So Near …..Yet so Far….. A story of my Good and Strong Run….. New Delhi Marathon 2017

So Near …..Yet so Far….. A story of my Good and Strong Run…..

At around 4hrs 54 mins , I glued to my watch it read 41 kms , so I had 1200 mtrs and  6 mins  for a Sub 5 FM  for which I had trained for so hard last 6 odd month .

I gave it a attempt , ran in pain till almost 3 mins and any other day  I could have ran this in sub 6 mins . But funnily , my ITB pain was getting more worse and at a point around 800 mtrs to go I gave away…. Had I rushed probably I may not have walked for the rest of the day….. as I was to cross the line the event timing clock read 4.59.19 giving some hope but nevertheless the moment kept me in joy for almost a couple of hours till the time official SMS came and which I was sure since my GPS also read 5.02 . 

So my personal best at 5.04.24 . A journey from 5.59  totally wasted effort in SCMM 2016 to a much trained SCMM 2017 in 5.13 and a stronger Delhi in PB time .

Note : I am not at  all obsessed with timings , but had trained for a goal oriented 6 months to achieve my personal Best timing in all format . And I achieved it in 2017.

A big thanks to the brand I represent , when adidas put up a post about who would like to run Delhi amongst the Adidas Runners , I expressed my desire to run a FM though within a span of one month . Kept my training to myself and very close set of friends and mentors.

Time read 0130 when me and Ajit Raner  landed at Delhi Airport , we took the cab and was sooner or later in the Adidas Guest house in Gurgaon .

Next 02 days (Friday and Saturday ) was one of the most memorable days of my life having heard Dr Rajat Chauhan and having met the great legend Haile Gebresailaisse, thanks to Abhinav Sharma and Arjun Saraswat and Team Adidas  . (will blog about this experience separately) .

Was fortunate to share the guest house with all champion runners Sanjeev Ramki, Vipul Kumar , Arjun Raner , RK Murthy  and a awesome coach Ajit Kulkarni . Lot got of tips and heard there story . Coach Ajit helped in all the taping before the race day .

Thanks to Ayesha , Anupriya and Nivie too as part of team AR.

Race day :-

Woke up at 0200 and  got ready . At the start line weather was like too cold for us mumbaiwaalas . Met many friends from Mumbai , Chennai, Delhi , Hyderabad, surat , Kochi  . As the great Sachin Tendulkar flagged off the event we all started our run . The nip in the air could make me feel , this is my day , the day I waited for last 8 FMs . I started with a gud 1^st Km along with Dr Kumar Sir and the momentum continued , before I realized it was 9.1 kms for 1^st Hr this was bang on as per the plan given to me by sunil shetty . I felt my lungs opened up and the next hr it was again a 9.2kms . Still feeling fresh I was thanking God for this beautiful and strong day …..before I realized it was 21kms in 2.16 . I was glad that I did the first half in a much much better time . In the return leg waived to many of my friends who were doing there 21kms , damn strong and 3hr read 27kms .

GOD was not happy (maine bahut mannat maangi aur uske badle chadava nahi chadaya abhi takh, isliye bhagwaan ne le li ) :-

At 27.2 kms , I felt a small niggle on my left knee , i did stretching and moved on , next 100mtrs , the reality set in …..shit the dreaded ITB pain and it was the beginning of my Dandi March . I could see a dream going away. Trust me , I was not at all tired and here I was laughing at GOD  “Bhai galat time pe le li ……”

I had ITB seven years back and by running for few years had learnt so much of ITB . One fact I also learned was if it happens during the run …..then your race is over .

Lot of runners who came from behind expressed their sympathy and moved on giving chocolates and salt pills etc .

At 4^th Hr I was 35 kms …..still managed a 8kms in 4^th hr . It was 7kms and a hr left …..by this time pain was almost unbearable and I thought to DNF even waived a Biker to offer lift till start since I was to call off my  race .

Saala biker ….”he said nahi lift doonga , daudo” .

I continued my walk , drag , zombie drag ….at 4hrs 30 mins it was 38.30 kms and had to take a 2 mins break too ….continued to run when a friend Hema Menon from Kochi pushed me to run and decided to give it a last shot . Ran all lout but could run 200 mtrs and on …..and then run and then walk ….

