Ladakh Marathon : 3/3 - Race Day.

After all the training, the D-Day was upon us !! The usual race-day blues were even higher. At my last run prior to race day, I tried a certain pace ,which pushed my HR to higher zone.This made me go cautious with my pace. 

In my world !! Somewhere after 21K .Ladakh Marathon.

Sridhar sir gave a suggestion to stick to Z2 boundary as it has worked for him.I decided to stick to a really conservative pace to keep the HR in control. 

1-5K :  The run starts at the NDS stadium and quickly goes downhill for the first 5K. I switched my Watch face to show the HR instead of Pace/KM and Time. I started off with a slow jog inspite of the downhill and broke my run for a walk once it hit my Zone2 limit.

Start point.

The first 5K was Downhill 

5-21K - The FM route turned from the highway into a single lane route filled with farms and small houses on the side.The mountains  on the backdrop was majestic and they were a constant presense on this section. I continued my strategy of run/walks to limit my HR for each lap to be less than 140. Several runners passed me but I kept my focus  not to try anything new. Took a portion of my Unived Gel at the 17K mark.

Narrow roads with lot of trees.

22-32k - Hitting the halfway mark gave me great confidence.I was not confident that I could complete a FM with run/walks.For the first time, I felt that this could be doeable. I tweaked my run strategy to run constantly until I hit 150 instead of 140 for this stretch. Besides this section was a bit downhill too. I felt comfortable in this whole stretech. By the end of this stretch , we were greeting 

with beautiful views of the Thiksey Monasty.I paid my respect to the monks ,who were stading by the roads to cheer for us. It was  an overwhelming experience. I completed the 32K at 3:59 hours. I felt confident that I can pull a finish time of 5:30-5:40 hours.

Running in the backdrop of the Shey monastry

32-37k - The last 5K stretch of run/walk before the deadly uphill.We now turned into Leh/Manali highway . The roads were broad with lot of shops.

The sun was high too. I was now starting to run until I hit 168-170HR before breaking the run to settle the HR to Zone2.

I cooled myself with a splash of water as my HR was drifting inspite of lower pace.

37-41.5 - By now I was confident that I will finish this run. Almost everyone on the stretch was walking.5K walk, with no breaks on an uphill with scortching sun !! It was a test of patience and endurance. I stopped looking at my HR and kept walking without breaks. 

I felt happy that I was able to sustain a walking pace of 9mins/km.

The last uphill

41.5 - The Finish line was in sight. Somewhere on the sides I sighted my buddy Bhasker who was cheering me and pushing me to sprint. This gave me a boost and finally crossed the finish line .The clock read 5:27:18 !! I managed to sustain one of the most grueling races that I had ever run.Happy tears as I hugged my coach !

I did it !! 

As I crossed the finish line, the overwhelming feeling is gratitude to God Almighty, my body which survived this grueling ordeal, and to all who helped me achieve this dream 🙏. My coach Siva Swaroop | TRYSquad from TRY and all from his team Deepali Rathod, Ramesh Chandra and all my running buddies from TRYSquad. My parents  and my wife who were a constant source of support and encouragement and my buddies from Hyderabad Runners, BHEL ACE Runners , RunMachas and SBC Striders, Coimbatore.

Finding my WHY: Midway into training, the mind started to waver and was constantly questioning the reason I was running. Unlike other events, this marathon mandates us to spend more days to acclimatize the body to the harsh conditions. All of this made me think 'whats the point' 'what am I trying to achieve here'.

Just a day before the race, I was pretty anxious of the outcome.I couldnt shake off the thought that there is a high chance that I may push myself hard leading to DNF with AMS or worse!

Yet, as I ran downhill from the NDS stadium,a rare moment of clarity came to me. I felt myself as a raw human ..with a brain,heart and lung working in unison to overcome the tough conditions

that the mountains have set before I get their divine embrace.With each jog, I found my heart race up and then cool down. It was a unique feeling and it sustained for the complete distance.

As the KMS passed,especially post 21K, I started to enjoy the run/walk ..not for the finish line or the timing but just the pure act of it. That feeling was worth all the effort I had put for this race.

Final thoughts - I must admit that this was not a time that I expected. after training pretty well with consistent 70k mileage. I expected somewhere around 5 hours to 5:15 of finish time. Maybe I could still hit it had I gone a bit aggressive. But thats a topic for another day. 

Ladakh Marathon-1/3-Training.

After skipping FMs at both Chennai 2023 and Delhi  2023, the body and mind was itching for a right race to complete a FM in 2024.As I have already raced the Hyderabad Marathon twice, I wanted to attempt a different one.It had chose between Bengaluru Marathon and the Ladakh Marathon. 

Around this time, I picked the book 'Into Thin Air'.The descriptions about mountains and the risks with high altitude was exiting enough for me to signup for Ladakh Marathon ! I wanted to notch up the adventure quotient ,so went for a FM rather than a HM. 

