Notes
My first race in England in the Beautiful Hills of York Dales. For first 8 to 9 miles I worked hard but sensibly up the endless hills and I was fairly enjoying the race overtaking comfortably the runners that took over me for first mile and felt pretty strong. Of course CS was in the background at all times but let me get on with the work. Weather was luckily pretty good with a breeze in the air and at times head on or tail winds. From 9th mile cramps started kicking in suddenly and badly. It was ruthless and the course was not getting any easier. Step by Step in pain and extreme agony I climbed the hills and run down hills. At 10 to 11 point mile the strong head winds started and cramps got worse and more intense so both of my calves became solid concrete and toes got really painful and badly cramped too. It was too much to bare and literally I had to bite my tongue for the pain and many times when I saw that support type of ambulance car I felt had to wave to get off the course. I knew in my body, heart and soul that another good 5 miles + to go was going to kill me. I started listening to my music, fighting the odds, hoping that now is up to God to create the miracle and allow me to finish the course. I had to slow down and seeing all those runners that were well behind me taking over hurt me badly. Not because they were overtaking but because I wanted to scream that "It is not you that are beating me but CS". I wanted to scream to the whole world how bad this condition is and externalize my anger. I was so angry with the condition (if that makes any sense) and in so much pain that at some point I caught myself at 12.5 mile shouting loud "STOP IT" enough is enough. And then I thought of SK, God my mother and God knows what else. By then I was in such a pain that I was running in a Pain Zone , trying to pace inside myself and listening to Music to distract my whole being and pretend that nothing is happening. I must have said to myself many times that it was all games of the mind and that many 1000 of runners have gone through worse. But nothing seemed to minimize my agony. When I reached the "killer hill" at 13.5 mile and still a mile to go (pretty steep up and down and up again) then it was almost as if I was carrying my own cross. I do not know what made me to finish/complete today's race and I maybe will never find out. All I can say is that when I saw the gathered crowds in the end with 400 yards to go I put a sprint being in pain inside but I guess no-one would know what I was going through. Whatever happened then I do not know but I never stopped for a sec throughout the race and never gave up. This is what really matters to me. GOD WAS WITH ME AND STAYED WITH ME. I prayed a lot and I LOVE THIS COURSE AND I WOULD DO IT AGAIN. This course was one of the most beautiful courses if not the most beautiful I ever run but also the most painful. It was worth every sec and will take me a long way to believe and continue to believe that RUNNING IS MORE THAN JUST PHYSICAL IT IS GOD'S GIFT and BLESSING.