Spirit of the joy of running
Auroville Marathon - 14th edition
A pop-up notification in my Gmail synced with the calendar on 16th Feb called for a fitness session. Deepak Londhe (core trainer of Striders) and corporate nutritionist Roopali Mehta delivered an hour-long session which gave insights on nutrition and fitness tips. The hydration strategy is very crucial for long-distance running, energy drinks, or electral powder which you can add to your water, that contain electrolytes. Electrolytes affect our body functions in many ways, including the acidity of our blood (pH) and muscle function. When we run, we sweat, and we lose electrolytes so to balance that it must be replaced by drinking fluids that contain electrolytes. Well as the session continued, they provided a few tricks to avoid headaches and muscle pains (Spotify). Also, do's and don'ts a day before the marathon and recommended suggestions to avoid ankle pain, slow jogging technique and kind of shoes to wear, a list of healthy items e.g. soaked nuts, dalia khichdi, paneer, pulses, dates etc. which make our diet alkaline in nature (pH >7), please follow the (link) for more suggestions.
My spiritual connection with Auroville motivated me to go ahead for my first half marathon. I wanted to multiply other adventures to this trip hence booked a Hunter 350 cc motorcycle for commuting to Auroville. As the slogan says " Ride pure ride safe", I cruised my motorcycle on 17th in East Coast Road at an average speed of 70 kmph and reached the BIB distribution venue Bharat Niwas around 10 AM. My bib for the Auroville trail “Run for the Joy of Running” was handed to me by the supporting team. My wife packed my breakfast, and lunch following the diet strategy suggested by fitness experts which I enjoyed on the terrace of Woodpacker (the place where I had booked my stay). The hostel was occupied by other Marathon enthusiasts and a few IT consultants from Bangalore (who had the privilege of WFH). At the hostel, we got news about a vegan festival happening at Sadhana Forest which was roughly 7 km away from our hostel. Along with a fellow mate Mervin (NCC staff), we reached Sadhana late evening to enjoy different talks, workshops, performances, concerts, cooking classes, and vegan food. The focus of this festival was to promote veganism, sustainability, community, substance-free living, and gift culture. In the spirit of gift culture, they offered food prepared by our volunteers and raw materials from Sadhana Forest. It was fun seeing foreigners dancing to Bollywood songs, watch it here (YouTube).
On the 18th Morning running day, myself and Mervin woke up perfectly on time. The starting point was the visitor centre where the discovery of Auroville began. After a warm-up session, the secretary of the Auroville Foundation (Dr. Jayanti S. Ravi) flagged off the 21.1 km race. The Auroville Marathon is known for its unique and picturesque forest route surrounding Auroville. I had the opportunity to experience the fresh air (2nd time, I previously had gone for a forest walk), birds singing and a serene environment through the lush greenery and scenic landscapes. In a regular 2-3 km interval, there was an aid station and water points to charge ourselves. The first 15 km of run was very smooth and I almost finished it in 120 minutes but the apparent movement of the sun towards the south caused hot weather. The last 5 km of my run was very slow and tough, with sweat, determination and perseverance I turned my dream into reality and finished the entire stretch in 200 minutes. A physical medal at the end gave a lot of satisfaction and a sense of recognition for reaching the finishing line.
Post finishing the run, I went for stretching and a quick fitness check at a medical camp near the finishing line. We had a nice breakfast arranged. It is recommended to have carb-rich foods mixed with protein in post-marathon meals, as it helps to facilitate muscle repair and recovery and glycogen resynthesis. On a riding experience, I must say, I loved the Hunter 350 cc. I found the handling very easy and the felt light on its feet, making easy work of manoeuvring in and out of slow-moving traffic. It's a perfect motorcycle for beginners and city driving.
Ending the entire experience with a quote “Your only limit is you”.