It started on the 17th May at about 4.15am with a breakfast of toast and PT Usha honey. Kicking off into the dark with Rahul, Jenny and Dan we were blessed with a rising sun and then overcast skies. The plan was to circumnavigate the outside of the city to the Nerhu Stadium, and then to return back along the same route. Easier said than done!

Having gone through various levels of pain we all managed to cover just over 42kms. Nattering over brunch each of us shared the tales of the various demons we had had to confront. Hats off to Dan and Rahul who completed their first ever marathon in what can only be described as sauna conditins.
.......................................................................................................

My First Marathon - Rahul
May 17, 2006, Kochi

With my first Marathon under my belt, I can't honestly say I enjoyed it. The more I understand about his running game the more I am starting to realise that pain and suffering play pivotal roles. Buddha said 'life is suffering' running certainly seems to involve a lot of suffering, and more than ever I am aware a lot can be learnt from pushing oneself to physical and mental limits. I spent 42km largely by myself, dodging traffic, trying to manage my knee, which after the first 21km really started to hurt and finding some way to get my legs to cover 42km. I had to walk large chunks of the run and in fact the last 7km I walked nearly the whole way.

I found myself getting really angry and completely absorbed in my own world. Pete, Jenny, and Dan had set a pace to hot for me to follow. I felt pissed off I could not keep up, I felt pissed off because I did not think I was going to make it. I wanted my body to be able to manage. I got angry and frustrated with Aji (our driver) who kept insisting I stop and get in to the car and drive the rest of the way. I nearly shook him to say I was not f&*%ing getting into the car. I think the anger actually helped keep me going. Feeling like I could not manage, that my body was letting me down, and the pain I was feeling. Being in pain made me rage about lots of things. Finding work back in the UK, how many more kilometres I had left to run, my life in London, what I was doing, anything I could find to vent my fury. It is interesting to see what our minds do in situations where we are struggling and how it can affect our perspective on everything around us. I crawled in after spending over 6 hours on the road. Strangely I was not even pleased to finish and felt no great jubilation. Just pain and anger. It was really good however to see Jenny, Dan and Pete who not surprisingly were gathered in the pool. Being in the company of others who had shared the same experience felt good. It was one of Pete's tips that really helped me finish- Forget the distance concentrate on time. Just think of it as spending 6 hours running and thus if I could stay doing something running, walking, stretching whatever by 11am I would be close. Time keeps moving so it was a better thing to associate my plight with.

I am looking forward to my next marathon, it will be one I hope which will be a more pleasurable experience and one in which I hope to be in better shape for. I look back know and don't really know how I made it. But I did! And knowing that I completed something I found so hard is something I am very proud of.

Rahul

......................................................................................................

May 18, 2006

“Getting the legs going again- running off the pain”
18th May – Idukki – Painavu – 21kms (Rahul, Jenny, Dan and Pete)

The following day (18th) the team creaked and groaned through a half marathon from Idukki town through Painavu (aptly named) deep in the mountains. Thankfully the air was clear and the route was largely flat. Another 21kms leaving us with four sets of extremely weary legs.
.......................................................................................................

May 19, 2006

“The Mother of all climbs”
19th May – Idukki – Vandemettu – 24.5kms (Jenny, Pete, Dan), 10kms – Rahul

Buoyant with the achievements of the previous two days the four of us set off on an unknown route from Idukki. This was a farewell run with Jenny and Dan, who both had to depart from India the following day.

A gentle start became a gentle climb, which eventuated into 9.5kms up a mountainside. The kind of mountainside that requires a car to drive in first gear through hairpin turn after hairpin turn. Holding off a muscle tear Rahul left us to complete the climb at the mid point. Each corner brought new hope that the climb was over. One day when I have got over the trauma of running for almost two hours up a mountain I will be able to better describe just how difficult this run was. Still, there was no complaining when the mileometre confirmed a few hours later that we had run 24.5 kms. Satisfying, but brutally hard on tired legs.

Special thanks to Jenny and Dan (aka Rocket) for their cameo running and travelling performances. I managed to rack up almost 250kms with Dan in eleven days and 140kms with Jenny in six days.
.......................................................................................................

May 20, 2006

“(Re) Finding your running mojo”
20th May – Periyar – Vandiperiyar - 23kms – Rahul and Pete

The 20th brought us to the hills of Periyar, and area renowned for its tea plantations. After a day of trying to rub and stretch away sore muscles, writing and carrying out a visit to a tribal area Rahul and I donned our running shoes and set off again (with minimal enthusiasm).

Thankfully our bodies responded and we talked our way through 23kms amidst the tea plantations, chatting at various points to Muslim pilgrims, shop owners, rickshaw and taxi drivers, construction workers (male and female), kids who wanted to practice their English (and laugh at our Malayalam), tea plantation workers and a plethora of others who were at the roadside. Personally after the previous arduous days of running, I re-discovered the reason why I ran. It's the people and the interactions that are so hard to capture. It's about moving away from the towns into places where random runners and foreigners never venture. It's about meeting people in ‘their' environment where you are no more than a humble and sweaty guest.

As the sunset arrived the banter continued. If we had wanted to and if the light had allowed it I have no doubt we could have run another marathon. Still nothing to be ashamed of, we had managed four days running – one marathon and over three half marathons back to back (110kms). A rest day on the Sunday 21st was well earned.

.......................................................................................................

May 21, 2006 – Rest Day

.......................................................................................................

| Post a reply |