42@42

 On Sep 27,2021, I turned 42. This day turned out to special occasion for two reasons:

1. Participation of my friends in a cause that i am passionate about

My friends at school and engineering college have formed respective Whatsapp groups where in a tonne of things get discussed. A few days prior to my birthday, I wanted to stir up these groups by getting my friends do something fun and interesting. So we planned a fitness challenge to get the folks moving- On Sep 27th, participants would need to do at least 30 minutes of any physical exercise of their choice. At the end of the day, folks would need to post what they did and the duration. The challenge was received with a lot of enthusiasm. Friends had questions on what they can do, how they can have it posted in the group, whether video clips are allowed etc.

On the designated day, participants really got into the spirit of it. Most of them did walking or running which has the lowest barrier for a workout. The interesting fact is that many of them ended up with a good 45 min to an hour of workout. Some of them also took their daughters/spouses for the workout and made it a family event. At the end of the day, my school group had done a combined workout of 18 hours and my college group had clocked close to 15 hours.

Everyone felt super happy and pumped up for having enjoyed their share of outdoors. Turned out to be a day that was immensely fulfilling beyond the standard happy birthday/thank you responses.  

2. Realization of a milestone that has been at the back of my mind over the last 4 years.

The above challenge brings me to the realization of a long cherished dream. On my part, i ended up doing a full marathon run (42 km/ 26.2 miles) on that day. Since the time i started running back in 2017, this was  a milestone that i had hoped to get to. It was coincidental that i got to it on my 42nd birthday.

Planning

I charted out a training plan back in March 2021. I had been a casual runner until this point running an average of 12-15 miles a week. Needed something to get me going and a full marathon idea looked alluring. A training plan from https://www.verywellfit.com/ a site that i have been following for a few years was promptly downloaded, written down and pinned up in the room. Having a plan in front of the eyes to track progress on proved to be a a great motivation in this long journey.

 

I tried to stay as close to the plan as possible. Did an average of 20K (12 miles) during the weekdays and switched to the long distance runs over the weekend. For the weekend run, i almost always practised in the same trail that i was planning to run the full marathon on. That helped me get a gauge of the distance, fuelling and water aid stations. This turned out to be key since i was planning on doing a solo run and needed to have a good measure of where the pit stops could be to fuel and refill the hydration. Looking back the fun of the whole experience was in the preparation more than the event itself. The preparation helped me gain confidence that i was ready for the long course.

Experience

I had planned to do the run from the Marymoor Park in Redmond to Log Boom park in Kenmore and back. That distance was exactly 13.1 miles one way as i had ascertained from the training runs. There was also a good park at 7.5 miles (Wilmot Park) that was a good spot for refilling water. I carried water in a 1.5 litre(50 gallon) back pack and 2 small cans that amounted to 500 ml. My estimation was that this could help me last a good 13.1 miles and that i could refuel at half way mark. The day had other surprises in store!!

Woke up at 4 am and got ready for the run.Drove down to Marymoor park and reached there around 5:30 am. It was pitch dark with minimal lighting. I had also taken a headlamp as a contingency for this specific situation. Wore the headlamp, loaded up the backback, wrapped the water belt, tied the lace and started the run. It was the beginning of a 5 + hour journey that had some great learnings in store.

The first half of the run went fairly smooth. I was able to sustain a pace of around 11min/mile. In any case i did not have any specific timing goals and was hoping to merely finish in whatever time it took. It felt good overall and i was able to get the momentum going. Half way mark is when the first surprise sprung up. I had planned to refuel in Log boom park but unfortunately on that day, it was under maintenance. This meant that the park was not accessible for any amenities including water!!  I paused for 5 minutes and checked the water levels. Thankfully i hadn't exhausted the initial water quota, and had enough to get going for another 7 miles(mile 19) which is where the Wilmot park was. Kept myself going but trouble started cropping up around mile 16. There was a bit of a discomfortable possibly because of a muscle ache in my left leg. I could keep moving but it started become less smooth. From this point on, it was a battle of mind vs body.

By mile 18, the run started slowing down significantly. I was short on water, my legs were super tired and i was getting exhausted. Had to get 1 more mile going somehow to get to the park for refilling. My mind started getting blank. Had to motivate myself with pep talks to get one leg in front of the other. Somehow got to mile 19 and took a break to refill the water.

After refilling the water, washing the face and having an energy gel, felt a lot better. The 10 min break at mile 19 proved magical. I could keep running until mile 23 with a renewed energy and enthusiasm.

Mile 23-26 proved to be most challenging. By mile 23, i had been running for a good 4 and a half hours. The sun had come up and it started getting warmer. The water backpack that i had been carrying all along started hurting the shoulders badly. Every step became a challenge. The only motivation at this point was to simply finish the run. Somewhere half way into the run i was thinking that this might be doable within 5 hours. At mile 24, i had thrown any hope of sub- 5 hour timing to wind. Surviving the day became the focus. By the time, i got to the finish line it became more of a fast walk rather than a run.

Finishing the event , mind felt completely blank. I would have hoped to feel delighted or jubilant but none of those happened! The looooong run was a triumph of mind over body and there wasn't any reserve left to have any more feeling.

Learning 

So here's what i learned from this experience:

1. Strength training- I could literally feel the consequence of not having put enough into strength training. This was evident from mile 17. Any seasoned runner would spend a good 1 or 2 days of training a week into strength exercises. This is an area i am hoping to start focussing actively on.

2. Hydration- I carried close to 2 litres of water throughout the run!! This not only slowed me down significantly but also led to a bad shoulder ache that lasted for a good 4 days. During events, hydration is not a major concern since there would be aid- stations throughout. In case of a solo run, there is a huge opportunity to plan the hydration points and minimize the weight i end up carrying. It would help make the run easy and comfortable.

3. Practise is the key- It is the training that makes the journey enjoyable. No one can keep a training without a blip. Life happens and things come in between. As long as one is able to get back and keep the momentum going, any distance is only a mental barrier to be overcome.