To Conquer the Unknown !!!

Runners can be irritating at Times to many people..

However, they are at their Irritational Best to their Partners…..

My Wife was totally Irritated when I told her what I planned to do on 15^th August.. At first she though I was kidding and ignored it, as I am used to sign up for an event and

Then if I do not feel like going for the same or due to my travelling it gets cancelled.

However, this time was different. From 2^nd August itself I started Tapering. Not that I was totally Trained and ready to do a 12 hour Event.. but I did few 25ks and a 30km run in 4 hours.

Besides that the only  other advantage I had with me was doing a Comrades so I knew what an ULTRA Feels like.

Basis the above Assessment, I proceeded towards giving the 12 hours Run at Mumbai Ultra a TRY.

When I discussed this matter with my coach, they took an assurance from me that Only IF I DECIDE TO STOP THE MOMENT THERE IS A SINGLE SIGN OF DISCOMFORT, CRAMP, SPRAIN, or

Any such thing and I was of the same Opinion.

At the end of the day, you run for FUN….and there is NO FUN IN RUNNING WITH EITHER OF THE ABOVE OPTIONS..

As I came closer, the night before the event, it struck my Wife that the next morning I shall be on my Feet for 12 hours… and she asked me again..

“PRATIK…. WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GOING TO DO FOR ALL THE 12 HOURS????????”

The question was followed by a complete SILENCE in the room as she was waiting for an answer and I was only Smiling…

I was quite Cynical in my Smile as at the back of my mind I was thinking…. WOW…I shall be doing what I love doing the best for all the 12 hours and no one to Disturb me.

No office calls, No House Duties, No Worries of life Whatsoever…. BUT HOW CAN I EXPLAIN THIS TO HER….

However, I am pretty sure that she got the answer through my SMILE, that how badly I wanted to get to the START LINE.

The Same question was asked to me by many seniors of my group and other people who got to know that I am attempting the 12 hours Run….and I had no answer.

The Reason I had no answer to this question…was because the ANSWER I could only get by actually finishing the Event and earning the medal for the same…

So I got up on the D- Day and took a Shower and approached the START LINE..A lot of planning had been done by my Group who is my extended family to come and support me in

The morning in Large numbers..but then the Organisers were not wanting the same and hence, had to request all of them to cancel the plan…So some people from TG Who could make it in the noon came and walked with me when it mattered the most.  Madhav Joshi, Chitra Nadkarni, Kaushik Mukherjee & Chandani my wife were there in different hours right from 12 pm to 5 pm…

The first 7 hours were indeed a Fun moment and literally a chit chat conversation with fellow Comrade PUSHKARAJ KORE.

When I reached the Holding Area, I was a bit nervous… I was a bit nervous for many days before 15^th August. But this feeling was a bit different…

I was more nervous even then Comrades.. as for Comrades, I was confident to put up a good show. Reason, I had Trained with the best of the best and I knew the Medal was mine for the Taking.

I had visualized the finish line, the emotions, every single Night while I was in Durban.

But here, if you ask me my feelings the Night before, were different.. I was down with a slight Viral Fever on Friday and So entire Saturday I rested. I had a slight pain in my Left Gluteas Medius which was not ready to go after ample of stretching, Foam rolling, etc.

So my strategy was simple… To start easy and keep going easy… At no stage I wanted to Push my body and if I happen to get even a slightest level of Discomfort;  I shall hop in my Car and head Back home.

There was no shame in Backing out from an On-going event….

There is a quote which says like this “HE WHO SAYS HE CAN & HE WHO SAYS HE CANNOT ; ARE BOTH RIGHT”

I couldn’t agree more… and this time rather the Very First time I went into an event thinking of Backing out first then Finishing First…

After meeting the Who’s Who of ULTRA RUNNING which includes names like Arun Bhardwaj, Dharma, Satish Gujaran, Amit Seth, Neepa Seth, Apurba Das, Kavin, Indira Ghosh,Piyush Shah and Many more…The FLAG OFF Happened. Amit Seth did the honours and we started…..

I saw many people speed up just like a half Marathon or even a 10k start….But I had decided that I rather be the TORTOISE TODAY then the Hare…. A story I learnt well while reading out to My kiddo Rivaan At times J

I took my first Walk Break as Early as at 2.5 kms and so almost more than 50 people crossing me over. At no point I felt bad, or insecure that so many people are overtaking me..as at the back of my mind I knew that at the 12^th Hour, if all goes well as per my plan, I shall be SMILING without any Aches, Pains, Cramps, and I shall see the same people Limping or pushing to the limits and in the process not experiencing the JOY OF RUNNING.

The Rule for being qualified to receive a medal at Mumbai Ultra was simple, Run a minimum distance of 43 Km and cross the finish line at 5 PM.. you are allowed to receive a Medal…..

1 Loop was of 11 kms and at end of completion of each loop every runner had to pass urine, weigh himself, get their Blood pressure checked and then after Doctors’ permission proceed further.

Over and above this there was a BIG Team of PHYSIOTHERAPISTS from various fields and it was so nice to see all the physios from different clinics to unite together to ensure no runner suffers from any Injuries.

I have done a lot of rounds at many Physios… Thanks for my Spine Surgery and belive it or not, every person who would have checked me, treated me before and after my surgery were there..and were having the Same expression as my wife….That WHY AM I DOING THIS….and my reaction was simple.. THE EVIL SMILE…..

Hence, I lied down and asked one of the Physios to give me a Stretch and his question was…”WHAT HAPPENED? WHERE IS IT PAINING? AM I CRAMPING? “

I did not know what to say… I said I am perfectly alright and just want you to confirm the same by checking if I am not stiff at my SPINE….

So he did and he said no need to come again and proceed further…

I kept doing the above for Each loop for all the 6 times and trust me, I was same as far as stretching and flexibility was concerned when I got myself Stretched at the end of the 6^th Loop.

