Half Marathon Through The Mumbai Sea Link
Running on the Bandra Worli Sea link has been on my wish list for a long time. While 2022 was not a great year running wise as I shared in the 2022 review report, I guess I got a decent time to prepare for this run in November and December. I clocked more than 140 kms in November and December.
This is my first run report. I am going to be honest and make sure that I do not read other reports before publishing this. The three runs in 2022 were just average. I started the year with the Hyderabad club run with a finish time of 2 hours 11 minutes, went to run the Bangalore TCS 10k in May with a finish time of 56 minutes and 28 seconds, ended the Hyderabad half marathon in August in 2 hours 21 seconds, and ended the year with a finish time of 2 hours 22 seconds in Delhi. As you can see, none of the races were worth talking about except for the Bangalore 10K because the race started with all the participants completely soaked in rain and shoes completely wet.
I had to make sure that I did well in the Mumbai run. Thankfully, good health over the last few months and consistent training helped a lot. I also signed up with a strength training instructor for thrice a week gym session from December.
My wife and I landed in Mumbai on the 13th of January. If I have to run races for the foreseeable future, I have to make sure that I keep the costs low. So I booked Vistara by redeeming my credit card points (If you want to learn more about credit cards, watch my Youtube channel). We crashed at our cousins place thereby saving money on hotel as well. The major expense in any trip is accommodation and the commute. You take care of these two things and your holidays are sorted.
The deal was to arrive a day early so that my body can get adequate rest before the race day. But I am someone who just cannot sit idle in another city no matter how much I claim. We ended up visiting Subko coffee, Joshi House, and Swati Snacks. If you are reading this, I would highly highly recommend Subko and Swati snacks.
I woke up at 230 AM on the race day. Went to bed around 9 PM but my anxiety never lets me sleep on time. I must have ended up sleeping by 10 or 1030 PM. Anyways, I woke up well rested and two and a half hours before start time. I generally try to wake up 3 hours prior to start time to give myself adequate time to freshen up and really wake up.
It was easy to get to the start line. My wiffe was therre all along. Though she does not run these races, she is always there at the start and at the end line. My biggest support. After some warm ups, I entered the holding arena. It was extremely crowded inside. The entire crowd is broken into different groups. Group A being the elite runners and group F being the amatures and beginners. I was in group D. I met Srinivas sir at the start line who is also a part of an investing community. We spoke, stretched a bit, took some photos and waited for the race to start.
The race started with a gun shot, a loud cheer, and some fireworks. The atmosphere in Mumbai can only experienced. Thousands of people starting a race together is exhilarating. It was completely dark except for the race lighting.
The race started well. The first few kilometers was a bit crowded because the road was narrow and there were a few turns. Once we got on to the sea link, the next 7 kilometers were really good. Sea link was probably the best part of the race and the part that most dream about. While there weren't many water booths as you would expect, but the morning weather, no cars on either sides and just you running on the the massive bridge is something that I would remember for the rest of my life.
Once we crossed the bridge, narrow roads started again but it was not too crowded since I kept an even pace. The second half of the race was more eventful as you could see more locals waking up early to cheer you. The second half went really well for me. I was ready for the incline on the 15th kilometer. Took it slow there. While I was not tired in the last few kilometers, I had this fear in me that I will tire myself out. So I decided to keep the even pace going. I ended the race just a tad above 2 hours as per official race timings and in 1 hour 58 mins and 43 seconds as per strava. However, I did manage to beat my 2020 personal best which is what I wanted to begin with. I did waste a few precious seconds stopping to tie my laces. Something that I must avoid in future races and esure that the they are well tied. I do not remember walking during the entire run which is a big win for me. My goal with these runs is not to finish at the top but just to ensure that I just get better and hit those personal best times over the years. Consistency and endurance is what matters to me.
Nature does not make leaps. Nor do I.
