12hr Stadium Run Bengaluru 2025 - A report

You can never get to the finish line if you don't muster the courage to get to the start line.

This was perhaps the only reason why I signed up for the Bengaluru Stadium run this year. The second reason was that the night slot for the 12hr run was still available.

After the cramp-fest at the last year's day slot run, I choose an easier night slot to test my endurance this year.

But try what I may, my easy runs in training stayed at about 6min/km and my longer runs of over 30k, slowed me lower than 10kmph. In the past, I have always loved my easy runs about 11kmph. I am at this stage where too late to use "the surgery" as an excuse and too early to use the "getting old" excuse. But stuck in between, my 2 key long runs of 50k in training - one to Nandi hills and a mid-nighter at the Madhavan park stadium, were both slower than the 6min pace.

On my daily 12km grind, I tried all permutations to math the 100k in 12hrs - 35, 35, 30k for the 4hr splits. Or 9kmph for 8 hours and 7kmph for the rest. As the race day grew nearer, the km was replaced by laps - 21laps per hour for 12hrs, 250laps target and so on.

I finally settled on a "plan" - forget the pace, just focus on staying relaxed and not cramping. The success criteria - to keep running even after 8, 9, 10hours - regardless of pace (but secretly still aiming for the 100k).

Race Day

I am supa (its supa strikers phase in life) happy to arrive at any start line in good health. Although, the last month leading up to the race has given me some congestion and off-training days. But, I was fully recovered during the last week. "Happy Holidays" have just started for the kids and time on feet has shot up like Trump's tariffs (or de-tariffs).
The Sunday morning was spent in idling around, slept a bit in the afternoon and was done with my dinner by 4PM.

Kit and Support

My dear friend, Nari was kind enough to offer to support me during the 12hr, I thought it will good to do Nari/Narayan pradakshina 200 times by the time the race is done. I packed 6 Caffeinated Gels, salt tabs (courtesy Rajesh) and 100ml of black coffee. Extra set of shorts, tee, socks and shoes, and ice pack scarf filled a nice gym bag.

I had decided to wear (after a lot of deliberation) my full tights - anything to ward off those cramps, I told myself.

6:30PM start

It is always a sedate start at these 12h events - the 24h runners are already in their pain cave, one 12hr batch already concluded - no one is really looking for any explosive start. But having run many of these, I know the first few laps really set the tone for the rest of the first phase.

We started running clockwise and I settled down into a 2:30 min per lap rhythm. 1hr, 24 laps and 2hr, 46 laps, that translates to 19km in 2hrs. In hindsight, in order to be able to bring in the mileage, the first 2 hours should be closer to 24kms. But remember, I was in here to run long, not run fast.

Nari was a fantastic support crew. The instructions were simple - one salt tab at the top of each hour. 1 Gel at the bottom of every other hour. And he didn't miss a single one. Support on these runs make a huge difference to how one feels on the track and I can't thank Nari enough for this night-outer he put in for me.

I was also alternating between electrolytes and water once every 20mins.

We changed direction after 3.5hours, I was feeling good as the night set in on the moonless sky. There were 2 floodlights, and long shadows for company. I didn't strike any long conversation with any other runner, each one was in her/his own cave out there.

There were prominent runners from the Indian team - Amar was shooting for the 12h national record. Geeno & Velu were running with purpose in the 24hr format. Bindu was out to get the 12hr female national record. There were others like  were vying for a spot in the 24h national team - Aparna (to beat 180k for women) and Sugaurav (to beat 225k for men). Sikander had to drop out of his 24hr barefoot Guinness record quest. All of them clock close to 200km/week in training, btw.

I had completed 94laps in 4hours, just over 37kms. I was still running, no cramps in sight. Next target, stay on course for till midnight...

Midnight - the grind begins

I stuck to my fluid, Gel, salt schedule. I also managed to chew up 2 chapatis with cabbage palya rolled up while on a walk break. There were no cramps, I was being slow and walking as needed. It did get muggy after a while, I switched my bib to my 2XU pants and off came the tee shirt. After a while, I used long scarf doused in ice cold water around my neck. I liked the "pat pat" sound the scarf ends made on each step as it patted my chest.

