Loneliness of the long distance runner

I arrived from Coimbatore last evening to some joyous scampering and leaps from Dojo, our Daschund. I understood from Minoti that he has been sitting at the door since morning, as if telling her that "Papa is reaching any moment now":-) I sank gratefully in the plush chair feeling the travel exhaustion draining from me. I was tempted to pour a small one but refrained as I'd already had more than my fair share in Coimbatore. I texted the RFL guy that our run on Saturday morning was on.

When the alarm went off at 5:20am, I crawled out of bed and took stock of my condition, a habit I've acquired to "listen" to my body. The signs were not good as I felt very tired and achy; but then I'd promised the RFL'er guy I'd meet him at 6:10am. We met up and hid our water bottles in some flower pots and took off. I muttered to the guy that our 32K run should take 3hrs 20 but he looked up in surprise and stated that it should not take more than 3 hrs! I shrugged and told him that I would show him the loop which we were to do thrice and that he could increase pace on the 2nd and 3rd loop, if he felt strong.

He turned out to be a bird watcher and pointed out several birds to me and sheepishly offered an apology when he blurted a latin name where "Kingfisher" would do - but then he informed me the distinction between the coloured one and the current dark indigo; hence the latin:-) This is the first time I am running with someone alongside at Aarey and his pace is about right considering his target marathon times to be close to mine. However, he has always finished 30 mins later and today I realized why.

After the 2nd loop he suddenly turned to me and stated, "Dan, I'm feeling heavy and will call it a day". I told him that listening to his body is the right thing to do and that he should return home. I never (my ACE code of ethics doesn't allow me to) challenge anyone to "push" when they are tired. I suddenly felt disheartened that I had another 10.7K to do on my own. I trudged on and shuffled at times in the blazing sun. This kind of mental game was not new to me, I thrive on it. I winced as I climbed the long steep hill the 3rd time and reached my finish with a triumphant smile.

I analysed my good friend' run today and his confident statement that we should be taking 3 hrs for this run. I realized that many runners do lower distances (say 21K) at a scorching pace and feel, by extention that they can hold this pace for another 21K. I'm not sure where this come from but I think it has something to do with first wishing, then dreaming and finally believing this! My friend is probably ruining his races by running at a pace he cannot hold for long. He shared with me his SCMM experience. His splits say he reached 30K in 2:54 and finished in 4:40! It means he did the last 10K in 1:46, which is mostly a walk.

At the end of today' run, I realized that all these years I've been running by myself, has been a satisfying experience. I have my thoughts to turn over in my mind. I sort out the issues I have at work or with the people in my life and all this while my brain and heart get a rush of "canabinoids" that give me a high and a Hi-5! Thank you lord for another day. Lastly, my friends are running the "Greenathon" today with Milind Soman and the race is 100K with a break for 6 hrs to go home and sleep! I think its going to be a bum-trip!

A new dawn

I woke up at 4:45am from a sleep of the dead. I wanted to sleep some more but it cannot be, for I have been blighted by a streak of insomnia for years. I must say that the last few nights have been amazingly different and I wonder what soothing potion or emotion has caused this flood of Tryptophan, which has otherwise been so elusive. I am sure it will be short-lived but then I must pray that it stays a while.

Everything is new; starting with my professional life and then there are the two marathons that I raced in less than a month and yes, my focus on the things that I have to do (nay accomplish) this year. I am working on a new schedule to help me enjoy my runs and yet focus on quality. I must also focus on strength and flexibility, that has been my forte for many years. Most of all, I must focus inwards and find solace inside my coccoon. It is alright to occasionally venture out to see if things have changed: they won't and that' not surprising.

My run today was dot on target but the RPE was a tad on the higher side. I wasn't too concerned because I was enjoying myself and changing pace to make sure I did. I met an RFL'er who described a problem and I diagnosed it as "leg length discrepancy" after a few queries and a repeated nod of his head. I advised him to confirm this with an Orthopedist. He had a bright smile when he expressed his gratitude and it made me happy. Further on, and I met the Aarey Walkers who are organizing a walking race. They confered on me, the honor of "Chief Guest" but I had to decline as I explained my commitments to NIKE.

Just the other day they had a "HOLI" function and it was nice to commune with them and eat hot desi snacks. I met my runner friend Mahesh and his gesture of respect, makes it worth my while to stop and listen to his runners' travails. He requested that I come to the start of the "Greenathon" as it would bouy his spirits - Yes, I think I will do it for him. I zipped up my pace in the last 2K as its going to be a long day. I have a flight to catch and bags to pack and Dojo, the only true friend, to whom I whisper that "I'll be back soon to tickle him":-)

Lana' day out

Sunday and its my time at the NIKE RUN CLUB. I did a less than satisfactory speed workout - well, I could not hold my pace, so I settled for something easier. The runners seem to enjoy our fun workouts involving zig zag runs and jumps and what have you. An older woman found it particularly difficult to do the one-legged hops and stretches but found the routine energizing. She bade us, "God bless you people!".

Lana is down from Seattle and we decided to take her out to "Prataps" since Russell was keen that she enjoy the fare served there. I do know that Russell had a fine time when we went there, post SCMM 2010. I called Bamoo to accompany us since its hilarious to see him order the food and the waiters around. Bamoo declined liquor because he religiously observes "Lent". However, he seemed to more than make up with the food:-).

We ordered prawn satay, chicken satay, pepper and garlic prawns, bombay duck, pomfret, rawas, prawn biryani, gassi, neer dosas - Oh God! Even as I write this post, I am clear that I will eat just "Dahi" for dinner. We stuffed ourselves to the gills. I, of course, made sure I got a wee bit "happy" with a nip of rum. A peaceful drive back and I slept like a log, to wake up and find it was 7:30pm! The day just breezed by. I wish I could sleep like this on most nights.