Getting experience in my opinion talks more about the effort than not
trying or not taking any effort. 21st June 2019, the Bieg Rzeznika –
80 Km pair race had to test me physically and mentally. Lukasz and I met
through Couch surfing when I stayed at his place in 2018 while hitchhiking
from Warsaw to Gdansk with friends from Erasmus. He and I became nice friends,
we visited each other once after that trip. We celebrated the new year together when I went to his place. I had the chance also to meet his siblings, all of
them mean a family to me here. The people from Rumia, how I call them.
We won the place to participate in this race through the jackpot which
was conducted a few months ago. Lukas (I’ve given him an Indian nickname – Lokesh
Kumar; we made enough jokes about it) took care of the entire plan – logistics,
registration, and accommodation. Must firstly be thankful that I got to know a
nice friend. Ziomek. He, in fact, taught me a couple of sentences in Polish,
which to date has helped me get closer with the society (That includes “Co tam
Ziomek?” – (What’s up compatriot/ countryman?)
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| Take me down to paradise city! |
I had a hard time this year. Until March I tried to find a job here. In
the meantime I had to face my 2nd winter in life, continue training
for it is a hobby and a stress buster for me when I go for a run, study and do
my other daily stuff. I believe in making a balance between all the
activities. In my daily life, I like to set aside time for each stuff I wish to
do, be it cooking something special or meeting some friend or etc. Since
ultramarathons are not only about the physical endurance, the mental strength
plays the most important role. One can never predict what to expect while
running an ultra. It could be wild animals or tiredness or extreme weather or a slippery surface or anything that isn’t common.
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| Winter running. Shoes: Xero shoes Terraflex |
For winter I got the Terraflex (comfy trail shoes from Xero Shoes) which
was very nice while running in the snow. During the whole winter season, I
covered my legs only thrice during the runs. The rest of the time I ran in
shorts, which allowed my legs to feel the cold winter, straight. (one blog is
about it). Once the weather got warmer, I switched over to the sandals again,
they make me feel comfortable in this weather than running in the shoes. It is
a matter of my choice.
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| Getting the kit ready, let's race |
|
Since April 2019, my routine got tough. I had to balance work, cooking,
studying, attending classes for the next three months and work. All the free
time that I got, I used it to train. This meant, I could only focus on being
consistent, but not the required effort. I had to accept it. Nevertheless, I
made it a point to run at least twice a week, I did. Sometimes more.
Through WITC, I made some nice friends. I’d like to precisely describe
Adeline and Jedrzej here. During their training for marathons, I joined them
each once on separate occasions to simply give them a running company and do a
21Km. This way, I no longer feel the hardship in running 21K. Of course, I
wouldn’t be fast, yet I would have my own slow pace and finish. But this time I
couldn’t do such a practice for my race. Finding some time to train itself was
a big challenge. Never mind. Rather than complaining about the facts, I’d like
to rather face it. If I finish the challenge, I win. If I don’t, I take back
home a learning experience and try to work it better the next time. The
competition is I, me, myself; not a second person.
Alan, a great inspiration for me from WITC had passed on to me the
recipe of Rice balls with Miso sauce which is a nice recipe for ultra runs.
These runs require us to carry some food along since the aid points usually
are far away between each (usually 10-20 Km’s between each). I tried it for a
run, it seemed good. I was prepared to carry it for this race.
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| Miso Rice balls. (Recipe at the end of this article) |
Saturday, the week before the race, I went for a run with WITC; the
weather was super hot. I’m used to this weather in Chennai, it gets to 35-40
degrees easily. But here it was different. It was cold until a few weeks ago,
hence acclimatizing to this heat was a task itself. It was fun with the run,
Martin, a nice friend from WITC also joined. He is an encyclopedia about the
mountains around Europe. Someone planning a good trip in the mountains should
talk to him; he has some information to share; also likes barefoot running. We
had a nice conversation whilst running that day. He gave me some useful tips,
including his mantra “Never stop keep running”. I kept telling this again and
again.
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| Run with Martin& WITC the Saturday before the race |
The four days before the race
I had to work on the first shift that week, from Monday until Wednesday.
