CHRONICLES OF A WANNABE RUNNER
This piece is not meant to be an inspirational piece nor is it meant to
be a professional guide on 'how to run your first half marathon ' . This is at
best a chronicling of events in the run up to my first half marathon. And if
you are like I was - thinking that 'I can't possibly ever run 21kms' then you
might find this interesting.
So let's begin with...why this thought of running a half marathon. Like
a lot of us, I had read reams of articles saying - running is liberating, it
introduces you to a pinnacle of human endurance, running does this....running
does that… running makes you a better human being etc etc. Right ? Maybe... but
that's not the reason why I took it up. My reasons were simple... Losing weight and
improving some BQ (brag quotient if you don't know it still). After all when
you are tipping the scales at 3 digits and no respite... You have only 2
options... Get ready for a life the kind Adnan Sami lived (before the
transformation) and get comfortable with it. Alternatively live with the guilt
of being over weight everyday and keep promising to become conscious
from ...well 'tomorrow'. My choice was clear... I didn't certainly want
to celebrate being overweight and couldn't rid myself of the guilt. The guilt
that gnawed at me after every extra rasgulla that I polished off..or the samosa
that I devoured even when I didn't have to. I did want to shed the kilos… just
that I wasn't doing enough. As for the second reason BQ. Trust me..having run a
half marathon ups the BQ several notches . Oh yeah it does ! In fact somewhere
in my subconscious, I was trying to match the BQ that several of my friends
were unwittingly throwing at me while describing their experiences at this half
marathon and that half marathon. I just said to myself ... Hang on guys..
..this won't go unresponded. They weren't like a gang of thugs that I would
leave their company if I didn't approve of what they did. They are a bunch of
wonderful guys doing a wonderful thing... I had to enroll myself in this
'club'. And boy.. their tribe was increasing...running was increasingly
becoming a fad. Everyone and his dog was preparing for the SCMM... I also felt
mildly pressured. Of course, there are always the other choices that are far
more inviting. Like sleeping through mornings, watching movies in the evening
and generally being the persons that lots of us are.
24th august was the date... This was the day, the decision was taken.
The decision was taken to run and complete the Standard Chartered Half Marathon
2014 scheduled for 19th January 2014. Along the way, I promised myself that I
will lose 10kgs. Why 24th August...no specific reason..just that the person
inside me screamed the loudest on that day. Also someone had told me that an
ideal training program for a half marathon for a beginner would need 20weeks...
and time was running out.
Some Flashback : At 6' 1/2 inch and 100kgs I
wasn't exactly obese... Technically I came in the overweight category. Also I
wasn't exactly a couch potato... I had taken to cycling on weekends and was a
decent swimmer...however all of this was just for fun...there was no method to
my swimming or cycling. I had bought my expensive cycle as a birthday
gift to myself, despite some friends betting me that my cycle would turn into a
towel stand in 2 months and I was hell bent upon proving them wrong …(Thanks
Roy and Bhatiaji for placing this bet.. I HAD to win this one!! and it did me a
lot of good along the way) On Sundays I
used to head out cycling for long distances - 20 kms to 100kms with friends and
we used to stopover at various points for a bite or a sugarcane juice or
similar. I used to shrug off the vada paavs or misal paav or kothimbir
vadi and similar from Datta snacks (khopoli) saying to myself - but I am
burning it all away from this cycling. However in hindsight, I suspect that on
those wonderful cycling trips I might have been coming back home with a net
positive on calories. But what the hell.. I was burning a lot of calories...and
I was active. I was able to pedal off every Sunday morning for 30-40-60-70 or
even 100 kms. My companions were fellow cyclists from Palm Beach riders and
from my society. We inspired each other..., slowed down for beginners, pulled
each other off our cosy mattresses at 5.00am on Sunday mornings "get up
and come down... We are waiting. And won't leave till you join"... Ok
..ok.. And there I was kitted, padded, helmet, gloves and the entire
paraphernalia... scrambling to join the gang patiently waiting. But then
again.. To be honest.. This would have happened only a couple of times. The
unwritten rule in the group was that you can't be late... so it used to be
amazing. Varad starts from Moraj circle at 4.45am meets Aditya at 5.00 am at
Jhama signal and then both reach DPS signal by 5.15 am. I reach DPS signal at
5.13 am and bingo ... Aditya and Varad's silhouette appears on the horizon on
Palm beach road.. It's 5.15... Without stopping.. The 3 of us would pedal off
further down and be met by many such enthusiasts. Discipline on timing is one
of things that is very common for fitness activities is something I would
discover as I covered this journey.
