Run++;

(Above pic: L->R: myself, Keshav, Chetan, Adarsh)
(Above pic: Mera number aagaya!)
(Above pic: All ready to set track on blaze)

I feel so great that I ran my first half-marathon(21.95 kms) and completed it successfully!

It had been in my wish-list for a long time to do something like this as I had never done it before in my lifetime.(Don't ask me the remaining ones now!)

Quote -"If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run a Marathon." - Emil Zatopek, Olympic Legend.
Inspired by the words above I took up this long distance running as a challenge and also to face an entirely new wonderful experience.

I did run for the cause to save environment and for greener world as I like nature the way it is untouched by humans. Also I did run for I like being a part of adventure and to burn the pizza's and burger's that I keep having now as a "software engineer" :D

Yup, That was a hell lot of challenging workout! Though I was no way close to world class time(1st place guy had more than 11 km lead!!!), it was an awesome experience on the way.

I left my place to join my three other college friends(Keshav,Adarsh,Chetan) enroute to whitefiled at around 8:00pm on Saturday evening in Car. We reached the place in-time. It was 10pm then. We had light dinner of kaati veg rolls, which even turned out our purses light( Damn, every food was double the rate!) Having already registered, we had no other choice to wander around till the start. So we killed time in taking photos in-front-of the big banners put up and watching the rock show ongoing. As usual, there was no surprise in kaddi(Keshav) untieing his long hair, looking around for beautiful "pieces"(He will definitely kill me for saying this TRUTH! :P) and sha(Chetan) exagerrating whatever he told!

It was already 11:15pm. We all changed our clothes, put on running shoes and the bibs on our chest. All ready for jet-set-go, we had a photo session again to proudly show our bib numbers.

Bengaluru Midnight marathon started exactly at 00:00am, the very early morning of 11th Jan, with about 700-800 runners all stretching and warming up for the long run. Counddown timer buzzed as few bunch of chaps roared hip hip hurray at the beginning. The initial running started with full enthu untill few dropped back after 5-10 kms. We four of us couldn't go together as we planned and we decided to meet back at the car after the run it over. There were 5 ambulances around for emergencies and water was avaiable for every 2 km run. Hats off to the volunteers who held water, glucose, electral for all runners and cheered us to go further. Participants of every age were present right from 15 to even 65+!! The elderly runners even went past several youngsters who were panting to breath in the second loop of 11 km! I even saw 6-7 year old kids along with their whole family standing outside there homes adjacent to the running track and clapping their little hands to cheer us even at 2:00 am in the morning. I even gave "high five" to the audience who held his hand out to reach us which made him happy and me too! The first 11km run(1st loop) was not difficult, but as I closed the 15 km run it was really tiring. As the muscles in thighs ran short of oxygen, the veins fully bloated and forced a lot to stick to walk-run(less)-walk policy instead of run-walk(less)-run. In the 22 km half marathon, I did about 4-5 km walk alone.

As I closed the finish line, I met kaddi(Keshav) from behind who had picked up pace and we reached the finish line. We saw sha(Chetan) already outside the track waiting for us and I still wonder if he ran back to base the half way :P

After re-hydrating and resting for a while we headed back to parking lot and it was 3:15am by then. Results of the Half-Marathon were being declared when we headed back. Soon Adarsh came back from his run. Emptying out the relispray and whole glucose packet, we sat(or hardly slept) in car till 5:00 am. We finally found an Empty Cafe Coffee day!! with no pizzas, no cakes, no pastry, not even chocolates. So we had to settle only with cafe latte's and capuccino's :(

We had a great time in the morning remembering our college days and our RV 2008 CS batch as the best ever. Jigit, Rampa, Mass suspension by our HOD were the main highlights of our discussion. We didn't even spare our "good" lecturers :P

Tired and hungry we left at around 6:30am bidding farewell to meet soon again.(i.e., for my next cycling to Nandi hills/Ramnagaram. Aren't you guys coming!?)

I slept whole sunday afternoon and night except for eating lavishly ;)

Every time I have a look at the Bib number-"1257" at my office desk memories of my 1st Marathon passes by. Thanks to friends who accompanied me on that wonderful night.

See you sooner or later. I hope it's always sooner :)