Boredom is a given, one has to find ways to keep the mind occupied. I started chanting all the sandyavandana mantras. The Ashtakshara mantra "Om Namo Narayanaya Om" goes along nicely with the breathing pattern. Laps came and went - 115laps or 46k in 5hrs and I was still running... mostly.

I took a longish break after 5hrs, brought out my Theragun massage gun to give some TLC (tender love and care) to my right thigh. When I got back on track, I seemed to have some focus. Another nemesis was the innumerable loo breaks, I must have had about a dozen of them in all, each leaking about 2-3mins off.

Moreover, each time I restarted, I would take a lap or so to get the rhythm back. The 6th hour only got me 17 laps, I got to 132 laps in 6hrs, just 52kms! My plan was to be able to get closer to the 60k mark by 6hrs. I set myself a target to get to 175 laps by 2:30AM. Then with 4hrs left, I would have a shooting chance to complete the remaining 75laps.

I shouted out my target to my support crew, Nari & by now, Saen, who had finished his own 100k run in the morning and stayed on to support!! I needed 43laps in 2hrs to have any hope of 100k.

But I was walking a lot more, more massage TLC led to 3min+ laps. I only managed 168laps by 8 hours, 68k. 4hrs to go and 32k to get to 100k - easy peasy on a normal day, not when you have already run 8hrs. Still doable, if you have the motivation despite the fatigue. Many 24h & 12h runners were exhibiting pure grit around this time. The struggle is real - these are the question hours!

Hell, the mandatory BP check after 6hrs screamed out that everything was fine! Really?

My state of mind is best summarized by this exchange with Santhosh P, the coach of the national team and my mentor for over 2 decades. He said "I don't know what stick to use to get you to run". "Use a gentle one", I shouted back. I was going soft... mentally!

The finish - and finish again

Mentally, targets got revised... downward. 86k was a must do, to go past last year's tally, anything over 90k, while still running in the 11th hour would be a success. The night started getting cooler, the minimalist scarf made way for a fresh tee shirt, the loo breaks still continued to trickle (or drip!). I was stopping by regularly at the support tent for chikkis, banana, watermelons. Walk-the-curves- run-the-straights strategy was getting me sub-4min laps. 200laps, 80k in 10hours.

My wife and kids were planning to come in for the finish. The 11th hour (literally speaking) was all about staying in shape and saving up for a strong finish. The math was still stiff - I still needed 14laps per hour for the last 2hrs to get to 90k.

The last hour is always one of Euphoria. My family came in with about 40mins to go. My 225th lap came with them cheering on, 25mins to go!

The last few laps are always this battle between, how much you want to run vs. how much you want to save for the end. With 15mins to go, I finally decided to bring back the sub-3min laps. I picked up my feet for (what I thought should be my) last lap 2m:32sec for the 232th lap. When I passed the clock on the start/finish line, there was just over 2mins to go.

I put my outstretched hands down and decided to chase the clock. One min to go, half a lap to the finish line, Sean shouted from the support desk "where did this come from?". I recruited every ounce of energy to push through and finished a second time, just before the clock struck 12hrs!

Official results will put it down as 92.4kms - my mind will forever remember the sprint finish, the support from Nari & Sean, my family at the finish line and the unabated camaraderie on the never ending tracks! Here's to more, Cheers!

Postscript: Copying this from Sara Hall

We measure our performances in times, places, how we stack up against others.

Over the years I’ve also learned to evaluate my races by:

How did I show up?

What was my self-talk like out there?

Did I choose courage over fear?

Did I keep my peace?

Did I prepare with integrity?

Did I fight til the end?

If the answer was yes, I ask myself “what more could I have done?”

There are always lessons to be learned, choices you would have made differently knowing what you know now. But don’t let perfectionism steal the joy of a moment you worked so hard for.

100k Solo Footpath Run

This story has one of the most unlikely openings. Little did I realize that I would stop by a group of walkers on a Wednesday morning, doing their Bangalore Walks thing and take up a challenge to run 100k on footpath on the following Sunday.

Bangalore Walks was doing a 15day 100km walk on Bangalore's footpaths, while journeying through our rich cultural heritage. On their 11th day, they had briefly stopped at high grounds and that is where a motorcycle stopped by and this 'bakra' in full formal wear (read "me") got cajoled into accepting the challenge to run their entire route in one day - their 15th and final day.

