Flying Monkey Marathon - 11/22/2009

"Can someone living by Hermitage give a ride to a flying monkey from India?", I posted on Monkey Chatter couple of days before the race. It didn't take long to get a response. John responded back right away offering me a ride. There's always a monkey ready to help another. We met at 6:00am and off we started to Percy Warner Park. It was supposed to rain as per the weather forecast but there was no rain and the weather was just perfect for the long run. After meeting couple of other runners and making friends, I headed to collect my BIB and starter kit. Bib: 712. Starter kit was loaded with a technical full sleeve T-shirt and a half sleeve T shirt, w00t. There was even a flying monkey tattoo :)

Met the RD Trent and thanked him for accommodating me in the race. Humorous guy and sounded as funny as his emails. There were lots of other folks in funny costumes surrounding the theme "flying Monkey". After a brief overview about the race course, the race started on time and the flying monkeys flew.

 

 

What a beautiful race course. It was gorgeous. The first 5 mile was fun and then began the elevation. My assumption about the course went wrong, elevation so steep at some point that everyone started walking but the volunteers were just amazing. Aid stations were loaded with food, GU, Water, Gatorade etc etc. They were cheering us all the way. Some of the volunteers got their kids to watch and support the flying monkeys. It was so good to look at their cheerful face clapping and encouraging us to run. I wanted to finish the race in 4:30 but that seemed to be impossible when I hit the 19th mile at that time. That's another 7 miles to the finish line. The guy who won the race is a machine. It wasn't even a flat course yet he completed it in under 2:30. I didn't really train myself for this elevation. My shin splint was crawling up and at the 22nd mile; I couldn't run a single step.  I did some stretching and walked half a mile which felt a bit better. "Eye of the tiger" was playing loud at the 24th mile, a tempo song to complete the last couple of miles, Sweet. The flying monkey medal started appearing before my eyes. I was in pain. My legs were crying.  C'mon Naresh, last 2 mile and the medal is yours. I could hear the band playing at the finish line by that time. There were lots of people and photographers cheering at the finish line, which felt very good. Pain just vanished for that one moment and there I crossed the finish line. In no time flying monkey medal was hanging on my neck. w00t. Second Marathon, COMPLETED.

After post stretching exercise, picked up some pasta and chilled beer and relaxed for a while. One helluva race and lots of fun. Here’s my Race timing, 13^th in my Age Group.

Time    Oall  AG   SG    Last                           First               Bib  Sex Age   City               State

5:35:55 181  13   122   Kondur Nagabhushan   Naresh Kumar  712  M    27     Nashville        TN

Lesson learnt: Study the course especially if it’s a trail.  Carbo loading and sound sleep the day before the race.

Flying Monkey Marathon

While looking for races around Nashville, the immediate one was on the 22^nd Nov 2009. But the name of the race lured me to register. Flying Monkey Marathon. 

The pictures of the race course through Percy Warner Park was so pretty but then I was so upset when I noticed that the deadline for registration was already over. I wanted to give it a shot though, so I contacted the RD Trent, one of the funniest guys I have ever met, asking if he can accommodate an Indian Flying Monkey in the race and was just waiting…..

October 18, there was a mail sitting in my inbox saying that I can register for the race, w00t! I was so glad looking at the email and registered for the race right away.

I used to hang out in Monkey Chatter reading all the funny emails especially the ones sent by Trent. Hilarious! I used to have my rofl moments reading his email. My first marathon in the US and I am glad it’s going to one cool marathon race. Harpeth hills!! Here comes the flying Indian monkey!

My First Marathon! w00t

And finally...I completed my first full marathon. Aug 30 2009, the day I'll remember forever. It's been almost three months ever since I started running and have always been dreaming to complete a marathon. I am glad I did it. Mixed feelings when I crossed the finish line. Wish I could translate my feelings into words. 42.2 Kms seemed so long and endless. 

Ram and I left Chennai by train to Hyderabad. After a hectic week at work, it was so good and exciting to be out on a trip. I was so tired. Had an early dinner and hit the berth. All I could remember was being woken up by Ram once we reached Secunderabad. After settling down at our friend's place, we went for a run at Necklace Road. It was very pretty. We were running by the Hussain Sagar lake for about 6kms. Later in the noon we went out for sight seeing and Charminar was the first destination, obviously. Later, Paani poori and Samosa and Gokul chat. Yummy! We then went to collect our BIB and Kit. '21' - that was my BIB number. It felt so good. Later we went to watch Kaminey that night along with other friends and then hit the bed.

Got up at 4:00 in the morning and reached the race spot by 4:45. It was a very thrilling moment. To see so many people to run the race. I am not alone in this madness. After our stretching exercise, I was all set to hit the start line. Full Marathon was flagged off at 5:30AM and the race officially started. This is it. No turning back. Run Naresh Run!!

