Battle with the Winds: The SFO Half marathon experience
'Running is an exercise in humility.' I had come across this quote sometime back on a running website. And I experienced this at the Half marathon held inside Golden Gate Park at San Francisco.
It was my first event of 2020 as I was recuperating from a viral bout in January. The antibiotic course had taken a toll on my fitness levels. So, I decided to take this run easy. Besides I was running in SFO after 4 months. It was a cold February morning when I ventured out. It took me around 50 minutes to reach the point near Golden gate park from where I had to walk inside. I spotted some runners who were on their way to the start point.
The park was bustling with runners, volunteers and a couple of aid stations. It was quite chilly so I began to walk on the lawns trying to keep myself warm. Running/Triathlon events are a great way to meet people and get into a conversation with them. I ended up having a nice conversation with a lady from Germany. She was in the city for a conference and decided to this event. She was running the 10 k and hadn’t mustered enough courage to venture into a half marathon. We exchanged notes on our respective running journeys and indulged in some self-deprecating humor about running a mile in 5 minutes. It always feels good to get a laugh before a run to ease those nervous bouts. It was time for the event and we both headed to our separate start points after exchanging hugs and goodbyes.
The green carpet welcome: Golden gate park is beautiful as with its lush green lawns, gentle rolling hills and ponds with ducks swimming in a calm fashion. Incidentally my first run in California back in July 2017 had been inside Golden Gate Park. I remember being awed by its beauty and I still was in awe. The first 2.5 miles were strong until fatigue began to take over. Puzzled I took a sip of water. It was cold and slightly windy.
Contrary to what I thought in India, running in cold weather is challenging. Especially when its accompanied with wind. The body takes time to warm up and I went a bit too fast for my liking. I decided to slow my pace and focus on rhythmic running. The carpet of green on either side of the road was a treat to the eyes. Before I knew it, 6 miles were done. Around the 7th-8thmile, the course steered towards Ocean beach. This was when the real battle began.
Head on with the headwinds: I had run on this course several times before. Once at the Hot chocolate run in January 2018 and the famous Bay to breakers race in May 2018 . The weather was perfect on both those runs unlike today where I was greeted by gusty winds. As soon as I stepped on the road at this point, I felt a fierce tug on my right. It felt as though an invisible giant was pulling me towards the ocean. The winds had begun their attack. Every stride felt a combat with the forces of nature. I glanced at the ocean to my right. The sheet of blue bounced on the shore with frothy white foams. I tried diverting my mind and began to admire the lethal combination of blue and white only to have sand blown into my eyes.
Nature was being brutal that morning. I stopped and rubbed my eyes. The minute I felt better, I began to run. I usually am a strong runner but this gust of air was making every step a challenge. I began to adopt the walk/run method to survive this tornado. I noticed others doing the same. A man in front of me stopped for a few minutes to put a towel around his head and protect his eyes from the sand particles.
I paused as well and slipped on my sun glasses which was perched on my head. The sand was blowing continuously and furiously. At one point, I actually ended up tasting it in my mouth and almost choked. Things were only about to get worse. When I turned around at the 10th mile, it had become unbearable. The winds had formed an invisible wall and it was tough to penetrate through the wall. It was for the first time at an event when I felt like giving up on the run. As though they had read my thoughts, a volunteer cheered, “Keep going, you are almost there.”
A lesson in humility:Using all my reserves, I decided to keep going. It was one of those rare times when I thought that just finishing this race would be an accomplishment. I was tired and exhausted. I had felt exhausted during my bike and run leg of Ironman 70.3 race in September where there were heady winds. However, the tailwinds later gave me some respite. There was no respite in this half marathon race. No amount of Gatorade or gu gels were enough to fight nature’s power.
As I inched every mile, I gave myself a pat on the back. I split it into smaller goals to motivate myself to keep going. I was glad to get out of the Ocean Beach road. By the time I was inside the park, I was depleted of all my reserves. A little voice in my head reminded me that this was exactly how I felt during my full marathon back in 2013. That was double the distance. Another voice reprimanded me for feeling this way during a half marathon. A half. I had run this distance in a strong manner after finishing 1.2-mile swim and 56-mile biking. What the heck. I told myself that I was the mercy of nature. I had to keep chugging along till that familiar arch that read finish line. I faintly heard the emcee’s voice calling out my name.
I plonked on the ground as soon as I received my finisher’s medal. I gulped down water and looked around at other runners streaming in. Everyone was complaining about the winds. Winds that could knock those tall and gigantic trees with one blow. Who was I to complain?
I went home that morning feeling quite small and most importantly humbled. You may be a strong runner and triathlete. However, when it comes to dealing with nature, you are reduced to nothing but a small ant in a giant’s world.
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