Jokes apart, I was enthralled by the attention and the curiosity of the group as they bombarded me with questions on Ultra running and was keen to try this, to inspire them in their own fitness journeys.

And thus, Arun Pai became the race director and Manoj Bhat became the runner to attempt the "World's First 100k Solo Footpath Run" on 15 Dec 2024 in Namma Bengaluru.

Logistics

Route: Arun put all of his experience in creating a runnable footpath route to me - 100.08km, starting close to Hebbal (my residence) and finishing at Vidhana Soudha. He emailed me the GPS file (.gpx) which I loaded on to my Garmin smartwatch, so I could follow the map on the go
Support crew: Nil (what do you expect from a self-supported run, eh)

Nutrition & Hydration: Buy enroute as needed. Use the ubiquitous Bangalore darshinis for water and food, chai kadas, yelneer thekas for all and sundry.

So what went into the bag: Phone, a mini power bank, cable, cash, credit card. The phone being the heaviest item, but as a back up for almost every other thing on this list, the additional weight met the ROI requirement.

I chose a pouch to carry this, since it gave me the option to waist it, or sling it across my shoulder. A singlet, shorts and cap (for dew, sun and pollution) rounded up my gear for the day.

My family was at their cousin's place - I emptied the fridge for dinner and got to bed as soon as I had the maps loaded in the Garmin smartwatch!

Race Day - 15th Dec 2024, Sunday

5AM to 9AM: Hebbal, Jayanagar, Basavangudi

It was cold, dark and desolate when I stepped out into the chilly morning, I walked up to the main road and hit the footpath. The first 15kms was familiar area and included BEL road, footpaths I take almost everyday. As I passed the Bangalore palace and right in front of Mt. Carmel, Arun came by me, running. He ran alongside with his 'boys' recording a short interview as we jogged past the Chief Secretary's residence. After briefly checking on me, Arun jumped on a bike and headed off to Lalbagh. I had had some water and also a pay-and-use toilet break near "Shanthinagar" (no pun intended).

The plan was for me to meet the about 200 walkers who were starting their BangaloreWalks walk from Lalbagh West gate. I reached the Metro station at the appointed time, 7:30AM, having completed 23kms. I was in for a surprise!

Just below the Metro station, Arun had lined up all the walkers to form a human corridor, waving and cheering as I passed through the tunnel. It was such an amazing moment. I was ushered to a high podium to say a few words and they flagged me off, so I could continue to keep following the footpath!

I ran down RV road, along the mini forest, under the canopy, almost hit Banashankari, before I turned back towards the market area. I met the walkers again, deeply engrossed in Arun's story, near Ashoka Pillar. Some group photos and many selfies later, i peeled myself away from the crowd, back to my solitude.

By the time I put Lalbagh behind me, and looked eastward towards Ulsoor, it was 33kms in 4hours.

9AM to 3PM - Indiranagar - Cantt - Indiranagar

I stopped at a crowded darshini on Double road, sought the coffee counter and asked for some 'decoction'. My first fix for the day - it was heavenly. And then there was this long stretch from Richmond circle all the way to HAL!!

I had the prayers in my mind when I passed Domlur, the spot my accident in 2022 and Manasa hospital, some untold memories. My first "food" break was at 10am, 5hours, 42kms done, I stopped for a tender coconut. A short distance later, I picked up 2 bananas from a cart. I really didn't feel the need to eat. Having practiced fat-optimization for the last few years, my body relies on fat stores for easy runs.

Suranjan Das road was a lonely, hot, unforgiving stretch of poor footpaths and no trees to hide from the sun, which was by now blaring down in its full glory. 2 more bananas and 4 chikki's and some more water happened and I closed on to 100ft road and the 50km mark. A small muscle cramp was also threatening. Thankfully, I found Padma medicals open on this Sunday morning, I bought 4 sachets of Electral, had one and tucked in the rest to be had one every hour.

100ft road was alive with shoppers, late night revellers looking for breakfast. By now, this runner in skimpy clothes was already beginning to look incongruous, but no one gives as much as a second thought - the apathy of a metro.

Back on Old Madras road, I started consulting the map on my Garmin. There is only that much the small dial fits in. I checked my phone, but the map wouldn't open there. I called the race director, but he was away from his computer. It took me a while to figure out the map on my phone and get the km markers showing! The map showed that I would have to go all the way to Minsk square (less than a km from my finish point) and then loop cantonment area, back to Indiranagar 80ft road! Counting from Domlur at 42km, till I left Lido theatre at 76kms, it was 34kms of Indiranagar footpaths!

