Analysis and Learning

Hydration: I should learn more on hydrating properly before the race. Now the point is to identify what “proper” hydration means. Though I drink nearly 7-8 litres of water everyday and consume sufficient quantity of water before long runs I invariably get dehydrated after the run. More research is required on this aspect.

Running without Walking: Somehow I should develop the habit or running without walking and also work on my mental and physical toughness. Walking in the middle of long distance running really dampens my mental toughness and my legs yearn for taking more walk breaks. Important area to work on.

Weight Reduction: This would be one of my primary goals during the first half of the year. I managed to shed couple of kgs before the marathon, but would have to cut down another 4-5 kgs. It’s really important to feel light when I start training for my next marathon during the later half of the year.

Completing the marathon has really taught me few good lessons. Dedication, determination and sticking to a well defined plan would definitely result in achieving any goal. While doing any work, whenever complacency or laziness creeps into my mind, I think about the marathon finish. “Come on dude, if you can complete a marathon why not this work”. Some people learn things in harder way and I have chosen this way.

After a brief gap I ran 16k today morning. The roads were covered with mist with visibility hardly less than five meters. I enjoyed running in the mist while my mind was humming the song Brothers in arms – “These mist covered mountains….”.