Running In India

About 18 months ago, I was at a friend’s birthday party.

I’d just run a full marathon that same morning, so felt:

(a) super chuffed with myself for having run a marathon at 62 (as I was then)

and

(b) super chuffed with myself for putting on my best frock & my dancing shoes, instead of going to bed early, after running a marathon.

At the party, a man I didn’t know, still don’t know, and whose name I never caught, came up to me and said the darnedest thing ever.

”I saw your time for the race today,” he started, and I preened myself for a congratulatory comment.

”You were really really slow.”

WHAT. THE. HELL.

I had NO idea who he was, nor how on earth he knew that I’d run a marathon etc etc, but in the moment, I was so stunned that I just stood there, jaw probably slack, while he continued, “5 hours is really slow.”

If I could have those 2 minutes of my life back, boy, would the conversation have been totally different.

Instead of staring in disbelief at this rude stranger, I’d have said to him something along the lines of “How dare you comment on my marathon time?  It is a fabulous achievement and it’s not up for discussion or criticism.”

Or, perhaps, I’d have asked this judge-y man, “Have YOU run a marathon?  No, I thought not,  So why don’t you shut the **** up”, and I’d have walked away, head held high.

But none of this happened, of course.

I just stood there, staring in disbelief at the rudeness of the man.

His wife – I suppose – piped up, and here the whole thing got weirder:

”Darling, she ran the full this morning.  That time was for a full not a half.”

WHO WERE THESE PEOPLE??

HOW DID THEY KNOW SO MUCH ABOUT ME?!

”Oh” says bloke.  “A full.  5 hours for a full.  Better than 5 for a half,” and off they wandered, having totally messed with my head.

I tell you, that conversation changed me.

It was as though someone had critiscised my children, or told me that my dogs are ugly.

Damn it, how DARE you tell me that I’m a slow runner.

None of your damned business.

Which is why I try never to ask people their finishing times.

I congratulate them on the stupendous feat of finishing a 10K/HM/FM and strive never to ask “What was your time?”

If they want to, they’ll tell me.

We need to celebrate achieving something fantastic, something which is a personal benchmark and who knows the back story?

Where is all this slow-runner talk coming from, do I hear you ask?

Well, for one thing, since I’m easing back into running after over 3 weeks away on a climbing trip, I’m super slow and out of shape myself.

And secondly, this turned up today:

It’s my finisher’s T shirt from the New Delhi Marathon in February, and shows my time.

Yaay!  I cracked 5:00 which was my goal and so I, for one, am super happy to have this time on show.  Hubby commented that perhaps some people who were disappointed with their time might not want to wear such a T, and perhaps he’s right, but not in my case.

4:50:10 and proud of it and aiming to reduce it next time round 🙂

For someone who has just returned from climbing a real live 6000m+ mountain in the Himalayas, I made a complete dog’s breakfast of our hill repeats at running group, this hot and humid morning.

As I’ve mentioned in an earlier post this week, I was pretty knackered on my return from climbing, and only mustered the courage to go meet my running group on Tuesday.  I didn’t drill with them that day, just trotted slowly round the park.

But day by day I have felt increasingly stronger and less exhausted, though dealing with the extreme heat (& pollution, boo hiss) has been a bit of a struggle.

Anyway, today I felt fully fit (or so I thought 😛 ) and so off I went to meet up with my tribe in Nehru Park.

Today was hill repeats which I actually rather enjoy, and since my next race is a marathon in Ladakh in September, at an altitude of 3500m, hill repeats seemed like a good idea.

Delhi is pretty flat, so finding “hills” is a bit of a challenge, but Nehru Park has a couple of “hills”.

Today we did 15 reps, and I thought I was going to die.

As in keel over.

Pass out.

Faint.

Puke.

It was really tough, and I struggled to complete the 15 repetitions, watching in awe as my fellow runners sprinted up & down, making it all look so easy.

I tried not to panic, or think of the hills in Leh, but could hardly avoid the fact that my form has suffered in the past month and that a lot of work lies ahead in the months before Leh.

So I finished my 15 reps, super slowly, but I did ’em.

Do the others look exhausted (below)?

Quite.

Anyway, what’s done is done & all that jazz.
I have resumed training.

I’m feeling a whole lot stronger than a week ago.

And that can only be for the good, right?

