I woke up at 2ish this morning to an article about Michael Phelps finding the best version of himself through detailed daily journaling. It kind of made me think whether I should go into that kind of detail in my posts here. But at the same time, apart from this, I have my excel sheet which is another kind of self-assessment.
It was about eleven degrees this morning – perfect race conditions – but cold for me – especially while walking to the stadium from Meherchand Market. We could hear the emcee and the sound of blaring music as Gaju and I shivered our way to the entry gate.
We warmed up for about ten minutes and then huddled alongside a couple of thousand runners waiting for the 4:15 flag off. The emcee sounded particularly pumped and urged to get the best out of us and the city of Delhi
Off we went. Two loops in the heart of central and Lutyens Delhi in the darkness. It was only around the thirties that the sky began to shift colours and by that time I had slowed down considerably.
I switched from an under three hour effort to conserving my energy. To have Gaju by my side was most helpful, not to say incredibly encouraging. He was definitely on track for the sub three but stayed with me nearly till the end detailing his own timing.
At that point, the last three kilometres, I was running at what I would consider ordinarily a very easy pace, but by now, I felt like each step was a huge challenge. But also one step closer to the finish line so I just had to count it down.
I’ve never been more glad to be at a finish line. As Gaju, waiting for me, per the timing mats, draped his arm around me, I knew it was a personal best for me, and a first time marathon finish for this young man, and in that, it was a bright morning.
Writing about Running 