Why to Run (or not) in a Marathon (or Half Marathon)?

I can’t say it’s the start of the running season as we have some or the other event taking place somewhere or the other throughout the year. But let me admit, I run only part of the year (yes, I am lazy) when the mornings are pleasant enough (okay, I am very lazy). And go to only those events that are held in the vicinity during the cooler months. But taking advantage of this being my blog, which presents things from my perspective, I will say that it is the start of the running season (so what if I am lazy). This is the time when one starts looking at proposed events & shortlisting ones that one can participate in.

Start time: This may appear a minor issue but it is really the most important, especially as most participants are on the slower side. Thus, a late start ends up with majority running when the sun’s already up & high. But that’s at the end of the event & doesn’t affect all. A late start makes the wait longer than it is, more so because we have all warmed up & are geared up to hit the road. We get talking with fellow runners while we wait & many of us lazy ones actually wish for the start to be delayed further till we have finished with our little chats. And there’s a bigger issue too which, you will now agree, makes this one really important. In anticipation of a timely start we usually empty our bladders as part of the routine. But with an extended waiting period & all that chit chat, one gets thirsty, gets hydrated & the need to revisit the pee-points. You get there & there are a lot many like you out there. Now you know what I mean.

Hydration/Fuel arrangements: This is as important as the previous issue, but the need kicks in later. And the severity increases with distance/time. Every event organizer, without an exception, has hydration & fuel as the top priority item. But usually the supplies dry up at the later stages of the run, which is when we need it even more. There are multiple reasons for it. We usually feel it is the higher participation than expected or provisioned for, as the main reason. But many a times it is also because the volunteers have deserted the hydration point, which is usually during the end (am I getting repetitive here?) & the guys prefer not to be out under the hot sun. I am more concerned with this as I am a slow runner myself. But I have never been more surprised than at Nasik, but more of this in the next post (hope you would be coming back for it).

Traffic management: This is one hell of a task. In most cities. On most days. Thus, asking the poor traffic cops to report for duty at 5:00 AM, stop vehicular movement on one half of the road, till the time the population begins to get out on their weekend errands, is very sadistic. Unpleasant, but unavoidable. For, unlike most routine runs (ending before motorists hit the road), the runners do not have any energy left to avoid oncoming vehicles (or those coming from the rear) after having run in excess of 15 KM. Easiest way out is to opt for routes that pass through areas with sparse traffic but such roads are generally narrower & not always in a good condition. Or, if the entire district administration throws it weight behind the event & the population is fully cooperative (as in Rajkot). The runners who are very particular of this should opt for cities that sleep late & do not venture out till very late on Sundays. Essentially, towns where the majority population works for the government (but more on this in the next post)!

Route: Granted, the organisers have no control over this one. They just pick the best available option. Thus, cities with scenic routes or beautiful structures are outright winners on this front. But not all cities are tourist destinations & many are not even big enough to have major roads long enough for a HM or FM. We just need to hope that the route is well illuminated when it is still dark & that the canine inhabitants are a friendly lot. I would have mentioned the presence of cows also, but do not owing to the current political climate as well as because I have absolutely no problem with them occupying the roads. For, they are much better in controlling the traffic than any traffic cop in uniform.

Weather: This may appear needless for most events take place when the weather is conducive to running. But we have had examples which prove this otherwise. Unfortunately, a narrow window of cool weather & a crowded race calendar makes this difficult. The organisers are left to choose between maximizing participation & providing a good running environment. Not many are as lucky as VIM 2017 in this regard & you will read more about it in the next post.

Crowd support: This makes the amateur, weekend pseudo-athletes in us feel like sportstars for some time. The very people who stare at us in bewilderment when we are out running in the dark line up the streets to gawk at us in awe. And cheer us. The better ones organize themselves & offer us hydration & fuel. Where are these guys on other days, when there is no organizer to support us?

Post-run refreshment: I don’t know about you, but this is the most important part of any event for me. I still salivate at the memories of Kochi & Goa for this one reason. Unfortunately, most of the event organisers are either non-runners or very serious athletes. Thus, we end up with bananas, Parle-G’s & Bataka Pauva. Here I will recommend SoleFest Vadodara (though only one edition young), for our USP is the post-run meal. Yes, it’s no snack but a full Brunch. If you are still a disbeliever, join us on 26^th November. We do not serve beer, this being a dry state, so pls make your own arrangements!!

Route Markers: This may as well have been covered along with the route. But the organisers at Kochi & Rajkot have taken this several notches higher. But even if reduced to its basic task of marking out the distance & pointing directions, these are very important. More so in towns that are laid out in a very confusing manner because most runners would be out of town. If you have been following this blog for long you would be aware how the Sub-2 HM’ers (and the 2-hour Bus) lost their way & ended up with DNF at Gandhinagar. Or, how the crowd got in front of one such marker & I got diverted to the 10K route & DNF’ed at Rajkot.

These are some of the considerations that make a running event stand out & get participants return year after year. There would be other factors too that you find important. If so, why don’t you share it here? Better, you could tell us the best part of your favorite running event. This may help the others to decide where to run next.

A Long Beerathon before a Half Marathon (and after too)

We decided we will go in a single bus rather than two SUV’s so that, we convinced ourselves, we all could be in a one single group & have lots of fun. Which was a good thing to do, else who would have volunteered to drive (and stay off beer?) from Baroda to Goa. We suffered the 1^st casualty when Dr. Rajesh Chauhan withdrew owing to a genuine medical problem. Then Durgesh Merchant dropped out of the 1^st part of the trip as he had to stay back in town on Friday.