Luckily I have Learnt to run by activating the Core and running through it so that no strain or pain comes on the BACK Whatsoever.

I do not wish to write and make this write up boringly length by mentioning Each hour..as frankly speaking it was never a mind game for me at any hour as I never Pushed my Body to that limit that it will need the mind to motivate and push the Body….

But again, many might ask….if I did not want to challenge what was the reason to do this….

Frankly speaking I still don’t know…..but one thing I had at the back of my mind…which is

GOD WILLING IF I DO COMRADES AGAIN, IS MY SPINE GOOD ENOUGH TO HOLD ME STANDING ON MY LEGS SMILING AROUND, FOR 12 LONG HOURS??

I had to overcome the fear....

I simply had to CONQUER THIS UNKNOWN FEAR WHICH WAS WITHIN ME... as If I sign up for another ULTRA, Will I Last…

So I did get answer to these questions…

There was also 1 more question which I got an answer to again… Which I thought while running…

DO  I WANT TO DO AN ULTRA AGAIN ?????????????

THEY SAY NEVER SAY NEVER….. SO AT THE TIME BEING…MY ANSWER WILL BE NO.. BESIDES COMRADES, I DO NOT WISH TO DO ANY OTHER ULTRA, AS DO NOT FIND IT WORTH IT( No Disrespect to any Event or Ultramarathoners)..…AND ALSO ITS TOO MUCH FOR THE BODY, MIND AND ALSO THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU WHO CARE FOR YOU SO MUCH……

So for some time ahead, I am going to be extremely Happy doing 10ks, 21ks, a few 30s which will eventually lead me to SCMM and then if all goes well…then WHO KNOWS…..WHAT NEXT ?????????????

Journey is more Important then the Destination!!!

It is Said that
"LIFE IS SO MUCH BRIGHTER WHEN WE FOCUS ON WHAT TRULY MATTERS....."

I so totally agree to the above quote....as for me it has simply helped me to come back from the Dead and HOW.......

Well, I haven't written much since my last post on recovery as I was busy running and ensuring that the past is behind my Back or rather I would say it as the BACK INJURY is behind my BACK Now..;-)

Since I have recovered, below are the events I have participated so far.

AIRTEL HYDERABAD HALF MARATHON as a 2.15 hour Pacer
TCS AMSTERDAM FULL MARATHON in 4.19 hours
SCMM FULL MARATHON as a 4.15 hour Pacer
IL& FS 10K in 49 minutes
BNP Endurathon -- 2.35 hours

I still am asked by many people who know me and meeting me after a long time about how am I feeling these days, and if any issues with my spine or everything is OK or not...well I would simply think the above and would surely believe that what happened to me is HISTORY and lets not look behind as to what I had been through...

My Wife often keeps telling me that the Spine Surgery that I have gone through has done more good to me than Bad...and I totally agree to her..

The injury that happened put me on Bed Rest for quite sometime and taught me a few lessons the hard way which I shall never forget..and hence I ensure I do the below things..

- Listen to my body
- Take even the slightest pain in the Body seriously and ensure Recover Completely before Running
- There is always a next time or Tomorrow to achieve in case any thing planned is missed
- Respect the Body and the Body shall respect you..
- A Strong Core means A Super Strong Back.....

My Running Speed, My Running Gait, My Rhythm, Energy levels, Mental Condition are much better than what they were before....
Now when I Run, I am at much more peace then before...and also at a much better Pace then before.

I am not thinking about the destination anymore.... As I know that mentally I am strong enough to the reach the Destination that I have decided to Reach....Whatever time it takes....

I am thinking about the JOURNEY to the destination......Now I believe that Enjoying the JOURNEY is more important that anything else.... Since I begun running I was desperate to break the SUB 4 Marathon JINX which I am sure every runner not breaking it will understand its importance...

I went to Amsterdam keeping in mind to do a SUB 4 timing and I was on course till 35kms..and then I Cramped.. and hence I decided to take it easy ...
After coming back I realised that the PRESSURE of achieving SUB 4 did the damage as I went off too fast in the middle part of the Marathon wanting to Achieve the Magical SUB 4... Infact I dont recall greeting people or watching the Beautiful City which was in Front of my eyes...

I believe the Best way to do sight seeing in Amsterdam or any city as a matter of fact is by Running it....and since that day, I have stopped craving for the Sub 4...

When I was offered to be a Pacer for 4.15, I merrily accepted it instead of thinking to try the SUB 4 in SCMM, as I had realised by then that Pushing the body to the limit and not enjoying the process is Not Worth It....

I Rather Pace and take it easy....and post SCMM, improve my Running Gait and modify my running a bit to ensure that I only Improve as a runner....

Which is what I have been doing since then....The SUB 4 will come when it has to come, but my next race whichever it will be shall be Ran with only 1 thing in mind and which is to

- ENJOY RUNNING,
- LISTENING TO THE BODY,
- BEING IN PERFECT FLOW AND RHYTHM

and the Rest Shall Follow...

Regards
Pratik Desai

Back to Where i Belong!!!!

2^nd June 2013 was 1 of the happiest moments in my life….

That very day started as early as 3am in the morning and I was preparing for this particular day in my lift since last 8 – 9 months.

Finally the day had arrived and my journey to do the unthinkable indeed started.

I Often believe in saying that “LIFE IS NOT ABOUT FINDING WHO YOU ARE, BUT IT IS ABOUT CREATING WHO YOU ARE.”

And my journey to Create myself begun and I created myself to be an Ultramarathoner conquering 89 kms of Hills from Durban to Pietermaritzburg at my very first attempt at the toughest ULTRAMARATHON in the world called “THE COMRADES MARATHON.”

19000 people started a little over 10000 completed it…..and I was amongst it…running it in 11hours 37 minutes and 46 seconds exactly..

Out of almost 45 Indians, I was the 8^th Indian and this all in just a span of 3 years of my running career.

