3.30am
The morning was cold and foggy. My first bad decision was to ride the bike from Malad to Thane in the wee hours of morning, wearing only my running shorts, a dry fit t-shirt and running shoes. I did not realise, when I left at 3.30 from Malad that the journey would be so freaking short. I thought, with the cold and all, it will take me multiple breaks and atleast 2 hours to slowly ride to the venue.
5.00am
1 stop and 45 minutes later, I was the parked in a huge open ground and was alone. I was the first one to reach the venue for the Hiranandani Thane Half Marathon. Even the security had just started taking their place when I was already dumping my helmet into the bike. I had a tough time even pinning my bib number to the t-shirt as I could not stop shivering.
It was a miracle I even made it till here. I had run a total distance of 15kms in 2 runs and that was my training for the 21kms of gruelling half marathon that I was to do. I had not even once run more than 8kms on a stretch in prep for it. Also, the night before the run, I smoked a joint, ate a maggi at midnight and slept at 1.00 only to get up at 2.30 and leave an hour later. My bowels were not empty. Plus I had a smoke before I left from Accord Nidhi. This was a complete 'No way you can run' situation for me. But I didn't wanna give up. I realized that, even if I may not be able to finish it, I atleast wanted to start it.
5.30am
As I moved to the start line after multiple failed attempts at warming up (the body kept cooling down, thanks to the super cold Sunday morning), my bladder started talking to me again. But there was no time to go to the washroom now as I was amongst the first 2 rows at the start line. Not that I was gonna pick up right from the beginning but only that I wanted to start exactly at the stipulated time.
6.00am/ 0kms
The whistle blew exactly at 6 and I almost completely forgot about my bladder and was concentrating only on running. I kept an easy, slower than normal pace and kept moving ahead. The first 2 kms were a breeze. We turned at one point and I could see the incline ahead and it killed my mood slightly.
3kms
The incline really took it out of me. I was breathing heavier than the fellow runners and was slowly falling behind. I did not mind that. They were seasoned runners who had practiced and were on schedule to finish it in a stipulated time. I had no schedule. I was just gonna run. The next 3 kms I was as slow as a snail I believe. I had thoughts of giving up already.
6kms
By this time, I was at a point where my mind was literally asking me to give up. But I realized that there was more juice to be squeezed out of my legs. I mean, I had run 10kms without any problems before. I kept saying to myself that I should somehow make to the 10km mark and then walk the remaining bit. That gave me some boost and I picked up some pace and started running.
10kms
This was almost the point from where we took our first 'U' turn, also a sign that I had accomplished half of my goal and giving up now would not be fair. I didn't stop at the 10km mark but kept going on. Its amazing how your mind plays with your body. I was so happy with my achievement that I felt fresh again and I started running in good form. Also, I had managed to finish 10km in little over and hour and I was feeling really good about it too.
14kms.
The only thing stressful about this route was the number of inclines at intervals which really killed the morale. But I was impressed with what I was doing and felt that I could now finish this and finish in good time. Just as that thought crossed my mind, my legs gave up and I limped to a standstill and sat on the road. Both my legs cramped at the same time and the nerves were pulling as if they were in a tug-o-war contest. I rubbed both my legs to free the nerves. It was like a cramp attack cos it stayed for exactly 2 minutes and disappeared like it never existed. I started running again.
18km
Daylight was almost completely out but we were still puffing smoke everytime we took a breath. We started seeing some local support on the streets. People were cheering and offering us water, biscuits and support. I was exhausted but, honestly, the only thing that kept me going was the timing bus in front of me which read, "2.15". If I could keep following him then I knew I would make remarkable time.
20km
This is when it really gets tough. Mentally, I knew I was almost there and my body was going into the lazy mood. The next 1.097 kms were the toughest of my running career. My legs were showing signs of wear and tear and I was almost limping.
100mtrs to finish
Both my legs refused to step forward. The pain was excruciating and I was on my way to the finish line. I was limping like it is no mans business. The pain could be seen on my face, I am sure. I could see the finish line and the clock which was ticking at 2:31:04 I guess.
Finish Line
I think I was phased out for a while. I do not remember what happened after I crossed the finish line. Everything went so quiet. I was coming to realize that I had done it. I forgot everything for those few seconds and felt I was deaf when suddenly the volume knob was turned again and I could hear my name.
I had done it. And the guys from the event team were calling my name to give me the medal. I wore the medal and started walking further away from the crowd. Upon finding a nice spot, I placed my phone and other things from my pocket onto the grass and did some stretches. They felt good. Within an hour I got a message on my phone. It was from the event company and it read, "Congratualtions Chirag. You have completed the HTHM in 2.31.10."
P. S. : Thanks Noodles for all the support that you have given me since registration till execution day. I wish you could have watched me cross the finish line. Thanks for being awake through the night to make sure that I do not oversleep and miss the marathon. You are an angel. Love.
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