Injury

Injuries are a part of running, as they are in any sport. They come about either due to over-training or pure bad luck. This year has seen a spike in the training regimen of runners from Mumbai. They train believing in the efficacy of their own training schedule or that of their coach. All of this training culminates in that one race that runners wait for, year round; Mumbai Marathon. There are scores of runners this year that have gotten injured in the last few weeks before the race. Some have been able to and have been lucky enough to recup and rehab, to be able to make to the start line. Others have not been so fortunate.

"Having true faith is the most difficult thing in the world. Many will try to take it from you."

I have had the privilege to work with and advise two such runners: Madhu has been battling an injury since July and despite her best efforts to have it clinically evaluated, it was intractable until this week. The exact cause of the injury is a mystery and will perhaps reveal itself sometime. She suffers more, emotionally than physically, because she had to go thru' the heart rending process of giving away her bib to another runner. Her rehab and treatment will require her to stay off running for about 12 weeks; but, I am sure, given her determination and passion, she will come back a winner.

Ashok, is another guy that has suddenly come down with a back problem which incapacitates his running gait and causes him pain while running. He recently wrote to me that his rehab will take a while and that he will go to the start line in any case. If the pain gets unbearable during the race, he would drop out. I could understand his feelings and wrote to him with plain empathy the following;

Hi Ashok,

I can understand your disappointment and anguish having trained for the better part of the year. If it is of any help I can empathize with you: I ran SCMM 2009 but had a DNF! DID NOT FINISH!!

I had a groin pull while doing speedwork, in Nov 2008 and kept hoping the injury would heal. By early Jan 2009, I knew I was in deep trouble because I used to get excrutiating pain by the 30K mark. When I met up with my guys Raj, Mahesh and Pankaj, the day before the race, I expressed that my race may not be the best. They saw the haunted look on my face and understood. I was hoping to complete in whatever time. I dropped out of the race at the 29K mark. I was in deep emotional pain for days after that because my wife and son were waiting at the finish line.

I want you to know that even if you do drop out on race day, there is life after the event and your pain, both physical and emotional will heal. I have run 8 marathons since then. You are not alone; a guy like me that has been training for the last 15 years has had a DNF. Don't be afraid to go to the start line if your doc has not stopped you from running.

All the best

Dan

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.
-- Confucius

Goan holiday

They all made it - finally; despite the snow storms and flight delays. They arrived in Goa as planned and that was a relief. "They" are Monsoon' cousins; Juri, Atanu, Baakhor and Latu, their spouses, kids and her Aunt (Pehi) & Uncle (Peha), from the UK - quite a bunch as you can see in the pic:-). While they stayed at Anjuna at a resort with cosy cottages, we stayed at our regular abode, Santiago, at Calangute - although the signs in russian, splashed all over the place, seemed to get to me. The most stressful, but ultimately hilarious part, was that I had to drive around in an SUV without power-steering! I finally realized that I had to steer using my shoulders instead of wrist and forearm:-)

Our stay had the hallmark of the "Susegaad" goan life: we just ate good food, drank a variety of beverages (till we got a "buzz") and slept till 9:30am. There was enough time "to stand beneath the boughs, and stare as long as sheep and cows". For once, I did could keep office work at bay, an effort that was well-planned and turned out fine for office and me. I loved the late morning beer sessions followed by the afternoon siestas (you must be kidding, right? After waking up at 9:30am!) and then the evening tot (well more like a "one over the eight") of scotch. The Palm Fenny I had at "Infantaria" was disappointing. Shame on goans! They make it seem like an achievement when they got "geographical status" for Fenny (much like "Tequila" is to Mexico) and they cannot provide good-value-for-money fenny in bars and liquor stores. The stuff produced in my village should be valued at 20 Euro, if the "Kirsch" in Germany costs that much. It seems sad that it is priced at only 0.5 Euro in my village - and they make a profit too!

We loved talking and travelling around and laughing and yes, sharing gifts. Afterall it was christmas season. Bryan found sufficient but sometimes worrying (for us) encouragement from Baakhor, who taught him how to ride the Yamaha RX 100. Now I have to brace myself for spending a princely sum on sprucing up my RX 100, that is lying unused and close to decrepit:-) Well, thank God Bryan is only fifteen and I can argue (and buy time and bank interest) that he cannot get a licence till he is eighteen. Bryan was also offered a Bacardi Breezer with the subtle encouragement that the legal age for drinking in the UK is sixteen and that he is "almost" old enough.

Well, the holiday was over for us about two days earlier than the gang and we said frantic goodbyes before zooming off in our "truck":-) The goodbyes were just for a while because we all met up on new year' eve at another cousins place, Ronju, and got thoroughly plastered well beyond midnight. Thereafter, we feasted on a large dinner in the swanky restaurant at the Sheraton in Parel - before they departed for snow bound UK, realizing what a good thing we have going in India - despite the pollution and filth (not in Goa though).