Yes, I am neither an athlete nor a runner…Running to me was a distant dream as I have a history of dislocated Patelas, left ankle ligament tear and many other injuries that I have gotten into mainly due to me being a Fold Dancer which is a little too heavy on 1’s knees. I Started Running in December 2010 and here June 2013 I am at the finish line standing tall and strong clenching my fist, thumping my chest and tears of joy in my eyes with the Comrades medal around my neck.

Once back,  I was almost being treated like a celebrity as I was welcomed along with my Senior Group members because of which I could think of and finish this Marathon with a great fanfare.

After a few weeks of rest and recovery I resumed running again and surprisingly many runners kept asking about the experience, how was it like at the finish, etc.

It made me feel really good. Also as a result of running so long and training with a good mileage, my speed increased and Ikept on pushing myself to the next limit and kept on challenging the body continuously.

All was going really well. From June to around 15^th July life was beautiful with everyone at work, family, friends showing respect talking about Running and it just kept getting better by the day.

However come 17^th July afternoon, I somehow developed a sharp pain in my Right Calf. 1^st I thought that it is just a muscle pull and I simply kept on icing my calf.

But the pain kept on getting worst.  I could not bend my back after sometime and I realised something is terribly wrong with my back. But what was wrong?

I m currently at the prime level of fitness and my endurance has never been so good.

So how can this happen?

I was confined to a weeks’ bed rest and the pain was increasing with every single day and the nights being worst. I used to get a tingling sensation and internal shocks in my right leg and my ankle movement started being restricted and I was just asking god..WHY ME???

The MRI reports showed that due to some aggrevation(NOT DUE TO RUNNING) my L5 S1 disc had ruptured and the ruptured part had settled on the SCIATIC NERVE which runs from the Lower Back to the Right legs Toe.

The only way to cure this is get a Spine Surgery done and remove the Ruptured part which has settled on the Nerve. I did not have any choice and went by the Doctors order.

Such passionate I am for running that at the back of my mind I was thinking if I will recover well enough time to run the Mumbai Marathon of 2014 which is in January every year and 1 of the most prestigious running event that I always run with my extended TOPGEAR MIG Family.

26^th July the surgery was done and the Surgeon said all is fine and we shall meet after 4 – 5 hours and try walking slowly.

I was so excited hearing this. He said this because he understood my passion for running and he said we will decide whetherI can run or not after we finish walking.

I was asleep due to the Sedatives and got up and raring to walk and somehow prove myself that everything is OK now and Ishall be back on the roads soon.

But, HELL BROKE LOOSE…literally. I could not walk…I just could not lift my right leg properly and I had to take a support of the wall and could barely walk 10 metres.

That’s when the surgeon told me that it will take atleast 2 months bed rest and 6 months Physio therapy to think of starting to run. Till then I cant do a thing.

My world had shattered. As it is I could not stand without support and with the thought that I wont get to run for 8 more months made me sink even more.

That night I could not get sleep. I was just trying to figure out how do I get out of the BLACK HOLE that I have fallen into.

Luckily my running group members came to meet me and cheered me up. Some in the hospital some at home when I was under Bed rest. All of them said just 1 thing that I will come back and run with them soon. I just need to be patient.

My Coach just told me to HANG IN THERE and I will be out of this problem soon and I cannot thank my coaches enough for keeping me motivated.

Another tough part for me to accept is that I could not pick up my year old son and being at home he always wanted to play with me and All I could do with him was Read Books J which I happily did.

Days went by and the bed rest got over. I could now sit for more then 2 -3 hours and allowed to resume work for Half days.

My regular checkups with my surgeon saw a tremendous improvement and he advised me to walk as much as I can to recover. The more I walk the faster the recovery. This is what I required. I started walking from 15 minutes to an hour without difficulty in a span on few weeks and then he made me swam, cycle for testing the impact on back which was kind of OK.

After exactly 3 months, my surgeon recommended me for PHYSIO. All this while I only had 1 thing in mind and which was to get back to running and even stronger and better then before. So I took the physio sessions religiously as advised. The Physio could sense the desire to run and ensured me that very shortly I shall start running soon.

Months passed by from July when I was operated we were in November and I was not advised to run yet. Even though I felt Icould.

Then 1^st week of December I was given a nod by my physio to try out a 2km run….which was for me like a child being born again.

I was told to take Baby steps and I did. From November to December I kept on doing short runs and kept improving my gait, my cadence, running form, etc and on 30^th December i ran 5kms non-stop at a fast pace.

This day I felt I was breathing the oxygen the best way possible and I have never enjoyed the sweat on my body so much ever before.

Some more physio, Back and Glute Strengthening, Core Workouts and in 1^st Week of Feb I ran my first event of a 10km run in 52.11 minutes and received a finishers medal.

This was my 1^st Medal post comrades and I would say it was even more special.

On that day I felt like a child wanting a toy since when and finally got it without asking.

Its end of march as I m writing this experience of mine and I still haven’t gone above 15km. Would like to share with you that on 6^th April I intend to do my 1^st Half Marathon and once that is done I shall start training for my 1^st FULL MARATHON post surgery which is hopefully in September.

I will not consider myself fully fit till I cross the magical finish line at COMRADES MARATHON 2015…but yes, I can say thatI AM BACK WHERE I BELONG….

This magical recovery would not have been possible without my family who supported me the most and more importantly my Mom and my Wife who made sure that i get the rest that i am required to....all my runs henceforth i owe to them and my Extended Family of TOPGEAR MIG without which i can never think of running.

My coaches who kept me up always and till date help me curb my over enthusiasm to run more..had they not stopped me, iwould have broken myself yet again.

would like to end with saying that i could somehow manage to find POSSIBLE from the word IMPOSSIBLE and indeed nothing is IMPOSSIBLE if 1 decides to GO FOR IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

Regards
Pratik

@ the Finish line......

THE ROUTE TAKES OVER.....

