My First Ultra Marathon

November 11th 2017 6:30 AM: I woke up and to my dismay, My Ultra Marathon started at 6:00 and I am still in bed. I wake everyone up in the house with my freight and trying to get out of the house and rush to my first ULTRA. I was out of the home at 6:40. Mom wishing me all the best and just telling me to be safe when I ripped in my car to the race start location. (Please do not try this at home, stunts performed by so called professional for the day)

7:20 AM: I reached the venue and as expected the race has commenced and 1:20:00 has lapsed. The race volunteers thankfully let me run anyway. I was out running following the marks on the ground for the ultra. Since I was late on the start, every other runner was way ahead of me. I was running alone, certain zen like feeling when you run alone into the bamboo forest. My aim is to catch up with the other runners. Trying to eat slices of oranges at a moderate rate. Making sure I drink water at intervals not letting myself dehydrate.

8:00ish So Me continuing to run on this trail it hit me that I have not attended nature calls and the toilets are at the start line. So I tell nature “I will answer your call when I finish the first lap, till then you will have to wait”.After running for about a while around the 8km mark,I start to see the race leader, as the course is a 25km, 2 loops. Race Leader being chased by two guys about 250 meters apart. Hopefully one day I blaze through the forest like that but for now I have to not get carried away and finish this race. Now in the middle of this I see a man who is walking across with a laptop bag, does not look like a volunteer. Asks “Started late?” I reply “ Yes!” which he then motivates me to get going and catch up with everyone else.

8:30ish I have in sight the people who are all part of the mid of this race. While I know I am currently last in this race. Some of these runners put me at the other end of this race, They cheered me as being the race leader who was zooming through the track. I started to correct them by mentioning I was still in my first loop.

(I do not recall the time after a point so bare with me) I have been running for a while and I finally reach the 12.5Km mark At this point. I take my U-turn and head back on the same path.Then a feeling joy is over me. WHY you may ask? Let me tell you why. I am not the last person on this race anymore. Not to discredit whoever this person is but with this new found energy I start to push. (Remind you, Nature has given me multiple miss calls). I start to push, trying to pick a bit of pace. I am within the race now there are people in front and behind me. The one thing I am not accounting for when I am on this path, Is the path itself. The TRAILS are nothing like a road race, If you have not prepared for it. They will PUNISH you later on in this race. Not to my knowledge, I continue to run. As before trying to eat a few peeled orange slices and drink water moderately. Remember, I talked about the guy with laptop, he was sitting in what seemed to be stone benches little off the trail. He was sitting there and working.Found it fascinating that he is working out here in the middle of hennur bamboo forests with very minimal sight of civilization.(Mental note: Should attempt to do that sometime).

10:30ish I was approaching the 25Km mark, In this race the start line as well. Where I finally pick up the phone and answer natures call. Now this call went on to about 15–20 mins. After satisfying call, I feel I can blaze through the second loop. Galloped into the forest determined to finish this run.

12:30ish Now having run the second loop for about an hour. I start to feel pain, my legs start to give up on me. This was the point of the race you hit runners wall, you just do not feel you can continue. The thoughts of I might DNF this race was in my mind.

There are times when you love what you are doing, there are times when you absolutely hate doing something, even if you love it. At this moment in the race it was one of those times where I absolutely dreaded it. My legs have become rubber, I can hardly walk. I am in excruciating pain. It is at these moments your character is tested,will I be able to overcome this pain and finish the race?

1:30ish My legs still wobbly, I feel like I can collapse anytime soon but I can’t stop here. I carried on, My running form was lost, dragging my legs in the dirt. I have to finish was the only thought in my head. I started to run, then walk, then run, then walk. I happen to be running and walking an often lot. Hoping to just make it to the finish line.

2:30ish I have about 4KM to go, continuing my running a bit and walking a bit style. It’s hard with all this pain. Nevertheless, I am constantly pushing myself at this moment. To know that every Kilometer I ran from 21Km mark, Is a personal best at distance.

3:10ish I was a 500m from the finish line, I thought about it, I wanted to at least finish the race running. I gathered all the energy left in my body and deep breathe AND RUN. Sprint to the finish line ( I wouldn’t call it a sprint, but let me have it OK?). I FINISHED MY FIRST ULTRA, was given the most beautiful medal I have ever seen.

My mind told me this was a bad idea, but I listened to my heart. Running this race was a test of how prepared you must be physically and mentally. My practice was not up to the mark. I failed at a lot many things, but I take them as lessons learnt for the upcoming races.

BUT…. For the rest of my life, I could brag that I did an Ultra before a full marathon.