We were to leave on Wednesday noon, with the race starting 3am on Friday (21st
June). Waking up early was a good idea. This would allow my sleeping pattern to
get accustomed for the big day. I had to be prepared to sleep well whenever I
could. All the free time that I had on the three days I used them to do some
packing and preparation for the race. The accommodation that we found would
give us shelter, but we had to bring our own equipment to sleep – sleeping bags,
mats, etc. I was quite happy about it since it is fun to sleep that way and
enjoy the minimalist comfort.
The drive would take us 7-8 hours from Warsaw to Cisna. The race start
was at Komancza, 32 Km’s away. The people from Rumia arrived about 5pm at Metro
Mlociny, it was nice to see them again. We set off to Cisna, Lukas had rented a
car, a Toyota Auris, blue color, Petrol, Automatic version; quite compact and
nice.
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| On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair... |
We arrived at Cisna on Wednesday about 2am, I slept along the way most
of the time, since I was tired of managing work and some training during the week.
It was okay. We had to wait a bit until our place to sleep was sorted out, it
was finally.
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| View from the hostel, the mountains of Bieszczady |
The next morning we went to have breakfast. I loved the café, a super
cozy ambiance. Most of the people staying there that weekend had come to
participate in the race or to cheer for their dear ones.
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| The super cozy cafe |
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| Delicious potatoes with cheese, Kazakh style! |
It was very positive
to meet some of them. I got to meet the two Mateusz from Warsaw, they were
running the same race as us. We made a nice small talk, getting to know each
other. Until the race start, I didn’t look much into the elevation graph of the
race. I didn’t want to scare myself. A race is like an exam, one day before the
race it isn’t possible to worry about something, to which nothing could be
done. All I must do was to wait patiently and face the race, direct. I
preferred this.
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| Once more! |
I made sure to keep eating some food. During an ultra, the body needs a
lot of energy from carbohydrates; hence essential to eat a lot of pasta or rice,
also enough fluids – water, beer, etc. I had a few beers to get enough calories
(since I didn’t feel like eating and overfeeding myself before).
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| Our spot! Reminded me of my dad's native home at Thrissur, Kerala, India. Looked similar |
There were people from Zielona Gora, Warsaw, Elblag, Poznan, and a few more
places. With some of them, I got acquainted. Usually, it is easy as a foreigner
in this scenario to approach and meet everyone.
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| Team WITC at Bieg Rzeznika 2019 |
We headed to Cisna on Thursday
to pick our racing kit. Also, Juan was racing the 105 Km distance, which would
begin at 18:30, I wanted to be there to cheer for them. Of course, Alan, Asia,
Renata, Alan’s son Jeremy and Asia’s dad were there as support squad. It was
some motivation to meet Alan again. Most of my friends at WITC mentioned to
simply enjoy the race.
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| Cheering for Juan. The orange guy there! |
Meeting Alan boosted some more confidence, I keep
mentioning about their Bloody Loop experience, a race where a 4-member team
comprising of 3 cyclists and a runner accomplish 250 Km’s within 24 hours to
win the medal, each member gets to cycle 190 Km and run 60 Km. Alan was part of
this group, also Juan; they did it in 27 hours. I had the chance to run with
them for 15 Km’s; which indeed inspired me about endurance races. One needs to
see people in action during endurance races to understand better the conditions
and how the races look like.
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| Team "The Coolest", we are still cool! (Team name courtesy: Lokesh Kumar) |
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| Elevation graph for the 80 Km Butcher's run (Bieg Rzeznika) |
Juan started and was to make a loop to come back to Cisna again, we
wanted to be there to cheer up for him and give a hi5, we did. He was running
strong. On our way back to the hostel again, we gave Hi5 to every runner we saw.