To be Honest, When I crossed the Half Line @ Drummond the first thing I did was clenched my fists and said to myself that “ OK Buddy…thehalf and the difficult part of the Race is over…. You are doing very well and more importantly on both your feet without any Cramps, Injuries, niggles, pains or whatsoever…. So Lets NAIL THIS and GO FOR THE BRONZE!!! “ 

Well when I saw the timings on my Watch as 5.18 hours, I really thought that it was possible as post 44km, quite a lot of distance is either downward Or Flats except the might Polly Shorts; so why not go for Bronze.

Thinking this,i stopped for a while to stretch myself and I told to myself to run YET ANOTHER FULL MARATHON and started moving Forward under the assumption that the 2^nd half is going to be as smooth or a little difficult than the 1^st HALF…..

 And the 2^nd Half starts with the MIGHTY INCHANGAAAA…yes, the name itself scares you as its quite a steep slope to climb and after all the speed you gather to reach the half way from BOTHA’s you are just being pulled down to plain walking and this slope reminds you that fact that there is still a LOT OF WORK TO DO….

The thing INCHANGA does to you is it DRAINS YOU OUT… you have to walk so much because of the steepness of the climb that you loose inclination of running whatsoever.

I was walking with good speed along with my WHATSAPP Strategy of updating back home and that is when I realised that my Guruji alongwith Sandesh are about 15 minutes behind. This took me by surprise. I had this kind of feeling in the Mumbai Marathon when I was told that I am first and Dilip Patil is behind me. In Mumbai Marathon he eventually caught me up and overtook me at 33km but here at 45km I was still ahead. I said to myself something was wrong. Firstly I decided that I should wait; then I thought lets keep moving forward as I was sure he and sandesh will slowly catch me up. Thinking this I reached the Top of Inchanga and was met by the students of ENTHEMBI School. This kids are in need of so many things in life but as soon as I met them, I always felt I was getting something from them. They make you realise that you should be happy with whatever life gives you and in a way they charge you up with the remainder of the race. 

Once this passes, you have a little downslope followed by Harrison flats and the Catoridge  to Camperdown section which is totally a Flat Section with a Few rolling hills that can be managed.

I got back to my downslope and caught up the speed that I was missing. The Rhythm coming back and In between I was doing the occasional stretching as and when required along with the Ice water treatment on my Quads and Calves from time to time.

At this time it was getting very Windy and I thought this wind is maybe because I am going downslope and thought that  the 2^nd HALF Of the race is not that bad. However, I did not realise that how my first half of the Comrades Film which was like a Yash Chopra Romantic movie immediately changed to a Ram Gopal Verma type of a Horror movie??

 As soon as the Slope got over, I realise that this wind was not because of Running it was Natural Strong, Gutsy wind coming right onto your Face. It was so strong that At times had to remove My cap fearing it will Fly away….. at some open places where there was enough Soil and Sand, one could feel a Sandstorm like situation with all Sand blowing over the Face.

 At one stage my throat became totally parched and so dry that I had no saliva left even to spit….I could feel that I am getting De-hydrated and the Water Station just went behind….I immediately stopped walking and Stretched with my head hanging down.  It was giving some relief to my body and my mind as well. As soon as I got up, I saw a guy running with  2 water pouches and I had no option but to ask 1 pouch from him.

Keeping the COMRADE SPIRIT alive he gave it to me without thinking twice and I cannot thank of enough to be very frank.

From that moment I realised that I somehow have to get the Bottle or a pouch of water always handy with me otherwise I am surely going to get De-hydrated. 

At this moment I realised 1 thing that at no moment in COMRADES can you think that you are going to finish it easily or as scheduled or planned strategy.…Infact I remembered what Bruce Hargreaves the Australian Ambassador told us in the BUS…that in the 2^nd HALFespecially at 55 – 60km range depending on 1’s training that ROUTE TAKES OVER THE MIND….

However Strong a person maybe, each experience at the Comrades is a different one.

GIVING UP BRONZE!!!!

Remembering this I started running again and battling the Strong winds somehow reached the Camperdown Cut Off well before the Cut- off. I guess I was atleat 45 – 50 minutes before the scheduled Cut off. For reaching This Cut-off I adopted a simple strategy here to tackle the Wind and the Tiredness part yet again remembering Bruce Hargreaves’ strategy. He told us in during the Route Tour that if we are tired then just look at the Lane in the Middle. The dividing White Lines in the middle of the Road is what has to be looked at and continue to RUN. I did just the same. I ran for 3 white Lines and Walk 2 White lines. RUN 3, walk 2. At times when I was getting my rhythm back I ran 10 white and walk 4; Ran 12 White and Walked 5. This way I could cover a lot of distance and stick to the Mantra of KEEP MOVING FORWARD….”Thanks You BRUCE!!”

Now remained only around 27-28 kms with crossing of UMLAAS ROAD (the Highest Point) and then have to negotiate with the POLLY SHORTS. Till this very moment I was still thinking of a Bronze in my Mind. But the De-hydration due to the Wind was catching up. I could sense something wrong in my Right Calf as well as Left Quadriceps. Felt a little Niggle at both places and that is when I took another break to Stretch.

I had somehow decided that I do not want to Limp when I finish and that is why it is better to avoid any cramps now then crawl later.

I could have Crawled the finish line If the situation demanded so; luckily it did not happen so do not want to talk about it at all.

 While approaching Umlaas Road I saw the Sub 11 hour bus overtaking me. That is when I realised that now a sub 11 looks difficult as the Bus has already overtook me. I however though of running with the bus and seeing how good it goes. I managed to stay with the bus for 3 -4 kms and during that time I realised that the BUS was indeed Running Late. The Driver was rushing the Bus and making us run even on the UPSLOPES and most of the people in the BUS were literally struggling to manage that speed including me.

I left the BUS as I knew if I kept on going this way, I surely would not last the last 18km or so and decided to take it a little easy and also accepted the fact that a BRONZE this year is NOT POSSIBLE.