It would be remiss if I didn't mention how, after 55kms, my dear friend came visiting - cramps! I was walking just before Indiranagar BDA complex, the outer thigh of the right leg, turned into a brick in a second. I leaned against a tree, took some deep breaths and talked to my thigh to relax. Within the next minute or so, the muscle shuddered and let go. I moved 10steps to the bus stop, sat down and massaged my thighs. I vowed to have an electral an hour from here on.

The heat, the lack of electrolytes, the cramps - I decided to walk out the next 2-3hours until things would cool down again by evening. I used the chance to also charge my Garmin watch on the go, with a power bank!

So then after walking most of Gurudwar, Cubbon road, Commercial street, Wheeler Rd, St. John's Church, Madras sappers, and back to Aurobindo, 80ft road, Chinmaya mission, it was time to bid adieu to Indiranagar - 3PM, 10hours, 74kms done!

3PM to 7PM: CBD - Majestic - Vidhana Soudha

An Amul cone ice cream near St. John's Church was God send, but I would soon realize Church street was filled with them cones - smutty double entendre!

The next 10kms was zig-zagging all possible combo of Brigade road, Rest House road, Residency, St. Marks, Museum, Lavelle road. This must have been the slowest stretch for me, taking 2hours for 10-11kms. CBD was chock-a-block traffic, even the pedestrian paths were jammed with Christmas shoppers. I felt sick even looking at the amount of food that was on sale in the streets and I was getting overwhelmed by the crowds.

I made a brief stop at my previous office, the WeWork on Church street, went in for a good toilet break and my electral fix. I was still only on Bananas and Chikki, but didn't feel like eating any more.

With another 15kms to go, but at 5PM, having left the "hot" things behind, back on Cubbon road, I found my feet. I slowing began to run-walk again. Down Kasturba Road, I stopped at Cubbon Park police station for water and amused the cops a bit. From Hudson circle, on Kempegowda road - was another section of shopping - less glamourous, more business. It was 6PM twilight when I came around Central College to KR Circle, 91k done. There is still some more footpaths to cover of course - Nripatunga road, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Residency (again!), up Queens road, to Cunningham and then towards Raj Bhavan to Vidhana Soudha. But by now, with the crowds sparse, the footpaths wide, I was jogging mostly. I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to keep some tempo!

The last 2kms were also about coordinating with Arun, there were some inspired walkers from the morning who had come from
afar to see me finish. As I ran towards Vidhana Soudha, my Garmin hitting a 100k mark, I upheld the Karnataka flag, fluttering against the wind and completed my run, amidst the cheering crowd in front of Gandhi statue.

I had completed "The World's First 100k Solo Footpath Run" / "Kaaludaari Vota" in 14h:16m

Over Goli-soda and Chocobar, I shared my experience with the group that had lovingly come to support me. At 8PM I took the rick back home with unforgettable memories as the trophy for the effort!

Overall, I gave a score of 8 to our footpaths! The best footpaths - CBD area (St. Marks Road, Museum Road, Cubbon Road, MG Road, RV Road (Jaynagar), BEL Road, Nrupatunga road, Palace road. The ones that needs improvement - Suranjandas Road, Ulsoor road, Langford road (Richmond circle). My story (contorted like my route) made it to the Deccan Herald on Tuesday, 17th Dec with a headline that could be misconstrued for a Traffic meme -

"Hebbal to Vidhana Soudha in 14h:16m"

Hennur Bamboo Ultra 50k 2024 - a mini skirt!

Click baited? Now read on...

"No more races for the year", I had pompously declared after the Stonehill half marathon. Yeah right!

Then came across this Sunday, 6th October, wedged right between ex-job and new job, with my family out in Chennai for their holidays, me wanting a bit of a celebration for having pulled off a single-parent week and most importantly, the 2nd anniversary of my 2nd ACL surgery.

I had two options - the Bengaluru marathon, with thousands of runners taking over the CBD of Bangalore OR the Hennur Bamboo Ultra, tucked away in the trails of a forest patch in Bangalore North. I had signed up for this ultra in 2022 before accident had cut my plans awry. So I wrote to the race director, an Ultra runner himself, Sushil Bhasin and he was kind enough to offer me a spot.