I had some very memorable long rides in the
coming months. The trans harbor circular ride of ~ 70kms was one such ride.
Ride from NRI to Vashi to chembur to Wadala to Dockyard Road and then on boat
from Ferry Wharf to Mora Jetty then back on the saddle from Uran to NRI It was
a wonderful ride and the route followed a full circle. We did a repeat of this
trans-harbour circuit again which was also covered by a newspaper ! A
ride to Nere on the day of Holi with Udayan, Sumit and Satish was another such.
A nightlong ride for Kripa Sagar’s mission of Quit Smoking – TABOFA (Take A
Breath Of Fresh Air) alongwith Commander Anand, Satish, Raja, Aditya and many
more cyclists also counted as one of the memorable rides. In this ride, we
pedaled off at 1.30am and cycled through Mumbai neighborhoods all night to
reach Gateway of India by sunrise and then back by a local train. I also went
on a 110 km ride to Shangrila Waterpark
on the Nashik highway and am reminded of the 2 flat tires that I had in a span
of 5kms and how the expertise of Inderjit came in very very handy.
So while I was enjoying all this
cycling fun, running was nowhere on the anvil. While I saw some of my cycling
buddies –Varad, Aditya, Udayan, Raja and many more.. move to running, I didn’t
seem to have a bit of inclination. Some of them had started training under
STRIDERS 3 days in a week. I couldn’t do that as I was based in Pune on most
weekdays. My friends did pull me along for a 10km-running event at Borivli on
28th July 2013 for me to try (thanks Raja for this). I hadn’t even
registered for the run but I ran or rather scrambled past the finish line
goaded and pulled by Gaurav in an unimpressive 94mins. I had walked most of the
10kms. And while for them this was the last chance to get a timing certificate,
which is required to register for the SCMM. I had no such worries; I anyways
had no intentions of running. I enjoyed the good company, the good breakfast
thereafter and the vibrant atmosphere that is an integral part of any running
event, as I would discover later.
And now coming back.. 24th
August had changed all that. I now wanted to run SCMM Half Marathon category.
But I hadn’t registered. Suddenly all the running events my friends had
participated in seemed like missed opportunities. Why did I not decide earlier?
Why did it take me so long? How could I ever have such low self-belief? All
these thoughts started haunting me.
Everything I was to do from now on
was to ‘catch up’ on lost time, lost opportunities and missed running events. I
was now on a mission- Mission 21:10. Running 21kms and losing 10kgs. Both these
goals had seemed impossible even individually and here I was ..gunning for
both. I started reading about running, about runners, about diet plans and
similar. There’s a lot of material out there to motivate you and it did charge
me up. There’s one quote I read in the midst of all this that made me think. It
said “You must not run to lose weight,
you must lose weight to run”. I wasn’t able to fully appreciate the essence
of this quote, but not for long (more on that later).
On the morning of 24th
Aug, I got up early to get going on my goals. I walked to the gate of my
society with my regular shoes, t-shirt and shorts. I will start from the gate I
said to myself, though really I was postponing the beginning of the run for a
few more minutes until I gathered more courage to embark on this self-inflicted
Mission 21:10. And before I knew it I arrived at the gate. I paused for a
moment, looked skywards, looked around to see if anyone was watching, did a
mental countdown from 10 as if launching a rocket and took off. Yes, I was off
running. The Mission 21:10 had kicked off. All sorts of thoughts now raced
through my mind in the first 100mtrs – Hey this isn’t as difficult, I can run
after all, with a decent practice I should be able to do 21kms in around 2
hours after all I had been cycling and its benefits had to rub off here, should
I increase my running speed or is this fine? And while I was filled with such
positive thoughts, I suddenly realized that I was running out of steam, was it
my lungs or was it the legs or the mind, whatever.. carry on ...I said to myself.
