Tag Archive For "marathon"
Heads I win, tails I don’t lose
“Racing is a true experience. Only the conditions are artificial. My entire self is engaged in a genuine struggle against time and distance and those around me. All my strengths, physical and emotional and moral, are called upon to decide the issue.” – Dr. George Sheehan, How to feel great 24 hours a day. I’ve …
I’m racing, not running!
Progress is linearly proportional to one’s efforts but results often come in cycles. – several wise men Coming off a 22-month streak, the 2013-14 season was looking rather normal. KTM in Sep followed by 75k Ultra in Nov and finish off with SCMM in Jan. I had come within flirting distance of sub-4 times in a few training FMs and finally did …
Breaking a streak can be SO liberating
We are all prisoners of our own device. – Eagles Streaks are wonderful things. For the sports aficionado, it’s such things as consecutive games in which an NBA star has drilled at least one 3-pointer, consecutive years in which a tennis superstar has won at least one Grand Slam tournament, seven consecutive wins at the Western States …
KTM 2013 race report
There are two kinds of runner bloggers. The one who hits Publish within 48 hours after the race ends. The other who’s perpetually playing catch-up to God_alone_knows_what and may get around to hit Publish before next year’s race. Surely you know which kind I am. KTM 2013 was the fifth consecutive year I was running the …
My first DNF and a Forrest Gump moment
Two days ago I had my first DNF in a full marathon. Considering the spate of races recently sprouting all across Bangalore it might surprise you to know that I *wasn’t* running in a race. So where the heck was the FM course? It was on our group’s usual Saturday heartbeat long run course (we …
Hungama in Manama: Eka Lavya’s vivid Mumbai Marathon 2014 race report
[Editor’s Note: Most race reports are a sequential recounting of the race, some more interesting than others. And then you have THIS race report. A vivid portrayal of the race (of course) but also a very humorous description of key events that occurred the day before the race. The author is Eka Lavya (his assumed …
The runner’s elixir
The Gauls go to battle against the hapless Romans after downing a swig of magic potion prepared by their druid Getafix. It doesn’t matter how heavily armed the Romans are or whether they got recent reinforcements from the nearby camp of Laudanum. They always get bashed to nothingness – sandals on the ground, Roman soldiers …
Why I’m running Kaveri Trail Marathon for the 5th consecutive time
There are races you run for your PBs. Boring sissy flat courses like the Dubai Marathon or vibrant city courses like Chicago, New York or Mumbai where the crowds energize and propel you every step of the way. Then there are tough ultras with steep climbs and treacherous terrains that will demand every ounce of …
Training runs and motivation
“Does a runner at your level feel like you’d rather not run today, like you don’t want to run and would rather just sleep in?” He stared at me and then, in a voice that made it abundantly clear how stupid he thought the question was, replied “Of course. All the time!” The questioner? Novelist …
Meet Sir Gaunker: the modern era Ekalavya with a happy ending
Prerequisite reading for this blog post: the story of Ekalavya. If you are a Mahabharata neophyte or if you just have a terrible memory, this Wikipedia page will come in handy.. as also this trinetra.org.uk page. Now let me walk you through an alterative Ekalavya mythology. After Dronacharya said “Sorry! No can do”, Ekalavya didn’t sit around moping nor …