THE CLIMAX!!!!!

After walking a few more kms, I realised that I had 90 minutes left and around 15km to go. When I did this calculation, the target seemed achievable in normal tired conditions even after running 73km. However kindly remember that Little Polly as well as POLLY SHORTS were still Yet to Come and that is where this 15km – 90 minutes equation was not fitting at all.

Little Polly arrives and I immediately inform my friends and Family that BRONZE is not possible and I know at that point of time where are my other TG Members. I was still hoping that Patil Saab would catch up with me but then I thought that maybe something went wrong with him as well which I got to know only when we got back to our room that he was cramping from half way itself. I ideally would have loved to had the Tri-colour in my hand and on other side Patilsaab and Sandesh and we 3 crossing the Finish line together.. But waiting was too risky as then the motivation to RUN Again completely goes which was far too risky. 

So I move ahead climbing the dreaded Little Polly and proceeded to the Downslope catching up speed and approaching the Dreaded POLLY SHORTTS. By NO Means this is EASY. This is the Last of the NAMED HILLS and Mentally the TOUGHEST To Conquer for the simple reason that somewhere deep down in your mind you know that once you cross POLLY you have the medal more or less in your BAG.

But to climb Polly is not a good sight. Infact it is scary. The reason being during the UP SLOPE you see so many runners GIVE UP. Yes I mean it..They simply GIVE UP or they have pushed so hard till here; that their BODY Refuses to Go any further.

My legs also were in the similar condition. They started indicating to me that they were giving up. They were Paining, Cramping and making all sorts of Noises. And that’s when I Told them to simple “SHUT THE F$#K UP AS YOU HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO KEEP WALKING TILL WE CROSS THE FINISH LINE.”

My Body was totally out but that is when I told my myself that “ I HAVE WORKED SO BLOODY HARD TO REACH TILL POLLY AND SUCCESSFULLY CROSS THE FINAL CUT- OFF. LETS PUSH A LITTLE MORE UPTO 8 KM AND REWARD MYSELF WITH A MEDAL WHY TAKE FAILURE WHEN I DO NOT WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT MEANS .”

At the Top of Polly, I had 7kms to go and around 21 minutes for a SUB 11 Finish. I was not an Ethiopian or a South African, Kenyan, etc by any standards to achieve this feat so I decided to Enjoy this remainder of the race interact with people and run with a smiling face greeting everybody on the way. It was too good to do that as I saw sooo many fellow Indians standing side by cheering me as soon as they saw the INDIA FLAG on my T-shirt. Some of them also made me stop for a photograph and I readily agreed for the same.

The last 2 kms ends in the Stadium and this 2km never seem to End. All the spectators keep on telling you that “YOU ARE ALMOST THERE” “YOU ARE LOOKING GOOD, JUST A LITTLE MORE” etc etc ; but trust me this 2 km seems like a Half Marathon.

It was a feeling like a small kid who knows that the CANDY is kept in front of him on a high table where he cannot reach by himself and he is waiting for him MOM to come from the Kitchen and just hand it over. The Kid keeps on screaming to Mom to come and give the CANDY but Mommy is busy Boiling the kids milk so cannot leave till its done. That Waiting TIME where the KIDS eventually end up in CRYING OUT AS LOUD AS ANY SOLDIERS WAR CRY to get a CANDY and the instant silence the Kiddo goes into as soon as mommy comes and hand over the Candy was exactly MY state in the last 2 km.

In the last 500 metres, we have to turn left and as soon as we do it, we are IN THE STADIUM on the Grass and that is where I saw few people walking, limping to finish. There was a lady who was in centre picked up by 2 Men on their shoulders and they were walking slowly so that the lady could finish and I was lucky that I was smiling at my maximum and Running towards the FINISH in a Very Strong Manner.

I heard a Shout from NEHA, who is COMRADE SWAPNIL SHENDRE’s Wife and I asked her to click my snap. She got so wild on me that I should finish 1^st and I told her please click 1^st and then I leave…people around were thinking of what a crazy person I am.

Anyways after the snap I Sprinted to the FINISH LINE and on reaching heaved a HUGE SIGH OF RELIEF….i shouted in Dr. Kataria’s trademark Style remembering the MIG GROUND FINISH and started Crying.

I was weeping infact and as soon I walked further I was greeted by an official who hung the MEDAL around my neck and congratulated me.

I was still Shouting, jumping Crying and what not emotions I have I still cannot remember and that is when a journalist interviewed me. He was from the South African Local News paper “THE WITNESS.”

Finishing the interview I met Bhavin and we went to the international Runners’ tent where I met Satish and from that moment on I was Jumping with Joy, Shouting with Excitement Hugging every Comrade finisher with immense Satisfaction and still Crying like a Baby not believing in what I just did.

After a while Patilsaab and Sandesh arrived hand in hand and we 3 formed an huddle of our own and started jumping and shouting again.

Photographs with the INDIAN FLAG took place and the Shouts were still on. I was UNSTOPPABLE with my emotions and anybody could make out that I HAD GONE CRAZY…infact all of us….

After sometime when I sat for a while and finished Calling my Parents, Wife, Dr. Kataria and my Boss I once again screamed out loud and stood up for another Photograph.

 After sometime we got to our bus with great difficulty where Ajay P and myself had to walk an additional 2 – 3kms to get our Bags and Bus Pass and finally Reached home.

THE AFTER EFFECTS!

THE JOURNEY THAT STARTED WITH A THOUGHT OF BEING AT THE START LINE FINISHED WITH A STRONG FINISH AND AN EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER RIDE. INFACT I WOULD LIKE TO SAY IT HAS NOT FINISHED, IT HAS JUST MADE ME HUNGRY FOR MORE!!!!!!!

IN THIS TOUR HAD SO MANY SWEET MOMENTS TO SHARE THAT I CANNOT EXPLAIN... IN THE END THE VICTORY ATCOMRADES WAS MADE EVEN SWEETER BY A SURPRISE WELCOME I RECEIVED BY MY FULL FAMILY.

