Last weekend was a big personal milestone. I did my first ever ultra marathon run - 50K at the Bangalore Ultra. By and large, it was a satisfying experience.
The day started with me and my friend Ravikanth driving to Ravi's colleague Sandeep's place at 4AM in the morning. We then hitched a ride in Sandeep's car and traveled to the venue. Sandeep chose the NICE road to get to Tumkur road and then got to Hessaraghatta road from there -- a smart idea, completely avoiding the city traffic and pretty fast.
We reached the venue at around 5:30 and as we were approaching the venue, we could see the 100K and 75K runners already in the trail, running with torches as it was pitch dark. That was one awesome sight. Once we reached the venue, we had just enough time to change to our running gears, deposit the baggage and complete the pre-race formalities. At 6AM we were ready to go.
For the last two years (2008, 2009), the Sun god had been really kind to the Ultra runners, he was always hiding behind the clouds and content to watch the runners from the backdrop. With rain in the previous days, it appeared that this wonderful tradition would continue. At 6AM, we did need to bother about the sun, it was just dawning and it was a wonderful atmosphere to run. And the 100 odd 50K and 37.5K runners hit the trail with great spirit and energy.
As the race progressed, it became apparent that Mr. Sun had other ideas for the day. He came out in full glory to really bring out the best (read test !!) from the runners and started belting out in great style. Add to this the fact that the trail itself is pretty tough (uneven, narrow at times, stones, gravel and what not), it became quickly apparent as why RFL calls this a tough race meant for tough people.
The course itself was made of 12.5 K laps (6.25K to and back) and for completing 50K, we were required to complete 4 laps. I hit a steady pace (around 10K/hr) speed and was hoping to maintain that speed for atleast 3 laps (37.5K) and then do a walk/run for the last lap depending on how I felt. I was doing fine till about the 32K mark when the heat and tiredness combined hands (or should we say legs) with the knees to bring down the average pace. I had to resort to some walking in that lap itself, though I did finish that lap strong. The first two laps were done in 1:15 each, however, the 3rd lap took 1:30 and so it was 4hrs for 37.5K. In the last lap, the strategy was simple. Walk during all up slopes and run during down slopes. And so when I finally managed to cross the finish line, it was 5:46. Reasonable, but lot of scope for improvement.
The race split information from my Garmin reveals the story very nicely. In the timing graph, you can see the steady running till the 32K mark and then the valleys suddenly start appearing. The frequency of such valleys only keep increasing and even the last k was not spared, I did some walking there as well. Nevertheless, it was a satisfying experience. I did not cramp or get injured in those trying conditions and even at the end of the race, though the body was tired and knees a little sore, I was feeling fine otherwise. This race has certainly increased my resolve to train better and do better the next year.
