Part 4: The ups and downs on race day - literally and figuratively
Related posts:
Part 2: You don't realize your strengths until you face your greatest weaknesses
Part 3: Tick-tock, tick-tock... The count down to the race day begins
I had prepared a Marathon playlist with all the peppy workout songs I could find, and I had gotten accustomed to listening to those during my practice runs. I plugged in my ear-phones and started the playlist, and tried to focus more on the song than on everything that had gone wrong up until that point. It kind of worked like a charm, and before I knew it I had covered about 3 miles of my race, and I had crossed at least two dozen people by then. I felt happy and pumped up about that, and made me more enthusiastic about moving forward. Pretty soon, the hilly terrains started and my muscles started tiring out a bit. But we also had water and electrolyte stops to re-energize our body. It also meant that pretty soon, I was about to meet someone who was waiting for me around the mile-4 mark. It was Payal, our amazing Team Asha co-ordinator who wasn't officially running the race, but decided to join me for 9 miles to just motivate me and give me company. I think that is the sweetest thing someone could have done for me back then. Thanks Payal, you probably don't know how much that meant to me! ❤
The race got so much easier after I met Payal - we talked as we ran, and it not only helped us at setting the right pace for the walk-run method we had decided on, but also took my mind off the mile markers. Before we knew it, we were past the mile-6 mark, and the beautiful Golden Gate Bridge was in view. It was surprisingly not foggy, but a bright sunny day. Since I wasn't anyway running for a PR, we stopped for a few seconds to get a couple of pictures before running up the race track again. The views were breathtaking, and the pleasant winds blew against our faces as we turned around, to run the upward hilly tracks of the Presidio of San Francisco. Somewhere between the mile-7 and mile-8 markers, we had another water-and-electrolyte stop which we were really thankful for because our muscles had tired out by then. The water stop was set up by Asha, so it was great to have some volunteers cheer us on as we started our downhill run. We were glad to have covered more than 50% of the race by then. There were small surprises in between - there were hidden photographers along the tracks, trying to capture the most candid pictures. But knowing how tired we looked, it became our little game to look out for the photographers, to start a happy sprint with a smile plastered on our faces just so that we looked good in the fake candid pictures (Haha)!
I think it was these funny things and our conversation that kept me going, and before I knew it we had entered the Golden Gate Park, and we had crossed the mile-10 mark. I was so overjoyed when I realized that I only had 3.1 miles more before I got to the finish line. We had to do a lap around the park to get to the finish line, which meant that I could see runners on the other side nearing the finish line. That was an extra boost, but the terrain of the park was really something. It was mostly rolling hills - so we kept going up and down, fast and slow. But the shady trees, the cool breeze, and the chirping birds made the run seem a bit easier than it really was. We had crossed so many people by then, that I no longer felt bad about the start that I had had that morning. In spite of everything, I had crossed hundreds of people as I ran through the city with Payal. Soon, we crossed the 13-mile mark.
The last 0.1 mile seemed to be the longest - I couldn't wait to cross the finish line. But when I did, I was ecstatic - it was a feeling of accomplishment, knowing that I had successfully completed my first ever half marathon despite the many odds that I faced. I had a big grin on my face as I proceeded to collect my medal while Payal clicked a few pictures for me. I couldn't believe that I had done it, but the medal that I was holding on to was proof! I was overjoyed, and I rang up my family to let them know that I had finished the race. I didn't finish the race in the 3 hour official time limit, but I finished it which is what that mattered. From being the last person to officially start the race, I crossed 283 people by the time I got to the finish line. I was proud of myself, no matter what anyone else thought of me!
Once we were done with pictures, we headed back to the Ferry Building in the bus. We then walked a mile to Crossroads Cafe where Team Asha runners were meeting for a victory brunch. By then, my legs felt like jelly - I had no control on how they worked, yet I could feel the pain in my muscles. But none of that mattered to me at that moment! We ate some food, clicked some pictures. I would like to share some of the pictures from the race day, that I hold close to my heart.
We headed home after the brunch, but I was having an adrenaline rush, and couldn't seem to rest. Once home, I took a relaxing bath, got fresh and signed up for another 5-mile run (Race Against Stigma) which was to happen the next weekend! Because you know,
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Race Against Stigma was a 5K run that supported the mission of Subconscious - to fight the stigma that surrounds mental health, and to change the way we think and talk about it. I am someone who has known what depression can do to a person, and how much having someone (friend or family) who understands and helps you get out of it matters. Alzheimer’s disease is another mental health condition that seems to be hereditary in my family. Growing up, I have seen the stigma that society has towards people with such conditions, and how they are just termed as mental/insane/lunatic, etc. They are seen as people who are so weak that they cannot handle life’s obstacles. I felt that it is time that we change our thinking as a society, and help them get to a better place in life. If nothing else, at least let us all be better humans by showing some empathy over sympathy.