AS EXPECTED MY WIFE, MY PARENTS, MY IN-LAWS AND MY BUDDY(RIVAAN) WAS THERE TO WELCOME ME. WE WERE ALSO WELCOMED BY MY EXTENDED TOPGEAR FAMILY AT THE AIRPORT SHOUTING AT THE TOP OF THE LUNGS JUST LIKE I WAS SHOUTING IN THE INTERNATIONAL RUNNERS TENT AFTER THE FINISH AND THAT WELCOME LITERALLY MADE US FEEL LIKE CELEBRITIES FOR THAT NIGHT AND THAT MOMENT. 

THANKS TO EVERY1 WHO WERE CONTINOUSLY TRACKING US FOR 12 LONG HOURS. I STILL REMEMBER THE SLOGAN SAID ON TUESDAY MORNING B4 WE LEFT FOR SOUTH AFRICA “ JAB TAK TUMHAARE PAIR CHALEGE, TAB TAK HAMAARE JAAM CHALEGE.”

I AM SURE THAT WE DIDN’T LET YOU GUYS DOWN AND YOU WERE SHORT OF YOUR BOOZE QUOTA…. 

I SINCERELY HOPE THAT I CAN GO THERE ONCE AGAIN AND GET THE PENDING BRONZE MEDAL WAITING FOR ME NEXT YEAR.

HOWEVER THIS TIME IF I GO I WILL ENSURE THAT YOU WILL HAVE TO DRINK A LITTLE LESS THEN THIS YEAR ;-) 

BEST Regards

The 1st Half of Comrades 2013 UP RUN

NERVOUS ANXIOUS MOMENTS!!!!

So Finally the D- DAY that we all had been training like Maniacs arrives. 2^ND JUNE 2013 finally comes. For me it started at around 3 am where I woke up without any Alarm.

Luckily I woke up fresh…..I got going with my usual activities and just when I got ready with all my Running Gear, I had this strange feeling in my Stomach…Maybe it was Stress, pressure and many other mixed feelings which I assumed would be better once the Run starts.

I also was having a Lower Back Spasm from the moment we Landed and thanks to the EXPO Massages I took, that morning it was a bit better than the remaining days…I also took a Pain Killer at night to ensure that there is no pain in the morning when I get up as I was prepared for all types of Pain once the Run starts.

So we are all set to leave our Respective Hotels and are in the Taxi to reach the Venue. It is around 450 AM that we arrive at the Venue. We then somehow made our way to our seeding Area by literally penetrating ourselves through the Crowd. 

We then waited anxiously for the race to start and were just wondering when will it eventually start. Just then the DJ who was playing various Re-mix tracks played the South African Song “SHOSHOLOZA.”

I did not understand a single word of it, but it was slow and catchy.. While this Song was played we happen to spot in front of us a person who has waving an Indian and a South African Flag together. HE was basically a Indian Settled in South Africa since a long time.

It felt great looking at the Tri-Colour and the emotions were at an all time high.....just then the music changed and the SHOSHOLAZA song was followed by my All time favourite instrumental music – “THE CHARIOTS OF FIRE.”

Vow….what a feeling it was listening to this song and while this song was going on I closed my eyes and thanked GOD for making me Reach here. I simply thanked him for giving me all the possible resources to Reach

The start line FIT, HEALTHY & MOST IMPORTANTLY INJURY FREE and in the RIGHT FRAME OF MIND…

The pressure was mounting and the music piece was getting over…..

As soon as it got over…..there was a big rooster cuckoo sound followed by a GUN SHOT….. “BANG !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

A BIG OCEAN…………………OF RUNNERS!!!!!!!!!!!!

For 1^st time runner like me I could not believe that the Race start even though I heard the GUN SHOT. The reason being inspite of the GUN SHOT we couldn’t move an INCH for the next 20 – 30 seconds or so…

I was blank for sometime as what is happening and why isn’t any1 moving?? I quickly looked ahead and what do I see????

RUNNERS RUNNERS EVERYWHERE……… I mean I agree that in all Start events there are many Runners, but for a SCMM FULL MARATHONER, the maximum number of runners be seen on the

start line would be around 4000 max so when race starts all move together…

However;  Here we are talking about 19000 Runners…..Just Imagine how would the scenario be? I could not see the ROAD at all be it front or back. It was like watching an HOLLYWOOD EPIC WAR MOVIE where Thousands and thousands of soldiers are Marching Ahead to Fight a BATTLE.

That is when I also realised, YES….THIS IS A BATTLE and WE ARE SOLDIERS AS WELL.

This is a Battle with oneself to achieve the GOAL SET OVER THE MONTHS BY SACRIFICING SO MANY THINGS IN LIFE.

A Battle where one has to keep fighting for 12 hours to ensure that the people back home who are tracking you are praying for you, cheering you and LOOSING THE BATTLE IS NOT AN OPTION.

A Battle where No matter when or where the PAIN Surfaces in the Body, MOVING FORWARD IS THE ONLY WAY TO SURVIVE and SUCCEED.

I Said to myself, that if this is a Battle, SO BE IT…and BRING IT ON as I am a Trained SOLDIER who has done all the possible Training that is required to fight and Conquer it…

The crowd started Moving and so did I…..It was like a VIRAR LOCAL for the first few Metres and FINALLY after 3 Minutes, I CROSSED THE START LINE.....

IF SLOPES COULD KILL….

OK, so we start and pass from the City Hall towards Pietermaritzburg….Thanks to the BUS TOUR I realised 1 thing that throughout the ROUTES there are SLOPES and MORE SLOPES.

While training in Lonavala and our various discussion with COMRADES, all I could hear was the 5 Hills. FIELDS, COWIES, BOTHAS, INCHANGA AND POLLY….But let me tell you guys besides this also there are So many

Unnamed Hills which is like a SLOW POISON and the indeed KILL YOU SOFTLY. 