Bib collection:

One could choose from among 4 locations to pick up the bib, which was convenient. Done the previous day, without any fuss. Also, there was no goodie bag, tee shirt - less waste, more sustainable - just a bib to be picked up!

All instructions were carefully detailed out in an email sent out to participants well in advance. I registered the key points - reporting time 5:30AM, race start 6AM, 5k out and back done 5 times for the 50k, 8hr cut off and the bachelor that I am this week read - breakfast and lunch will be provided for 50k participants!

Race day:

I was able to ride my bullet right up to the start point (essentially a break in the forest fence), parked close by and walked to the pendal. I had to make the crucial shoe decision - use my heavily worn out Saucony Triumph or almost unused Asics trail shoes. A short recce using the mobile torch convinced me to go with the trail ones, but thankfully, Sushil was nearby, said the trail was hard and not slippery for most part. The Triumph has more kms to add to the nearly 7000kms it's already done!

As I was chatting with Mithilesh at the start area, I hear a shrill familiar "hey". I turn around to see my dear friend Athreya, from the Ultra running batch of 2007! 

And so it turned to be, when we were flagged off, Mithilesh took off and soon disappeared and I ended up reminiscing the first 2 laps with Mr. A. The one thing that has remained a constant in all these years, running fast feels easy with A. After 20k in 1h:47m, with the 2 of us leading the race, I let A move on and decided to go a notch slow to save myself till the end.

The loop was like a Mini skirt - short enough to retain interest, but long enough to cover the subject (mileage, in this case)

Sushil, the race direction had said, "if you are going right (turn) you are right, if nothing goes right, go left" (or something to that effect). There were some slippery sections due to the overnight rains, good excuse to take some walk breaks! I had a slippery moment or two, but happy that my knees held (no pun intended). With the sun coming in and out on a mostly overcast day, the shady loops didn't feel monotonous.

Back to my race, the next 10k, from 20+, was still OK, and I completed the 30k (3 loops) in 2h:43m. On the fourth loop, I started talking longer breaks at the water stops, always looking for a chikki, but settling for bananas and jaggery instead. Towards the end of the 4th lap, I was always trying to keep a right quad cramp at bay. About this time, Mithilesh was had been tracking me closely about 200m behind, passed me and was looking strong. 40k in 3h:49m

For the last loop, I got the company of a veteran runner, Jeyakar, management consultant, prof and dean of a B-school who had researched the effect of slow aerobic running and impact on cognition. After a good 5k of run-versation with him, I shuffled ahead to try and keep go under 5hours for the finish. At the final bend, I was motivated by Srinivas Ramparsad, who egged me on to race the home stretch. 

I stopped the clock at 4h:58m. At the finish line, Sushil Bhasin was waiting for the third place finisher to get the podium formalities done with. Some cheers went around as my timing was announced. Mithilesh had won the second place and Athreya had won, completing the course in under 4h:30

I hung around until I finished the breakfast and then also took a shot at the lunch a bit later. Mini skirts or not, I was still a bachelor at home this weekend and any meal is welcome ;)

Stonehill Founders Day Run - A report

If you came here looking for a review of the Stonehill Founders Day Run, I will save you the 6min read - Go for it, it is well organized.

Stonehill International School is in our side of Bangalore and I have run past the school a number of times. It comes 20kms into my home to Nandi runs. Over the last few years I have heard good reviews of this run, with some of my running pals traveling from all over Bangalore to participate.

My kids, N1 and N2 have also been training under coach Poonam at Kanteerava stadium for the last year or so. It would be good to test them against a longer distance such as a 5k. I have also been regular at HIIT with near 4min/km pace for the many stadium laps. It would be useful to test the training block with a race.

And so it came to be, that my entire family signed up - my wife and kids for the 5k and me for the half marathon.

Pre-race:

The bib collection the previous day at a location in the city centre, was a simple affair - no big race crowds, lines or rules. Just state your number (and anyone else's) and pick up the bib. The tee shirts were of good quality, and also available in XS for my kids! However, I received groans back home when they heard of the 5:15 am (yes, AM) reporting time!