It started becoming difficult. I looked at the distance covered, it was just
400 mtrs. All my positive thoughts of the 1st 100mtrs came down
crashing on me and here I was struggling to cross 500mtrs. But I carried on,
pushed myself hard, very hard.. and then stopped running. I had only reached
the clubhouse, a mere 600mtrs from the gate. I continued to walk nevertheless
with my thoughts moving at a pace much faster than my heartbeat. This is bad,
very bad, is that all that I had, I questioned my decision: am I making a
mistake even thinking of running, I shouldn’t have challenged myself into
running. I even tried to externalize the problem: Was it my shoes.. everyone
had fancy running shoes and I was having the regular sneakers or was it my
T-shirt which was a regular cotton t-shirt and not the dri-fit one, aha it
could be that I didn’t have my music. I looked around while I walked along the
1.8km circuit of my complex like a defeated soldier. Did anybody around notice
my predicament; was I looking like a fool who thought he could run? But as is
always the case, the world didn’t seem to care and I was alone with my
thoughts. All along during this criss crossing of thoughts, the idea of giving
up on my mission 21:10 didn’t occur to me even once. That was heartening, as
now it meant that the only question I had to answer was ‘How was I going to do it?’. I circled the complex thrice
completely immersed into ‘what next’ mode thereby completing around 5.4kms of
which 600 mtrs was running. I was determined to change that.
My friends used to go running as a
group quite often. A fortnight later on Sunday (1st Sept), I went
with the group. Let me see if I belong here.
I participated in the entire group
running events after that and pushed myself to whatever level I could. I
started running on a treadmill in my society in Pune on weekdays and with the
group on Sundays.
How will I now register? Hope came
in the form of corporate registrations. I could register through my company
Aditya Birla Group (ABG) that supports lots of charities. I picked up ‘Hellen Keller Institute for the Deaf &
Deaf Blind’ and got myself registered for the SCMM. While it required me to
make quite a few frantic phone calls to ensure that I didn’t miss the bus, in
hindsight I realize that it was more out of my anxiety than anything else. The
people at the ABG office handling SCMM were very cooperative and understanding.
So they confirmed my registration and now the die was cast.
I announced to my friends that I
have registered for the SCMM 2014. Saying it to a large group is always good as
it puts that wee bit of extra pressure on yourself to ensure that you don’t
chicken out unnoticed.
I had only run 600mtrs and I had a
long way to go. The 600 mtrs became 1000 mtrs, which became 2.75Kms on 1st
Sept 2014. That is the day when we all as a group had gone to NCPA on Marine
drive. For the uninitiated, NCPA is a favorite meeting point for runners of all
hues and shades.. the place I suspect is more crowded on Sunday mornings than
at any other time any day of the week. There are hundreds of runners – mean and
lean, fit and fine, big and heavy, pros and wannabes.. all strutting their
stuff and getting off to a long run well before sunrise. Its also a place to
spot celebrities who are runners like Milind Soman, Anil Ambani and the likes….
As also runners who are now celebrities in their own right… What makes this
NCPA thing even more compelling is that the Striders group places water
stations along the Marine Drive and Peddar road to support the runners. The
resultant is an almost runners festival and a fitness culture that rubs off on
the laziest of human bones (if they care to wake up and walk up to NCPA at that
hour!!)
And here I was .. with credentials
of about 1Km of straight running under my belt rubbing shoulders with this
elite lot. So What !! I said… and started off with my friends ..most of whom
had come to improve their pace by running a 12km or a 15km long run. I on the
other hand had an easier task… to go as far as I can.. beyond 1Km. Am happy to
say that I made it to 2.75kms.. which is almost half way along the Marine
Drive. I was happy with my progress. But I had to scale up .. and scale up
fast.
The next Sunday our group decided
to go to Nere, a place about 35kms from our society. Nere is a small village
nestled in the hills somewhere ahead of Panvel and directly beneath the hill
town of Matheran. I had been there cycling so I knew this place to be a very
beautiful stretch …which with its bountiful greenery, flowing streams, quaint
villages along the way and amazing mountains all around, turns divine during
monsoons. I remember our good friend and fatherly figure Col. Bakshi had
arranged for this tacky mini-bus (as he always used to …to go on such ‘running
jaunts’) to go to Nere on 8th Sept. I also remember that he pulled
the plug on the lights and sound system of a party just the night before… a
party that we all friends were enjoying…saying “time to sleep guys… tomorrow we
have to go to Nere.” Right Sir!! These army guys I tell you @#$%#. But Sir, now
I think those ‘whacks on the bottoms’ were a great help. So there we were, a
bunch of half-asleep motley 40 somethings bundled into a rickety bus going for
an early morning run just a few hours after a lively and vibrant party which
was abruptly aborted.