The people from Rumia enjoyed this, I was telling them how important and
great it would be as a runner to see someone cheer for them. When we give a hi5
for the first runner, the runner behind him watches it and expects it too; and
so on and on and on. Why not, hi5 for everyone be it 😊
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| The finish line, some participants from the 50Km race which happened on Thursday |
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| either Whisky or Marathon, which one? |
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| Spotted few bare feet! |
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| The racing arena at Cisna, almost everyone is an ultra runner |
We then headed back to the hostel to get some nap soon and also a good
meal before the race. The waitress in this café was super energetic. Had to
appreciate her for working hard, yet put a nice smiling face. These small gestures
make these cafes near the mountains a great environment. Most of them are here
to chill and relax and not to hurry and panic. Lukas hit the bed before to get
some sleep before heading back to have dinner. I decided to wait, have my meal
and hit the bed. I had a nice tomato pasta soup and beer felt satisfied and
soon hit the bed. Our cheering squad were to meet us at Cisna during the 32Km
pit stop and help us with some things that we had packed. I had also put my Terraflex
shoes along (Damn, I should have used it in the race).
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| Beautiful backdrop along the railway line at Cisna |
Fast forward to the race day
The way to the hostel was a bit complicated, we had to leave the car on
the street and hike for 400m (elevation only) to get to the spot. This itself
was a good exercise. I woke up at 12:30 after managing 2:30 Hours nap, which I
felt was good enough. I was relaxed. I didn’t want to talk much about the race
or scare myself with deep thoughts. I was fine.
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| Why stand? Sitting saves energy! It matters! |
Both of us got the things ready. Importantly Vaseline for the groin
area, making sure to poop before the race start, the headlights and the little
things. I would run the race with my sandals since I felt comfortable running
in them, I didn’t want to change it to shoes for I felt I might injure myself.
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| Preparing as a cheering squad. What are the things to do! |
Buses were to pick all the runners from Cisna and drop them at Komancza,
32Km away. The arrangements were fantastic, enough buses to carry all the
runners. Since this was a pair race, there were over 600 teams.
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| Bus for ultra runners, full of ultra runners, for ultra running |
The bus journey was fine. I photobombed the running pair sitting in
front of us and had a short conversation before taking a good nap. It was comfortable weather, with the bus going fast, it was apt to sleep. I wanted to
be quiet and not talk much about the race, for it would cause unnecessary panic
and anxiety before the start. I chose to stay calm and relaxed. On reaching the
spot, many of us took to the fields nearby for a pee and proceed to the start
line. It was a lot of people racing, hence we found a place to stand way
behind. We had no option. It was around 02:30. I sat on the road, it saves
energy than standing. The race had a cut off time of 16 hours, for which I
seemed to be mentally prepared. Hence, any unwanted movements or standing only
will add to the fatigue towards the end of the day.
We took a few photos to add to the memory. Lot of smiling faces. Every
single one of them, a passionate runner, attempting a challenge, lot of hard work
and determination; what a positive environment. I think I was the only foreign
runner, Lukas said probably there were one pair from Ukraine.
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| Spartan! Ready! |
The race started at 3:00 sharp. We kept to a slow pace, to be slow and
steady. Lukas had to stick to my pace. I don’t train to be fast, hence
increasing the pace would make me fatigue soon. We kept a steady pace, walking
when it was inclined. The headlights we had were strong. But given most of
them using lights, we didn’t need it all the time. There was enough natural
light, the roads were bright enough for the eyes to see. It seemed very beautiful,
the valleys of Bieszczady, green and mist all over. We kept marching ahead. Soon,
it was time to move into the forest, it seemed like a warm welcome.
Mountains calling, it is a famous phrase for a nice reason. The
mountains show us something, which the cities won’t. Cities might have beautiful
buildings, but nature has a dynamically changing landscape. Every 100m we
move, we see some change in what we see. The more we get bonded to nature, I’m
sure the more protective we are, to care and preserve our natural resources. It
is very important today, how many of us care about helping preserve our environment?
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| Why go see Narnia in the theater. The real paradise is out there! Go and see it with your eyes! |
Until 17 Km it was okay, with some steep elevation at few places. I was
able to manage it with the sandals. Since they don’t have a stop for the toes
to be in a fixed position, they move around when there is some wetness, which
would make it hard to find some grip. Many runners along the way were
commenting about my barefoot running style, some even having a short
conversation in Polish. Thanks to my basic knowledge, I could speak a few words
and relish the time. Any small distraction of this time during an ultra-race is
a treasure, it allows one to forget the pain and the endurance and keep moving.