 I glued to my watch it read 41 kms , so I had 1200 mtrs and  6 mins  for a Sub 5….. and I gave away the attempt ….. my watch read 5.02 …..

I ran strong , very strong ……however timing can wait , perhaps GOD knew if I get this , I may not train and go back to BIRA land …..

BIRA (is a brand of Water …..)

So the hunger continues …..my season ends . Rest , recuperation and retraining starts in a months time .

Meanwhile I am going to Shirdi, Sabarimala, Mahim Church , Haji Ali Dargah………….Bhagwaan thodi si lift kara de ……

SapthaShrunghi Hills - 21 Kms

Mr Foreigner tumhi  ikade yaa…… Saptashrunghi Hill Half Marathon .

“Woh dekh wahan takh run karna hai , said Bobby pointing at the dim fading light of one of the vehicles which was vertically at a angle of 75 degree” ……we laughed at the joke .

Few minutes later when Tushar and Shripad came we jokingly asked till where is the route …..they pointed out similar fading light at 75 degree and said that is 10.5 Kms one way….

In the fading moonlight which was giving way to a pristine virgin brighter sun light we could see the outline of the curvature of hills it was a beautiful curve .

Saptashrunghi hills mesmerized us ….. the aura in the eye of devi was one magical moment.

Saptashrungi as it is called is believed to be one of the holiest place in Maharashtra and it is often referred to as Vaishnodevi of West.

It was almost a month back  Aatul invited me ,mala and gangsofsonapur on behalf of Nashik Runners to join for the inaugural run. Aatul mentioned  it would one of   the toughest hill run.

I never took it seriously and was not sure of joining since weekend of 28^th and 29^th had four major commitments. We had a cricket tournament in our complex, the prestigious Vasant Oscar Premier League, there was marriage of a dear friends son and had a naming ceremony to attend again of daughter of someone dear.

I represents Green Gladiator in the VOPL, we played 4 matches till 28^th and won 2 and lost 2 . My staying back was important since team had to play 2 more matches to qualify for Final rounds. However , revealed to friends that I need to go to nashik . It was also an opportunity to show case my book to a different set of audience . I wanted to share the inspiring story of TheyInspire to people faraway.

Since , this was after SCMM , it was important to keep the josh and frame of mind positive for a hill run . For me it was another set of long run for my major event in February . So I knew if I do a 21 here its like getting a 25kms plus on flats.

So we started our journey at 1300 hrs from Mumbai on Saturday , me and mala , satish and bobby . Nashik Runners had arranged a talk show where we were to speak . However , we reached very late as we got stuck in traffic and to top that a weird car driver of ours . Saptashrungi is close to 80kms from Nashik . Aatul , sujith and many other friends were there to welcome us . Anu , Ketan , Ekta , sanjay and many more .

We were shown our rooms , it was like dormitory , the temple trust types .

Aatul and swapnil then took us for darshan of  Shrungi Maata , believed to be the 3.5 Avatar of Devi other prominent being Tulja ……………. We had one of the best darshans as anyone would desire , we touched the feet of mata .

After the food at the langar , one of the simplest yet one of the best foods , we retired for the day .

We now stand  viewing the hill , mala wanted to do a 10kms . I was so proud of her as she was attempting one of the toughest 10kms . I bid her good bye and moved on to run 21kms . It was so nice to see known faces from Nashik running fraternity . Shripad , Sonali , Tushar , Narayan sir and many more . Met many new folks too .

Me and dear friend coach bobby decided we will take easy . We decided to stick together till the end of the race .

As soon as the race started there were no flats available , we were running up , up , up and up and up and up…..pppppppppp.

Satish sir was guiding few comrade aspirants . Around 2kms , the first steep incline came and then at 3kms another and the journey continued .

