Running A Marathon…

Running A Marathon…

Today is February 24th, 2020 – aka, 3 days AFTER my first marathon! I ran Muscat’s 26.2 miler, and I’m still in shock and awe that it’s finally over and I actually did it. It’s difficult to describe the complicated mix of emotions I feel – overwhelm, triumph, a little bit of nostalgia for the journey, pride, self-respect, and happiness. I wanted to write a recap blog post to share some personal tips and immortalize some of those feelings and the whole experience while I’m still living it!

I started running after a lot of pestering from my wife, who was taking swimming lessons at that time. She came to know of a group that runs on Friday evening at a park in Muscat and badly wanted me to join them, as she felt I am lackadaisical. After much deliberation, I decided to give it a try. So one fine day we went to see what is happening there, and oh boy!!, I got hooked. There I saw a person resembling ” Mandrake” ( a movie character in Malayalam), a very charismatic and captivating personality with his great oratory skills. I forgot to mention his real name ie; RK aka Radhakrishnan. He was indeed like a pied piper, people got hooked to him very easily and for no reason they start running😉

The start was slow and steady, started with 3K, slowly migrated to 5K and I became a regular in the Friday runs. The progress was steady and I had to spend a lot of time away from my family for long runs. That is when RK brought the idea of running a full marathon for the Muscat Marathon. I was reluctant to say yes at the first time as the sheer thought of 42Km gave shivers to me. But RK’s persistence finally paid off and i registered for the “Mother of All Run’s- The Marathon”. I have contemplated and deeply feared running a full marathon. It was crossing the finish line of a half marathon especially that made me reluctant to sign up for 42Km, because i couldn’t imagine running double the distance.

Training was strenuous as I was outside and away from family for long hours. In order to run a marathon, you have to teach your body how to be efficient under extreme conditions. You learn how to fuel and hydrate. You learn to expect pain and must build the mental fortitude to both embark on a run with that expectation, and power through it when the going gets tough.

Race Day…

We 4 ( Machu, Roby and Sujith) drove down to Al Mouj early in the morning. Though the weather was cool, i could hear my heartbeat as excitement and anxiety swept in. The atmosphere on the start line was electric and I felt excited and emotional. I was thinking of the strategy to take this race and all of a sudden the countdown began and there was frenzy. I started moving along with the crowd and was pacing good till 21st Kilometer. Ifelt tired than usual because of the heat but still was confident that I can tackle this. As the 21K runners passed it was almost desolute and I was all alone. Around 32K the mind games began to play, I wanted to stop. Cramps began to show up on my right leg and i understood that continuous running is a risk. I started to walk and run, walk for 1min run for 4 min. By 38K the cramps grew and i was lying on the road. But my dream was not letting me to quit this and i somehow was back on my feet and walking. Finally after gruesome 5hrs i could see the end. It was a miraculous moment. I crossed it, and a wave of disbelief washed over me. That was truly the hardest thing i had ever accomplished and crossing that finish line was a sign of my resilience and recovery.

Afterthoughts…

It would not have materialized if it wasn’t for the great RK my mentor. He gave me the strength and motivation to go for the biggie. My family was my pillar of support, i was away training for hours and my wife had to endure looking after the kids and still smile at me say something positive. My fellow runners from KTMMR provided the necessary inspiration to run the extra mile. There is nothing inherently special about me. I strongly believe that if you have a goal and consistently do the right work no matter what season or mood, you will get there.I could probably write about this all day, but I’ll leave this recap.If it wasn’t obvious already, take this message away: You can do it! You Can! You Can…