Since this was the first time I would be participating in the Mumbai [Images] Marathon, I wanted to enter in the Dream Run (6 km) But as I could run 5 km non-stop on the treadmill by August (the time of registration), my trainer urged me to register for the Half Marathon I thought he was kidding, but he said there was still time for the event and I could still train for the same

As a teenager, I was a sprinter and loved the 100 and 200 metres, but never imagined attempting a long distance run I guess it is more of mental training, endurance, and focus that one has to have to run long distance

Marathon day

The buzz at the starting point was amazing I did not realise how I completed the first three kms I took breaks but none was more than two minutes, as the crowd constantly kept egging the runners on While going down Peddar Road I realised that the way back would be a long ascend, which would hamper my timing So I stepped up the pace while going down and continuously ran for about 15 minutes till I reached Worli

This was what kept me going while coming back After the U-turn from Worli, I slowed down and started walking at bit Suddenly an elderly man crossed me and said, 'Come on, don't stop' I looked at him and said thanks He said that I had overtaken him four times, something I did not notice I told him to go ahead and I would overtake him a fifth time

I did overtake him a seventh time, while going up Peddar Road I did not think I would be able to run up the slope there, but I did When I reached Babulnath I took out a chocolate and thought that if this dude could reach me now, I would give him half of it But I had left him way behind by then and I guess he couldn't catch up with me again.

After the 15 km mark, it was really tough The weather was also sultry and I could see everyone around struggling by then And I was waiting to spot someone with a spray, but I did not want to stop as it would affect my timing

Once I went past the 19 km mark, I was sure I could complete the half marathon The last 500 meters surged more power in me I decided to sprint the last 100 meters, but stepped up the pace 200 metres from the finish When I finished I could barely speak There were a lot of people lying down in pain, and was glad I wasn't one of them

Training

I could run 5 km without stopping on the treadmill by August I continued this till October, when I was supposed to start training for the marathon From October, I started running on Juhu [Images] Beach on Saturdays This was initially for only an hour, and gradually it increased to two-and-a-half hours The rest of the days it was regular gym training, including two days of cardio and weight training

I was running about 9-10 kms every week towards the end The best part was that I was running on the beach and hence knew that there were slim chances of knee injuries Also, I was confident that my performance would improve on the road

Diet

It was a regular diet daily, but I ate loads of carb for 2-3 days before marathon day This was to make sure I would have enough of stamina for the whole course I had lots of water to keep myself hydrated before each running session.

Motivation

I was initially told that I would lose weight if I trained for the marathon, but soon realized that I was not losing much, though my body was toning beautifully Nevertheless, I took it as a challenge and today am proud to have completed the 21 kms run in 2 hours 49 minutes. My trainer, Rajesh Powar, clocked 1 hour 50 minutes.

Already, am looking forward to the next Mumbai marathon.