delhi 2010

The commitment to a half marathon is not major……..so registering for the Delhi 2010 run did not take too much thought. Training started much earlier this year than the previous years – and I was in quite good shape towards race day. …the excitement of running outside of Bombay-away from the known and familiar was high. There would be no crowds cheering and no comfort of knowing the track and no telling from before which parts would be difficult where I would need to push myself.

The weekend of the run turned out to be a city hopping-really hectic one!

I was visualizing a quiet weekend in Delhi-but I reached the venue only late in the evening.

Most of the group was already there and then the atmosphere really built up. The advantage of running in with a group I know now-it’s my first year where I am with a trainer – and I can already feel the difference. We meet twice a week and encourage each other and strive to achieve our personal best- running is truly the most competitive sport as we compete with ourselves- it works well for someone who likes to better themselves-constantly-when we see others doing better times we also aspire to get there-of course some are in a league of their own-but seeing them go is a real pleasure.

Except one girl, nimisha, whom I know from before-she, is rima’s friend- I haven’t interacted on a personal level with any of the people who were running in Delhi with me. It was a varied group- a couple of people in their late fifties-whose timing is 15 mins faster than mine-a couple of banker types- and these two young girls-who were running their first half marathon- and one of whom will attempting the full marathon in Bombay in Jan 2011. The most important discussion turned out to be about where to eat! Dinner !breakfast! lunch! Indian! Pasta! Veg! non veg! it was hilarious! How fanatical some people can be about their meals!!

We spent a full 24 hours together and were a part of quite a grueling event- this created quite a bond- we ate together and suffered the aftermath too!!!! Some of us experiencing knee pain-cramping-and general exhaustion-whereas others were fresh!!

The run was fantastic - it began at 7.30-which is incredibly late for us-but even at that hour it was cold in Delhi. I layered up and the buzz was keeping me warm. It was a small crowd-as I believe delhiites are supremely lazy……and there was a large number of foreign runners- who must with the consulates or such. We began with a bang- there were 3 of us keeping pace- we breezed along until I hit a panic button and thought that this pace is too fast for me……thought that I needed to slow down- so I let the others get ahead and t slowed down- I enjoyed the shady avenues….the beautiful stretch along the India gate as well the backdrop if the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The route was flat-with only one small incline- As I approached the 15 km mark I realized I was not tired at all……so decided to step it up…16 km and I was in full flow-and so it went on until the end when I sprinted towards the finish!!!!

It was an exhilarating finish! My best ever-I wasn’t tired at all!

I clocked 2.17.24

Am really happy with this timing!

But have learnt a few lessons- primarily that I should push harder-drive myself faster- I was cruising along enjoying my music, while others were finishing- so need to wake up and smell the coffee!