We saw some real raw talent from the adivasi belt . At 5kms  there were local folk dancers dancing to the tune of local folk . We joined them and danced for 3 to 4 minutes (who cares about timing) . At around 7kms , we saw the Kenyan elite athlete on his return leg along with the pilot bikes , I reversed my direction and ran with him for 50 mtrs and then pilots requested “sir jaaona” . Around 8 kms there was some flat track and we gained momentum  . The end of the loop was near the shrungi temple in a village called wani . The 10.5 Kms turn was in a trail , it was such a joyous moment when entire village was cheering us . We prepared for our return loop with few more clicks . The return leg was mostly rolling down. What a great support from  the volunteers , aide point was there almost wherever we thought for . 

 Perhaps the best medically supported run with 05 fully equipped ambulances manned by the best doctors of Nashik.

We gave  many pose for photographers . Was happy that me and bobby crossed the line around same time together . Met mala who had completed her 10kms , I was so proud of her achievement , it came at one of the toughest run . Met many friends who cheered me when I was introduced on stage as a runner author . Gave away TheyInspire as prize for the winners

As Kenyan athlete was to be called, he was out of the audible range one of the announcer screamed on the PA system “Mr Foreigner, please come here “ ……

The hospitality which Aatul and Nashik Runners extend is mind blowing , such a bunch of enthusiastic runners who believes in the ideology for the runners by the runners . The mutton bhakri and beer at hotel gondhaal was out of the world …..

We drove back to Mumbai to be just in time for the finals of the Vasant Oscar Premier League and before I could realize what hit ….. I was facing the last ball of  tournament with audience on their toe and 4 runs needed of last ball …….man I scored 7 runs of that ball , 3 runs and a over throw 4 runs ……and before I realized I was lifted on the shoulders ……

thanks Murali and venky for the vodka in between the drinks time of the match ….. perhaps I saw the ball better ……

God Forgot to Switch on AC - Whistle Podu...... SCMM - 42kms of Sweet Sweat .....

 I lie in pain and desperation near the TCS tent in 2016, after running a wasted 42kms at SCMM. Totally cramped and fatigued. I was crying in pain. My bestie Babu who is a sub 4.30 runner , ran with me for the whole race and at 8 kms I hit the wall ….. There on it was a formality to complete the race. I wanted a DNF but babu didn’t allow .

The disastrous year had just began for me . Low on self confidence. On top of it I was gradually putting on weight . Once the weight went till 91 in may 2016 . Meanwhile IDBI HM was to happen and sunil chose me to be one of the ambassadors. My only worry was I should live up to the tag .  In one of the promo runs , I was taunted by someone too , telling that he has forgotten running .

My dear friend Murali told me to change the gear and I was soon to be an author too . The icing on the cake was someone who was dear to me once upon a time commented to his group of people that Gangsofsonapur is a group of recreational runners .  And Biju will never attain a PB forget the Full, look at his round shape .

                                                      Transformation :-

Mala convinced me to take the professional help since I am a hypothyroid .

Did a root cause analysis, weight was the biggest issue so had to shed a lot. How. Met Roopali Mehta , she is a ace runner and a nutritionist . Challenge was to follow her diet. I still remember, she giving me that look when I narrated my current diet to her. So with all this you say you are a Runner.

So the diet plan followed. Let me admit, I followed only 30 to 40% of her diet, being a malayali and a foodie I could do only that much . But the results started to be visible.

 I joined Power yoga and strength training  along with PC, Reji , Bobby, Murali , Rahul and also began to put short quality runs of 5kms till 8 kms .  Aim was to run less , run good . For nearly 01 month ran only till 8kms till I did 5kms in 26 mins continuously.  Next month was 10 to 15kms and I clocked regular 1.35 for 15 kms , next month was more of 21 kms and this is when hit my PB at Bangalore with 2.16 and then at Navy HM at 2.06 ( A PB after 8 years of running ). Nov and Dec was only 25kms plus , did many 30 plus and clocked consistent Sub 5 timings for a projected 42 .

In the meanwhile , the book #TheyInspire released and it was well received too . This put an extra self expectation on me .

Most of my training was with Krunal, Atul and Bobby . I saw a leap change in Krunal , Atul and Bobby all of them were doing their first FM and must appreciate the hard work they had put in .