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Race start at Komacza, a lot of runners competing in this 80 Km pair race
|
Lukas was in good form, both of us decided to give a simple noise
(hussss) to check if we were fine, instead of turning back or talking. Since I
have done a few ultra races before, I knew how my body would react during the
endurance, I know where I would get the pain, where I would get fatigued. This adds
value while preparing for races.
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| When the mind was spinning, nirvana! |
After 17Km, it was hard, the elevation started to get higher and higher.
From 400m, we were already at about 1000m. I found some wooden branches along
the way to use them like a pole, to balance myself well. This way I found more
grip. At some points, I even slept a bit while running.
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| You spin my head right round, right round when you go down down |
The head spins, since
it is still darkness, with some natural light from the sky. As we keep moving,
the brain finds it hard to concentrate without additional light, making us spin
a little. It is a great sensation.
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| Welcome to the jungle, we've got fun and games! |
Despite the hardness, we kept moving. Few seconds of halt at some points
to tackle the elevation. At some points I was yelling, for it was getting
harder and harder. Why keep emotions inside and not show them out? Yelling
at least made me feel comfortable, I found a way to vent out the anger. It wasn’t
on anyone. It was simply me.
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| at the 17Km Checkpoint |
Some locations were muddy. This meant adding more effort to overcome the
mud sticking to the legs. It was still fine. And soon, we reached a point where
it was only decent left. It was all of a sudden. I kept running down, there
seemed no stopping.
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| Soaked in the mud! |
At some points, I kept my feet on the tree roots to allow me to
reduce my pace and balance better. At one point Lukas waited for me to cheer since it was only 3Km more left to the checkpoint at Cisna.
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| Runners approaching the steep elevation. At about 20Km |
And we were left with one final descent, which would end near our
hostel. It was hard. I felt like hallucinating, I knew I was running, I couldn’t
keep track of things. It was a great feeling. Probably “lost in the woods”
depicts it right.
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| Emotions seeing our cheering squad at 32Km. Little things value more! |
I packed very few things for the race. Over time, the experience taught me
the habit of buying less, only what was required. I had a bar of Nussbeisser chocolate, my favorite. Both of us shared it during the race. I was
making fun of Lukas, saying he is a “Saapatu Raman”, a Tamil funny phrase for
someone who likes to keep eating. He gave me some raisins, I felt hungry at
some points.
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| One needs to cheer for other runners! That's how we create a positive environment. Thursday evening at Cisna! |
It was fine. We kept a steady pace until Cisna. At some points during
the race, when I landed on stones, I could have hurt my legs. It hurt me at two
locations, I still managed. During the last 2 Km stretch to Cisna, I had a
cramp in my inner thighs. Since I had some lemon juice, I sipped it. It could
have been due to lack of enough salt. I could manage it.
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| Few meters close to the massive descent |
Soon after the last turn, we were set to arrive at Cisna. What a great
delight to see our smiling faces waiting for us. They were screaming in joy
seeing us. We crossed the time mark and went for a break.
I took pasta for both of us from the aid point and slept on the grass directly.
A sip of beer brought me good energy back. It felt like recovery. I ate some
food and took a nice nap, lying down on the grass. The grass is soft, hence our
back doesn’t hurt, it was comfortable. Our break lasted about 20 minutes. I had
enough beer to back me up and proceed. Hugs and cheers later, we kept moving. My
mind was ready to finish after 47Km’s and then worry about the rest of the
distance. That’s a good strategy. Until then I only wanted to stop.
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| Power nap, in nature's lap |
It was the time for my battle. There was a small bridge and soon after it
was only mud. It was really wet and strong, lasted for 500m. My legs got stuck
and I found it hard to find balance with the sandals, the mud and the ascent at
the same time. Most of the people I think had the same scenario. It was hard.
My mind soon started to go into a state of giving up. It was sudden. I couldn’t
think much. I soon removed my sandals and kept marching barefoot. I had no
option but to cross this muddy area. There was a stream of water where I washed
my legs to remove the sticky mud. Yet it was hard. I wasn’t satisfied. I still
tried to keep moving. It was hard since it was time for steep incline. We were
on time if we had to move in the same speed to be at the 47 Km’s mark within
cut off. But destiny had another fate for us, for me!
