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Sunday, December 16, 2007

Cracked my first ultra

I could not have asked for anything better, it was a dream run all the way. One of my best races till date, despite the really long distance, the aches and pains suffered were controllable during the run, though I had to resort to lot of walking at different stages after the half way mark.

I had a dream start, actually the best part was the first half in the Bangalore Ultra marathon 2007's 78km run. This was despite of the fact that I had not been able to run properly for the last 2.5 weeks thanks to injuries/strains due to the heavy training (60-70km weeks) during the last couple of months. But, the rest period and training worked for me today. I also need to thank my stars for having found a perfect pacer during the entire first half of the run. I owe big time to Nischal, the only female runner in the list of 16 participant for the 78km run. She had trained extremely well for the Bangalore Ultra marathon 2007, doing 80km weeks and some hard back to back weekend runs, and thanks to her I was able to set a very good pace for the first half and use the saved time during the second half which was extremely hard.

I completed the 78km run in 11hrs 07minutes, I could not have asked for anything more. Especially given the hot and sunny weather in Bangalore, it was nowhere close to the 24degress centigrade as forecast by weather bureau. It was closer to 28 and the sun was really hard.

For the next week or so, its going to be some well deserved rest after a hard Bangalore Ultra marathon. And then I will start my preparation for Mumbai marathon, I might just do a Sub 4hr run, this ultra has given my confidence a huge boost. Hopefully I will find a super pacer to help me achieve it (I have been lucky during the last two marathons (one being a ultra), need it one more time!

22 comments:

nischal said...

Hey 007,

Loved being the Bond girl:-)

Was an absolute pleasure running with you. See you at the mumbai marathon, hopefully will do a sub-four with you.

Cheers and hugs,
Nischal

Unknown said...

I was planning to write about the bond factor in the next post.....
I hope to do a sub-four if I have you to pace with.
Look forward to catching up with you at the Mumbai run.
Enjoy.

beanz said...

Hey well done fantastic

and well done your pacer :>))

Anonymous said...

Awesome!!
You really do it.Post some more details like the pains/blisters at diff kms and how you overcame mentally if possible.
(So we experience it some)

Also any pics?
Sandhu

Anonymous said...

Thanks Beanz, you continious encouragement really helped me...

manoj said...

Hey Girish,
Great job on the Ultra!!
There was a surprise 017 (read 'me') who ran the full distance in 12:07. Also my first!
It was a pleasure seeing you cross strong every time! Hoping to join u on the lap sometime.. Cheerz!

@GirishMallya said...

Thanks Sandhu. More stuff coming... incl. some pictures.
Trust me its not so difficult... Ultras are purely a mental effort, your training purely ensures faster recovery.

@GirishMallya said...

Great effort Manoj. Congrats.
I remember seeing you too, esp at the finish. Wishing you a speedy recovery.

Gauthaman said...

Hi Girish, Atlast I found who was 007. There were rounds of talks amongst runners about 007. Quite frankly we asked for your name and none of us new it. The bunch of 52k and 78k runners like you have raised the bar for newbies like me and next time, I am gonna run a full marathon. I just did my first 26k.

Unknown said...

Hi Gauthaham. Congrats on your achievement.
"At last I found who was 007"???? What did I do??
Best wishes for your forthcoming marathon.

beanz said...

Maybe they were expecting 007 to be James Bond?

Shantanu said...

hey girish it was reallly nice walking with you when I was doing my last round. u definitely inspired me to push on after the cramps and problems I faced at the last aid station.

Hope to see you in Mumbai

Shantanu

Unknown said...

Thanks Beanz, I had more than enough of Mr.Bond happening all through the race... was not really prepared for that kind of attention!!

Unknown said...

Great show Shantanu. Really admire your effort, its so easy to give in. Cya in Bombay.

Anonymous said...

heloooooooooooooooo,

best of luck with your runs!

-anon

Katswhiskers said...

Hey Girish, your blog is both inspirational and depressing. Starting Jan, i plan to quit junk food and start running. Hope i can keep the resolve. Hats off mate. It's also good to know that clients have goals in life beyond growing the brand! Good luck for the Mumbaithon.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Thanks Kartik. You will do that comfortably, all about discipline and anybody can do it.

Thanks Anon for the wishes.

gopi said...

Hi Girish,

You rocked. My hearty congratulations!!!

It was great to see on the race root.I thought I can meet at the finishing line but the last bus to bangalore was at 4pm so I had to leave and catch a bus to Hyd.

Really inspired by your performance. Once again hearty congratulations.

Gopi

@GirishMallya said...

Thanks a lot Gopi. You did a great job and nice to see you do those extra kms even after completing your race. I am sure you will continue in the same spirit at the Mumbai marathon. Enjoy.

Mahesh Narkar said...

Hi Girish,
Congratulations on your Bangalore Ultra. Awe inspiring

Have a good run in Mumbai
Cheers

@GirishMallya said...

Thanks Mahesh. Looking forward to the Bombay run. Hope you have a good time at the Mumbai run too. Enjoy. Best wishes.