Collection of HAPPYness

Excitement! This was my first reaction to the email I got from organisers of World 10K Marathon in Bangalore. One of the main organisers was the IT company I've been undergoing a management internship at: TATA Consultancy Services ( TCS )

Sarcastically, I received the confirmation email 1,5 day before the big run. Excitement doubled when I managed to book the bus tickets: after all, it takes only 6-7 hours to get from Chennai to Bangalore ( this is nothing in India. And I love watching a wide road and green trees on the way to Bangalore. I just can't find it much in Chennai )

So tickets were booked, map was printed, and unwisely I stayed up till 1am. The next morning I found myself throwing clothes to my beloved orange backpack that keeps all my travel memories, and running to be on time for the morning bus. Naively, I believed I would be on time, but in fact I was late for 25 minutes. I could not believe I have overslept and would easily lose this opportunity to run. No way, I was craving for it! After all, it could have been my second run so far... Wait, why could have been? I still could find another bus but a thought of paying double did not put any smile on my face. No, not at all.

Luckily, there were two guys who also missed the same 8am bus and they were trying to get another bus for the same tickets. After a few minutes the guys were asking for three tickets including mine :) I felt how luck smiled at us when the travel agency staff agreed to give us a 10am bus for the same tickets we have not used. (Not that bad, ugh?)

So we had a 1 1/2 hour and we went to the nearest hotel for a fresh breakfast. I was quite hungry but as I imagined that most probably breakfast would be too masala in the morning, I gave up of ordering dosas and idlis. ( Masala are spices; dosa is like a big pancake but it is too oily for me, and idlis are like small pancakes made of rice flour and usually eaten with coconut chutney or any other chutney and sambar ( i.e. "sauses" )

During breakfast, I got to know my companions. Both were from Chennai and both were travelling. Seemed like both were best friends and seemed like they did not care if they speak English or Tamil with me. Neither did I. I was sipping a pineapple juice and smiling like a small kid that has gotten what he wanted. Yes, I was actually going to run the next day. Unbelievable!

7 hours later we safely arrived at one of the most developed and beautiful cities in India - Bangalore. I always liked Bangalore - its wide clean streets, shadows from the trees, parks to walk and rest, and beautiful people. In the evening I met with Pascal, a Cameroonian friend, and we headed to his home. In this marvellous evening I had tried a delicious Cameroonian meal. Unfortunately, I forgot its name but it was with fried bananas and some meat and something else. Delicious!

The next morning I woke up impatiently to start the HAPPYness Day. Pascal and I arrived at the main stadium at about 6.30am where runner amateurs were flooding the whole district. Passing by DHL, KPMG rooms, press room, media room, etc we searched for TCS room to get a runner kit. It took us almost half an hour to find what we needed: in a blue light bag I found my number 26161, a branded blue Tshirt, a brand new blue cap and lots of useful packs of oats, sun lotion, some medicine, a sandwich and a cake and a juice can and much more. Impressive! ( It was impressive for me because when I had my first run in Riga, Latvia I did not receive such a pack )

One hour later Pascal and I reached the gates from where 5Km batch was supposed to run. I really had no idea how many people had registered for a 5 Km run but there were too many black haired heads to count. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1... Off! I slowly walked from the main entrance but then was caught up by a massive wave of runners: it was a big mix of TCSers, DHLers, KPMGs, local company employees which names I cannot recall.

My goal was to run 5 km, five, not ten km. I started off quite lightly. I approximately knew my time for 5 km, I sensed when I would need to make stops and how much of water I would need to visualise to satisfy my thirstiness. Hopefully, it was slightly hot and there were a few water stations on the way. Cheerleaders' support, passers by inquisitiveness and reporters' media coverage made the run an extremely funny experience!

So 22 minutes later I got an update: I ran 2 kms. Sigh. I still felt fine, no need to stop, the breath and pulse were stable, so I kept on running. After some time I notice a new sign: 4km. 'Brilliant', I had thought, ' I am close to finish". However, a sign "5" never appeared. Instead, I saw "7", then "8" and so on. To my surprise I was running a 10 km challenge! I had nothing to do but finish. Finish as soon as possible because by 6-7th km I felt tired and hungry.

44 minutes is my record for 10km. I don't know if it is a good time or not. Personally, I found it a suitable time: not in a rush, not in a slow motion, not breathless or waterless.

In the end, I felt HAPPY, excited and reassured I can run at a bit more long distances. I felt that I can achieve more when I get this hobby more seriously and would get myself trained every week. I am serious. I will get back to running in the gym and will look for future marathons.

Post marathon. I am so much thankful to Pascal for his friendliness and care. Thankful to his friends who have fed me in the first evening and who shared with me their views on life. Thankful to TCS Bangalore for this amazing opportunity to feel life in my veins! Thankful to that couple at the bus station that helped me get the bus to chase my dream. And thankful to my beloved mom who taught me one simple truth in life, "Anything that you are doing in life - do it with all your passion and love. Put your soul in it. Then you will be happy". Thank you, mama!

A few pictures from the marathon published online you can view here and a few more in one of my Facebook albums here