On my toes for 2:24:46 hours – My ‘run’ at Hyderabad Half marathon 2012

Long distance running has been a dream and something that I really admire. It remained an unconquerable feat until I ‘pulled up my socks’ and set out to realise my dream of completing my first half marathon at Hyderabad. Not much of practise went into it. Juggling with job and jogging, I had hardly a few days left to hit the treadmill. I was eyeing to complete my first run within 3 hours time, if at all I was destined to complete it.

The Race Day:

With dark clouds engulfing the skies of Hyderabad and with the extra glow the rain had brought in, the city was ready to witness around 3,500 runners realise their dreams on its laps. Though most of the runners were geared up to beat their personal best, for amateurs like me it was completion that was paramount. Personally, this was going to be my first long distance run and I had a sleepless night because of my excitement.

As far as possible, I decided to stick to my friend Sudharshan, a bare-foot runner, for whom it was a second half marathon. I was not sure if I could keep up the pace though, since he was aiming for his personal best sub 2.30 hours. Sudharshan gave me many suggestions on how to complete the run successfully. Two things that appealed me were, one “run for the next water point” and two “the run and walk technique”.

The Initial 5 Kilometres:

I was overwhelmed to watch the heterogeneous crowd from various parts of the country and from different parts of the world. For the first 200 mts, it felt like entering a suburban train at Mumbai, with absolutely no control over my body’s movements, making it very difficult for me to figure out where my friend was.

With the Andhra police team marching along with us echoing the words “ekk tho-ekk tho” several times, I jogged the first flyover along with my friend, slowly and steadily. The initial 5 kilometres was completed comfortably. The longest distance I had run before this Half Marathon was 5 kilometres and I was dubious if I could run almost four times that distance and complete it successfully. 

5 to 15 kilometres – a beautiful run:

After I crossed the 5 kms mark, I realised that I was not as tired as I expected myself to be and that my muscles were not hurting as much as I thought they would. I loved the feeling of being on my toes and every step I ran, every hump of Hyderabad hill I crossed, every flyover I traversed through, my joy multiplied. What added to the beauty of the run were the head winds that blew through my nostrils and encouraged me to run.

When I was somewhere between 5 – 15 kms distance, I had prepared myself mentally that ‘come what may I would finish this half marathon without walking at any point of time’. I was not sure if my body would co-operate to achieve what my mind conceived as a feat.

The last 6 kms – a run to remember:

Veteran runners advised me that the last part of the run would be a test for every beginner and the flyover which was situated at the 17th kilometre, would be the real test for one’s knees and heart. My friend, who was running barefoot, asked me to go ahead with my run and I slowly started increasing my pace and trotted towards the finishing line.

I was very happy because I was able to run without many complaints. Only when I crossed the final flyover, I realised that my thighs and calf muscles started developing little pain. But when I saw hundreds of young and old runners pushing their energy limits, my pain just slipped off my mind.

After entering the synthetic turf inside the stadium, I sprinted to reach the finish line with profound happiness, like an olive riddle turtle reaching out for the sea for first time in its life. Indeed, this run is a delight that I will cherish for my life time. This was my longest and continuous run ever in my life, the joy of completing which is unparalleled and can never be expressed in words.

To be on that dream run, to feel your heart pumping hard, to feel the throb on your throat and all over your body, to realise the pain in your legs, to calm your nerves,  you really have to pick up your shoes, ‘pull up your socks’ and start running, for fitness and to realise yourself !

Happy Running,

Durai Murugan