Before climbing the summits, you must first walk in the down valleys! -Mehmet Murat Ildan

18 Weeks Plan: My coach and I decided on an 18week plan.The idea was to align closely with the training for Hyderabad marathon and taper in the last 2 weeks, as the Ladakh marathon was exactly 2 weeks after the Hyderabad marathon. To keep myself motivated,I started to log every training run on social media.This had its effect on me and kept me consistent.

I also want to thank my buddies Manoj, Sridhar sir, Sowji,Sathya who were all also training for FMs (Ladakh/NMDC hyderabad marathon).

L-R: Gopal,Satya, Rajesh, Sowji, Phani, Sujai, Jay .

My coach Siva: I train under coach Siva from TRYSquadRunning academy.As someone who travels a lot (almost 1 week off from Hyderabad,every month), I cannot avoid interruptions.Whenever I alter my plans Siva as able to fine tune my training plan to suit my fitness on that week/day.I cannot overstate the impact my coach had on me!! I am greatful to Siva, coach Ramesh and my yoga guru Deepali for the strength and yoga sessions.Thanks to these session, I have been fortunate to have strong finishes and avoid cramps at key races! 

with the coach ! 

60km weeks: My mileage for each week for 60km for this training block compared to 40-45K in the past. I am so happy and lucky to have managed this mileage without any injury. Key to that was 100% pre run activation and post run cooldown no matter of the  distance (5K,10K etc).The 60K weeks definitely helped my endurance and it was evident in some of the training runs. 

18Week running log

Hills & unlimited hills !! : As the target events were know for rolling elevations, this training block was filled with rolling hills and  hill reps. Looking back I was really glad to see that I have accumulated a total elevation gain of  9152m !!   ( Mt.Everest 's elevation is 8,849 m).

Mileage + elevation was pretty consistent inspite of travel

Training partners /Memorable runs: A great man once said, ''100% of me is nothing compared to 1% of the entire team' I am sure every runner would vouch by this quote.Solo runs can get you good things but its very rare to achieve greatness.I owe a lot to the wonderful training partners who joined me week over week for the training and long runs.Thanks to Sathya,Sebin, Sowjanya, Jay, Madhan, Manvi,Phani, Gopal, Chandu for being by my side on the tracks.They were the reason I managed to wake up at 4:00 am week after week for the long runs,complete my interval and hill workouts drenched part in rain and part in sweat !

L-R: Madhan,Gopal,Sowji,Sujai, Jay.

Some of the most memorable runs in this training block are NMDC Dry run and 26K towards Neopolis with Sathya, 

All smiles after NMDC Hyderabad Marathon  dry run.
L-R Hanimi, Myself,Kishore, Satish R,Gopal,Satya,Phani and Mahadeo.

My 10K Tempo run and Uphill interval workout on Maruthamalai hills with Sebin . 

With Sebin , my training buddy at Coimbatore ! 

The 20x (100x 400 up+ down  hill)  intervals on the MSFT hills with Chandu (it was rainy day with slippery roads.My only company that day was Chandu. We inspired each other to complete the entire reps) and speed runs on a drenching rains with Manvi,Krishna garu and Bharadwaj .

With Chandu My buddy for those gruelling hill workouts.

With Dr.Manvi ,Krishna and Bharadwaj
Drenched with rain & sweat post intervals.

Doubts/Uncertainity: The training bloc had some low moments too.Midway into the training, I had to navigate some unfortunate news coming from the Hyderabad Runners community.Besides,my family were a bit worried considering the harsh terrian on which I am going to run the FM.I know that these concerns are coming from a place of love and affection towards me and I can totally understand their anxiety.

Overall, I am very happy and greatful for this training block. I managed to avoid injury and that is a great thing. Now its all about execution on race day.Will share my experiences on Race day /race execution in another post !! 

Ladakh Marathon-2/3 - Travel and Acclimatisation.

                         Live, travel, adventure, bless, and don't be sorry - Jack Keruoac

Preparation for the Ladakh Marathon was a bit different compared to other events. The organizers want the runners arrive at Leh atleast a week in advance.To enforce this,BIB collection is 1 week prior to the race and it is strictly in person. Most runners use this time to take a full week off and visit various places close by. Our plan was no different. 

Day1 : Landing & Rest: The effect of altitude hits you immediately. In 30mins even within the airport, I could feel a difference.As we stepped out .the sun was bright and harsh.But what was striking was how blue the skies looked.With very less pollution,the skies looked clear and 'bluer' :)

Touchdown of TRYSquad at Leh !! 

 As advised by many I spent the rest of the day at the hotel  (The Grand Himalaya, Leh) taking complete rest with no activity at all .I felt better by night time though trivial tasks like walking up the stairs felt a bit breathless. 

