Coimbatore Half Marathon 2025.

In the Tamil movie Basha there is the scene where Rajnikant's brother comes back with the medical report of the villain, asking who he really was? because only a man whose whole body was soaked in violence could cause such injury to the body.

My injury wasn't that bad, but I remembered this scene when I saw the perplexed look of the doctor after he looked at my report.Strangely I wasn't sad, in fact I felt a bit happy becuase now I know my transformation as a runner has entered deep inside me !

Jokes apart,The past 6 months was a  roller coaster 🎢 ride in my running journey.I had the full experience of the  FOMO lows 😢when I had to cancel runs that I have been training for ,the guilt trip 😩 when a veteran runner called me up and gave me 'gyan' for a good 1 hour and the shame spiral ꩜  when fellow runners asked (with good intentions)why I am not running as I used too. 

It was not all doom & gloom. I was fortunate to have a good coach who kept checking on me.He was really worried (more than me)and kept checking on my progress.Thank you Siva I wouldnt have made it until now without your help.Also grateful for the tips from coach Rama!

Things got better from September ,when I found a good yoga place and dabbled a bit into swimming as well (Hello Ironman 😃)  My buddy Nishikant recommend a sports rehab specialist which finally turned things around.
I restarted my runs slowly and tested  my legs with a hard 10k last week.That went fine so I took a leap of faith today by doing a HM at the Coimbatore Marathon today. 

Race execution : My plan at the start line was to stick to an easy pace until 10.5K and switch to harder efforts for the next 10K if I felt comfortable .The weather this time was pleasant ,with lesser humidity and dry and cool skies.The energy of my fellow runners pulled me gradually to higher pace, and I was slowly inching towards sub2 pace. 

The body was warmed up and getting to a rhythm by 10K. Took a sip of my gel (Fast&UP ,non caffeine ) and switched gears to a higher pace.I was really happy with my energy levels and form until the 18K mark. By 18, I could feel the HR getting higher by the km. 

A young runner came to the company and helped me push through the last 3 kms with a great sprint finish !! 

I finally made it past my injury (at least for now). Now it is time to rest and recover and focus on sustainable running ,as I enter 2026!

Race organisation : Excellent race management with no traffic hiccups,well stocked aid stations  and a good post run arrangements for stretching and physio. Not to forget the delicious south indian breakfast.Thank you to the organising committee for the excellent arrangement. With its flyover and (slightly) humid weather, this is a test ground if you are planning a longer race at Chennai Marathon.