The best teaches you to be better ! - VCHM Nov 2016

VCHM 2016 :

The best teaches you to be better!

I have already shared my first 10k experience just a little while ago before going to the VCHM this time, and don’t want to repeat, but it was a great start to the events in running. Since the runs started to become longer and so did my blogs, there was a specific request from some close buddies in running to keep my stories shorter. My suggestion to those friends is that they can take some walking breaks if they feel out of breath while reading this blog.

Valsad was again a refreshing turn in my running that had started at VCHM only in January 2016 about 10 months ago. I had not even touched a total of a 30 km in my running, just a couple of weeks ago, and ZAP …a direct order came indirectly from the "psycho" in form of a polite statement in the core exercise group,…”DD can run a 10K in Valsad”. The “can” was to be read as “will”. It’s a big puzzle how the “Psycho” manages to mark each and every person he is guiding so closely! “Psycho” knows all his or her weaknesses and strengths, when it comes to running, the best performances and the way he or she looks at the running. The devil is in the details as they say and only the passion can drive a person to such details. In short, he truly deserves the customized name on his Summit Saputara Tee Shirt..!

 

I was on my nadir on the emotional front due to the loss of a best friend and running and the fellow runners have lifted me up. I am on the way in the search of the zenith now that keeps climbing on me as I keep running up towards it, negotiating the ups and downs of the “rolling hills” that one encounters early on the route to some regular amateur running.!

Well there were already a lots of ups and downs in these 10 months till next Valsad event came up and it felt like a lifetime I would say clocking that 600 km plus which was a poor average by the standards of how the early plans to the first year looked like.!

The elaborate planning is definitely very good and has to be the goal, but in my case, as the very anxious person I am, the numbers started giving me a bad headache. The emotional stress coming out of a big loss in life losing a best friend, the day to day activities which used to be great fun had become a stress inducing factors and that too very silently. After fighting such a bad intolerable condition that started immediately after the Surat Night Marathon in February 2016, I was helped up once again by the close friends in running team to get back on the road. I would mention all of them in the thanksgiving at the last.

And came the SCHM, the home turf, the starting point for a lot many Surti Runners, including my towing van Nish, and what a wonderful time I had being there in the team contributing with some efforts and converting the stressful organizing in to joy of working in a great team.! Team SCHM is a hell of a unit to be with.! I have never seen people doing so much of hand holding to total strangers and that too collectively thousands of them, just to bring their journey to running easy. Right from the most irritating questions on the helpline to some tedious tasks like arranging smallest of the stuffs, and from running the route endless times to tearing their hair out in anxiety of getting the most beautiful medals on time; it was such a selfless team work for the cause! Surat is indeed lucky to have you SR.!

 

After a wonderful SCHM time, the spirits were up and legs were fresh by a deliberate plan to not to have any exquisite training plans and a simple looking plan called “JUST RUN”, prescribed by the coaches that by the time had come to know that I was an unusual customer in the arena! Hyper like SCRAT the squirrel and yet confident in my own world of daydreams like SID the SLOTH. (in the movie series “Ice Age”), I was a good amusement for the running buddies I feel and enjoyed the transition towards a fitter me, slowly.

Valsad being revisited, the nervousness was way less than the first time. For practice, I accompanied the Big Brother Nish, my towing van who was in full force preparing for his Full Marathon in Mumbai, in three to four runs. Meanwhile a few of team PRAYAS volunteers, who got inspired from the grand show of SCHM for which they had volunteered, also registered in 10k Valsad, in a happy push at the VCHM registration counter at the SCHM expo. So the gang landed in Valsad on Saturday evening looking forward to a good time.!   

Joy of meeting friends like Prasadbhai from Valsad Racers, and the usual company from Bardoli runners and the spirited Surti Runners gang was a great incentive for the event. The warmth of the hospitality and helpfulness of the organizing team members was symbolized by the super-hot-spicy-sweet tasty “Ubadiyu” that we became beneficiary of, on the even of the race at the venue, filled with a strong positive cold breeze of the Teethal beach. While talking to Apubhai who always lifts up the ‘Spirits’, and is always on the ‘high’ of a race to be run, the tone was set. It was all causal chit chat and meeting up and the nerves were settled. Nish had planned to run with me to not to let me go behind the last race SCHM timing. But we were not thinking much about that. It was all happy smiles all around.

Race morning was good, with meeting up the speedsters of SR, who were all pumped up to burn the roads, I was happy that I was running and hoping better after the turmoil I had during the journey till my third HM. The simple and calm words by Pranavbhai reminded to me “what was the purpose” commandment and it really helped to exhale whatever left of nerves I had. It was peaceful happy and not anxious as earlier.! May be in one word it’s called “confident”!

The route was superb, rural setting which I love and the volunteers were very good to reach out to the runners. We started and my task was very easy..! What I had to do was just to follow the commands of the towing van.! After the 14km, I was asked to put the watch in the pocket, as I get a lot anxious seeing the stats, the run after that was really enjoyable due to the route and cheer. Chatting along but I could feel that we were going a bit faster than the practice pace, I deliberately did not think much about that. Was unhappy when I wasn’t able to help Arvind Sir who was walking on a ramp and had pulled a muscle badly. Stretching or  a careful physiotherapy was what he needed and there was none around. Had it been anything else in our scope we would have helped. The ups and downs of running, and learning with each event is what running is all about.!

The last two kilometers were going to be a dash and was up for it, and when we crossed Preety ma’am and Niravbhai just chatting away walking with their pacing plan as a bus, and they were fresh like as if they have been walking all along.! It was good to pass a 2.30 flag, I will be frank about it. The last sprint was a bit taxing but I was literally pulled up by the towing van, who was made to sprint by a smack with the pacing flag pole on his gluts by the “psycho” who was already there back at the 20k mark after finishing his 1.50 run..!

What I remember last was his words..”push for 2.20”…..and the next thing I remember was the finish line…everything in between was just a fast forward zoom.!

“2.19.!!!” Announced the towing van and it was a good hug at the finish to celebrate again.! What was more important was a strong finish, and while he looked normal and good to go till next 21, it took a little while for me to settle. Pranavbhai greeted me immediately approaching to us with a gentle smile and a satisfaction on his face looking at me repeating HM after a delayed and a stuttering start at running. He said all are on their personal best and sub 2 queue was longer than any queue to the ATM..! Medal, refreshments, greetings, pictures were added joy thereafter but a feeling of improving was the biggest medal one can ever run for.! And I felt it !

My power rangers for the journey so far are the usual culprits, The “Psycho” and The “Towing Van” and the Samaritans like Dr Dharmesh Mevawala, Dr Gunjan, Dr Nipun, Dr Roshan and Dr Sanket and Dr Nehal. This was a special run for me as I have come out of a personal fight and now looking forward with chin up.! Can’t thank enough to everyone involved with me in this journey, but would surely name the gangs…LCG Core group, SVNIT gang and all the friends at SR..! Thanks for running along.!