 

Beautiful scenery on the terrace of our hotel !.

Day2 : EXPO day and Leh Market : The rest day continued. I started the day with a short pranayama session.I felt a bit energetic after that.Then we visited the Martahon EXPO to pick up the bibs.

At the EXPO with Race Director and Founder - Chewang Motup Goba

On the way back we visited the iconic Leh Market.As I searched for this place on the internet,I realized that has been around since the 15th century. 

Leh Market is so beautiful !! 

The place was so beautiful and loved it.I can see why some runners raved about the atmosphere in Leh Market. 

Day3 : Leh to Nubra valley.: After proper acclimatization,the team was ready to start our road trip to Nubra valley via Khardung La.5 of us( Aravind,Anu, Manvi,Bhasker and Siva ) decided to cover the distance on the bike.The bikes and the gear looking impressive !!I admired their courage and passion to drive such long distances on the road. 

Signage at Khardungla top.

Our first stop was at Khardungla top. At a height of 17,982 ft, it is the second highest motorable road in the world  (Behind Umling La, which was completed in 2017). 

From there we went downhill towards Nubra valley.The winding roads by the sides of Shyok River was a sight to behold. 

Our next stop was Diksit Monastry.The star attraction at the place was a 106ft tall Maitreya buddha , that looked very majestic.

Maitreya Buddha at Diksit Monastry.

Young monks from the Diksit monastry.

We rested for the day at the town of Hundar. Our stay was planned 'camp style' in the middle of the

desert ! (Grand Ghazi Clover Camp, Nubra)  At night we were treated with a charming Ladhaki follk song performance. 

Day34 : Nubra valley to Turtuk. Our first stop was the Hunder Sand Dunes.We took a short ride on the Bactarian (Double Hump) camels.   The Bactarian camels are shorter than their single hump ones but they more resilient ,especially at the varying temperature conditions above 10,000 ft.

Camel Ride at Hundar Sand Dunes , Nubra Valley.

closeup with a Bactarian camel during my morning run

We travelled east towards the India/Pakistan border. We reached Thang, the last town of India before halting for a night at Turtuk.

The Town of Turtuk was part Baltistan ,mostly controlled by Pakistan.Its one of the 4 towns that came under Indian control during the war of 1971. The people in this region speak the Balti language. 

Though most of their community are still part of PoK/Pakistan the people in Turtuk consider themselves fortunate to be part of India! 

The town is blessed with good water and great soil and we could see a lot of small farms cultivating Buckwheat, Apricots, Walnut and vegetables.The hotel (The Stone Palace ,Turtuk) we stayed was run by a family (as with many hotels in the town) and they were really great hosts. The dinner that day was 100% organic with produce from the farms beside the house . It was so good

With Hasan the owner of hotel.

The next morning we  went on a walk around the village and I can say this town was one of the mos scenic places that I have ever been to. I felt that if The Shire was a real place then it would look somewhat like this. If you are a nature lover then highly recommend an additional day of stay at Turtuk to enjoy the scenery. 

A buckwheat farm at Turtuk. .

The scenary was just awesome !! 

Day5: Turtuk to Pangong Lake: The last place on the road trip was a visit to Pangong Tso. The journey to reach  Pangong Tso was the most tiring of all. 50% of the route had no paved roads and we were literally traveling on the river bed. After a grueling joureny we finally reached Pangong Tso on time for the golden hour. The lake was really beautiful  nestled within the mountains. Being such a remote place, there are limited resources. 

Sun Rise at Pangong Tso.

We spent the night at a cottage (Go Green Cottages Pangong Lake) with limited electricity .It was quite an experience.Easily one of the coldest nights of my  life.The morning sun was splendid and the lake was glittering in various shades of blue.Those views were worth the treacherous travel we endured to reach this place.

Day6: Pangong to Leh via ChangLa pass: The journey back was better as we took a different route and not the same off-road path from Turtuk to Pangong. We took a break at the high altitude to join the Janmastami prayers/lunch hosted by army men there.

There were some tense moments as some of us started feeling Altitude Sickness due to the long break we  at high altitude approx  16,000ft. Thanks to the resourcefulness of our guide Rigzhin,we overcame it quickly and reached Leh on time!

Dont take altitude lightly. Esp novices: A key take away is that,for novices like us, AMS can strike very fast especially at > 16,000 ft. The symptoms may not be always obvious and its wise not to linger in these places for long. 

I really want to thank our guide Rigzhin for being such an excellent guide.Besides being a guide, he is also an avid wildlife photographer and part of the rescue squad for the Siachin Warriors.I loved his passion and work ethic.

One my best road trips: This was one of the best road trips I had in a long time.I made new friends and got to know more about some of my other running buddies.

Medal Monday ! All smiles posing with our hard earned medals  !!