GRM2017 & TWCM Volunteer Run

Last Sunday I had an amazing run at the Goa River Marathon 2017. To be honest, I wasn't expecting it to turn out as good as it did. The 10K race was flagging off at 7:30 and I assumed it would be hot and muggy like it is here. Surprisingly, it was cool and pleasant almost all through the run. The event was organized well. There were aid stations every 2 kilometers and almost at 1K intervals they had volunteers standing and handing out water bottles. I get dehydrated very quickly on my runs so this was a totally blessing. I had planned on just two water breaks but ended up taking a lot more. 

The course and route was almost like a trail in terms of elevation gains & dips and the view. It was a very scenic route and I enjoyed the views especially along the river. I stuck to my pace plan more or less till the 8K point. But from there until the finish line was all incline. Including a particularly steep climb for about 500 meters. I finished the run at 62:36. Though it was 2:36 minutes off my target, I was incredibly pleased with the run... :-) It was still my PB. I bettered my time by almost 5 minutes. I was even more kicked when I got the timing results and saw that I had come 9th...

Running the GRM seems to have given me a whole new boost of confidence and I seem to have gotten over my mental block of running at sub 6 paces. So this weekend when I had the chance to do another timed run, I happily took it up. It was a run in lieu of volunteering at the TWCM. The run was organized by one of the chapters of the Chennai Runners and it was strange route. Almost all of it was run along the highway in Vanagaram in Chennai. I was running with a couple of others from the Nungambakkam Nitros and thank God for the company! Maybe it was my fellow runners, maybe it was because the route was so boring that I was eager to finish it quickly, maybe it was because I had had enough rest the previous night or maybe it was the weather, but whatever the reason, I found myself almost comfortably finishing at around 61:40. My official timing which I received later was 1:01:33. Another PB. Super thrilled! It is still a minute and a half away from my elusive sub 60 goal, but a PB is a PB! :)

Another Race is upon me

December 10th is two days away and its going to be my day of reckoning (to put a dramatic spin on things!:)). This year I had set a running goal for myself to break 10K in 60minutes. To be truly honest, my training hasn't been the best. I could have been way more focused and way more consistent with my runs. Anyhow, in two days time is the Goa River Marathon. I've signed up for a 10K and this was the race meant for me to meet my goal. 

I am not at all sure if I can beat my target. Over the past couple of months, while I have definitely managed to improve my speed, my best training time for 10K is still shy of four minutes from my goal. I am a little hopeful that by some miracle I cross the finish with maybe seconds to spare. In fact, I've promised myself that I am going to give it my all. Still, self-doubt is at an all time high at this point.

The event seems to be well organized and the organizers have given a clear cut route map. I have aid stations at the 3K point and the 7K point which I plan to use and I've broken down the route into 1K segments with the average pace for each segment & the cumulative time at which I should reach each KM point.

Looks perfect on paper. But running at a consistent pace below 6'00" has always posed a challenge for me (not sure if its all in my head) where I find myself tiring out quickly and wanting to stop or at least slow down a bit. Goa at this time might be more humid than here. That is bound to slow me down. I will be staying in a hotel the night before the race and many variables could fail to add up. I may not get proper sleep on a strange bed in a strange place, I might not have access to my usual pre-run snacks, I may not get to the venue on time (God Forbid!), and so many other things. My brain is just full of this. 

Time to take a deep breath and chill out.