Hyderabad 10k run report

I'm blogging nearly after a month. Blame my busy schedule. I hope I'll be regular in the coming weeks.

It was 4.30am on the d-day. I wished I'll just sleep thru, get up late, and realize I was late for the run. But nay, I got up. I drove to Microsoft where the company bus was waiting to pick us up. I was the only one in the entire bus and only 5 people joined me enroute to the necklace road, where the run was scheduled.

There should have been 3000-5000 people at the venue ready to run. Few tugged along an iPod on their waist or arms. Looked funny as this isn't supposed to be jogging. I was so confident that I'll finish in the top 5 and at the awards ceremony when they ask me how I feel, I wanted to say, "Ticking at 68 kilos, if I can finish in the top 5, it only shows the level of fitness of people in Hyderabad." I was to later realize what kind of a ridiculous thought it was!

Just after 2 kilometres, I was panting heavily. Running on the road is really tougher than on the treadmill. Repeat after me, running the treadmill is at least 10 times easier than really moving your body on the road. So, I started walking. A little later I developed cramps in the right-calf. So, even walking became difficult. Thankfully, there were medical aids made available at strategic places. I found two ladies with an Apollo hospitals banner waiting to help people like me. But, were they waiting? Hell, no. I think they were in a deep conversation when I interrupted them. After a little while, they digged out a spray and sprayed it on my calf. It didn't work. But still I covered the distance in 1 hr and 5 mins. Very bad. I should've been like 300th or 400th overall! Or maybe, even worse! But I was ecstatic when 2nd prize was announced for a person who covered the distance in 1 hr 5 min and 22 seconds. What? I finished 22 seconds before that fellow. Why not me? Isn't that injustice?

As it later turned out, that fellow had completed the half-marathon (21 kms) in that time. What a shame! Well, not quite. This is my first attempt at anything like a marathon. So, I should hope to better in the next run the best time put by another Microsoftian - 40 mins. Anxiously awaiting the last saturday of November 2007...