By Dec I had shed 7 kgs.  Younger brothers marriage was round the corner and I was knowing abh toh gaya .Both mine and my younger brother ajays training was soon to be going for toss.  Idea was to consume minimum liquor and avoid fried food during marriage . Many a times when peg was made I would throw it in sink after having a sip , just to have a balance within the relatives and my inner self . During normal course i prefer to enjoy and get high on such occassions . Ghor Anayay. (all those old monk lovers , please don’t kill me )

After marriage , we  went to kerala for a break and I put regular runs there too .

I am carrying a heel injury from last two years attained during a trail duathlon , my physio Dr Rajani was helping me to cope up with this .  My therapist Prashanth helped a lot with deep tissue massages. 

Sunil , gave me the plan for 42 for a sub 5 and I was reciting it in mind . Sangeeta and Parul helped me a lot with motivation .  Lot of tips were given by Babu , satish  and Pratik .

Ayesha , would give me tips on form and the tapering . Ran with her couple of times to understand the right techniques. Abhinav and Adidas Running helped a lot .

Took lot of advise from Vijayraghavan and pavitra on the nutrition and how to plan the  fuelling during race. Went on Prototal salmon nutirition by Fast and Up for two months .

Towards the big day , I paced two events with faster timing slot than the previous years which I use to run . it was bang on .

We reviewed the route on paper many a times , we were knowing what exactly we will do at which kms . On race day, the contingent GangsofSonapur arrived . We all were knowing we will do good . I had announced many time I would do a sub 5 i.e from 4.45 to 5 . ( And I am proud of it that I announced and trained for it )

As expected  because of Arvind  Kejriwal , the weather God forgot to switch on the AC and then the temperature was totally different  on the previous day.

I started along with Krunal , Atul and Babu pacing us . What a motivator sam is , he said only 41kms at 1kms where he was cheering us.  Was engulfed in sweat by 3kms, I knew I will have a tough job in hand for remaining 39kms since I am prone to sweat.

The first confidence came when we ran up the peddar road and kemps corner uphills at the pace of 6.40 . I thought this is my day . By then krunal felt much stronger and he just flew away , babu went after him to pace him further . Ran with Lalit bhai for some time and we went live on FB  I was with first 4.45 bus till 15kms and then at 18kms on sea link , the second 4.45 bus lead by Hari sir over took me .  I was still confident of a sub 5 , since I was going as per my plan . Mean while so many friends had waived (I love that feeling ) . Around , 20kms I felt the first jolt a minor pain in my right foot nail . Oops the very basic thing a runner must do , I had forgot to clip my nails . In a situation , even the minutest of the thing will play havoc on you . So here was my first mistake . I took care of my feet sweating issues by wearing two socks but I ignored the basic thing . by 22kms even the first 5 hrs bus over took , but I knew I can make it . Around 23 kms Sundar sir ran along and was privileged to run with him . At around 26kms the Kenyans overtook me . Glad that I was 26kms ahead of them , every year it was only 22kms , so I knew in was in for a good timing , from here on it was to hold on and avoid cramps . I got very defensive and was treading carefully to avoid cramps (the mistake I did).

By this time the nail started playing havoc . But I ran walk then ran strong . I ran till base of peddar road and now the fatigue had started setting in .

 A group of young girls started whistling and giving flying kiss saying south Indian hero . I regained my energy.

Then my angel Rahul  after running his HM in 1.55 , joined me  for the last leg of the run . Climbed peddar road along with him , it was more walk then run . Towards the decent on the kemps corner , we ran and ran gud , ran a km at 6.10 pace , then till 41kms it was run and walk . By 40^th I was knowing I missed it . My watch was showing 500 mtrs more . Having so many friends and so many photographer friends , I was feeling like a celebrity .

(Gaurav i am going to buy this pic from you brother)

MRR zone cheered me and Rahul . I admire Rahul and other ultra guys , kiss mitti ke banne hai yeh log . Murali joined for the last 800 mtrs and trust me,  he and rahul ensured that I don’t miss the sub 5.15 atleast .

I crossed the finish line a champion with the tapori whistle and the stylish goggles full on . Tashaan hai boss.

Was so happy for my Buddy Krunal for a 4.41 on his first FM , for Atul for a gud Fm  and Bobby for a strong finish .