Here we all are, still smiling despite the humidity – in fact, most of the lads stayed behind to play football.

Gotta love #mytribe

And here’s my new mantra 🙂

(This post is NOT what you think.  No booze.  Just water!)

Now here’s the thing – I need to get back to hydration basics.

Or, actually, given my sloppy record in eating & drinking healthily, what I actually need to do is to re-think my diet totally.

Despite the terrible weather here in Delhi and the even more terrible pollution this morning (back to the same scary levels as last winter) I still decided to go out for a run.

Big mistake.

On so many levels.

1) I quickly realised that I’m still tired from my climbing trip, more tired than I realised.

2) I also quickly realised that ignoring the weather and the wise counsel of my running group not to head out this morning, was a stupid mistake.  Coughing and spluttering, murky dusty sky at 6am, dust swirling everywhere.  What did I not understand?

3) But it was when I started staggering across the track in my local park that I realised (finally 🙁 ) that all was not well.

Empty stomach + a coffee + water is clearly not what a body needs in this heat and 40% humidity.

It was quite alarming, tottering from side to side, so I stopped running, slowed down to a painfully slow walk, and made it back home, where I immediately drank coconut water & a glass of nimbu pani (sweet lime water with sugar & salt) to restore the electrolyte balance.

I then ate a banana.

Only then did I sit down to consult Dr. Google, and think some more about what happened out there this morning.

The only other time I remember staggering and wobbling like that was the first time I ran the wonderful (& upcoming 🙂 ) DRG half marathon in Sanjay Van, where I drank only water and was completely knocked sideways by the heat and humidity.

I instinctively dislike (&, yes, distrust) energy drinks.

Without mincing my words, the thought of sweet, orange-y flavoured drinks when I’m exercising makes me want to puke.

I remember inadvertently having a glucose energy drink on summit night, the second time I climbed Kilimanjaro, and promptly vomiting it all up.

I also remember foolishly having a sip of whatever was on offer at an aid station at about the 14/15km stage during my first ADHM (Airtel Delhi Half Marathon) and – yet again – vomiting.

Nevertheless, I have in my kitchen 2 opened and unfinished boxes of Glucon D, which I try and take in the lead up to marathons, and then promptly forget about afterwards.

I’d better check their expiry dates and then see about incorporating them in my summer drinks menu.  Should I?

Or is Enerzal better?

Your thoughts, friends.  Please.

I find it difficult to eat first thing so early in the morning, but I suppose a banana is better than heading out an empty stomach, right?

Amy other tips for easy-to-digest food I could eat at about 4.30/5.00 in the morning before setting out to run?

Still so much to learn…

Here are a few thoughts about hydration that Dr. Google came up with, which are worth sharing, I think.

At just 2% dehydration, “athletes lose the ability to operate at full mental capacity.”  Yikes.

And here is a simple explanation of why we all need electrolytes:

Thanks for sticking with me this far, and I really would welcome all feedback/advice/suggestions.  I have a marathon to prepare for and less than 3 months of hot & humid weather in which to do so, so I really do have to sort out a proper hydration and energy régime.

Today, for the first time since I got back to Delhi from my Himalayan climbing trip, I felt almost-rested and almost-fit enough to go for a run.

The last few days, as I mentioned in my last blog post, I have been w-a-y too tired after climbing Banderpoonch, and felt totally drained of all energy.  I literally just flopped around the house for the first few days, too tired to do anything very much.

Despite a mild fit of panic, when I started counting down the days to the Ladakh Marathon, I didn’t push myself, was sensible (for a change) & rested up, and lo & behold, I actually felt finally ready to rejoin the human race this morning.

Whew.

Do not like the feeling of being too tired to run.

But Jeez Louise.  Could it have been any hotter at 6 o’clock in the morning?

It was for fainting.

It was fab to see all my running friends, after a long time, and they all looked terrifyingly fit and ran fast intervals as though it were a cool winter’s day, rather than a fiendishly hot summer’s day.

I, on the other hand, skipped the intervals & trotted slowly round the dusty track, stopping every loop for a drink of water.

I felt ridiculously weak and unfit compared to my all mates, but it was such a joy to be running again.

So, yes.

A start has been made.

A step in the right direction taken.

But it’s clearly going to be a while till I’m back to par, so there’ll be nothing fast or fancy on the running agenda, just lots of slow trots around the block, until energy levels are back to normal.