weekend got me to Miami on Saturday morning and a great
breakfast at IHOP was a perfect way to get some carbo loading with
some delicious yet nutritious content breakfast. Expo was decent and
the highlight was Ryan Hall on some tips he was letting out, this time
he focussed on the rookie marathoners. The most vital tip, which is
commonly heard and almost anyone can tell you, from him was that "The
marathon starts at Mile 20!". Many of the pro-runners keep making the
mistake of pushing too hard and hence lose their edge in the final,
but all important, 6 miles. I kept that in my mind and let it ring me
time and again for it to become a natural recaller so that i don't
jump on the pace and keep some of the conserved energy for the latter
part of the run.
With some good chinese dinner at P.F. Changs (topped with some
chocolate cake), numerous light moments to keep us laughing and
forgetting any anxiety that was building up in the group, we managed
to get a 6 hour nap. I wasn't very worried by the amount of sleep
since i've read somewhere (and Ryan Hall reiterated it too) that the
night before the marathon one does not manage to get much sleep
anyways due to the anxiety and hence what really matters is the sleep
/ rest one gets in the weeks building up to the finale. Another
testimony to the fact that there is 'no shortcut' after all!
I woke up, did the usual routine (with some extra bit for the muscle
cramp), consumed a moderate amount of carbohydrates two hours prior to
the start time and met the rest of the group (12 of us in all) at the
hotel lobby at 5 a.m. for us to get started on a 0.5 mile walk to the
start line. We had 2 other runners staying at another hotel and in all
were 14 - 9 for the full and 5 doing the half. But before we left the
hotel, even though i had planned to stretch only after the walk using
it as a warm-up, a little stretch brought back that sensation of the
muscle cramp and that got me worried, all over again. I hoped that the
walk would better things, but it didn't vanish totally and felt like
it's on the upper surface hovering around the calf muscles. Got our
gear checked in and entered our corrals.
While waiting for the kick off i couldn't help thinking of the one
person that who has been my confidante, supporter, bouncing pad all
along; especially during the roadblocks. I said my prayers before our
gates opened and dedicated this run to my Mom because i'm sure it was
because of her that i got here. And minutes later than i had did this,
Shavaughn tells another of our friend that when you dedicate a run to
somebody, you end up doing your best (and maybe a PR). I smiled of the
coincident of thoughts and words from two different people at the same
time. She was dedicating it to another runner who was attempting her
first marathon just a day after being diagnosed for cancer. I wasn't
honestly very worried for the recipient of her dedication because i
knew that if she ran today, knowing the strong personality that she
is, she would complete it 'come what may'. And so she did! Having said
that, i'm sure she'll now go on to use her own fighter spirit to
eradicate the cancer in her and get back to 'life as usual' soon.
The plan i had was to take it easy for the first 1-2 miles (10:30 - 11
min / mile pace) and get a proper warm-up to start with. Based on my
calf, try and stick as much as i can to a sub 9:45 pace until the half
way mark and then take it from there. At times my calf would get a bit
stiff and after some hydration, it would feel better. At a point,
around mile 9, i felt it getting stiff and didn't think twice to stop
and take a 20 second break and stretch it good to continue back on.
Half way mark and i was feeling good. The calf muscle was a bit stiff
than my right leg and the sensation continued to remain all
throughout. I decided to not let it affect me and ignored it till it
eventually became a habit of forgetfulness that i liked being in, and
it finally remained insufficient of ruining my run.
The course is neat. Takes you through the Miami beach, the ports where
all the cruise lines are docked, a few great areas around downtown,
over many of the islands in Miami, many drives where the best
hang-outs (clubs, restaurants, etc.) in the city are located in, a few
uptown residential avenues, et al. Many residents were out on the
roads cheering the 18,000 participants, one of the ones i remember
being 'Run feeling lighter since you stole something'. This came up a
couple of times and brought a smile to almost everyone reading it. The
arrangements - aid station, medical assistance, traffic control, etc.
- were very good and i didn't experience any inconvenience at all r
did i notice any hiccups of any kind around.
Back to the race, i dediced to keep hydrating myself more than i would
so that my muscles get all the fluids they'd want and this was showing
results as time passed. Finished my half in 2:11 and i was feeling
alright. I then picked up pace and tried to stay in the 9:20 - 9:35
minute / mile because i was feeling good but didn't wanna get lost in
the moment, pick up too much speed and then crash & burn later on. So
i kept at it one step at a time. The backdrop of this up-tempo being
that about 10 weeks before the marathon, i told myself that i could
try to hit a sub 4:20 if i could pace my run progressively if
everything goes well. With overcast conditions for most of the race,
1-2 very light phases of light rain, i was managing to stay cool and
motivated to slowly pick up pace looking at my next big mile stone.
Mile 18 and i was maintaining the increased tempo pace. I then started
gradually picking up another gear and tried to remain in the sub 9:20
region. This was when i felt my best part. Mile 18 to 23. I was
feeling joy, i just wanted to be locked-into this roll and liked the
pain, pleasure and ecstacy that i was feeling all along. Call it the
'Runners High' or anything else for that matter, i really don't know.
All i know is that i was enjoyed being in it. Mile 24 was a bit
painful since i started realizing a few spots which were starting to
make me feel un-comfortable but not yet un-bearful. I took it a bit
easier for a little over that mile and then stepped up the last 2
miles. After crossing the last bridge which takes you into the final
385 yards, i gave it my all. With friends in the bleaches cheering on,
i picked up pace, cheered / shouted loud and finished this fulfilling
experience in 4:15:07.
Loaded myself with cookies, bagels, fruits for the next 30 minutes
while stretching out and just sinking into the moment. A heavy medal
around your neck, you don't mind that after the enduring journey you
have gone through to earn it. The moment i reached my phone after
heading back to the hotel i called my folks and told my mom that i
finished the MMM (i had to break it down for her too 'Miami Marathon,
Mom'). She smiled!
Love and Regards,
Navin Sadarangani
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