training update two oceans marathon

[amit]

hi friends, i just finished my last long run for the two oceans and my training is DONE. RACE DAY Is 22nd MArch

I woke up today, saturday at 3:15 am and was in the car with my wife at 4:00 am. We drove until 5:20 am and then started a run 5 k on a flat road. then we reached the base of a mountain called "matheran". Matheran is a hill station near Bombay which the British used as a quick get-away from bombay. It a lovely small carfree zone. The run up matheran is 7 kms over a 600 meter elevation. I ran up the hill then down and then up again and then down for a morning total run of 33 kms. And now I am done with training.

I have had an incredible journey these last 7 weeks. I dont run much during the week , but i manage to put in one gym session of about 2 hours and then between 2 - 3 runs to total about 35 kms. But i have worked very hard every weekend over the last 7 weeks.

22nd Jan : 42.2 kms Mumbai Marathon in 4:41
26th Jan : 21 kms
3 rd Feb : 42 kms in Lonavalla ( another hill station with continuous rolling hills)
9th Feb : 27kms (matheran 600 meter elevation)
16th Feb : 49 kms (lonavalla rolling hills in 7:21)
22nd Feb: 33 kms (twice up and down matheran)
1st March: 55 kms (lonavalla rolling hills in 7:45)
8th MaRCH :33 KMS (twice up and down matheran)

Now I know for a fact that I can finish the 56 km distance of Two oceans, what I dont know if i can do it under 7 hrs.
Sweder advised and i totally agree that I need to reach the half way 28 kms in 3:00 to 3:10. on the 55 k run I reached 28 in about 3:20.

but the run was on continuous rolling hills and although each hill was not more than 10 meters , it is continuous up and down. with just two hills of 160 meter elevation.

but what i learnt through all this training is this. I used to train for three months for a marathon. 42.2 was like an ultimate challange. needed 3 months of training to run the distance once. but now when i set myself a tougher goal, 42.2 has become easy. Perhaps we need to set all our life-goals on a "stretch- target".

So now I am ready, and although I understand that I might not finish in under seven hours, i am for now, going to disregard that possibility and I hope that God Grants me that Magic Race day when everything breaks right, the sun does not fry my scalp, the wind is on my back, and God gently pushes my butt-up Chapmans peak and Constantia Nek. I want that medal, for my kids, for my wife but let me be honest, I want it most, for myself. I have never undertaken any physical activity until I was 39, i was a total couch potatoe but now in the last three years i have run 4 marathons and when I get the medal I think I feel the same joy as my 6 year old kid experiences when he gets a new toy. SO I WANT THAT MEDAL.

So Carpe Diem and Carpe Viam or simply put, Africa, HERE I COME !!!!

[Sweder]

You sound ready to me, Amit.
We'll be thinking of you on the day; I'll be out in the hills myself that morning, my mind on the wind and rain, my heart on Chapman's Peak.

Go and get that medal, and, as the late, great Dave Allen used to say, may your God go with you

[glaconman]

Amit;

That's an impressive build-up of training runs to The Two Ocean's. I'm sure all the hard work will pay-off and you'll be really ready to meet your targets on-the-day.

And I think India, and Bombay in particular, holds plenty of obstacles for anybody trying to become an indurance runner. So you deserve extra credit for getting to where you are today.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[El Gordo]

I'll add my best wishes, amit. You sound like a very determined runner, and I suspect this is a quality that will hold you in good stead on race day. You've got a challenging target in front of you. It was one I contemplated myself last year, but eventually I had to accept reality, and pulled out.

If you can emulate your Mumbai marathon time, that leaves you around... 2 hours 20 minutes to polish off those last 9 miles. It's definitely do-able. I also think that races are very different from long training runs. I don't know exactly why -- I guess the sense of occasion and the crowd support and the desire to do well -- but something seems to propel you along more painlessly and more determinedly than normal. I'm sure this unseen force will pull you through. You may call it "god". As a non-believer, I wouldn't use the same word but I suspect we're referring to a similar power found within us.

