The annual visit to Mumbai to run the marathon on the 3rd Sunday of Jan was a good change from the hectic activities related to the wedding that was the focus of all energies since Dec 2019. The race itself was nothing to write home about. After the ankle injury in early November ,which further jeopardised my faltering training,I had reconciled myself to running TMM without any timing goal and just completing it in reasonable shape. With a per km pace mostly between 6:15 and 6:30 I completed my 15th consecutive FM in Mumbai in 4:33 - running the last 4 Kms quite strong. In hindsight, could have pushed a bit betwen 15 and 25Km for a sub 4:30 finish. However, glad to have made it to the start line despite injuries and happy to have finished in a reasonable shape.
As in 2019, again I drove to the airport on 18th Jan morning picking up Chandru and Pankaj enroute.
As usual bumped into several runners at Bangalore airport as well as on the flight. After collecting the bib and taking photos with a few runners at the very crowded expo a bunch of us headed to Rajwada Thal for a Rajasthani thali lunch. (My 2nd consecutive year of lunching here).
After meeting a friend and her husband at Smokehouse Deli near by I reached Hotel Fortune around 7PM. Met with another bunch of runners over (vegan pizza) dinner at Bezos in Colaba.
Slept from about 10PM to 3:30am Though the room was a bit small the hotel overall was better than New Bengal where we stayed in 2019. Bunch of us left the hotel for Azad maidan at about 4:35am.
This year I did not carry a bag with me for check-in at the baggage counter - probably for the first time ever in Mumbai. Usually I wear a windsheeter or full sleeve shirt which I keep in the check-in bag along with my phone and sandals to change into after the race. I decided to run with the phone - again a first ever for Mumbai. After quick pictures with D and Monappa and Nitin(outside the TCS tent) I headed to the start line via the holding area around 5:10am.
With no specific race strategy in mind (except to get to half way point in about 2:10 or so) I started at a slow pace with the intention of running with Pankaj and Prateek. Ended up staying just ahead of them till about the sea link after which they slowed down further. So we never met on the course. Ran with Chandra Kumar for sometime betwen Km 8 and 14 till I decided to stop at a Sulabh to take a leak. Had Rishi and Amrita for company for a bit on the sea link. Post that I pretty much ran alone.
The first half at 2:18 was about 10 minutes slower than planned . This meant I had more energy for the second half which was 3 minutes faster. Felt reasonably comfortable while going over the Peddar road flyover and the return stretch on Marine drive despite the increasing temperature. Overall the weather was quite ok with moderate temperature and below par humidity level.
Happy to have completed the racewithout stretching myself too much. The post race refereshment was quite pathetic. After a quick shower at the hotel and lunch at Pancharatna near by headed to the airport early.
It was close to 10PM by the time I got home after dropping Pankaj at UB city - fortunate enough to have made a successful trip for the seventeeth year in a row!!
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