Met so many friends and yes Gangsofsonapur gave me a new name BC (Biju Celebrity- this I what they said the full form is ) because had to make them wait for long in chakkar of meet and greet .

Note : Many readers may feel what is the big deal of getting s sub 5.15 , but believe me it means a lot to me  …. This medal and every medal reminds me of …………

                                                                          Medal :-

This aint a piece of metal …..whenever I  see this little piece of metal , it reminds  me of the hours of sacrifice and the training I have put in …. From the daily busy schedule . At times I have been taunted on what I am up  to when I  was  training and when I posted that on social media .

When I wear my Navy medal on my chest …..it swells with pride . Similiarly each and every medal earned during the runs are my pride . It reminds me of the struggle I had to convince myself I have won the battle against me , it reminds me the friends I made which is not less than any medals , it reminds me the bragging right I earned , it reminds me of the people who inspired me and the whole lot of people whom I inspired …..

This medal ain't a piece of metal….. dedicated to my readers and to everyone who supported me .

Silvassa 27Kms – My 50^th Timed Run – “Experience the Experience of Experiencing an Experience”

#Karchond  #Godbhari #Dudhani

Hey , man you will have to run / swim or cycle , your thyroid is out of proportion and your weight  is about to explode at  close to 100 Kg , I was feeling hope less and this were the  first sentence  of Dr Kulkarni , the super specialist from Fortis way back in 2008  . Do something about this  boy or else worse is gonna happen.

I need to Run a thought came to  me somewhere in my heart and I Ran , Ran  .

Here I was on the cusp of my 50^th Timed Run which included 10K , 21k , 42k , 12 Hrs etc ….

Run would be more memorable since I had accidently chosen this tough route to be my personal milestone , what more this was to be run with close friends Babu (who was running his 60^th 21Kms and above) , Bobby , Pradeep , Reji and Satish Sir .

After the bib collection, we headed to Hotel Green Valley  where we had arranged our stay . Was happy to see  Santosh and Ami  when we reached there. Hotel was occupied mostly by runners and all big names across were  parked here . 

We  recced  the route at silvassa and satish was smiling  when he saw us (he is the one who guide us and he knew it will be tough for us ) . I was searching for shashi to ask for refund . But thanks to Sunil , satish and Sangeeta , they guided us how to tackle the run .

We had a early dinner , we went to a shop and along side we saw a egg vendor , we asked him sir kya aapke paas Phute hue ande hai , he said nahi , then we replied  kal eight milenge tum ko ………

My bestie  Babu and  I was sharing the room . Babu retired early and I was watching Malayalam channel  a award night  ….. malayalam actress are beautiful , with this thought in mind I was fast asleep .

Race day : -

Alarm blasted at 0315 and we were decked up for the brutal route …… “Mere maut pe hasne waalo , tumharri bhi kabarr kabhi toh khudegi , this lines were ringing in my mind for all those were to enjoy our plight .

We  had Fast and Up activate and felt good , we left for the venue after having our smart breakfast which was arranged by the hotel (a very nice gesture) .

I could see the number  of runners had reduced since many would have dropped after seeing the brutal hills .

Sooner or later we were on the start line hugging many known and unknown faces . Running is a great sports you get to hug most of them . Shashi further demoralized us by giving details about the route .  

Collector came to flag off and appreciate that the young guy himself ran 5kms.

Race Report:-

Race started at  0600 . The incline started at first 100 mtrs itself, sometimes things happen for good the darkness kept the hills camouflaged ,  I started with a walk of 200 mtrs . I wanted to run a good race. Slowly and steadily the legs started moving and I started getting my rhythm. As a preparation for the run , I had trained at yeoor couple of times and had done many short hill runs in mulund .

Okies , 1 Km mark passed , this was from dudhani  to godbhari and the occasional moving cars provided us the required light to appreciate the inclines (inclines needs to be appreciated).  Runners are a great lot they cheer and motivate you in your hour of suffering , thus I had mentally mapped and marked my partners in suffering  and I decided to tag along or keep them in my Radar. As we were passing the 3 kms there came a place call Karchond . Karchond + Dudhani + Godhbari this is what was going to happen to most of the runners..