Upon reaching there we realized
that there was another group of dozens of runners from Navi Mumbai – the ‘Navi
Mumbai Runners’ who had reached Nere.. to do what we all do best !! Run !!. We
all met each other in warm embrace as if we were some victorious armies coming
back from action. We clicked lots of pictures together and in general had a
good time. All my friends ran what they
had planned… some ran 10, some 15, some 21 and some even more. I did 10 kms… in
slightly less than 90 minutes. I had run and walked (mostly walked) through the
undulating terrain soaking in all the fun and in the process moved a notch
ahead in my quest towards 21:10.
One more thing, our running
escapades were grossly incomplete without a lots of pictures and a hearty
breakfast thereafter. Pictures of us posing as a group, running or even candid
shots were later exchanged on our whats app group to relive the moments for a
wee bit longer. This is a tradition that still continues strong. As for
breakfast, this was compulsory so much so that some of us (most notably Anil
and Neelanjana) refused to budge unless breakfast plans are finalized.
Identifying breakfast places for the group was something that I took upon
myself and I think I played my part fairly well. We almost always had a very
hearty breakfast in the best of the places. So when we were running at NCPA, it
was Mondegar or Leopold, at Race course it was Gallops, when at Nere, it was
Dutta Snacks and at Powai, it was Meluha Fern.
The next Sunday was planned for
Kharghar Central park. So while I had completed 10km the previous Sunday at
Nere, I had not run for more than 3kms… I mentioned this to Anurag… who
unflappably declared ‘Today you will run 7km’. Why did he say this? He didn’t
know. And why did I take it seriously? I didn’t know. But I started with a
water bottle in hand… determined to complete one full circuit of the Central
park which was around that distance. I was slow I was fatigued, I was
drained…but I had a 7kms in mind. I kept looking at my Endomondo app and I
indeed completed the 7kms on that day. It was my best shot. I had done 7kms in
an hour. Not so good when I look back..…but not so bad either. This was a run
that did a lot of good to my confidence and for the first time I started
believing that 21:10 is doable. I went back satisfied.
At this point I wish to mention
that I have come to realize that for me running was more of a mind game now
than being a business of a fit body. Of course, I had to be fit..I had to be
well rested for a run, I had to do the stretching before and after the run…all
that was a given. What was however
making the difference was the mind? I realized that it was difficult for me to
run multiple rounds of the 1.8km circuit in my society, than run from point A
to B and back Eg: 6 rounds of our society which was ~ 10kms was more difficult
for me than one full circuit of the Palm Beach road which is almost 14kms. I
guess the ‘destination’ being clear makes a difference to the mind. Similarly
when I ran with someone and we both paced together… if that person stops or
pauses… I found it very difficult to carry on. Also If I leave home thinking
that I would run 10kms, then I would find it almost impossible to carry on to
even 11kms. In all of this it is obvious that mind was playing the games, the
body was nowhere in picture. Hence the change of locations, distances and the
group… made the world of difference. Of course over a period now I have trained
the mind to reduce the effect of these games…but still a long way to go.
Another important thing is Music. I started off with creating my own ‘Motivational
Playlist’ of songs which I would play while running. Yes it helped me in the
beginning. But over a period I realized I was missing the sounds around me. The
sounds of people cheering when we were in an organized event, the sounds of
birds chirping when I was running in the society and of course I was not able to
have conversations with co-runners. At this juncture I can add, that when
running alone, I could have a nice conversation with myself, I was able to plan
the day ahead, think of solutions to various problems that I would be going
through.. at work or on the home front. I concluded that music deprived me of
greater pleasures… and hence I abandoned it.
I had gathered enough confidence
after the Kharghar run to participate in a timed event. Pune Marathon was round
the corner. Fortunately it was on Sunday 6th October but
unfortunately the registrations for that event were closed. I tried hard, made
a few phone calls and succeeded in getting myself and 18 of my friends
registered for this event. I registered for 10km, and my friends registered for
10 or 15 or 21k as it suited them.
