Category — Running

It was at the end of the Pinkathon 5k that the idea for running the TCS World 10k surfaced. Bhawna and I had found out at the finish line that running 5k wasn’t all that difficult and so we thought ‘how much more difficult could 10k be? ‘.

Turned out that it was much more difficult. 😀

Bhawna’s my running partner and the one who pushed me to do the Pinkathon in the first place. But once Pinkathon was done, we needed a new target and the TCS run seemed perfectly timed for 3 months later. We surmised that if we couldn’t run it, together we would walk and finish it.

And with that started training in February. Hal Higdon’s 8 weeks to 10k training plan became 14 weeks as I landed up restarting twice before I stuck with the program when I realised I had less than 8 weeks to the event.

My mindset had also changed along the way. That I think I hold Bhawna responsible for because it was a quote in her Pinkathon blog post that caused it.

Pain is temporary, Pride is forever!

It was the pride bit that got me thinking; finishing the 10k was easy, but finishing it well, now that was important. And so I stuck with the program.

The Stakes are Raised

Two weeks before the run, Che returned from a 20 day trip to find a dedicated runner and he stepped-in to up the game. With him running with me I found new limits for my body, I was running better and faster!

Running is a high, it leaves me with a sense of accomplishment and achievement. And that feeling transfers to everything else I do too. I’m more positive towards people and things, and that means I get more done and done well.

It was at this time that my bestie Pallavi pushed me. I’d kinda given up on raising funds for my cause, I didn’t believe I could do it.

When I signed up for the run, I’d chosen to run for Bal Utsav, an organisation that is working towards education for all and believes #EducationMakesAllTheDifference. I’d put up messages on Facebook a couple of times and when it didn’t result in funds, I just gave up.

But that push from Pallavi worked magic. I set about collecting funds again and they poured in. My target was Rs.10,000 but contributions exceeded that number so fast, I had to raise it. And I had to keep raising it until I’d crossed Rs.50,000 in 10 days.

There’s still 7 days to go for the campaign but at close yesterday we’d raised Rs.64,226. A big thank you is due to everyone who pitched in to help a child get education. If you’d like to help or know more about what Bal Utsav does, here’s their website link – balutsav.org. There’s still time to contribute, just click here for my Ketto Campaign page. 😀

A big big thank you to all the contributors, love and hugs xxx – Pallavi, Manoaj, Nanditha, Sushesh, Tarsh, Arun, Sandeep, U. Ozer, Anu, Anithra, Harishri & Elvin, Sahil, Hari, Moch, Selvi, Venkatesh, Swaroop, Muthu Kannan, Jos, Nirupama, Samarth, Pritam, U. Zulfikar, A. Zainub, Aditya, Sunbula, venka tesh, Raja, Nikhil, Vikramaditya, Daniel, Parinitha, Supriya, Sujeesha, Hakim & Munazza, Adarsh, Pradeep, Ajay, Erica, Suban, Anuj, U. Srinivas.

Overachieving my funding target had me on a high that carried through to the race. I wasn’t alone, there were so many people wishing me the best for my run.

And then there was Che, who took over food and nutrition before the race. Like a coach he stuffed me with all the right food, pushed me to drink more and more water and spent the ride to the race giving me tips, more tips and then ending the talk with ‘enough talk, now go do it’.

TCS World 10K

Running the TCS World 10k wasn’t easy, sometimes I was distracted or had other thoughts but most of the time I found myself talking to my legs, telling them that they could do it, that they wouldn’t fall off and that all I needed to do was put one leg ahead of the other constantly.

Run, Breathe, Smile… I kept saying to myself and I did it I think coz all photos have me smiling, enjoying the pain of pushing myself. 😀 And it worked, all that training, all Che’s coaching, all the best wishes, they worked as I ran the best run I’ve run till date.

Lessons in Running this Quarter

Customary Thank You’s…

Photo Credit: Chenthil Mohan and Abhijith Rao.

The first time you do something, anything, it’s special. It’s the first time you experience the doing of it, feel the accomplishment, revel in the sense of achievement, and undergo all the myriad emotions attached. This year’s Pinkathon 5K was a first for me; the first time I ran a 5K, the first time I ran with 11,000 other women, the first time I ran the Pinkathon. It was an experience I’ll never forget.

I’d been training through January for this run but actually finishing was a beast unto itself as not all had gone to plan. Training had suffered a couple of times when I fell sick in the month and the last week was spent more in recovery than practice. All these had been niggling worries throughout but one thing I was sure of, I was going to do the run, no matter what.

The night before I had butterflies, sleep was difficult and I was excited and yet super nervous. Would I really pull this off?

All set for the Run

I woke up at the first ring of the alarm and started out with the rituals, – a litre of water, a bowl of oats & banana, a wholesome shit, and I was ready to get dressed. I left for Whitefield, all ready and hopping on my toes with excitement.

In the last week before the run, I’d figured out that I had other friends running too. Sindhu was running her 3rd Pinkathon and this year she was helping first timers with her group ‘Who Run The World ? GIRLS!!!’, for running buddies make it so much easier. Supriya was running in Delhi to motivate us friends in Bangalore. Then there was Juvena, my desk-partner and one of the first people I ran with in school. And Kavitha, a old friend and fellow sportswomen who was running 10K.

Running Buddies – Bhawna & Me

I was excited that I might bump into these guys, but the person I was looking out for when I reached was my running buddy – Bhawna, who was the one who started it all for me when she signed up for the Pinkathon. And she wasn’t running alone, there was also Little B. 🙂

It all started with Zumba as a warm up at 5:30 but it was 7:15 by the time we got running. Why the delay, no idea but we’d warmed up three times and taken three loo breaks too before we got going. But once we set out, that was it.

Warm up was with Zumba

The Zumba just went on and on

Little B ran the first 500 meters with all her might and would have run more if the 2 hour wait hadn’t tired her out I think. But after she stepped away Bhawna and I started out in earnest, pushing each other to keep the pace as we weaved in and around the multitude of women walking.

The women I saw as I ran past them amazed me. There were women in all shapes and sizes, mothers carrying babies and even mothers pushing prams, but they ones who stood out for me were the visually impaired women. The turn out was supposed to be 11,000 women!

Little B in full run mode

Starting out on the run

Almost at the finish line

The Pink Man at Pinkathon

Phew! I Just finished my first 5K!

Running Buddies!

I finished my 5k in 39 minutes, not a great show but with all the obstacles through January, I was proud to finish. The run was a learning experience, a reminder of how much I enjoyed running and what I’d been missing all these years.

There were some learnings too, for my next Pinkathon –

– Don’t get to the venue too early. Just be on time.
– Carry water and food, just in case it starts late.
– Run the 10k (timed) to start on time and avoid the rush & heat.

I’m looking forward to running a lot more in future and the bar has been upped to try a 10K. It’s amazing how much joy there is in suffering. Can’t wait to get started on my next training program! 🙂

Do you run? Got tips for me? Books on running you recommend? All info is good info right now so please tell me all in comments. 🙂

P.S. – My first 5k Pinkathon would not have been possible without help from Che, who supported me throughout and made sure I ate right, and my mother who was the silent force helping me through those tough days of pain. Love you guys! xxx

P.P.S. – You can read Bhawna’s side of the story of Pinkathon on her blog – YellowMellowLife.com