I had prepared intensively and I had a feeling of quiet confidence that this would be done easily. However a week before the race, i started getting jitters. Though I had read that this is normal, it was not enough to allay all the fears that kept creeping into my head out of nowhere. I realized that I was too keyed up for the race and for the last 2 days, I tried to not think about the race at all. I did spend some time banishing thoughts from my mind that it was not worth the effort and I should give up the idea totally.
Night before the race I ensured all the things were in place- t-shirt, tracks, running gloves, cap, shoes, energy gels, heart rate monitor, race bib etc. I also packed my "Shani Chakra"- my good luck charm that I use on important days. My cosmic edge available for divine intervention if required, I went to bed.
Race Day-
I woke up groggy primarily because I had a fairly sleepless night. A spot of yoga calmed my nerves and I had hurriedly got ready and rushed to the venue in the cab waiting for me. I reached later than I hoped because I had to turn back to my hotel for my cell phone which I had forgotten.
The cab drop me about 5 blocks away from the start line and walking the 5 blocks in the cold (yes it was literally freezing), I was totally out of breath and was left wondering the wisdom of running in sub-zero temperatures.
A bag check in and a longer than expected line for the toilet meant I reached the starting line later than the start time. Horrors of horrors, the race was on time and my corral (corral 4) has already left. I ran in corral 5 after a race volunteer assured me it was fine and I wouldn't get an incorrect time.
Quite an inauspicious start! I took it in my stride assuring that all the things in my life that don't start on the right foot eventually end up being a success. And so I was off!
For the first mile or so I couldn't run. There were so many people around that all I could manage was a brisk jog. I was overwhelmed and yet enthused by the huge turnout. Runners in all shapes, sizes and ages.
Since I couldn't run as fast I would have loved, I tried to soak in the atmosphere, the sights and sounds of downtown Richmond embellished by the running carnival.
Since I had run a 10k sometime back, I had some kind of reference. I knew I was definitely slower but this was a longer race and it was really cold.
Much to my dismay I reached the 3 mile mark after 30 mins. At this point, I began hearing small voices in my head asking to stop and this wasn't worth the effort. I trudged along ignoring the voices and concentrating on the music instead. Slowly the voices changed their message- Ok run If you want but only this once. Don't repeat the insanity.
The demons in the head conquered, I ran spiritedly only to find my first uphill patch. I ran with my head down so that I wouldn't see the upward incline and thus trick my mind into believing that I was running on a flat course. I had read this somewhere and it worked well.
It also warmed my body up and I knew I was running well now.
Bryant Park and a whole host of spectators now greeted us. In my excitement I missed the 4 mile marker and by the time I reached the 5 mile marker, my speed was considerably up. It was only 45 odd minutes. This was also around the time I dropped and lost my running gloves. I breached the 10K mark in 54 mins and I now was comfortable that I would complete the half marathon.
Miles 6 onwards were a party in the truest sense of the world... scores of people cheering their friends, husbands, mothers, wives, sisters, brothers, colleagues etc... banners and posters of all shapes, sizes, colors and messages cheering hundreds of runners to complete their lunatic Sunday morning activity. A few of the banners stood out-" Marathon is a mental activity and you are all mental", "Pain is temporary! Pride is permanent!", "One more mile to glory", "You're almost there... really".
Around Mile 8, I started looking at a possible finish time. I was around 1 hr 15 mins into the race. I decided to speed up then. Luckily I had conserved my energy well and was well hydrated. It was also getting warmer. I terminated my semi jog trance and started sprinting. I hit mile 10 by 1hr 32 min. I now decided to target a finish time of under 2 hrs.
This was also the time I was in Richmond downtown.
It was now sufficiently warm and I took my jacket off and tied it around my waist. I didn't abandon it on the road as many others had done along the way... may be it was my frugal self that forbade me from doing so. or maybe I wanted to keep all the mementos from the race.
I was now sprinting all out - I knew this because my body was a collection odd pains and creaks... especially my back and ankles. I half feared if I had had a stress fracture... I decided that even if I did have one I would still have it at the end of the race and I would look at it then... NOTHING in the world would now stop me from finishing.
Into the last mile, I was shaking not so much out of exhaustion but out of the excitement of finishing... the last half mile was a steep downward slopes... I smiled in glee and ran as fast as I could... and then it was over...
And as I waited for my tears to mingle with the sweat, I looked up and thanked the almighty. Just then the victory theme from Lakshya played on my Walkman and I realized someone up there had been looking out for me while I ran!
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