Yeh, I’m a marathon runner!

Sorry about the late posting! I didn’t realize that some of you were eagerly waiting for this

Here’s the race results and you can check out some pictures here

Yes, I took 7 hours 3 minutes & 60 seconds to complete the race!

Yeh, I’m a marathon runner!

Initially I was worried about not being able to complete the race, as I needed to get to 18 ¾ mile marker by noon. It was a bit hard to do so as all the hills were in the first part of the race. If I didn’t get there by noon, I would not be allowed to complete the race. Also, I had to at least, keep 15-16 min/mile pace so as to complete the race.

I started of good and was going with 14min/mile pace and every mile I kept loosing few seconds. I got to the marker way before noon and after that it was just about completing the race. As far as I was concerned that 18 ¾ marker was my victory. Because I knew once I crossed that marker, I would finish the race even if there was, you know, a tsunami!

No matter how hard you train, the last few miles are the hardest. You give it all at this point! All I had to do was just put one foot in front of the other. The last four miles is on the great highway where the cold breeze from the ocean, hits right on your face. At that point, you hardly have any energy left; you are not running ( I mean trotting) fast enough to keep your body warm, as every muscle in your body hurts and you are burning whatever energy is left to keep yourself warm. It all adds up and makes you want to give up and that’s why at that point the coaches come looking for us and run with us to the finish line. If not for my coach Tim and another coach [whose name escapes my mind right now] ran the last few Kilometers with me, it would have been one loooooong run

As they announced my arrival at the finish line, it kinda felt weird. It was weird, because it felt like it was a dream. It was like, wait, did I juuust…complete a marathon…no way! I didn’t cry, but I could feel the warm water come down my cheeks. Guess this is what happens when a dream comes true-you think it’s a dream. While I was trying to get a grip on reality, I was handed the Tiffany co. neck lace and someone cut off the timing chip of my shoes, some one handed me a Nike T-shirt and then one the TNT volunteer ushered me to the LLS tent where some one checked in for me and I grabbed a sandwich and sat with the coaches for a little chat about how the race went for me. They were full of praise, of course. They told me not to underestimate what happened today, it is no ordinary accomplishment; it was a colossal achievement and deserved to be celebrated. I had set for myself an extremely tough goal and I had achieved!

I picked up my stuff and boarded the shuttle to AT & T Park. The girl sitting next to me in the bus asked how it all went for me and I proudly showed her the necklace. She then told me that, she couldn’t complete the race and was feeling very sad about it. That’s when I realized that I could have been her…… but I wasn’t, I was victorious!
Believe it or not, the victory has blocked the pain of my mind. I still couldn’t walk, I could drive well, I couldn’t climb stairs, but that didn’t matter to me. When I actually apologized for taking a long time (it seemed like eternity to me) to climb the bus, the lady behind me said ‘Don’t worry honey, we are all on the same boat’

On my drive back home, I slowly went thru the race in my mind and I kept saying to myself I’m going to do it again. That feeling of accomplishment, the euphoria, I tell you, is worth all the pain! I wish Nikki was there to cheer for me and share that historic moment with me that day.

So, next step is to first get some rest and second, to work on improving my marathon pace from 16 Min/mile to 15 min/mile so I can finish the race with in 6 ½ hours. Wish me luck!