A marriage celebration was going on at that wee hours , groom was sitting quietly on a horse and all other  guys were dancing around , probably welcoming him to the fraternity of married people (and thinking saale aaja abh teri bhi lagegi)

The inclines started gaining elevations the first major incline started at around 4 kms  and the elevation was   gradually increasing meter by meter . This was a never ending incline . Most of the runners were looking at each other  helplessly (as if saying “teri laagi naa , meri bhi lagg rahi hai”).  I asked a local guy who I came across “aur kitna Chadnna hai “ he said “ Abhi bahut hai, majje lo…….” . I continued my tryst with the hills and was cursing shashi . Wow then came the decline , if you see the elevation profile it’s a steep decline , you cant proablly run fast but you could roll fast .  First time I realized , saala declines were equally tough . I continued on the route ….. at 14kms the route headed  in to a village , near the turning around 14kms the water  point had stocked up watermelon , ate a slice and moved on , I asked for the relief spray , but the station was not having it . Moved on to run , from here the route was pure trail and kaccha roads , the village kids and the ladies were welcoming us with shy smiles .  When u see this kids , you will realize how lucky city kids are , but unfortunately they don’t value the givings . After high five with kids and after some selfies , went on to run strong . At 17kms , at a water station  I aksed if he had any energal or fast and up and the boy their said “Bhai , iss glass mein electric hai “ pointing to a filled glass . After having the same , I started getting the spondylitisis pain and I was badly in need of volini . There was a stationery aid ambulance , I went and asked the medicos to help , a lady assistant saw me and said kapde uttaro , I was like oops kya galat time pe bola ….. she applied a gel and I aksed her the name of the gel since I wanted to be sure if its volini then I need to be careful of not touching the gel , else after few kms , the gel may spread to unwanted places . She said chloroform , I was like , what , I was thinking all weird thoughts , then she  said that the gel was of similar name . Thanks to her , I moved on and thereafter the run from 19kms to 27kms was very strong .  Throughout  the inclines were only raising ….. met  Mahesh Mahroliya and Vishal sethi runners from kandivli , and thanks to them I kept my pace on and we became friends . Was glad to know that they follow my posts and writing .  Met Ramani Sir enroute . By that time many of the 54kms bravehearts were returning on their second leg . I ignored the Kenyan runners since any way they are gonna win .

Thanks to  Reji , I could muster to run the final leg , I was keeping reji in sight and running .

The flying kiss  was for the photographer and for all my friends who will read this . At 23 Kms , when things started  looking good , the hills started again , at a sharp curve I thought the hills are over then again a steeper one , this was breaking me . Then one more hill , then one more hill ……. Finally when the Garmin showed 25kms , the crossing runners said its down slope now , but the roads were broken and uneven , so ran at a decent pace to reach near the cross line . Sprinted the last 200 mtrs at pace of 4.30 . Crossed the finish line Sunil , sangeeta and Reji were there to receive . 

Was wondering and reflecting back on how did I complete ….. we were standby to receive Bobby and Reji .

The  pick up bus which came after an hour took us back to the base point , we rushed for medicals, medals and food . Was happy to see so many serious and strong runners completing very strong .

Had a chilled beer and we waited for Babu to complete , we gave company to babu for last 1.5kms and ran with him .

Sooner or later we were in the wine shop checking out the subsidized rate at Silvassa. Reached Mumbai at 2138 IST . The race was done , but the experience was experienced .

My sincere thanks to RK Nair sir from silvassa who was instrumental in helping many runners , satish sir for foregoing his run due to a back spasm and then doubling up as a volunteer . Thanks to Sunil Lahigude sir , he gave me all the mental strength to tackle  the course and reminded this route was like our Armed Forces Flag March types .

Thanks to Shashi , Supriya , Pramod and all others from sportman team .

Conclusion : It’s a tough race , prepare for it . Don’t go for just another run .  Frankly , this could be arranged in much better way next time . Excellent route , thanks for the find shashi , pramod , supriya . Thank you for the event and am sure next time would be much more better , since the event is gonna be big .

For me , running my 50^th was like “Experiencing the experience of experiencing an experience”.