Asha Marathon Dear Friends, Thanks to your support and six months of hard training, I finally completed my first marathon in Long Beach, CA on Oct 12th. This was one of those experiences that will remain with me forever, whether I run long distance again or not. Here I would like to share with you my first marathon. Shachi and I, together with my 15 other Asha marathon buddies reached the start line at about 7:30am. Atmosphere there was electric and I could sense the excitement in the air. Organizers were expecting turn out of about 10,000 participants, out of which about 3,000 were there to run the full marathon. Others would participate in half-marathon, inline skating or bike races. Team Asha got together at the start line to go over the race plan. "Start easy", we reminded ourselves. The most common mistake first time marathoners make is that they get carried away by the occasion and start too fast. In the process they use up their glycogen reserves too fast and "hit the wall" too soon. Key to the marathon running is to delay the onset of fatigue. Arun, Prabhakar and I decided to start together and run the first six miles at 11:30 min/mile pace. Plan was to pick up the pace a notch to about 10:30 min/mile once we are warmed up. And eventually if it feels right, we can go to 10. With this plan, we would be still able to cross the finish line within 5 hours.
8am. About 15 minutes to the start and I was getting a bit anxious now. "I am thirsty", I told Shachi. It was pretty warm already, must be in seventies. It will very likely get into mid-80s. To clear up the mind, I indulged in a little banter with other marathoners and started stretching. In few minutes I was feeling good and assured again.
First couple of miles went like a breeze, we maintained 11:30 pace quite comfortably. I saw Rajat stretching at about mile and half, inquired quickly if things were alright and continued. Rajat has had to go through more than his share of injuries during the training, but here he was with all the others, running his first marathon. At about 3 mile mark, a lady who must be in her fourties, joined us and asked us about Asha. She had read "Asha for Education" on the back of our shirts. We were happy to share with her our cause. It also put things into perspective for me that once everything is said and done, this will help educate children in India. Another mile marker passes, and so does the water stop - No water, no sports drinks. This happened second time in four miles and I tell Arun "if it would have been better to carry our own water!!".
We keep on running at our 11:30 pace thinking it would be trouble if water runs out in the latter phase. Unfortunately, I had another thing in store for me which would bother much more than water. Somewhere between 4 and 5 miles, I started feeling a bit of pain on the outside of my right knee. I knew this pain and its caused by injury called ITB syndrome. Its one of the most common runner's injury and I have had this injury in both my legs during the training. But I thought I had recovered from it, so why now?? I kept on running but gone was "enjoy the run" part. Not necessarily due to pain itself, but from the thought that "what if this gets worse"? It was five mile mark, water stop WITH the water, I drank enough and pour some on my head and neck. It felt good. Pain was not going away, but my game plan was to ignore it. But I couldn't ignore it for too long, it was getting worse and if I didn't do anything it would soon become impossible to run. I had to stop and stretch. Stretching can reduce the pain, it loosens up the muscles which in turn better absorbs the stress. I felt better but remained cautious.
Next 5 miles were probably the most scenic part of the course. It went parallel to the coast and there was that beautiful Queen Mary Ocean Liner as a backdrop. Except for the high humidity and high temperature which must have been in higher seventies by now, I started getting back into the rhythm. Reducing the stride of my runs helped a great deal with the pain, and that also allowed me to look around and observe other runners. These are the people that make marathon the most enjoyable event - they sing, laugh, crack jokes and provide encouragement if need be. They all have stories to tell - about their lives and their training. They all have different reasons to run the marathon; but still they all go through similar obstacles to arrive at the start line. I started enjoying the company of these fine bunch of individuals who are here not for the prize money but for the cause, whatever it may be. I did finally realize the meaning of "its about the journey, not the destination". "My mommy runs faster than your mommy" carried by a little girl really cracked me up. It was about 11 miles and I saw some kenyans already coming back. They were elite runners and were expected to finish in little over two hours. They must have been at about 23 miles at that time. I looked at the watch and it was little over two hours from the start. I wasn't too slow but I may have to catch up a bit if I still wanted to finish within 5 hours. I tried to pick up the pace but the sharp pain near the right knee immediately brought me back to ground. It was going to be just about finishing this time, 5 hour target will have to wait. Once I stopped worrying about the time, I started enjoying much more. It was still painful running but I could manage the pain with proper stretching every two-three miles. Somewhere around 15 mile mark, I saw the first victim of heat. There was a Korean guy who collapsed most probably due to dehydration and needed to get medical attention. Temperature must have been in mid-eighties by now and that stretch of the course was without any trees or sheds. I just hoped this treacherous stretch would end soon and we would be running in a more friendly environment. My prayers were heard and things looked better after 17 miles. Now we were running in a residential area of the Long Beach. Residents were sitting outdoors and cheering the runners. Also heavenly sent were their water sprinklers, which they deliberately kept on if runners wanted to cool themselves. This was a great respite from the heat and helped me get past those few miles before the home stretch. Nothing comes fast in a marathon, one has to earn every inch of it and may be that is the reason its such a fulfilling experience.
22 mile mark gave me a mental boost, everything was unknown after this point. This is now the longest distance I have run, ever!! Drank some more water at the water stop and the last power gel (this was my fifth power gel/GU - unchartered territory there as well) but fatigue was starting to take its toll now. I have been running for more than four and half hours now and my calfs and quads had also started aching. And there, Shachi, Varin, Sawmya and Rashmi - Thanks guys, thats exactly what I needed at that point. 24th mile never seemed to end and I started believing this was a conspiracy. Did they forget to put the mile marker? Is this a practical joke where they will skip 24th mile marker and just have the 25th mile mark? Insanity briefly overtook my mind but sanity came back once I saw the 24 mile mark. Some more water, and here we go for the home stretch. I slightly picked up the pace, but the body was just too tired to respond. I had to quickly revert to slow run and walk combination. 25th mile again was one of the longer miles that took forever to finish, but some encouraging words from Patricia helped me limp along. 
Finally 25 mile mark. Water. This one is for the finish line. One more mile and I am home!! Few more runs and walks, now it was at the stage where I couldn't run few yards without stopping, but adrenaline was pumping more now and suddenly things started getting better. Roar of the people near the finish line, announcement of the finisher's names in the PA system, balloons and festivities, and the most cherished sign "Marathon Finish" sprang a new life in me. Pain, fatigue, thirst, hunger did not exist anymore and I sprinted the remaining 0.2 miles to cross the finish line.
A medal. Lots of new friends. Education for the underprivileged. And memory for the lifetime. I will have to do this one more time !! Durgam -----
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.., Five, Four, Three, Two, One, GO !! A big gulp of
Getorade, and here we go !!
Soon it was 7 mile mark and I saw Shachi, Varin and other
Asha cheer leaders. It was great seeing them and their loud cheers
certainly replenished some energy levels.