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Walking barefoot on the mud, with the sandals in hand, tough journey! That moment when all the plans toppled!
|
Lukas found a tree branch and gave me. I tried to cling on it and keep
moving. Because of the mud and the elevation at the same time, my ankles were
struggling to find balance. It means a lot of tension on the ankles. I decided
to stop. I was crawling at this point, struggling to hold myself in this steep
surface. I had to tell Lukas, that I decided to stop and not move forward. I
wanted to go back. My mind wasn’t stable. I felt like I lacked any more confidence
and determination. I wanted to avoid any injury and go back. I offered Lukas to
let him go and try to finish. But he was hesitant, he wanted to go back with
me. He said “We go forward together, if not, we go back together”, it is also
in the rules.
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| 7 hours of endurance came to an end! We will bounce back again! |
We had to stop. On our way back slowly, I told him about how challenging
it was for me, all this time. The study, life, work, all at the same time. Probably
it was a hard challenge for me. We met a woman who was competing in the 60K
category, she was fighting hard to try and finish the race. She had anemia
last year, hence couldn’t finish the race. But this year, she wanted to try and
get there. She was brave. Respect.
We met a few people on our way down.
One guy was part of the organizing team, he noted our number to let the organizers know we quit.
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| Water crossing at Cisna |
We came down. There was a water crossing. The water was cold. We had to
walk a bit to cross and get to the same point at Cisna. Our race was over. We
picked a beer and some food from the point, waiting for the girls to come and
pick us up.
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| Another couple that we encountered, at 17Km |
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| the brave Spartan whom I met, she was on her way to 60Km's, her race |
I was satisfied with the decision to give up, I tried. Being barefoot is
my nature, hence I don’t feel “Wow” about it, I only did what felt comfortable
to me. But, my decision to not take the shoes at Cisna was a bad choice. I
stood a higher chance of a completion, had I used the shoes. It is learning.
Next time, I will prepare better. For the first time, I did a race 35 Km’s,
with 1500m of elevation. True hardship, but still we did a small part.
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| It is a challenging task to organize race logistics! A sneak peek of bag drop off point! |
The part that made me feel bad, was about Lukas having to quit along
with me. He prepared well for the race, put a lot of effort in organizing it.
But, choosing to quit along with his friend and support is a warm gesture, I
did find a true friend. I could complain or he could talk about it, but both
of us accepted the moment. This wouldn’t mean an end to our running. A lot of
races will come, our goal to endure our limits won’t stop, it will continue, and
on and on.
I owe him the responsibility for giving up. I can not complain or crim about
it. I chose to run with him. Someday soon we will race again, finish it well
(I will wear shoes this time if the route would require) and maybe train better
with poles, to aid grip. If not for Lukas, accomplishing 35 Km's itself wouldn't be possible. He proved me a great friend and a wonderful soul.
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| Salute to Lukas for driving all the distance! About 1500 Km's overall! |
"
lernen ist wie Rudern gegen den Strom. Hört man damit auf, treibt man zurück" - Laozi
Special thanks to all the wonderful souls in CTC, WITC, my friends& well-wishers
from Warsaw, the people from Rumia, friends from India, my parents, my
granny. Every single effort of them has brought me to this point where I’m not
afraid of challenging myself. The fear of trying something is gone. The boy
will not stop, he will continue to seek his goal, an endurance, a state of
mind, a feeling of satisfaction, a desire to keep exploring.
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| Live life king size, eat these pancakes! |
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| Who wants to relax at this cafe in Park Bieszczady? |
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| Martin recommended us to try the pancakes here! Super nice ambiance! |
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| Finally! We tried! |
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| Why close the legs? Let them be free! |
"Unsere größte Schwäche liegt im Aufgeben. Der sicherste Weg zum Erfolg ist immer, es noch einmal zu versuchen" - Thomas Alva Edison
Note: This article is solely my opinion. It is not intended to alter your thoughts or training plans or opinions by any means. Alcohol is injurious, please avoid. Barefoot running has its own precautions, it is not for amateurs, try it at your own risk.
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