I didn’t know exactly how much I wanted to run. But, I had an idea. I had made up my mind to go for a pretty long run as a form of build up to the ultimate race coming up soon. The one for which I wait one while year. ( Did you guess, tell me in the comments !)

So, I got up on this last Sunday and got into my clothings. I had woken up around 5:30 AM.  I got myself a glass of tepid warm ater that’s a part of my daily morning routine. I dont start my day without this glass of warm water.

And as soon as I had gulped it down my throat, I can feel the sensations in my stomach, in my intestines and within a matter of few minutes, I am on my way to lavatory.  It’s been ages since I have complained about my motion. And that’s been possible because of this ultra simple habit of having a plain warm glass of water first thing in the morning.

Once, you have cleared your intestines, you can be sure to have a promising start for a promising long run.  I just brushed my teeth and had no idea what u would be eating in the course of my run. But, I knew I would be.

It was still dark even though the time was 6:00 A.M.  After some dilemma, I gave it a start. It was cold outside. But, I just want to push off early as possible so that I could wind up my run by 10 A.M. On Sunday morning, you can be positive about people taking on the roads late and the traffic building up only after 10A.M.

I opened my Google map and made a mental plan to create a loop around the Van Vihar.   This place is approximately 11-12 kms away from me.  I wanted 30 kms plus runs. So, 12 Kms to and fro and  a single loop inside Van Vihar for 9 kms.  This is exactly a marathon distance. So, sort of planned to finish around 35 Kms.

I have faced this problem almost in all my runs so far. The problem of fuelling post Half Marathon. I mean your body is drained off fully by the time you complete 22 to 23 kms. Then What ? How do you manage the rest of your distance till the 42nd Km mark. I have always facing this issue and I wanted to experiment this time.

All this while I went by the dictum that you load yourself for 4-5 days in advance and then eat well on the eve of the run and have a good sleep and then run on the loaded Carbs. But it has never worked me so far. No matter what and how much I ate, I felt the hunger pangs ans the body empty post 25 kms at the Max.

I didn’t know what I would do this time. Generally, I carried a banana or two in my hands till I got hungry when I opened it and have it. But, I didn’t find the shops open.  So, I didn’t know what I would do.

Till the 22 kms, I was alright. I was a bit slow this morning after I had lost my way but then didnot decide to withdraw despite few things going haywire. So, I stuck to my guns and told myself that I would focus on the distance instead of time or the pace.

So, it was perfectly OK with me to complete 22 kms in 2 hrs 20 mins. After that I felt the thirst. By this time, I had come out of the Van Vihar. And moving out of the gate. I saw that there was a counter that was keeping some oranges, bananas and the water bottles. I figured it out that it must be for some enthusiasts. But, I realised that it was kept for the Civil Servants who were part of a cyclothon going on there.

They were generous enough to allow me to pick a bottle of water.  So I had my hydration at 2:hrs 20 minutes after I had started. I felt better and came back to life. But I knew the problem had started so I started to look for some eatables. I moved a bit further to a road junction where I found a tea shop. I went in and asked for something to eat. I asked flavoured juice or something on those and filled my pockets with few toffees.

You need both Sugar and Salt while you run. Sugar gives your energy and Salt keeps your hydration levels.

I didnot know what to eat futher. So, this time for the sake of experimentation, I told my self , ‘ let’s have some breakfast before I take on the next 20 kms. Howzzatt!!

I came to know from owner of shop who was just running everywhere in his shop that he has made some fresh Bedais and if I would be interested. I didn’t know if that’s what I should eat. So, I worked with the simple logic in my mind that I need to fill my stomach and feel energetic. As long as I would be feeling something solid in my stomach, I won’t experience any vertigo and I may be able to run and survive longer.

So, gave a break to my running. Took out my smart phone and scanned the QR code to pay for a plate of Bedais. Then I took a chair and sat down. The Cart Owner took out Bedais and rushed them in a disposable plate and poured over the Bedais piping hot Masala Curry.

Without being bothered about the time I was losing on my run, I focussed on eating and feeling better. After I finished my eating, I washed my hands and then slowed started to move.

I have some 5 to 7 minutes for the food to reach its desired place in my body when I would begin feeling energised and ready to take on the next half.

And guess what, I wasn’t wrong, I started to feel better and better unlike my previous long distance runs exceeding half marathons so far.   I realised that my body could assimilate the food I ate very fast.

And then I started to accelerate and ran pretty well. I could cover the total distance of 36 kms in 4 hrs and 23 minutes. And it wasn’t bad at all given the luxury of time I took on the way to fuel myself.

Today is Monday, just the day after run and I am feeling that my legs have recovered from the run super quick this time. I had almost no cramps.  I think the  real battle starts after the half marathon. You are focussing on time and your body has lost its vital nutrients and draining too fast. At this time, if you don’t fuel yourself properly, your body will attract cramps and starts to break down at a rapid pace with every km.

So, if you decide to finish your run and come out with little to no cramps or injuries, then the moral of today’s run was to get your fuelling right for the second half of the run.

So, it was a happy run and myself a happy runner. 🙂