17-miler under the belt!

The muscle soreness, ache and pain is still there. The pride and contentment on having finished a 17-mile run is still there. But do you know what else is still there? The fact that I have to do this all over again next Saturday and add two more miles. I wish I could just run two miles on Saturday and add the two up (17 and 2) and say that I ran 19 miles ;-)

The weather was beautiful that day and the route was scenic and inspiring for me. As I mentioned before, I was always in awe of people who ran along the Charles river. All I could think of at the start was that I just have to finish it.

Charles river basin loop. Pins indicate water stops.

I started out decently. After about 2 miles into the run, my breathing had stabilized and I had found my rhythm. Aided by a groovy, upbeat playlist, I felt really comfortable. At the first water stop, I ran into a lot of the other runners. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the weather and the run. Amol was going to man the next water stop and I was so happy when I saw him there. A few words of encouragement and smiles make such a huge difference to your morale. But after that water stop, I fell behind from the group and was running alone now. I could still see them way ahead of me till around mile 10. Then I lost sight of everyone, it was just me battling it out all alone. I knew there was a water stop at around mile 11, so was determined to get till there without stopping. I got a little confused near the Longfellow bridge and accidentally took that bridge. Halfway across the bridge, I remembered that we had to go till the Museum of Science bridge. So I turned back and was frustrated because of my mix-up. Ran back and got on the route again and by then I could see that my energy levels were really low. Made it to the water stop and had an energy GU gel. Felt good to talk to someone and then I set off again.

The running got really challenging after that. I was tired and alone :( I started taking walking breaks, but tried to keep them to only half a minute or so. I cursed at my pace, I cursed at my decision to run a marathon, I was so ready to give up! But after not completing my 16-miler two weeks ago, I was so determined to finish this one. The next manned water stop was only at mile 14 or 15 as there were a few water fountains before that. I yearned for a familiar face. Finally, when I spotted Abhishek and Priya on their bikes, I jumped with joy. Not only did they give me water and gatorade, they also gave me a lot of encouragement.

After that stop, all I could think of were the bridges I had to come across. I could see the BU bridge, and after that I knew there would be the Cambridge st bridge, the Western Ave bridge, the Harvard footbridge, the JFK bridge and then it was less than a mile to the finish. Those landmarks were what kept me going. I crossed each bridge off my list and when I crossed off the JFK bridge, I was ecstatic. But that feeling did not last long as I saw one of the runners, Aamer sitting on the sidewalk in the shade. He was having a hard time and had already thrown up a few times. I did not have a phone on me and so the only option was that I run fast till the finish and send someone to go and get him. That was a huge motivation for me...I knew that he needs to get water as soon as possible, so I did my best to reach the finish as fast as I could. When I finally saw the other runners all stretched out on the grass, I heaved a sigh of relief and we quickly sent two others to go and help Aamer. 

At the end, I just flopped down on the grass and could not believe that I had finished it. The happiness and contentment of that achievement was unmatched. Now I have started getting a taste of what the feeling will be when I cross the finish line at DC on Oct 31st.

A big thanks to all those friends who sent me some 'motivation' through gtalk. Thanks to Team AIDAsha for the constant cheering and encouragement!

Keep sending all those wishes, words of encouragement and motivation....they really make a difference and help me go that extra mile. And don't forget to help the cause. http://2010.teamaidasha.org/runner.aspx?num=201012