The first mini slope comes at around 2.5 km which is the TOLL GATE and from there we move on to the 45^th CUTTING which is yet another slope…. The weather also was acting Funny.

All this while we were training in Night hours at lonavala assuming we are simulating South African Conditions...and what we eventually get after reaching South Africa is a Mumbai Marathon Type Weather...Funny isnt it??????

Anyways, back to the run....

Upto the TOLL GATE I was with Dilip Patil and Sandesh. However after crossing TOLLGATE, I had to take a Pee Break which I did hoping I will catch them in few minutes.

But there were so many people it was impossible to spot them. I Crossed Amit and Neepa who were Running together. Waved them a Hi and moved forward searching for Dilip Patil and Sandesh.

They were running near the same Flag person having Indian Flag with him.

So I was chasing that guy assuming Patilsaab and Sandesh are around that person but I never found them and neither did I realise that I overtook them until I reach DRUMMOND.

My Strategy was Simple..... just take things easy in the 1^st HALF which was all the way to DRUMMOND. 

Before DRUMMOND what I had to encounter was the FIELDS, COWIES & BOTHAS which I had to take it slowly. So I decided to WALK all these Slopes Completely… and wherever Downslope or a FLAT Terrain comes I run at a pace of 6 mins per km.

The 1^st Down Slope came and I thought lets cover up. I increased my speed, but yet again there were so many runner on the route that it was increasingly difficult to run at a steady pace and this was irritating me. I had to constantly pass them by changing directions left and right and in the process i was also disturbing others as well....

I thought I cannot run this way and in a ways I was running at their Pace which was not my plan.

Just then I saw that on the Extreme LEFT there is a FOOTPATH….a FOOTPATH With a regular Route unlike in INDIA where you have Food stalls all over them.

I simply walked towards the Footpath and then all I had to do was run there without any disturbance. Nobody in Front of me. Looking at me running there, many people followed me, but I was glad they were behind me.

Then what, it was simple…wherever I spotted a Footpath, I used to separate myself from the Crowd and cover up on the distance.

Eventually I Arrived at FIELDS HILLS. 

The night before Comrades; Patilsaab set a simple Formula which we all followed. The formula was whenever OUR GARMIN indicated the KMS as 15, 22, 35 and 45, All we were supposed to do was WALK…No matter what…JUST WALK till that HILL Is over.

As a good student I am, I did the same….

 ALL these Months I was simply thinking that THE SLOPES ARE SURELY GOING TO KILL US WHILE RUNNING THE COMRADES!!!!

AND I did realise while Walking that These were not Normal SLOPES like in Lonavala, or PALI or Mount Merry….These are DEADLY SLOPES and IF I DO NOT RESPECT THEM, THEY COULD KILL and KILL ME EASILY MUCH BEFORE DRUMMOND ITSELF….

I started climbing COWIES and just when I started the incline I was getting bored as I was all Alone. I thought of Updating my RUN STATUS to my WIFE as I knew she was Very tensed about my RUN.

I sent her my status and she responded back to me telling me to take care and wished me all the best yet again….

I Clicked my photograph and sent it to her assuring her tht I am Fine…and I sent the same snap and status to my other Family (TOPGEAR FAMILY) who were anxiously waiting for all the TG RUNNERS to cross the 1^st Half as only after that they could track us.

As soon as I sent out a message, all the members got excited and started wishing me luck and sent various messages which I read only the Day After.

But I realised 1 thing while I was sending messages to my Wife and TG on WHATSAPP…… 

I DID NOT EVEN KNOW WHEN DID COWIES HILL CAME AND WENT AWAY AS THE MOMENT I KEPT THE PHONE IN MY POUCH I SAW THE FLATS APPROACHING AND I WAS BACK TO MY FOOTPATH RUNNING STRATEGY!!!!

I decided that THIS IS IT….let me Chit chat with my Wife and TG Gang and even if I update them once that will make them thrilled and I wont realise the Hills passing by as well  J. IN SHORT, THE FEAR OF SLOPES WAS SORTED OUT….ATLEAST FOR THE TIME BEING!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SLOPES ARE MY FRIENDS….

FIELDS HILL arrives…and this time I greeted it with a Big Smile on the face….i said time for Gossiping  and catch up with my Friends….. J. IN SHORT SLOPES = FRIENDS J

My BB was out for some photographs and I gave my update as planned and continued walking and clicking few more pics…..and within a matter of time FIELDS was Behind me..i was like Vow..this is cool…. 

Just when the Flats arrived there was a Medical Camp there….I told to myself that it is been over 28kms now..and high time that I should do some ICING as what I had followed in Lonavala…

I took some ICE and applied on my Legs…but nothing happened…. NO COLD FEELING Because of the SKINS that I was wearing….i was like WTF….how do I do the ICING NOW….

 I decided to move forward and as better sense prevailed I Took the Water Sachets opened it and sprayed the water with a strong force on my Quadriceps…it felt so good… the Spray was doing like a Massage Effect on the Legs and the Cold Water was ICED WATER thus giving me an effective solution to my ICING PROBLEM…J

 Few more kms down and at 35kms it was the BOTHA’s Hill after which it was Downway and Flat terrain till DRUMMOND…..

After conquering BOTHA’s I was simply telling myself that now only 2 more Slopes left and the rest of the Terrain is flatter compared to the 1^st Half so things will be easy So no more Chatting on phone and concentrate on the Race till I reach INCHANGA.

I Crossed Drummond at around 5.18 hours and that is when I felt that HALF THE BATTLE IS WON, and another half to go…it was like…TOUCHWOOD I m still feeling Fresh and Raring to go….Which means I could complete the Race…..VOW….for the very First Time I could imagine the MEDAL AROUND THE NECK!!!! (Whether BRONZE or FINISHERS??? Tht is didn’t know yet).

