Down, but not out!

Even if you fall on your face, you're still moving forward.
Victor Kiam

We arrived at 7pm at Lal Chimney a bungalow in Lonavala, reminiscent of a colonial hunting lodge. Its dilapidated facade of red brick, dim illumination from flyblown bulbs and defunct fans hanging from wooden rafters on high ceilings, antique furniture that if burnished and varnished to a sheen, would fetch a kingly sum at "Sothebys" and a leaf strewn courtyard that hadn't seen a gardener for eons, gave it a dank musty ambience.
A maharashtrian caretaker beamed a smile as if I had arrived at The George Cinq:) The Parsi cook with her kindly heart but iron stare, answering your queries in a monotone made up for it all with her superlative culinary skills. I took the corner room, away from the excited chatter of runners that arrived a while later.


Venkat and Ashok brought on an atmosphere of a 'situation room' after a night raid by enemy bombers, with their discussion on logistics for the run next day. A delicious fare of chicken, vegetable curry, rice and bread, polished off with a jelly for dessert, saw the runners sufficiently carboloaded and ready to call it a day. I awoke to the muted sounds of Varun moving around in the room. I fixed myself an "English Breakfast" tea and pondered my fate for the day.

It was Sunday, 7th August; exactly one hundred days since I got discharged from hospital; a watershed event in my life: a near death experience and a resurrection of sorts. I had begun hesitantly about 60 days back, with a body that had been bludgeoned to extreme debility, but my bravado won me just 400m of run, after which I had to walk. I endured this walk-run sequence for 30 mins. A humbling experience for one that has completed 23 full marathons. I persisted though, and scripted my recovery with a training plan that allowed me to complete 22K in my last run, two weeks ago. How far would my body take me today?

For a gallant spirit there can never be defeat.

Wallis Simpson

We started at dawn with staggered starts for runners, from different points. I thought it prudent to stick with Roshni because I estimated her pace would most likely suit my blighted endurance. Our group comprised Roshni, Natasha, Rohit, Varun, Nikhil, Harbhajan and me. We started out from the bungalow and made steady progress in the early dawn light, crossing the bridge over a placid lake formed by the Tata Hydel plant and then past Bushy dam, which seemed serene sans the din and rowdy clamour that would engulf it later in the day. At the start of the climb leading to the Amby Valley road, I muttered warnings of steep ascents but the group coasted this hill with ease, having conquered a much challenging climb such as Rajmachi, just a week ago.

At the crest we saw the road level out into a vast breathtaking expanse of lush green landscape scarred by a smooth line of asphalt that seemed to extend into the distant horizon. Clouds engulfed us, billowing like smoke, revealing opaque revellers in a now-you-see-me-now-you-don't dance. SUVs sped past with excited picnicers hooting wry encouragement at what they surely thought, was a looney set of ascetics on an austere junket. Unfazed by the mocking catcalls, we trudged on to the first car placed as a make-shift aid station. This was the 10K mark and thankfully runners slaked thirst, refilled handheld bottles and helped themselves to dates, bananas and peanut ladoos. Roshni, in a self-deluded notion of glycogen depletion helped herself to more than a fair share:)


The cavalcade of runners made steady progress. A cool embrace of light wet breeze felt like bliss. We felt strong as we kept a steady pace, running past dense undergrowth on either side, trees dripping rain drops from leaves that glistened with beads of moisture. After another halt at the next aid station car, we'd done 18K and we were still warming up:) Further ahead we hailed Varun, Nikhil, Raj, Srinivas, Kingshuk, Kapasi and Vivek with some runners from Pune.


We reached the 23K mark at the Amby Valley entrance gates where Roshni decided to take a few pics with her phone. I felt fatigue building up due to inadequate intake of fluids. I was tiring on the return leg and took walking breaks to not only allow my legs to recover but to also ingest some gel, with the hope that it would stave of 'the wall'. I struggled to keep up, with my exertions now an audible wheeze. We met up with Usha and Kingshuk struggling with their pace too. Srinivas joined us with his additional loop and it was his stacatto chatter in Tamil, to the driver, that ensured we got some additional aid-station stops from the guy....much to my relief. The timely fluid intake helped me recover to reach the 36K mark, and the final aid-station where we met up with Venkat, Ashok, Sejal and Jitendra.


I felt recovered enough to take on the final 5K steep descent like a man possessed. I quickened pace within shadow-distance of Srinivas and Raj, who were sprinting ahead. I reached the base at Bushy Dam and realised I did not have Rohit' garmin to tell me what distance I'd covered. I ran on for what I felt was an approx distance that would certainly mean the full marathon. I was completely spent but elated with my achievement. I looked heavenward and crossed myself in gratitude. I felt a sense of reincarnation: A new Dan; a new milestone.

Always continue the climb. It is possible for you to do whatever you choose, if you first get to know who you are and are willing to work with a power that is greater than ourselves to do it.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox