I.....I, Want To Reach For The Stars....[Nomi's First Marathon]

Nomi says,


Well, maybe I'll start with the finishing line of a full marathon first.


Joy had I planned to run a full marathon this year. And I sort if wanted to chicken out. And, if Joy and Lulu did not encourage and support me, I probably would have. I didn't think i would be able to finish one at this point of time. My right knee had been giving me problems for the past 2 months or so. I wasn't in horrific pain or anything, but it would start twinging about 45 minutes into a run, and sometimes it would scream silently even as i got ready for a session at the gym or a road run. I had stopped running significant distances about 3 weeks prior to the race. I mostly went to the gym and used the elliptical trainer or the stationary bike. And i had only run a maximum of 3 hours prior to this. I didn't know if i could run more than that. But, i thought if i didn't do this now, when would i do it then? And I wanted to commemorate 2011, a significant year for me, with a personal event.

I actually planned my training more than 6 months in advance. Did I follow the plan...of course not! Planning and actually following it are 2 different things for me. Towards the deadline of the marathon...i was just thinking that i would be thankful if i could even do the distance. Runner's World  Nov 2011 issue had very good advice regarding running a full marathon and i did try to follow some of the pointers regarding carbo loading,  hydrating well , tapering, getting enough rest, etc, etc.

I remember while driving to the island where the marathon was to be held, i had to cross the bridge where i would actually run later in the night and it was so daunting. It seemed to stretch forever and i didn't know if i could run that far. But, i had already signed up for the run, planned a holiday around it, so i would do it.

This year, there were about 27, 000++ participants, but only a fraction were full marathoners. My run started at 2 am. Luckily , it had rained earlier, so the asphalt was cool...( for tropical standards, cool would be anything that was 26C and below) and the weather was wonderful . There was a refreshing breeze blowing and it made a huge difference to the run. Joy and Lulu were super encouraging, sending messages of support before my run and i really wished that they were there physically with me. I remember voicing that thought to Lulu just before the race and she texted me, telling me that she would be by my side in spirit throughout the run, and that was such a comforting thought. And i know that Joy, was rooting for me from halfway across the world too...

Starting point...from the 'Finish' end...

So there i was , just an insignificant dot amongst the thousands of people around me at 1 am on the day of the race. I sat next to a bunch of elderly gentleman, all who were sporting the race tag of full marathoners. I thought to myself...if they could do it , so could I right? I decided to carry a 1L camelbak, because i didn't know about how well planned this race would be with regards to hydration. I think that there were in total about 5 individuals who decided to bring their own fluids...And i came armed with a handful of gels too.

And with a loud blare, the horn went off for the start for full marathoners at 2 am in the morning. People rushed ahead of me. Me.. i decided to take it slow and easy . Not having run this distance before, i had no idea what i was in for. So , there i went off, feeling a bit a fool venturing into the unknown, the fluids sloshing in my hydration pack feeling like i was going into a trek into the Himalayas. And, about 15 minutes into the run, my right knee started twinging, giving off small niggling pain impulses and I remember thinking....how was I going to do this, if there was going to be this discomfort. Luckily though, the pain stopped about 30 minutes later and the run was comfortable and actually enjoyable.

About 1 hr and 22 minutes into the run, barely one third of the total distance, i saw the front runners passing me on their way back! They were these strong , fast Kenyans and they were sure to cinch the top 5 titles. Also, the half marathoners had also started their race and they literally zoomed ahead of my slow plodding form. This annual race, that i run is generally well planned, but this year, the first water station was approximately at 5km, the next at 10kms and the first isotonic rehydration fluid station was at 15kms into the run !!!! I as so thankful that i decided to lug my camelbak, because the fluids were certainly insufficient for long distance runners. 2 of the stations after the 15km mark too, had run out of water.

The run was comfortable for the first 21/2 hours to 3 hours or so. The weather was wonderful, with a gentle cool breeze blowing, the asphalt wasn't radiating heat and all my body parts were behaving generally well. I had a pack of gels with me and they were so useful. I consumed one every 1 hour and felt energized and not the least tired. ( I think i had consumed enough caffeine in the gels to keep me awake for 72 hours or so) Till about 3 hours into the run, when the pain started creeping insidiously . It started with the right knee...then the left. It was quite tolerable at first. Kind of like whiny toddlers that haven't broken into full fledged yowls. It started with twinges, then dull aches...no loud protests to stop as yet. But it grew steadily and after the 30km mark and it was decidedly uncomfortable. I had mostly run continuously before, just stopping to get fluids or refill my camelbak. Now i had to stop for short breaks to relieve the pain. And i started counting the kms till the end. I couldn't believe that i still had more than 10kms left!!!



For a while the run-walk-run strategy helped....but during the last 5 kms, the pain was continuous. Frankly, it hurt like hell!!!! It didn't make a difference whether one walked or ran. The 'whiny toddler' was screaming in full force now. I remember Joy's Man mentioning that it was better to run fast and finish earlier...than to run slow and drag out the pounding of the joints on the pavement...Both my hips and knees were so painful and  even the back of my neck hurt. Luckily there were stations with volunteers handing put bags of ice and i ran while pressing the ice into hips, knees, legs...and it did help, mostly as a distraction. At the last 3.5km mark, i walked with another runner who told me that this was the 4th full marathon that he had run, in this year. And he said that he thought it would be easier, but after 30kms, the pain didn't lessen at all, during every run...and he questioned why he put himself through this 'torture' every time. But then he said that the feeling of accomplishment that he got when crossing the finishing line was indescribable, and made him plan for this next run....

The last few kms of my run coincided with the10km run, 5km run and the fun run event. It was chaos. There you were just wanting to have the run over and done with, your whole body protesting in pain, ...having to contend with hoards of mostly young runners who were walking, chatting, holding hands and strolling in your path, some sprinting without much sense or direction.....and you just felt this overwhelming" Get out of the way" feeling...

The end approached, it was broad daylight with beautiful sunshine by that time and i crossed the finishing line at 5 hours and 48 minutes. My joints sighed in relief. I was done...finally. Joy and Lulu would be proud of me:) Unfortunately this race was not very well organized. A lot of the full marathoners, did not get their finishing T's or those who got them didn't get them in the right size, no water or hydration fluids were handed out to the exhausted runners at the end of their run, there were no shower bays or changing areas for the runners and they were a total of maybe 10 or 15 porto-potties at the start /finishing area to cater to 27, 000++ runners????? And the most glaring error..the start/finish banner was placed in reverse ie you started at the "Finish "line and ended at the "Stat" line....well...

 It was certainly a memorable event. I couldn't walk properly for about 48 hours after that. I think that this is the longest post that i have put up and i hope that the next time i do something like this, it would be with Joy and Lulu. I certainly couldn't have done this without them.