 

MORE ON THE 2^nd HALF LATER ;-)

Regards

The Marathon Before the Comrades

Dear All,

 I am Back after what I would call the most defining moments of my Running Stint in the last 4 years.

Frankly speaking I do not know what to share to you as I am surprised that I could finish the Comrades Marathon 2013 with standing on both my feet… ( I was not on both my feet at the finishline infact as was airborne with a huge jump I made over the MAT).
If I have to Answer a question of what is more tough between RUNNING COMRADES and TRAINING TO RUNCOMRADES; then I would select the latter part as Running Comrades is a matter of 12 hours whereas TRAINING TO RUN THE COMRADES Is not JUST RUNNING but a lot of sacrifice, compromise, Frustrations, Depressions and what not over many months infact.....
For me the COMRADES Journey started on 2^nd September 2012.  It was a SUNDAY MORNING where I decided to Register for COMRADES without knowing who else is coming from TOPGEAR. Infact it was a Secret which I had not shared with any1 except my WIFE without which I Do not think this TRAINING And FINISHING was possible. She has been letting me do All my runs with maximum support possible and I owe this run and the medal to her and  my BUDDY (Rivaan).
My Wife was 1 of the reasons why I could be strong on a Mental level…in the MIND, I was always sure of Running and finishing the Comrades as I knew I had her Total Support….so that was taken care of…
The Next step was having the PHYSICAL ABILITY to do it….and that is where TOPGEAR NEVER FAILS!!!! ;-)

I have to share this that I had too many coaches for myself, or I bothered too many people to ensure whatever I was doing as far as the Training part was concerned was Right.
The Reason I was a Strong finisher and on both my legs is PRADEEP KADU…who made me do Legs In the way he does…The GIANT REPS Schedule that he follows was followed by me blindly in EVERY LEGS WORKOUT, and the result is in front of u. I may not have those Thunderous things as his, but they ain’t weaker either.;-)
Besides Pradeep, I used to take regular inputs from Samson Sir, Dr. Kharat, Vaijanath and Suchita for my Gym training, Running pace, Stride, Diet, etc and they all helped very eagerly for all those areas.
But the main reason why I could do this was the Disciplinarian DILIP PATIL.
His scheduled was followed by us totally. At times he altered it and increased the distance, but we never thought twice. PATILSAAB was like a bible for us to finish the Comrades and I ensured that I read every page of that Bible. When we met at the International Tent after Finish; I simply Hugged him and touched his feet as he really treated us like his Kids in the last few months…
Thanks  a TON PATILSAAB and keep us treating the same way!!!!!!!!!

 

Coming back to the COMRADES and my experience, I have to admit that It did not start with the right frame of mind.

As soon as I reached to the Hotel and thought of freshening up for a shower, I realise that my BAG’s Lock has been broken and the entire bag has been ransacked for picking up some valuables.
The bag had nothing valuable in it except the most valuable thing for Any runner which is his GARMIN.

 

It was GONE!!!!!!!!!! Just imagine; we land on Wednesday with COMRADES on SUNDAY, And I Did not have my GARMIN. Although there are people who run without a watch at all but I Am used to GARMIN and my mind was totally screwed up….I was telling to myself, that if this is the beginning that How tough the Race would be???
I somehow got a good assurance from my MENTAL CONDITIONING COACH – My Wife who asked me to Calm down and just buy a New 1 if needed…!!! HELL IT WAS NEEDED, and I simply bought 1 the next day in EXPO….

 On Thursday, we visited the EXPO….which is 1 of its Kind….it’s like a shopping Paradise for runners and for once I was behaving like any of the Ladies would behave if they were left  in a HUGE SHOPPING MALL with a NO LIMIT CREDIT CARD TO SHOP WITH!!!

You get things for running which you have never seen before and you feel like buying each and every 1 of them..
 I somehow abstained myself on going on a shopping spree as I had a big purchase of my watch coming up. Firstly what I did was got my BIB. I went to the International Runners’ Tent and loved the way it was organised. I was wearing an INDIA- T-shirt which most of us were wearing in the EXPO and a reporter of “THE DAILY” – local newspaper interviewed us and asked for a  photograph. I immediately called the rest of the Indians and we got ourselves clicked in STYLE and CONFIDENCE only to be featured the coming day…….
We also had the privilege to Meet Mrs. PAT FREEMAN, a lady who was going to run her 25th COMRADESMARATHON.....she simply said to lookout for the weather as this is going to be the HOTTEST COMRADES EVER.....
It made me think, that we did all the Lonavala runs at Night so that we can simulate the South African Conditions and what do we have here? Weather similar to Mumbai Marathon....Vow..Thts a Great Beginning!!!! ;-)
We came back from Expo, had a late lunch and were so tired and Jet Lagged, that slept the Entire Evening to Recover from the Long Flight.
 On Thursday we had a  nice 5k warm up run followed by Stretching. The same schedule was followed on Friday and Saturday as well.

Saturday was a Rest Day so we didn’t do much but FRIDAY was the BUS TOUR to give us an idea of what is coming to us…Many advised to Avoid it as it will mentally pull us down…however I like to see what’s coming to me and therefore we happily took the BUS TOUR which took our entire day…

During the Tour we noticed how steep the Hills are and How long they are…Although they look completely different when you actually RUN..but we got familiarized with COWIES, FIELDS, BOTHAS, INCHANGA & POLLY SHORTS, followed by a MUSEUM TOUR….

 

SATURDAY was the REST DAY for all of us, where we took adequate rest and ensured that our GEAR is ready so the afternoon went in stiching our Flags, getting our Gear Ready and by 4pm, we were done with those Formalities….
The rest of the evening went in Resting, watching TV and discussing on where we should be taking the WALK BREAKS, Water Breaks, ICE BREAKS, and where the HELL ARE WE GOING TO BREAK ;-)

 

MORE ON THE RUN, SOON ENOUGH!!!!!!

 

Regards
Pratik Desai