I had registered for a half marathon earlier, but due to
work commitments, did not run. Hence, my
first marathon was the Indian Oil WNC Navy Marathon.
A week before the run, ie., on 9th November 2019
(Saturday), I was going for a practice run determined to clock atleast 17-18
Kms as it was the last day to prepare for the D-day. Once I crossed the 10 Km
mark, I started getting some pain in my knee.
I ran for a couple of more Kilometers and stopped. That evening, had unbearable pain in the knee
and was very difficult to climb up / down stairs. Sensed that there is some issue. Also, had not run for long as I was out on
Diwali vacation and hence thought had stretched myself and hence the pain.
On Tuesday, decided to visit my physio, Dr. Bhoomi
Gala. She immediately said it is
runners’ knee and is a common injury among runners. The IT Band (Iliotibial band syndrome is
the issue) is a thick band of fascia that runs from hip to knee. If this gets tighter, it pains a lot. She did some ultrasound and after couple of
visits, said that I’m fine now. Never
did I tell her that am going to run a half marathon !!
Cribbing complete – over to the D-day. Had kept an alarm at 3.25 am and another at
3.30 am. However, got up immediately and
was ready by 4 am to leave. Reached the
venue at 4.45 am. After some warm up,
was ready to hit and run.
All set for the run - 21Km runners
The run started well – weather was quite humid even at 05.30
am. However, I did not have much discomfort
and was running smoothly and at a decent pace.
At around 13 Km mark, felt a bit of pain in the knee. However, it was a slight issue and though I reduced
the speed, my run was on. When I reached
the 16km mark, I felt that the calf of my right leg (the IT Band issue was in
left leg) not cooperating and started experiencing pain. Decided that I would start walking for a
distance and then start running. When I started
to run again, felt the pain. Was
stretching myself a bit but felt a huge pain in my calf. Decide to walk the balance distance.
While I was reaching the 18 Km mark, had somebody tap my
shoulder. Saw my CEO, Kavi walking and
catching me. This was his 26th
half marathon but the humidity and lack of sleep made him feel tired and he
also decided to walk the balance distance.
Both of us chatted the entire distance and I completed my first half
marathon at 03:07:07. Though it doesn’t look
a good timing, I was happy that atleast I finished the run rather than quitting
inbetween.
We are tired and walking
Overall a great experience and also a learning that 21 Km is
not a joke and need some practice before trying it out. As the maximum distance I had run before this
was 15 Km, I suffered cramps in my calf.
Determined to work on my IT Band (foam roller is helping me)
and get myself fit to run India’s best marathon, the Tata Mumbai Marathon in
Jan 2020.
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