23 km into the run and we crossed the Mahim lane after Hinduja. "Salaam mallekum" one of the runners greeted the bystanders. Mumbai was running and cheering as one India I thought to myself.
A few minutes past Mahim, Amit boomed again " the marathon is about to start now". I realised why as the shadows disappeared and Bandra came in view. The sun was on us and my pace reduced.
"Turn your caps to the left" - that was to protect the face from the sun coming from the left. That was clever, Amit. I thought to myself as we turned towards Bandra Reclaimation. Sighted my nephew and family friends with bananas and a wet towel. I lost the "bus" as I stopped to eat the banana and tie the wet towel under my cap. I could now see the red balloon going farther and farther, beyond reach. I was feeling tired. The body was getting cold and hot at the same time. Poured more water over the head. The lemon juice had started tasting terrible. Pushed it down the throat. Reached for a piece of jaggery and realised I had dropped it somewhere. Had also carried a pinch of salt, opened the packet and licked some of it. And started to walk and run.
The Garmin showed I was at the 34 k mark in 4 hrs. 8 km to go in 1 hr if I were to do a sub-5. But the legs had sustained a pounding of 7 min/ km and they were not the same. Blisters on my left feet and a weird pain below the shin prevented me from running. Wanted to finish strong and therefore did not push myself. Finishing was all that mattered to be in the elite Marathoner's club.
And 69 minutes later I stepped on the timing mat at 42.175 km. The vision was blurred, was oblivious of the crowd. My mind was blank as my eyes searched for anybody familiar and saw Amit exiting the holding area. I had missed him by a measly 9 minutes. We shook hands as I thanked him for the energy during the first half of the marathon and went across to the Refreshment counter where the medals were being handed over. Found some shade and sat down looking around at elated faces smiling in pain and agony, congratulating one another, taking pics, stretching or calling their family and friends
My thoughts went back to the sacrifices my family had made for me to achieve this. Sona, who took care of my aches and helped me come out of a severe shoulder injury in double quick time with her expert help. My mother who cooks up a meal or a double omlette in a jiffy after my practise runs during the days spent at home in Bombay. My Dad who used to walk to his office, at the TOI building, a few metres from where I was sitting. He helped me stitch the bib to my running shirt because the safety pin might rub the body during the run. Then there were friends and acquaintances who had inspired me with their deeds in other fields or organized runs / trails in Pune to spread the running fever.
This first marathon was for them, they had all crossed the finish line today in Mumbai with me. And this is just the beginning ...
"You don't stop running because you get old, you get old because you stop running."
- Christopher McDougall in Born to Run.
- Christopher McDougall in Born to Run.
My Garmin details
