There are multiple ways to expend your mental, emotional and physical energies when you are filled upto the brim and overflowing. (Afterthought – other than managing a spirited three year old. hehe)
Since a year i have been concentrating all that energy in working out either in the gym or running or of course blogging on my Instagram @fitwithshilpi. But now that I am physically kind of burned out and in the resting phase this week, writing out a detailed blog post seems to be the perfect outlet for all the mental havoc that comes with being still physically.
So here goes the first post of my running diaries. Last week i was in Delhi at the IDBI Federal Life Insurance New Delhi Marathon 2019 and it was an experience worth recording and retelling!
The Bib Expo – Bib Expos are always fun events. I was happy to connect with all of my runner friends not only from Jaipur where I am based now but also from all other parts of India.
The kiosks included my favourite Sports Nutrition Brand FastandUp and much to the delight of all runners, the gels were at a good discount! Here is a click of mine at that booth looking all tired though as unfortunately, as the day progressed I was coming down with a cold and fever.
The Race Day – This is the day I am most excited to talk about. My friends and I parked the car away too far thinking that the parking lot will be crowded and had to walk a long way to reach Gate 14 of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium where the Marathon Flag off was. We made it just in time at 5:55 AM, 5 minutes before the flag off for the Half Marathon. By this time i was feeling all sick and miserable.
But as I approached the entrance of the Stadium, the noises and the energy got louder and louder and more intense. A few steps more ahead, I got a glimpse of the Stadium all lit up in powerful white floodlights and the view of the red track field and my energy level started building. As i entered the Stadium, I could feel the powerful energy from a thousand different souls all gathered for a common event. Add to all this, the pride of our country, Sachin Tendulkar was on stage. This was enough to charge my batteries at least for a few kilometres as I found out. I could see the Starting point and started walking with new energy towards it. After crossing the start line, I started running and it was so exhilarating to run in the Stadium alongside so many other runners and with the Little Master boosting us all on stage.
Tshirt and Goodies – The Tshirt was an amazing dry fit one with the Adidas logo on the sleeve and the Marathon name and the date on the front. Mine was a black color since i ran the Half Marathon. It came inside a cool black duffel bag again with the Marathon name on it.
Race Route – Mostly a flat route but many turns were there although I can’t say they had any effect on the speed. I was pretty comfortable with the turns. Someone has aptly described it as the Jalebi (the Indian sweet) route.
Hydration Support – Hydration support was excellent and at short intervals.
Overall Experience and Management – This was my first Marathon in Delhi and I sure had a wonderful experience. The only cons I can say were the cone barricades used to separate the path for the Full and the Half Marathons to and fro and the crowd during the first kilometre. These did come in the way of running a little, but yet were not a huge deterrent.
Love the Wild 