Best of luck, and make sure you keep us updated with your pre-race and post-race thoughts.

Maybe I'll see you in Mumbai one day.

[amit]

dear sweder, glaconman, el gordo,

thanks guys,

i cant wait, you know India is a unique country, we normally lack the killer instinct and we have never been athletes, all we want to do is eat food, make money and watch TV. can you imagine that my time of 4:41 in the mumbai marathon got me into the 189th place. a time like that would put me in the 39999th position in NY. furthermore the first 40 places in that 189th are held by the africans. so you can understand where we, as indians stand as far as such events are concerned.

when i decided to run three years ago, the family's reaction was that i will fall sick and hurt myself. and it was tough to hang in there because as i used my body for the first time in my life, there were actually quite a few injuries. But the truth is, I realised that i love to run, i love the way i feel when i am exhausted, i love the sence of achievement, i just love it, i love to be up at 4 am and see the colour of the sky change as i run. (the truth also is as glaconman points out, i need to finish the run before the billion cars hit the roads by 8 am) and my wife has been an incredible support, after the first two years she started to run and we completed the prague marathon together last year. she will now run 21k in africa on 22nd march.

i will be delighted to meet up with you guys hopefully for bombay next year. the 6 k dream run draws around 20000 runners, the half has been growing and i think reached 9000 this year, the full starts off with about 2000 and gets great support. but the event is growing. there are enough water stations but i have friends stand all over the place for support. you guys show up and I promise you a run you will never forget.

[stillwaddler]

Of course you can do it inside 7 hours..we'll all be sending you positive thought waves to speed you on your way.

Good Luck

[Sweder]

The forecast is set fair for Saturday, with winds out of the south east at 20 mph - that sounds pretty good to me. High is expected to be around 27 degrees, so hot enough but not unbearable. Trust yourself, don't go off too fast and above all come back safe and well.

Enjoy the most beautiful marathon in the world.

[amit]

I had a great nights sleep on friday, woke up at 4:00 am saturday and i wrote a text message to my friends back home in India:

It is Time
Seize the Road
Run up the mountain
like a Goat
Seize the Day
the mountain calls
Take the Bull
by its horns
It is time
My mountain Calls !!!

I FINISHED in 6 hours & 44 minutes.

Its monday today and I am back in Bombay, just woke up and I just knew that I have to thank my fellow runners at running commentaries, especially Sweder whose race report helped me no end. Thank you guys for all the encouragement. And I thought of you sweder as I ran up chapmans peak and wondered if you were also up in a mountain somewhere in England.

Ok, a full race report to follow with lots of pictures of the route for anybody who wants to run this in the future.

But here is the final comment for now: As i ran up the last few meters to the finish line -- I had only one thought : Comerades next year. (God Willing)

[El Gordo]

Fantastic achievement, Amit, many congratulations.

To be honest, I really wasn't sure that you would do it, though of course I didn't say that before the race. It seemed like a very long way to run, particularly in that heat, and with those hills to negotiate. I feared that you may have bitten off more than you could chew. But you've proved what we all need to be true -- that confidence, hope and determination will get you a very long way in this world. And you even managed it with plenty of time to spare. Absolutely brilliant.

Can't wait for the report.

[stillwaddler]

Many congratulations, absolutely brilliant effort. Will look forward to your race report and photos. Hope you are enjoying a well earned rest.

[Antonio247]

Congratulations, Amit. We all know through Sweder and Moleyman´s last year reports how hard this race is.

It´s really amazing how much you have achieved in the few years you have been running. You´re an example of determination and courage for all of us.

I´m also looking forward to your report and photos.


Greetings from Almería, Spain

[marathondan]

Let me add my congratulations, Amit. An amazing achievement - you must be very satisfied with your day's work. I look forward to the report!

[Seafront Plodder]

Nice one Amit. Well done on a terrific achievement.

Can't wait for the report.

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