All 20 of us (including Amit
Paithankar who had registered on his own) came to Pune on Saturday, collected
our bibs and prepared ourselves for running on the subsequently morning. I can clearly
remember our dinner that evening be to one of the most memorable pre-event
dinners that we had.. As the 20 of us settled down in the restaurant for dinner
along with a few ladies and children (few of my friends got their families to
join and cheer) the excitement on the face of this fine-dine restaurant staff
was writ large. They were happy at having a large group which would in all
likelihood generate a huge revenue for them. When a big bunch of guys like us
come together..drinks would flow, plates full of chicken or mutton or paneer or
kebabs would be continuously devoured by us brought by waiters parading between
the kitchen and our tables. The guys would down bottles of spirits, drink
themselves silly while howling and laughing and the restaurant manager would
join the laughter with his cash registers ringing. That’s the norm … but not
today !. When the excited captain came to our section to take our orders… we
ordered for 10 Dal khichdis and 10 Palak khichdis. The poor guy almost had a
seizure. I remember his face as he struggled to keep his tears within his eyes.
I felt bad for him. And as if to completely pin him down, one of us (I think
Rajesh Jha) asked for a discount for the few ladies and kids in the group….
Saying “look we are such a big group”. Yeah !! Ok !! So here we were now, a
group of decent, disciplined health conscious people occupying almost half the
fine dine restaurant covers (which was full by now) gorging on Khichdis and
complimentary papads even as the restaurant’s high paying guests were being
turned away. I suspect the restaurant has taken Khichdi off their menu now!!
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After the Pune Run !!
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On the day of the event, I got up
early, had a banana and went to the venue. At the start line I promised myself
that I would reward myself with a Garmin watch (a runners’ only indulgence
after shoes) if I finished inside of 80 minutes. When the run started, I did
not let the grandeur of the event intimidate me. Hundreds of runners were running
past me and I continued at my comfortable pace with 2 goals. Finish strong and
then try for 80 mins. I didn’t want to feel famished and finished at the Finish
line and so I had to spend myself suitably during the run. Too fast and I would
sap and drain…. Too slow and I am not getting better. So a balance had to be
struck. I continued with my technique of walk and run. Run for a km and walk a
100mtrs. This works for me. I did finish in 78 minutes and the feeling at the
finish line was that of ecstasy and exultation. 78 minutes may not mean much
for 10kms…but for me this was my first timed event, I crossed the Finish line…
feeling strong… and comfortable and I was holding my first medal after school
days. The journey had begun. A journey that continues to date.
The feeling of crossing the finish
line in an endurance event is something that I find is the biggest motivation
for any participant. I had read a lot of sayings about running and some event
organizers have banners with these sayings along the way …I could now relate to
them. A few of my favorites “I am a runner, I don’t stop when I am tired, I stop
only when I am done” or “Whenever you feel
like stopping midway, try and remember why you started off in the first place” or “Forget the Jones’ I am keeping up with myself” or “In a marathon, everyone who finishes is a winner” or “Your legs are not giving out… your head is giving
up… Keep going” or “Run if you can, walk
if you have to or crawl if you must… but never give up” or “The miracle isn’t that I finished.. the miracle is
that I had the courage to start”
and many many more. And now if you go back and read these quotes again…. They
apply equally well in life… each one of them. And looking at the social media
craze (yes even I am a victim) I have created one of my own “If you don’t finish
think what will you upload on Facebook when you reach home.. so instead of just
‘liking’ everyone’s pictures…. get your own… RUN”.
The big day was just a week away and I had been preparing
intermittently. There were a lot of debutants in our group and I could see that
they had much better level of preparation than me. I had had just one big run
of 16kms and I was taking solace from many of the serious runners saying that a
good practice run of 16-18kms is ok for a race day 21kms. The tempo and the
atmosphere at the event takes you through. I was hoping that they were right. I
had no option. But just as it was time to ‘taper off’ and ease off in readiness
for the big day… something happened. I felt feverish, noooo this can’t happen….