Race day:

All four sleepy-eyed made it to just outside the school at 5:15am, found a place to park along the road. I let the rest of the family catch some more shut eye and trotted off to the start point. At a distance I saw a familiar tee shirt - a classic from the 2007 Bangalore Ultra! The wearer, Lingu, has been a passionate runner for the last two decades. The camaraderie at the start was palpable and energizing. I did some light warm up, the race started on time, 2 mins of dodging the crowd, by the time we were out of the school, I was all set to hit my pace.

I caught up with a small bunch of runners ahead of me - casually checked their target pace. Pat came the reply, "to finish in 1:35, but we are going too fast, the hills are coming soon". I decided to stay with this informed runner, Pavan. He was a 1:25 half marathoner taking it easy that day, recovering from a viral bout - perfect foil for someone like me, who was looking for this company.

The course turned into beautiful rolling countryside, the first 5k was faster than expected (even dreamy) pace - 21:34

The next 5k had this section which was downhill one way, U-turn, gel and uphill again, still managed to keep pace - 22:12

Coming uphill, I realised that the lead runners and the chase pack were coming back, we had to do this twice! I had by now fallen behind my pacer, Pavan, was happy to see the long downhill again. I thought I would slow down but pleasantly surprised to see the 5k split of 23:03 - 15k in 1:07. A sub-100min finish seemed very possible now. One more gel.

As I turned off back towards the school, a couple of runners passed me. I increased pace to stay with them. I thought of the "tensegrity and fascia" as suggested in "The lost art of running". I managed to keep some form and finished the next 5k in 23:31

As I neared the finish line, I saw Shreya and the kids passing the finish line. As I crossed the finish line in 1:35:42 I received warm wishes from them. They did very well too - N2 finishing in 31:13, N2 in 44:03 and Shreya in under 45mins for their 5k.

After collecting our medals and some customary pics, we moved towards the breakfast counters. This was a treat - south Indian counters, omelettes, bun chaska, burger, coffee and baked yogurt for dessert! All served hot and fresh with ample counters to handle the swelling crowd of finishers.

The cherry on the cake was the short Zumba session, Shreya and the kids loved this. The post run experience made up for the 4am wake up time for the day and we head back with great memories (and the baked yogurt of course).

Coronary CT Angio for Runners

The last few years post-pandemic has seen a spike in the number of incidents of heart attacks amongst amateur endurance athletes. We have had cases of sudden fatal collapses in the gym, to seasoned endurance athletes succumb to heart failures.

This had got many of us concerned. I did some asking around - my father in law who is a doctor, cardiologists in the family, opinions on podcasts (like the one on the-working-athlete-podcast). The consensus was - an elaborate investigation may not be necessary if there is no family history of coronary problems, but if you were to get one done, then the best one is CT Angio of the heart.

It is one of the tests that have a negative predictive value of close to 100%, which means that a person with a negative result on this test will not have the disease condition. The negative predictive value is somewhat similar to a false negative metric.

And so I began the search for a diagnostic center, my search parameters

1. Cost - provide a lower cost of testing
2. professional attention - ideally should have a cardiologist review the results
3. personalised - runners / endurance athletes can have some parameters different from the general populace and these have to be considered

I booked an appointment at Prima diagnostic in Jayanagar, Dr. Gururaj Rao was also from the family circle and was fully aware of my background and objective of doing this assessment.

Coronary CT Angio - the scan

On the appointed day, I was advised to go early in the day, with have fasted for at least 4 hours. I had booked a 8:30AM appointment. The CT scan involves observation of the heart when injected with a dye / contrast. The contrast can have adverse effect on the kidney. To rule this out, a Creatinine test is done to confirm kidney function via a blood draw.

I had to then change into the hospital overalls. In the preparation room, a drip needle is inserted into a view on the back of the palm. Initially, the nurse inserted this on my right hand.

I was told that the contrast / dye will be administered through this drip needle during the scan. The radiologist then taught me how to hold my breath.

The scan itself is for about 5-7mins - during certain times while the scan is going on, the radiologist speaking over the intercom will instruct the patient to hold his/her breath. During the breath hold, the heart rate should not vary by more than a few counts - this is crucial to get to get a good scan.

But the issue is - the final breath hold happens just after the dye is injected (during the scan) and the dye causes a burning sensation going from the palm to the shoulder, the entire torso and the groin area. To not squirm at this pain and cause the heart rate to go up is a challenge.