The first few miles felt nothing. The arrangements were very good. Police were holding the city traffic everywhere. The weather was just perfect until Sun started showing up. I was expecting the race to be on a flat course but I was wrong. We also had to run through many loops which was kind of a let down. I was feeling like giving up when I crossed the Half Marathon finish line. Volunteers were suggesting that I can complete my race if I wish.  Those words were all the more tempting but I kept running. I made a promised to myself that I complete this marathon, no matter what, at any cost. The weather was killing and I was drowning in my own sweat. 

Wish I had my Ipod with me. So lonely, so painful yet so good. I was focused on just one thing. To cross the finish line and get my finisher medal. The milestone read 40kms. 2.2 Kms to complete the race. The last stretch of the race, we had to run inside the Gachibowli stadium track. It's almost over. Photographers were clicking shots, a huge crowd standing by to cheer, All my pain vanished at that very moment. Hit the finish line and received my Medal and Certificate. It's over. w00t. I was glad and proud that I finished my first full marathon in 5:45. A very good beginning to my running expedition. Indeed.

Registered for my first Full Marathon

I am in Maryland, US now on business. I don't know what I was thinking when Ram asked me to register for Hyderabad marathon on 31st August 2009. A full marathon. If all goes well, it'll be my first Marathon, a dream come true. I could imagine how great it would be to cross the finish line. I will be returning on the 17th Aug, so I have some time at hand to catch up with training. With the same excitement, I logged into the website to register and again I don't what I was thinking when I registered myself for the Full Marathon. Though I ran two races, 12.1 miles and 7 miles race, trail running while in US, that's no were close to 26.2 miles.

Nevertheless I have registered myself and I want to put myself through it and finish it, NO MATTER WHAT. I so don't want my first Marathon to be a DNF (Running terminology for Did Not Finish). I have several reasons to run this race, several.... Let me see whether I am going to reach that magic number 26.2 Miles!!

Obsessed with Running!

Have you got obsessed with something overnight? You think about it all the time and you talk about it to others during your conversation. The enthusiasm that you have while talking about your obsession lure people to try to do what you do. Crazy, Stupid, Awesome, Kewl, Interesting, Exciting are some of the words people tag you with. You care less what others say because what you are doing matters the most to YOU.

I have been bitten by the running bug and I am just obsessed about running ever since. Of course the series of events that I am going through also plays a major factor in keeping me running. I am new to this sport. I have never run more than 2km ever in my life until last month. I do go on crazy hiking every weekend to the remote forests and I have spent my times in the wild. I have walked 40km in two days with a heavy backpack under hot sun for long hours without water in the toughest terrain. But when it comes to running, No! I can never. I don’t know why I got obsessed about running. But there is something to it. I like it for its SIMPLICITY. Get up and lace up your shoes and RUN. That’s all, just three quick steps with first one being the most difficult to do. I read and watched several stories of marathoners and ultra marathoners and it just amaze me. People choose to run ultra-marathons like Badwater, Jungle Marathon, Western States 100 etc putting themselves in inhumane conditions enduring pain and torture and above all they love it. Why? Some say the pain makes them feel that they are LIVE. Some say it’s about finding your true self. Some run for a cause. Some run to forget a pain that they endured. I am yet to find out why I have chosen to Run, but as for now I RUN and I am loving it. I am feeling like Forest Gump! (That's the reason I chose the name for this blog). When I first decided to do my 5K run along with like minded friends three weeks back, I thought it will just be a piece of cake considering my hiking experience. I was wrong. After running for 1.8Km I was gasping for breath like a dead man and my foot wouldn’t move an inch. It was pain and soreness everywhere. That’s just for 1.8km and my target is to run a marathon, that’s 42.195 km. I was laughing at myself, but I was determined to RUN. Runners World , Running Times is where I started hanging out for most of the times. I created a profile for myself in MapMyRun to keep a track of my weekly mileage. Pasta, Gatorade and Mountain Dew has become my food and drink. The following days, I tightened my shoe lace and began my run again. Pain, soreness, injuries started surfacing, but I never quit. But I could see a visible change happening within. My heart beat is more systematic, my breathing pattern has got a rhythm, my posture while running has changed and I no more gasp for breath like a dying man. After two weeks of running, every alternate day, I am amazed to see myself running about 15kms in 1Hr and 15 min. Above all I could see a change in my attitude. The way I approach and look at things. My day starts so fresh. I am sure there’s more in store for me in this journey called Running and I am excited about the lessons that it’s going to teach me. Let me tell you. Run!! It’s just amazing. You’ll find it for yourself. It’s painful but it is fun. I have a goal, to run the Hyderabad marathon. I have sufficient time at hand to train myself, to cross the finishing line, to run for a cause where every mile counts. Ultra Marathon is my aim but I would like to take one step at a time. I’ll post my experiences, to keep myself accountable for my commitments. With my running shoes and a free road to run, I got everything I need. To RUN!