Part 3: Tick-tock, tick-tock... The count down to the race day begins
I had prepared a Marathon playlist with all the peppy workout songs I could find, and I had gotten accustomed to listening to those during my practice runs. I plugged in my ear-phones and started the playlist, and tried to focus more on the song than on everything that had gone wrong up until that point. It kind of worked like a charm, and before I knew it I had covered about 3 miles of my race, and I had crossed at least two dozen people by then. I felt happy and pumped up about that, and made me more enthusiastic about moving forward. Pretty soon, the hilly terrains started and my muscles started tiring out a bit. But we also had water and electrolyte stops to re-energize our body. It also meant that pretty soon, I was about to meet someone who was waiting for me around the mile-4 mark. It was Payal, our amazing Team Asha co-ordinator who wasn't officially running the race, but decided to join me for 9 miles to just motivate me and give me company. I think that is the sweetest thing someone could have done for me back then. Thanks Payal, you probably don't know how much that meant to me! ❤
The race got so much easier after I met Payal - we talked as we ran, and it not only helped us at setting the right pace for the walk-run method we had decided on, but also took my mind off the mile markers. Before we knew it, we were past the mile-6 mark, and the beautiful Golden Gate Bridge was in view. It was surprisingly not foggy, but a bright sunny day. Since I wasn't anyway running for a PR, we stopped for a few seconds to get a couple of pictures before running up the race track again. The views were breathtaking, and the pleasant winds blew against our faces as we turned around, to run the upward hilly tracks of the Presidio of San Francisco. Somewhere between the mile-7 and mile-8 markers, we had another water-and-electrolyte stop which we were really thankful for because our muscles had tired out by then. The water stop was set up by Asha, so it was great to have some volunteers cheer us on as we started our downhill run. We were glad to have covered more than 50% of the race by then. There were small surprises in between - there were hidden photographers along the tracks, trying to capture the most candid pictures. But knowing how tired we looked, it became our little game to look out for the photographers, to start a happy sprint with a smile plastered on our faces just so that we looked good in the fake candid pictures (Haha)!
I think it was these funny things and our conversation that kept me going, and before I knew it we had entered the Golden Gate Park, and we had crossed the mile-10 mark. I was so overjoyed when I realized that I only had 3.1 miles more before I got to the finish line. We had to do a lap around the park to get to the finish line, which meant that I could see runners on the other side nearing the finish line. That was an extra boost, but the terrain of the park was really something. It was mostly rolling hills - so we kept going up and down, fast and slow. But the shady trees, the cool breeze, and the chirping birds made the run seem a bit easier than it really was. We had crossed so many people by then, that I no longer felt bad about the start that I had had that morning. In spite of everything, I had crossed hundreds of people as I ran through the city with Payal. Soon, we crossed the 13-mile mark.
The last 0.1 mile seemed to be the longest - I couldn't wait to cross the finish line. But when I did, I was ecstatic - it was a feeling of accomplishment, knowing that I had successfully completed my first ever half marathon despite the many odds that I faced. I had a big grin on my face as I proceeded to collect my medal while Payal clicked a few pictures for me. I couldn't believe that I had done it, but the medal that I was holding on to was proof! I was overjoyed, and I rang up my family to let them know that I had finished the race. I didn't finish the race in the 3 hour official time limit, but I finished it which is what that mattered. From being the last person to officially start the race, I crossed 283 people by the time I got to the finish line. I was proud of myself, no matter what anyone else thought of me!
Once we were done with pictures, we headed back to the Ferry Building in the bus. We then walked a mile to Crossroads Cafe where Team Asha runners were meeting for a victory brunch. By then, my legs felt like jelly - I had no control on how they worked, yet I could feel the pain in my muscles. But none of that mattered to me at that moment! We ate some food, clicked some pictures. I would like to share some of the pictures from the race day, that I hold close to my heart.
We headed home after the brunch, but I was having an adrenaline rush, and couldn't seem to rest. Once home, I took a relaxing bath, got fresh and signed up for another 5-mile run (Race Against Stigma) which was to happen the next weekend! Because you know,
I was in it for the long run!😉
Race Against Stigma was a 5K run that supported the mission of Subconscious - to fight the stigma that surrounds mental health, and to change the way we think and talk about it. I am someone who has known what depression can do to a person, and how much having someone (friend or family) who understands and helps you get out of it matters. Alzheimer’s disease is another mental health condition that seems to be hereditary in my family. Growing up, I have seen the stigma that society has towards people with such conditions, and how they are just termed as mental/insane/lunatic, etc. They are seen as people who are so weak that they cannot handle life’s obstacles. I felt that it is time that we change our thinking as a society, and help them get to a better place in life. If nothing else, at least let us all be better humans by showing some empathy over sympathy.
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