In my case, just before the scan, the nurse tried to flush the cannula by injecting saline via the drip needle. This supposedly harmless injection itself was very painful for me. Our option was to try to change to the left hand, I agreed and now had 2 IV cannulas on both palms!!

Thankfully, I was able to keep calm when the dye was injected and was told that the scan was good.
I spent the next 1 hour in the diagnostic center just resting up. After about 2 hours, Dr. Gururaj called me in to explain the results.
I am fortunate to have good genetics - there is no perceptible damage to my heart even after 20 years of moderate endurance exercises. The calcium score was 0 and there was no visible plaques or blockages.

The negative result from this analysis is valid for 5-6 years, which is about the time it takes for the plaques to form, I guess.

The test costs about 10-12k INR, almost the cost of a good running shoe these days, but some TLC for your heart once in a few years may be worth it.

The 2024 12h Stadium WALK

 "You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great." - Joe Sabah

I never wanted to get to a starting line this year, just keep the focus on the recovery. The structural imbalance due to the revision ACL surgery is still very visible, a perceptible limp in the left leg when I am running slow paces.

But I had a great training block last month and was able to rake up miles, running over 100km per week for 4 weeks in June, in an attempt to top the leader board in some meaningless corporate event. If I could keep such high intensity, surely I could run an easy 12hour run. I signed up, yes, you don't have to be great to start!

I ran up from home to Nandi hills with about 3 weeks to the stadium run. It was the most beautiful run. I had run the first 40k during the first 4:10 during that self-supported solo. The weather in Bangalore was also encouraging - windy and cloudy.

I loved the build up to race day. It was good to feel the excitement as I focussed on not falling sick and getting good sleep. I decided against running a 40k training run in favour of keeping away from the incessant drizzles.

I was confident to keeping a 10km (or 25laps) per hour for the first few hours. My plan A was to get to 55k in 6hours.

2:xx min lap phase

I started well, keeping a consistent 2:10 to 2:20 per lap for the first 75 laps - 30kms in 3hours, I was on target and was feeling good, in general. I was in my favourite 2XU full pants (about 10yrs old) and Saucony Triumph shoes (about 6000kms old), the clouds were providing a good cover and the weather was perfect. Unlike my regular training runs which I run on empty, I began drinking electrolyte from the 50ml cups. I should have seen the deficit when I went for two pee breaks, but failed to notice anything amiss until...

3:xx min lap phase

...CRAMP!!! A cramp started developing in the inside lobe of the quad on the right leg. All the focus on trying to keep the left leg strong and steady (remember the surgery?), and the cramp creeped up in the right leg. And this, within 30kms of the run - it was shame. But, I have run enough ultras to know that these "phases" come and go! I was willing to wait it out.

But then came the huge self-deprecating inner voice, "get prepared to be mediocre in everything... yada, yada". It took me a few laps to get out the thoughts of quitting the race.

Welcome - run walk pattern. Jog about half a lap, walk the rest, till the muscle feels ok, then repeat!

First change I made was to change my portion size, moved from 50ml glass to chugg-from-the-jug. Second, I recruited Santosh, the coach of the Indian Ultra running team as my support crew and he helped me with changing to less fancy shorts and an even older Asics shoes after about 40k in 4h:24m. Third, I also visited the physio tent and got them to stretch my cramp out. Nice try! I hit 125laps in about 5h:50m, about 3k behind my target, but slowing down by the lap.

And so began the long run-walk and even longer conversations with my cramp, till I hit about 140laps /56km in 7hours.

4:xx min lap phase

Around this time, it also got pretty hot and out came a sun that we hadn't seen in weeks! Caps, water sprays, ice, cold water sponges appeared on the track. I decided to wait it out until it got more cooler or my cramp eased off, neither happened for the next 3 hours.

So I resigned to walking for almost all of the next 5 hours. I knew I wanted at least a 75k, at about 12laps an hour, I would get close to that target, provided nothing else developed. I started counting off each hour with about 14 laps - yes, very pedestrian, but consistent.

With about 2 hours to go, a slight cramp starting developing also in my left ankle. I had to remind myself not to get ahead of myself. Target shifted to 200laps, and it looked possible.

I hit that in 11h:15m or so and now wanted a double marathon. Bring on another 10 laps. Its only when I passed that 210laps, did I muster some courage to start running again.

