The AHM 2019 gave me confidence that I could do a 42.2 KM run in a respectable time without major injury to the body.
With the TMM, I was confident of finishing the race , but I wanted to see if I had it in me to do achieve a 'sub4' full marathon.
On Sunday, 19-Jan-2020, with the grace of God I was able to meet my target. I felt so happy at the way I trained and executed the race .This is a post that capture this journey for posterity.
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Training and long runs:
I started my training for this race from the end of September 2019.
My running coach Siva's planning and execution was perfect . As the TMM course is comparatively flat, the training focused more on speed work (like intervals and fartleks and TTs) and a bit less on hill runs.
This turned out to be a very good thing as I was able to increase my average pace and made some PBs during the training phase.
I was fortunate to continue my training without any injury or other interruptions.
Thanks to the company of Veera, Suren, Satheesh , Phani and Tarun, I was also able to complete few long runs at my target marathon pace (which I had set as approx 5:35 to 5:40).
Some good runs in the training pace include my 18K with Suren at 5:20 pace, Gandipet 30K @5:50 pace and PBEL City Winter Half 20miler that I finished pretty strong.
I had a brief interruption to planned long runs in December as I had to be in Chennai for some days However, I made good of my time in Chennai gaining experience running in humid weather.
Some of the notable long runs are my 27K long run from home to Chennai beach at marathon pace and my 3 hours run on humid conditions from Guindy to ECR .
Chennai 20Miler:
As my last practice run, I ran the 20miler of the Chennai Marathon on 5th of Jan 2020.
I started this race with lot of confidence . The race did not go as I had planned and the last 2 kms very pretty rough where I had to start walking at some places.
It was like a reality check for some of us and a remainder that anything can happen on race day and be prepared for it.
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| After the SPCM 20miler event |
Tapering weeks:
Performance at the Chennai marathon shook my confidence a bit and I was getting anxious about meeting my goal at the TMM.
I took my taper weeks more seriously this time. Stuck with zone2 and zone3 mid distance runs in those 2 weeks.
Joined the 4:00 hour pacer whatsapp group. The pacing plan with strategic walk breaks looked achievable and it increased my confidence .
Pre-race Nutrition and hydration:
For the 2 weeks preceding the race, focused more on my diet, water/electrolyte intake and sleep.I had carb heavy and protein rich food on alternate days.
I kept my electrolyte levels high with water + rock salt water mix , tender coconuts .
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| TMM2020 participants from Hyderabad |
EXPO day:
Travelling as a group for the run was a unique experience and it was total fun . After a short visit to the EXPO we returned back to keep the legs rested.
Thanks to Suren, we stuck to our plan of taking good rest on that day and followed a mild carb rich diet.We did a recce of the start area including the holding areas so that we are at the right place on race day and ensure we stick with the pacer from the race start.
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| Lunch |
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| Dinner |
The pre-race excitement and the anxiety kept me awake for most of the night..I may have slept for about 3 hours or less.
I was constantly sipping water laced with rock salt. At 4:00 AM started with one banana that would help me start the race with good energy.
The atmosphere at CST as we stepped out of the room was electric .The roads were busy with hundreds of runners busy with their pre-race rituals .
As time progressed, I was a getting a bit overwhelmed by the enormity of being part of such a big event . Fortunately the wait was not for long and I was able to attach to the 4:00 hour pacer Mr.Anirudha Athani
0-6 km : Resisted my temptation to race in this stretch and was just focused on sticking with the pacer and completed this section without excreting myself much.
At 8KM, just before the first elevation had the first walk break for 20s .Taking a walk break early in the race was a bit new to me .
But I felt much better after the break so I just followed the pack with this. I had some sips of water and continued the uphill crossed some landmark buildings on this way .
The weather was still good and we now entered a pretty flat stretch all the way until the Worli Sea link. We held a steady pace in this flat route and gained some time .
I stuck to my plan of not taking any energy gel this time. Instead, along the way I was munching the dates that I had brought along with me and also sipping small amount of water as I was running. I also made sure to pick oranges with salt on the way and kept eating them at regular intervals.
16 to 20km : was the iconic Worli Sealink. If not for anything, one should run the Mumbai marathon, just to feel this road It was still dark and were were greeted by a very cool breeze. I thanked the weather gods for a great weather .. At this point, I started to feel that the race was going well and I could continue this rhythm at least until 32K.
We had our second walk break at the top of sealink to catch some breath. Soon we got past the Sealink to hit the half way mark 21K .
It was pretty surprising that the pacer reached the 21K mark at 1:58 mins exactly as he had planned it.My respect for the pacer grew several notches at that time .
21 to 30km: The next few kilometers were flat again ..By now the sun was out and I kept my spirits high with the cheering from the local mumbaikars.
Someone handed me sweet potatoes with salt and lime and it was just divine .. It was probably an illusion but I felt pretty energetic .I decided to continue munching stuff for the rest of the way as I entered into the 30s .
Somewhere on this stretch I also cooled myself with a sponge rub . This was something I did not try in my previous run .. The sponge rub was pretty refreshing and broke the monotony and kept me a bit busy while I crossed the kms.
And the race begins : Someone told me that a marathon is a 32.2K warm-up followed by a 10K race. I could fully relate to that assessment now. As the kilometers passed things were getting increasingly difficult
In sometime we entered the 20miler mark (the 32k) .We reached the 32K mark by few minutes short of 3:00 hours.The first signs of fatigue/boredom started to creep in but it was reassuring that I could meet my target even if I can do a 6:00 pace run from now on (easy to say than done).
We now reached the most dreaded part of the race , the uphill of Peddar road !!! Fortunately,we had a walk break on this stretch and it helped me a bit. I walked briskly to the top of the hill.
"Last 6 kms .. now it is your mental strength and time to dig for will power from deep inside" I heard someone shout at us.
I picked some speed at Peddar road downhill and entered the last stretch of the race ie. marine drive.
The coke SAG and the final stretch :
It was the final few kilometers now but the body was just not co-operating to speed up. I kept my resolve to not stop and walk and kept jogging along.
Someone on the way called out with a cup of coke.. my secret energy drink. It was a significant moment for me.The conditions until now have been perfect...the weather was good , the crowd has been awesome, food en route has been good to keep my energy high, the body was coping well .
I felt that universe has done its part paving way to meet my goal . At this point I resolved myself to complete this race with a sub4 timing!
The coke gave me some energy and I kept up with the 4:00 hour pack till the 40th kilometer.
Which meant 2 things .I maintained a running pace (i.e.no degradation to run/walk situation) for the longest time ever and I was able to stick with the pacer until 40K!!
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| With the 4:00 hour pacer Mr.Anirudha Athani . I ran with the pacer until the 40K mark. |
With only 2 kilometers left I started to move out from the pacing pack and started to sprint ..the last kilometer was a daze but in a few moments I was on the other side of the finish line.
Yes..I made it !! My sub4 dream was achieved. It was a proud moment and felt quite happy to meet my coach Siva at the finish line . The time read 3:58:48 and the celebrations began!!