Now, Durgesh (along with his running mate, Dr. Suresh Nayak) was our inspiration for this trip. While it appeared as if a bunch of running enthusiasts were going off for an event (true, in a way), in reality we were simply a gang of beer hoggers out to have a good time outside our dry state. Having always admired the heroics of Durgesh & Suresh, we wished to run in their hallowed footsteps. Let me first tell you about their routine whenever they travel outside Gujarat for a HM. They reach the town in the morning the previous day by train. Check into a hotel. Collect their bibs. And hit a bar. They are not at all selfish & let us join the fun by sending us their pictures (with the beer prominently in the foreground) on whatsapp. Once the race is complete & we have their finisher photographs, we are again treated to another round of pictures of Beer. Their commitment to Beer is appreciated by all who know them as well as those who know about them.

Our 1^st halt after departure was just after crossing the border into Maharashtra. Pls don’t get us wrong, for that’s where Parsi Da Dhaba is & we had intended to go for only local cuisine while on the trip. Parsi Da Dhaba also serves beer & we had no choice but to quench the dry throats coming out of a dry state. It was late afternoon when we finished our lunch & proceeded into Maharashtra. Fortified by the traditional parsi meal & beer.

In ancient times, the Great Wall of China was built by the Chinese emperors to ward off the Mongols in the north. Mumbai also has something which serves the same purpose. It goes by the simple name of Ghodbandar. Stuck in the jam at Ghodbandar, we got down to loosen up the leg muscles (we were running a HM in 3 days) only to come across chilled beer. Reni George, a religious type who goes to church every Sunday, thought this was a divine signal welcoming us into Mumbai. And we had to have beer, for it was another form of Prasad for us devotees.

It was late in the night when we crossed Sheel Phata. Dinner did not worry us as the home-cooked dry chicken brought along by RK Menon was practically untouched along with Methi Parathas & Theplas. Having been advised that the wine shops close at 10 PM, we got some beer for the dry chicken. This helped us till the hotel near Pen where we stayed overnight. It was too late for another beer as we planned an early start.

We started quite early the next day so as to reach Goa well in time. A little after 10 AM we stopped for tea. We walked around a bit to loosen up the muscles (we were running a HM in 2 days) & found that a country liquor outlet also sold chilled beer. It was not hot, but the sun was truly up. What else, we stocked up beer for the next leg of the journey which lasted us till lunch.

It had turned dark for some time & we were still in Maharashtra. Taking Reni’s advice seriously we stopped to collect another stock of beer. An atheist, I always ridicule the believers. But I am now starting to believe that going to church each Sunday has its benefits. Hope Reni continues this practice.

With a small hiccup at the border check post, we reached Goa. Google Maps guided us to Calangute & to the vicinity of our hotel. It was late in the night & our hotel’s kitchen was not taking any further orders.we had to decide whether to check-in & come back for dinner, or have dinner before checking in. The experience of Suresh helped us here. We stopped at a hotel for dinner. And while waiting for the dinner to be brought in we had some beer. We also picked up some cans for Durgesh who was checking in later.

Reaching the hotel, Rakesh realized that he couldn’t last till Durgesh came in & had a can of beer. Rakesh Rawat is his full name & you would have guessed that he is from the hills. There is a famous saying in the hills – Surya ast, Pahadi mast, which translates as Once the Sun sets, the Hillman drinks. Rakesh proved during this trip that he lives his life by this dictum. Rather more, as he gives an equal importance to moonset.

After breakfast the next day, we moved to the race expo to collect our bibs. We met Siddharth Katju & we hooked him as we went to Hotel Anant Ashram for the highly recommended sea food. The high point for Durgesh & Suresh in any HM (outside Gujarat) is lunch on the previous day & no power on earth (or rest of the galaxy) can stop them from their pre-race ritual. Thus, while we waited for the fish thali to come, we had some beer.

After a short rest at the hotel, the gang went to Calangute beach. Durgesh & I stayed behind to rest some more. I lazed around even after Durgesh left to join the rest. But my thoughts were at the beach (and the beer) & as it was getting dark, I too joined them. And had only half a beer mug (I was running a HM the next morning).

Most people would tell you to stay off mild or hard liquor a few days before an distance run. It is supposed to dehydrate the muscles leading to cramps, and what not. But none of us had any such problem. Yes, Rakesh did get shin splints at the beginning but the generous quantity of beer that he had been having provided the mental strength to get over the pain & he finished with a respectable timing. The rest of us also achieved timings that we usually get while running in Gujarat. I believe, one of the reasons for this was the complimentary beer waiting for us at the finish line.

 

The best thing about the Goa River Marathon is that they provide complimentary beer after the run. It is so reinvigorating that after the beer, Reni & I were off to play football with the kids on the ground.

The joy of having collectively proved the pundits wrong on this count was not as great as the joy of seeing Harjeet Singh & RK Menon finishing their maiden 10K. The afternoon was spent at Lobo’s on the Calangute beach with, what else but Beer! After a short sojourn for rest & recuperation at the hotel, we were back in action for the evening & the ceremony continued till late hours of the night.

It was with a heavy heart that we left for Baroda early the next morning. To uplift the mood, we had no option but to relive the 1^st leg of the journey till we crossed Maharashtra late in the night. Into the land of cutting chai.