A run date with nature: The Valentine half marathon experience

February 19, 2020

It was one Monday morning when I had received a call from Amit. He sounded solemn and said that his 40 plus year old colleague had collapsed and lost life while running a trail run. I was shocked. He was apparently fit and had been running half marathons for a while. We both wondered about the cause for his sudden death. I couldn’t help thinking back to something that a senior runner had reiterated a while ago-about getting a regular checkup done. “You never know what goes inside your body even though you may feel fine.”

Besides Trails are tougher and humbling. Not advisable to go at a rocket speed unless you are a pro. Such thoughts played in my head when I went for a trail run on Valentine’s day. It was a run by the ocean and a beautiful course. Alarmed by the increase in deaths in running, a strange fear engulfed me that morning. I decided to resort to a heart based run for a change.

It was a beautiful morning at San Leandro which was about 45 minutes from my place. It was situated in the East Bay and close to Oakland. I caught the glimpse of sunrise and paused to savor the moment. The golden rays emanating from the sky reflected on the water below. The azure calm waters were like a sheet of blue placed next to the trail.

The white specs in the form of seagulls adorned the well-manicured green grass as they strutted about haughtily.

When I approached them, they flapped their wings and flew across the ocean, tittering in their shrill voices.

The run was scheduled to begin at 8:00 am. It was slated to be a hot day. I stood with other runners and observed their fancy attire. Mostly dressed in shades of red they depicted the spirit of Valentine. As the clock struck 8, the half marathoners began their run. I began at the rhythmic pace and admired the views of the bay throughout. The ocean was calm perhaps sensing my inner turmoil that had grappled my mind that morning. I always believed that nature had its way of reassuring you. Whenever I have had troubles in the past, sitting by the ocean or a hike on a trail helped me clear my mind.

It was an out and back course. The trail consisted of gravel and soon paved way to the marsh lands. It was a narrow route with several bridges that we had to run over. The water looked inviting and the sun was already up. I had half a mind to take a dip in the water only to diminish it as a crazy musing that was typical of a triathlete. If I am not swimming in the ocean, I am running past it.

I paused at the aid stations to refill my bottle. They were offering diet coke so I took a sip. I found myself cruising for half a mile only to remind myself that I was doing a heart based run. Valentine was all about hearts after all. :)

I slowed down and observed the scenery. I soon reached the turnaround point kept going. I noticed a lot of strong runners who were wearing T shirts from other events. I saw a man wearing the California International marathon(CIM) T shirt and another lady wearing a T shirt that read Trailquake. Both appeared like accomplished and experienced runners. Yet they were behind me, choosing to run slow. It made me smile to realize that there were runners who had a sensible approach of not racing every run.

I continued along the trails. The blue sky beautifully merged with the ocean painting a pretty picture. The shades of red worn by runners contrasted with the blue making it seem like a bunch of red roses placed against a blue canvas. The miles flew by along with time and I found myself inching towards the finish line. I got off the gravel path and stepped on the Tar road. It gave way to smooth strides as opposed to the squishy feel on the gravel pathway.

With the sun beating down hard, I crossed the finish line and had the medal handed over to me from a kind volunteer. It had an octopus carved on it and looked quite funky.

For a minute, I wondered how it would be for an octopus to run a marathon with 8 legs. I shook my head and dismissed it off as another crazy musing of a runner. Or probably it was the effect of being too long in the sun.

Another Sunday, another half marathon run. It was special as I could declare that I actually ran this one with my heart. Such was the spirit of Valentine and never has a run amidst nature made me feel so alive!