Did my first 10K (actually my first proper run of any distance) on 16 October during the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon. And it was a proper affair. But, truth be told, I have never enjoyed running. This is largely due to a lack of fitness, improper running form and poor conditioning in the past which invariably resulted in injuries.
However, I was much better prepared this time around. I started my training regime in late-August: focusing on appropriate conditioning to aid running. I slowly build up my pace and distance to 8 km in an hour around 10 days before the run. There are innumerable sites and blogs dedicated to running which came in extremely handy.
The run itself: It was an early start with kick off at 5:20 am. The crowd in the holding area was enormous and I would be lying if I said that there wasn’t a five minute period when I regretted the decision to register for the run. But eventually, we reached the starting line in one piece.
The first kilometer was the toughest due to the sheer volume of people. It took some time to find my bearings and build up pace. The stretch around India Gate at the 4K mark was a bit constrained, but the remainder was smooth and there was enough separation from other runners by this time.
The route had clear signages and volunteers to motivate us at regular intervals. The sound of drums accompanies by bhangra helped a lot as we entered the final stretches. There were plenty of water, recharge and ice stations throughout as well as ample opportunities to pose for pictures as well! Alas I missed most of them.
Finally, the weather was smashing to say the least – just cool enough for a comfortable run till the very end.
My timing and stats:
Far from great as expected! I enjoyed digging into some of the metrics my watch threw up when I started running last month. And this Sunday was no different. I think my running form could use some work. Vertical oscillation could be lower and so could the ground contact time. I feel I can run much further/faster with the same effort with proper training.
Which brings me to the most pertinent question – would I do it again? Am unable to make up my mind so far. I would be lying if I said i didn’t enjoy it and got a kick out of it. Improving upon the metrics above could be the only motivator. Who knows, I just may pull off a 21K in 2023.
In conclusion, it was all worth it. The time spent on training paid off. The run was very well organized and kudos to the organizers for a job well done. PS: Special thanks to my wife and a dear friend for doing the run together and to another friend for picking us up post-run for a scrumptious breakfast.