TCS10K- 2023 - My 2nd time..

Running is Meditation for me..

Running is no more weight loss program for me which was earlier..

Running has become way of life..

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Absolutely no motivation to write this, since I didn't register for physical run(virtual run registered) and secondly I didn't get the time which I wanted to complete the run so you can understand.. 

Honestly, I read few blogs about #TCS10K run so.. Here is my story..

Any ways will try to convey my experience..

I am training with PaceMakers running group and not training alone anymore and running in the mornings and not in the evening any more..

So training went all well, in fact performed much better in training runs and TT's (Time Trials). My coach gave time of 58 min since I ran in 59min in first TT. In 2nd TT I ran in 57 min 45 seconds. I think this where my TCS10k run was done unofficially. I was happy and contet with this run and thought it will be formality I will be doing on 21st May 2023.    

On the Race/ The day, managed to reach stadium on time which never happens usually. Couldn't do warm up drills with group but managed to run 1km from parking to stadium as warmup run. FYI I didn't register since I wanted attend family function but for some personal reason couldn't attend, hence tried registering in last minute but the TCS10K registrations were closed so registered for Virtual run. But here one should run wherever they want on the same day but have to run with the mobile in hand.  The idea of carrying mobile is not comfortable for me so skipped the idea of virtual run and decided I will do physical run on the same #TCS10k route. But its challenging since without BIB they wont allow into the stadium so thought I will start from the entrance of the stadium. But casually jogged from bike parking to stadium main entrance and fortunately no one stopped so here I was into the stadium with 15k runners who were getting ready to run. 

Run started at 5.30am , by 1km mark (uphill) I was pretty slow compared to my plan but i was enjoying seeing other runners and couldn't or didn't feel like pushing since so many runners were around. 2nd km is down hill so started pacing as per the plan. From there on I was on the groove, running with the crowd energy, enjoying the running scenery around. I don't see the watch to check the pace time etc until the end. I would like to run with feeling and the feeling was like when will I see the finish line. So 4th km to 7th km, course route is almost uphill and little down hill but mostly uphill so was trying not to burn out but then didn't push at uphill's, should have pushed to check on limits I guess.  Hence the end timing was not expected as wanted. Runners are always back of seeing time, pace, race course etc etc and don't give enough time to experience etc so will come back to experience. 

There were lots of hydration stations, majority of runners were enjoying with friends and other buddy runners, others were suffering like me. There was music at different km marks, traditional dhol as well as normal din chak music but then music for runners who are enjoying race not for people like me who are suffering. Music distracted for few seconds, wanted it to last longer but again came back my own music huffing and puffing, breath in and breath out.. mostly less in and more out I guess. Wish I could record the sound of it and play it to you guys. By then I was in front of Grand Mejistic Vidhana Soudha on my right, just then sun was coming up just opposite of Vidhana Soudha and it was glowing. You guys should see to experience it. They say(coaches and experienced runners) in the 3rd quarter any run, runner stars distracting and hallucinating. I think I was in that zone I guess..

By then you enter to Cubbon Park (like the way its announced in Namma Metro). Its all greenery obviously but who cares I was in my own dreadful Green breathing zone and was getting ready for next uphill which I was expecting to come sooner or later. In running downhill will go like flash and uphill's  are like always in slow motion which never ends.. Lalla la Lalla (wish i could play this sound here which rings in my ear when uphill comes). Moreover uphill's will be like always waiting for runner to enter like big skull has opened its mouth to enter and to never come out of it types. Please try to imagine since I don't have pic of skull photo shopped uphill's. 

So here it comes at around 8.5k mark i guess the uphill, where everything slowed down.. literally. Even if you are not a runner and seeing as a audience, btw runners like me or us usually don't  an audience. Its just me and my self or the hydration guys who'll be saying when will these runners get lost and when we go home. But in this #TCS10k run we had audience here and there. Mostly runner friends, relatives came to cheer them or mostly to take pictures or videos i guess not to cheer for sure. That to after begging them to come and stand in that particular point and don't miss us when we come. They'll come and wait until this particular runner comes. Good if the runner is running sub 40min or 50 min or if they are waiting for runner like me then that's it. They'll be waiting forever and ever. By the time runner like me comes, either that friend or relative will be pissed/packed off or chatting to some other random friend who's going through the same torture. By the time runner comes they'll miss for sure to cheer or take pics , if they manage to take pics, for sure you don't want to see them, leg will be some where, torture face or seeing ground as if it'll swallow now. 

So at this mark of almost 9km , everything slowed down, one could here each other breaths , some one is grunting. So one needs to take big breath in regular life as well as in running life, and when ones running above 160 hbpm (heart beat per minute) then no big breath comes out only life is about to come out, pun intended. So people try to get big breath out by doing so many things like shouting, grunting, big time huffing and what not.  I saw another PaceMakers beside me and I said COME ON very loudly, my way of taking big breath i guess but he didn't give damn and didn't even look at me. I could understand that he is suffering too.. So by then I was breaching 9.5k mark. I was able to runners faces, since I couldn't see mine .. Every one was going through the same thing , not runner high for sure but the pain, suffering, many question marks, why did we end up here? why did we pay for this? why can't I see the finish? am I about fall down? Why people are saying almost there? how can one pay money and suffer? Will I finish or end up in ambulance? Every runner face was telling his/her own story. By this time every runners learning will go for toss I guess. No one is caring what running from is? are the arms swinging by hips? are keens lifting up? are you landing on mid foot or front foot? are you looking straight? 

At this point all one want to see is end sign. And when one sees the end sign, here around 300 meter mark, everything changes, all the fatigue, suffering will be gone. Runners looks so fresh as if they started running just now and all the running form comes back naturally. Its crazy how ones mind works. 

So here I was sprinting as soon as i saw the end, some big balloon i could see so started sprinting then after crossing there was anther timer crossing so realised that's the end point, I was like what the RUN..

Then finally crossed the finish line, at 59 minute 45 seconds. 

So all happy faces around, as if nothing happened or forgot what happened earlier. This is what Runners High I guess. Enjoying the suffering and celebrating it with big smiles..

Then as usual received medal without BIB, some cake which could eat , banana which was yet to ripe and lemon juice. Which didn't help to refresh. But met PaceMakers, took some pics which refreshed everyone instead. Said bye to all and realised parking is 1km away... Thought I'll do cool down run but instead did cool down walk..

See you until next RUN..