A silly virus can’t let my effort to go waste..my dreams of 21:10 seemed to be
coming to a naught… I was dejected. It was indeed viral. My past experience with
viral told me that 3 days are lost to fever and then a few more days to recover
fully from the ensuing weakness. I had just 8 days to go and I had to go to
Nagpur on official work. So it was cutting too fine… I took a day off after the
weekend and with 3 days done.. the fever was done with. Weakness prevailed when
I left for Nagpur on Wednesday morning. I did my work as usual in the Nagpur –
Chandrapur market going outlet to outlet. But one thing I took extreme care was
to see what I ate. I got the Radisson to pack me a big box of cut fruits and a
few boiled eggs for my road trips from Nagpur to towns around. This went on for
all the 3 days unabated. On Thursday I gathered some courage and ran an easy
3kms on the hotel treadmill after coming back from our daytime grind. I had run
out of steam in those 3kms. When I turned up for dinner, my colleagues from
Pune Abhishek and Vinod who had travelled with me scolded me for my bravado.
Weakness still prevailed. Was I going to make it. … I had to. We flew back late
on Friday night and Saturday was the day of rest. I got as much rest as I could
on Saturday before the big Sunday. I wrote an email to all the friends who had
donated to Hellen Keller Institute for the Deaf & Deaf Blind at my behest
for my participation at the SCMM thanking them and seeking their good wishes. I
had got T-shirts printed on behalf of the group which I collected very late on
Saturday night. Anxiety did not let me sleep for long… I was all along thinking
of the race … how will the route treat me, will there be enough water, will
I be able to finish, how much time will I take and so on. I assured myself …
Aaaal izzz well and went to sleep.
After the Pune event and in the
run-up to SCMM, I participated in a mini-triathlon, in the Powai 10k run and
several other self-supported runs with my group. Fun, fitness, friends and food
was the stated motto of the group and we enlivened each of these core values to
the hilt.
The big day had come… I was at the start line…
images of the finish line… of the medal around my neck... and the hugs from
friends who completed with me started conjuring up in my mind. I also thought
about the inmates of the Helen Keller Institute for Deaf and Deaf Blind to
which I was dedicating this run and had collected funding from friends. I had
no target timing except the qualifier timing of 3 hours.
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At the start line…
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I went on at this increased pace
and soon enough I did cross the line… it was very unassuming and very subtle.
There was a moment of disbelief, I looked at my Garmin…stopped the timer and halted.
I couldn’t find anyone near the finish line. Just then one of the volunteers
appeared. He congratulated me and asked me to move ahead so that I don’t block
the other finishers. I moved ahead…. Where I met a few of my friends. They
hugged me and congratulated me. The magnitude of the achievement was not lost
on me. I was rapturous and euphoric. For someone like me who struggled to run
600mtrs just 4 ½ months back on 24th August … this was a big
deal…real big deal. The timing said 2:40 which is not bad at all…for a
debutant. I was just happy to cross the line.
There were warm hugs all over.
Khushi was there near the finish line. I hugged her and lifted her off the
ground in ecstacy. I could see people lying on the ground relaxing or ecstatic,
some of them gasping, some of them passed out and similar such. I was still on
my feet and was feeling strong. I was not tired anymore. (It’s all in the mind.
Remember!) This was a feeling like nothing else. I was on top of the world. I called
home to inform the folks there of the feat. I also sent a message to my
colleagues (the leadership team at MH circle) and my team (the marketing team) at
Pune informing them of my triumph. They had been very encouraging and
supportive all along (thanks Raj and team for everything). Soon my inbox was
buzzing with congratulatory messages.
Me and Manu, both
debutants finished 2 mins apart from each other and that was another happy
feeling. We had practiced together (rather
lacked it!!) for most times.
All the members of
our group collected together… we congratulated each other with loud screams and
hugs. We took a lot of pictures and lived the moment. This is what lot of us
have been preparing for.. for a lot of time now. So the Half Marathon was done and dusted. But
wait the mission was called 21:10. The 21 bit had happened… what about the
other piece.
Well I had lost 8kgs in the
process and not 10. But again… what the heck.., I was able to fit into most of
my clothes easily ( in fact had found about 12 T-shirts which I had discarded
to be now fitting well)… I had significantly decreased my cholestoral levels, I
was more energetic at work than ever before, I was feeling healthy, I was able
to think and come up with solutions to some of the most complex situations I
faced … while running, running gave me a lot of ‘me’ time, running had given me
such an amazing group of friends… and yes my BQ was up.. several notches up.
Most importantly.. it reinforced the “Never Say Die’ attitude in me which I can
feel all over.
I had
my rewards and all these were to stay with me! So… so I did not brood over the
balance 2kilos… anyways I had enough adipose still left in me to gun
for yet another 21:10!!. But that’s for another day !!
