Sunfeast World 10 K Bangalore
I ran the Sunfeast World 10 K today in Bangalore. I hadn't really put in anything close to preparation for this run other than sporadic visits to the gym and I was pretty ashamed at how I approached this event. I really believe that a healthy respect is to be given to any activity which involves a combination of physical and mental application. I learned that the hard way in Bombay earlier this year. Machismo has no place in distance running and over confidence is the harbinger of disaster. Well...disaster for a serious runner that is. Clutching your sides while people are zipping by you counts for me as disaster.
So yes I felt extremely underprepared and I had mentally accepted that I would go easy and really guage the pace on how I felt on race day. The event itself was very smoothly organised. Smooth entry, easy baggage counter, decent holding area and on-time start. The race route too was great mainly following the route I have been taking for the last one year so I could count off all the familiar sights. I started strong and knew exactly when to push the right buttons and when to ease up to get that little bit extra later. It's amazing what a wise teacher Experience can be. I must also admit reluctantly that I did take a little bit of pleasure & pride in passing so many runners after the 5 K mark. I didn't have a timing chip this time so I got a 2nd priority start at the race. I must have been at least 15 minutes behind the timing-chip runners and after the 5 K mark almost every person I was passing had a timing chip clipped to their shoes. I ran a surprisingly strong race and if I had pushed myself a little more from the 8 K mark I should have completed with a sub 50 time. As it is, I finished in 52 mins and 55 secs and I didn't even feel out of breath as I finished. Not too bad for a 10 K. But my personal Everest still looms large and daunting, albeit distant in the form of finishing a 42 K in under 4 hours. Now that would be cause for celebration. For today, I'll have myself a couple of beers and contemplate a more serious training schedule from next week.
So yes I felt extremely underprepared and I had mentally accepted that I would go easy and really guage the pace on how I felt on race day. The event itself was very smoothly organised. Smooth entry, easy baggage counter, decent holding area and on-time start. The race route too was great mainly following the route I have been taking for the last one year so I could count off all the familiar sights. I started strong and knew exactly when to push the right buttons and when to ease up to get that little bit extra later. It's amazing what a wise teacher Experience can be. I must also admit reluctantly that I did take a little bit of pleasure & pride in passing so many runners after the 5 K mark. I didn't have a timing chip this time so I got a 2nd priority start at the race. I must have been at least 15 minutes behind the timing-chip runners and after the 5 K mark almost every person I was passing had a timing chip clipped to their shoes. I ran a surprisingly strong race and if I had pushed myself a little more from the 8 K mark I should have completed with a sub 50 time. As it is, I finished in 52 mins and 55 secs and I didn't even feel out of breath as I finished. Not too bad for a 10 K. But my personal Everest still looms large and daunting, albeit distant in the form of finishing a 42 K in under 4 hours. Now that would be cause for celebration. For today, I'll have myself a couple of beers and contemplate a more serious training schedule from next week.
posted by Abs @ 6:57 PM
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