After completing the 12 hour run and seeing alongside the 24 hours runners continue for the next 12 hours was no less painful and giving a shot to yet another stadium run was definitely out of question.
With covid crisis continuing to hamper the events organised, this was no less of a pain either and the eagerness of recording those miles under your belt increased. NEB opened up stadium run after a lot of ups and downs and reschedules and finalized the date for the run.
Post the metal fatigue that i had gone through but at the same time deriving the much needed motivation from the 24hours runners had me put it to a thought of taking it up as yet another challenge and yet another out of comfort zone activity that can bump up the endurance i always thrive to build to the next level.
YES, i registered for 24hours stadium run taking into consideration the future lined up events and keeping fingers crossed for not having any of the events getting cancelled due to the pandemic. LAULTRA 111kms was a big milestone planned ahead.
The mental prep had started taking turns and it was time to hit the tar with a new schedule. Having run the roads of Bangalore and unprecedented lockdowns, it restricted the freedom of venturing newer venues inside and outside the city. Travel being restricted too, i had to choose a location, definitely the mountains, to train the altitudes and churn the much needed the mileage. I therefore landed in Almora and started training on altitudes.
The 24hours event was nearing and i headed back to bangalore. The restrictions in the stadium were in place and seeking a volunteer for support got dicey. As usual the arrangements were in place to conduct yet another stadium run in bangalore. The start time for 24 hour was 7th August 2021 6pm to 8th August 2021 6pm.
With the experience gained at 12hour stadium, I had to doubly prep my mind on taking on the challenge with less regrets as possible. I had packed ample food for the run, point was to not get bored of the same eatable over and over again and as usual oranges and salt were my favourites.
The 6pm start was much calmer interms of weather and the sundowner was doing its job to keep the heat levels down. The naturally paced myself and let my energy levels take its own time to diminish not to forget my scheduled intakes of electrolyte, water and muchies. The only thing running on my mind was the 13th hour of the run that would truly define the new boundaries of my comfort zone. The night was usual as I could see the relay runners take their turns to complete the respective slot of runs. The 12 hours runners had started at 5pm and were alongside the track and at the last hour of their run, the feeling of pushing yourself for another 12 hours starts haunting and goodbyes to the 12hour runners becomes bitter.
You envy the feeling of not finishing that morning and having to continue till evening 6pm becomes a humongous task. Nevertheless, with no option left and your crudeness of not giving up keeps your body and mind aligned to your goal.
The SUN was out at the stroke of 8pm and heat started building up on the tracks and this wasnt a delight. I continued to stretch myself and beared the rise in temperatures and just hoping that the clouds would play mercy and cover the sun and saves me from the burn.
But the day had just begun and the sun just didn’t budge to give up and continued to stare right in your face
challenging you to keep moving.
As hours passed by, i saw a couple of runners giving up on the runs and stopped midway due to lack of motivation and heat strokes.
Breakfast, Lunch were scheduled as per hunger signs but it became of utmost importance to keep yourself frequently hydrated with water and electrolytes. The volunteers were playing the good role of keeping our bodies cool by sprinkling water on our faces and splashing water on front and back on the track. To my surprise, i use to return all dried up and hences had to be literally soaked in water to keep up with the heat.
The cycle continued and little did i know that this act could lead to a new problem.
The thing was to save yourself from rashes caused due to frictions between your legs and arms, i applied vaseline to keep the rashes at base. But the sweat, salt had already played the game and lead to severe burn between my legs and the ability to continue running my usual diminished as it not only lead to a constant pain but the natural form of running took a hit and immediately looked for a rash gaurd cream. But it was too late and i called in for a clothing change to check if it helps but unfortunately it did not. I had another 8 hours left and the plan was only keep moving. The pace had dramatically reduced and walking the tracks with legs apart was getting humorous. Nevertheless, I continued brisk walking hour after hour and applying vaseline frequently to my under arms and legs. I choose to continue with my tank tees to keep my body cool but I also realised it was getting tanned and was of least concern at that moment.
When the clock started ticking, i was greeted by legends of the game and had to take the blessings.
And as the clock continued to tick towards 6pm, my fellow colleagues and near and dear ones showed up for support. That bought a big smile and finish line was quite evident.
And finally the time had come to put an end to the madness and crossed the finish line at 6pm. This ticked yet another endurance run from the bucket list.
Garmin had done its job of surviving all throughout the 24 hours and was quite pleasy of not having to loose track on the number of kilometres that were getting covered. 152kms in 24hours was the achievement of the day. Happy me and happy was the mind and body. An injury less run is just an icing on the cake.
The official certificate showed 142kms and the discripincy is bound to happen when you keep changing track and is well understood that irrespective of what track to you run or walk on, 400mts will be calculated as a single loop distance.
Post run pics are a ritual and did not hold back on clicking the moment that needed to be cherished for the rest of the life. Yet another dear one turned up on request at the venue to help me head back home and a picture had to be clicked to let the world know that we arrived and we conquered.
And then the question starts ticking – NEXT BIG WHAT!!!
LIFE BEGINS AT THE END OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE – Anonymous!