1:xx lap min phase - the finish

It's Paris Olympics time and in the 100m final yesterday, Noah Lyles was in the last place at the 40m mark, but finished as the Olympic Champion. In whatever goal you are trying to achieve, what's best for you to win at the end might require a slow start.

It is not how to start, but how you finish that matters! I picked up pace on the 211th lap, then as the confidence grew I went faster and faster. 211 lap in 3:05, 212 in 2:32, 213 in 2:15, 214 in 1:59, 215 in 1:50

To sum it up, I ended up with 214laps / 85.6km on the board in 12hrs, 16th overall in a field of about 100 runners, with shades of happiness & disappointment, but reminding myself again - it is the journey and not so much the destination that life is mostly about!

Tanzania's John Stephen Akhwari who was injured but still limped to the finish line of the Olympic marathon in 1968. He was asked why he had carried on, and his reply went down in history. "My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race," he said. "They sent me to finish the race."

Thanks for reading!

The Ultimate Activity Challenge 2024

 

Yes. Well-being month it was, at work - the idea was to Recharge, Learn and Connect - to encourage each other to get active and make movement, however big or small, part of our every day.

Last year, it was a step challenge and despite my painful knee, I had managed about 30000 steps each day for the entire month. It turned out, there was hardly any recognition at the end of this. My boss even categorizing it as a mere "brownie point". I don't do it for a pat-in-the-back, what do I do it for? 

I was in no mood to do this, but a colleague reached out, having formed a team and was looking to add me to it. I hardly need a nudge to get out for a run, I signed up, with a smirk. 

Recharge - This I did. All of this year I have been slowly raking up my mileage and was consistent at about 75k per week and feeling good. I am also a regular feature at the gym - pull ups, leg extensions, presses, curls, squats, lunges, dead lifts and the likes.

So when the contest began, I started diligently logging my runs, and gym workouts. Week 1, I was a surprise 2nd place, behind a Philip, a triathlete from Sau Paulo. I was all charged up for Week 2.

Week 1 = 109km of running!

Learn - I started paying attention to the competition, quickly learnt that 'run' activity is the bank for the buck - most points for the time invested. I kept doing what I was doing. I added a Yoga session for stretching out in the evenings. Come week 2, I just managed to stay in the 2nd place, but with others very close behind!

Week 2 = 95kms of running!

Connect (or the lack of it) - I also learnt that nobody cares! Every Friday, a corporate wide email was sent out, with the standings of the team and solo, a nice very readable email, with names, scores and motivation. Not one of my colleagues gave even the slightest pat on the back. Organizations are faceless edifices, designed for apathy, where being two-faced and falsehood is often incentivised.

By now, I wanted to shake off competition and also wanted to see what I could do. I stepped it up a notch.

The email came at the end of Week 3, I was still in second place behind Philip and 'a difficult to shake off' Hilke from Munich at 3rd.

Week 3 = 201km of running!

I learnt to connect to my trail! What joy it brought me - each day, I would head out to this wonderful trail in campus close home, a 6.5k loop done 3 or 4 times, desolate, with no care for the world! I made friends with the crows (one not so friendly one regularly swooped down on to me everyday), birds, and even a snake on one occasion.

I loved the process - of starting with a huge target each day (3hours of running!), but affirming each day, that one step at at time is what it takes!

And each day of the last week I put in about 30km. I had one last day to go. By now, the podium was down to Munich, Bangalore and Sau Paulo. I logged in a 25k in the morning and was waiting to see how the field will play. Sau Paulo decided to do the usual but settle for the bronze. By evening, Munich had caught up. I ran another 25k in the evening, bringing up 50k for the day.

The competition was open till midnight UK time and Hilke/Munich would log workouts all the way to the middle of the night. I followed the app nervously waking up many times during the night. At 2am, I decided that if I don't put in another workout, I would concede the first place. I tiptoed to the front door, unlocked my road bike, put on the Garmin and off I went for a 2 hour bike ride. It got me 30kms and some 12points, to keep my nose in front as the competition struck close.

Week 4 = 148kms running (and 30k cycling!)

Total 565kms of running, about 62hours for the month of June 2024!

And yes, the email came, someone will reach out to the podium finishers and send us a goodie bag our way!

Recharge | Learn | Connect