Lessons Learnt From a Half-Marathoner
Thanks for the wishes, guys!
The half-marathon was to start at 6:30 AM. Being the lazy bum that I am, I woke at around 5:15 AM, and reached the venue at 5:55 AM, just in time for the full marathon kick-off. I had rice the previous night (like premshree, I couldn't manage to eat pasta), but did not have anything on Race Day.
I had a two-stop strategy (for taking a leak, I mean) in mind, which turned out to be a good idea, as I drank nearly 4.5 litres of Aquafina during my run.
My Half-Marathon
I was sure I could do the first 3 km without a break, and without having to stop for water - and surprised myself by doing 4.5 km. The "break", of course, was to walk a bit, and then continue running. By the time I reached 10 km (near Banaswadi), I had already taken two such breaks. And this was my first pit stop as well. In the next 8 km, I had to take three breaks (I wasn't out of breath or anything, but the Sun was taking its toll). At 18 km, it felt like lead weights were tied to my shoes. This was when I took a longer break, and walked almost 500m. By the time I reached the stadium, it was around 9:10 AM, and I could see our beloved Chief Minister, ready to flag off the Celebration Run. He was every inch of the toad I had imagined him to be. After waiting a while, I finally got a certificate (mind you, we had to fill it up ourselves!).
Some tips:
1. Find pace partners - running in a group is more fun than running alone - but don't talk too much, otherwise your breathing will get all erratic. Plug in to music if you have a portable player (I didn't).
2. While running, don't turn your head to see how many people are behind you; if you end up straining your neck muscles, you may not be able to run the full length.
3. Drink, drink, drink! But only in small gulps. The idea is to drink water before you feel thirsty; if you start feeling thirsty, you're too late!
4. Run backwards for a while, if you can. When running normally, you tend to put a lot of pressure on your heels; when running backwards, you put pressure on your toes. It helped me relax. This is something I figured out while running, so I don't know for sure.
5. Don't let the Sun get to you. Pour water on yourself frequently. (I could practically hear a sizzle when I poured water on myself).
General physical condition after the marathon:
* Excruciating pain in the knees, hips (which is what you get if you don't practice).
* My left nipple is hurting. A lot.
The half-marathon was to start at 6:30 AM. Being the lazy bum that I am, I woke at around 5:15 AM, and reached the venue at 5:55 AM, just in time for the full marathon kick-off. I had rice the previous night (like premshree, I couldn't manage to eat pasta), but did not have anything on Race Day.
I had a two-stop strategy (for taking a leak, I mean) in mind, which turned out to be a good idea, as I drank nearly 4.5 litres of Aquafina during my run.
My Half-Marathon
I was sure I could do the first 3 km without a break, and without having to stop for water - and surprised myself by doing 4.5 km. The "break", of course, was to walk a bit, and then continue running. By the time I reached 10 km (near Banaswadi), I had already taken two such breaks. And this was my first pit stop as well. In the next 8 km, I had to take three breaks (I wasn't out of breath or anything, but the Sun was taking its toll). At 18 km, it felt like lead weights were tied to my shoes. This was when I took a longer break, and walked almost 500m. By the time I reached the stadium, it was around 9:10 AM, and I could see our beloved Chief Minister, ready to flag off the Celebration Run. He was every inch of the toad I had imagined him to be. After waiting a while, I finally got a certificate (mind you, we had to fill it up ourselves!).
Some tips:
1. Find pace partners - running in a group is more fun than running alone - but don't talk too much, otherwise your breathing will get all erratic. Plug in to music if you have a portable player (I didn't).
2. While running, don't turn your head to see how many people are behind you; if you end up straining your neck muscles, you may not be able to run the full length.
3. Drink, drink, drink! But only in small gulps. The idea is to drink water before you feel thirsty; if you start feeling thirsty, you're too late!
4. Run backwards for a while, if you can. When running normally, you tend to put a lot of pressure on your heels; when running backwards, you put pressure on your toes. It helped me relax. This is something I figured out while running, so I don't know for sure.
5. Don't let the Sun get to you. Pour water on yourself frequently. (I could practically hear a sizzle when I poured water on myself).
General physical condition after the marathon:
* Excruciating pain in the knees, hips (which is what you get if you don't practice).
* My left nipple is hurting. A lot.