My first full-Marathon

I am a finisher of 42.195 KM in 4 hours 48 minutes. Yikes. My month long preparation culminates into an amazing run. It was not perfect per se. Nevertheless, I feel I did really well for the training I went through.

As I reported here I continued my training till Nov 30^th. Unlike my training in 2009 this training was shorter and less painful. There were no swollen shins and blackened toe nails, probably because of the shorter duration. If it were for a 3 month duration I am sure I would have cracked the 4.30 mark.

The marathon started at 5am. Never before had I run at that time of the day and it was refreshing and pulsating to run with a sea of fellow marathoners. I finished the first 10km by 57 min and the next 10km by 1 hr 57 min. Impressed by my performance I continued with much more determination and reached the 30K mark by 3 hours 10min. Realizing that the sun is not yet out I smiled for myself. Suddenly 42 K in 4 hr 30 min seems very much possible. Then as I continued to take strides my very old problem resurfaced ( This and this ). I am still not sure why exactly this problem is happening. The only trouble I face during a long distance run is the calf muscle cramp: my right calf muscle. The only answer can be lack of training. For this and this my calf muscle gave up at about 18km. Fortunately, for the full marathon it gave up after 30 probably because of the better training. And having my lessons learnt during those two runs I immediately stopped and stretched whenever I felt the cramp in my calf muscle. But eventually with some muscle rub I crossed the finish line with a big grin on my face. I can’t wait for my next marathon in May.

Marathon Training

I finally started my first marathon training for the Singapore Marathon in December. Things got really hectic and following a rigorous training schedule is anything but easy. So had to prioritize my activities and delay my training. And I had a super run after a long hiatus. Had a strange feeling when I touched the finish line. Sometimes simple little things really do matter (blame the endorphin). My ultimate goal is to finish a marathon in 4hours. But with the current situation a 4 hour marathon would only be wishful thinking. I would be happy if I can see it off in 4.5 hours. I hope I can continue my training provided my leg will hold on till I finish the main race. Can't wait to run my first marathon. Super Exited.

Cricket and The Others(Sport)

These days you come across any Indian media be it on air, online or print the one news you probably will not miss is Cricket. Thanks to Indian Cricket success at the world cup this may well have reached all time heights surpassing even the CWG drama. With all the flashy, latest news, latest interviews and expert opinions the public is constantly bombarded with gigabytes of information making it difficult to decipher even by its standards. My twitter time line is flooded with #WC2011 tag, my FB page is decorated with ‘Bleed Blue’ badges. Contrary I haven’t seen any in-depth articles on the ongoing Miami Masters, where Indian Express Lee-Hesh won the finals. Team India has become synonymous with Indian cricket team where it could have as well mean Indian Hockey team or Soccer team. Take the blame media.

Cricket is a religion in India and there are many priests than it can accommodate. It doesn’t need any resources for the game to flourish. The BCCI already announced cash prizes for the players. There was no real need for the respective states to announce cash prizes from the tax payer’s money. Delhi govt just blown 6 crores, 2 for capt and 4 Cr for their state players. Some people getting land from the state governments and this is just the tip of the iceberg and more is yet to come. The same mistake is done over and over again; concentrating the entire money in Cricket and giving the other games peanuts or in some cases worse than that. Celebrity endorsements make the matter worse. Its really hurts when you see a CWG medal winner getting a clerical job with the Railways where as a cricket player linked to match fixing and selling the country ends up winning an MP seat.

This country cannot produce finest athletes if the current situation prevails. It can never give a Roger Federer (at least Hewitt) or Pele or Phelps. It cannot rest on the past laurels (read Sachin). Today if I ask a kid to explain cricket to a person of non-cricket playing nation he can easily be a substitute for ‘cricket for dummies’ book. Yet if I ask him the number of players in hockey or soccer he may put an apologetic face.

I wonder where were Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi at the time of recent National Games or last years Hockey world cup. Didn’t they have the moral obligation to attend the match? It’s just 1hour game after all unlike cricket. To make things easier it was held in Delhi and they could have easily squeezed it in their busy schedule. They could have made a difference with their presence. While the PM was too busy to attend the National games he not only visited cricket world cup but also invited his Pak counterpart. Bias I say. In fact India Sports Ministry is a farce. The ministry should make it compulsory that at least 10% of the sponsorship money cricket gets should be diverted to the other sports. Traditional media should be made to limit cricket coverage and increase other sports coverage. The onus is on the government to make other sports popular. Conducting a CWG event once in 2 decades doesn’t help other games to flourish.

With all due respect to cricket and Indian cricket team, I would prefer an Olympic gold to Cricket world cup. I understand that I would be chastised for making this statement and I am speaking only for a minority of people but as a person who believes in the overall health of the country’s sports future I am left with nothing but to make this statement. Nothing wrong in aspiring to win cricket world cup or excelling in that sport. Things would have been much better if Cricket success and other sports success are not mutually exclusive.

P. S: I am proud that India won the world cup. But if this is at the cost of other sports then I may have to feel less proud.