Dehradun Ultra 50kms - Extending the birthday blessings in to mileage gains.

Runs have always been the reason to exist in places less traveled. The Dehradun Ultra incidentally was scheduled during the birthday week and did justice to my travel plans to yet another remote location and make the most of the day with the children of the Government Primary School, Gharwal. 

This gesture has continued and I took the opportunity to be with souls that define the simplicity of living and learning the basics of humanity is indeed a heart warming experience.

 

Back here after a very very long time and I remember running the 74kms Gharwal run to qualify for LAULTRA 111kms and was a steep learning curve in itself and by steep, I really mean it. The altitude gains here was a challenge less know back then. 

That's me covered top to bottom reminds me of how well prepared I would need to be to run the early morning start in Doon again. Covering the ears is a must and the gloves to keep the finger tips warm and avoid frost bites. A full sleeves does work well in cold weather but now that I have stopped wearing tights inside the the drifits, I tend to wear a buff and a beanie to keep the cold off me considering I am still recovering from a bad throat post the Matheran Ultra. This has been the longest for me in terms of health and did not like how it feels. So always #fitfirstbeastnext. The travel plans have been all over the place on personal and professional front and also trying to be good boy back home by making those frequent visits to my ageing parents. It has definitely kept me in my toes. Still trying to manage some time out and head to a distant and remote location to meet some souls that thrive life in the simplest form possible and happy and content with the livelihood. 

I made it a point that we celebrate just not the day but the month and had everybody in this frame celebrating the Birthday this very month - March. An early engagement with Indra Surya Trust helped me plan this event without any hassles. 

More details here

https://www.instagram.com/p/DHBPNSCzaRGaT_2_yAnu9_wQShnzuaxywbLoH40/?igsh=MmZlcmFuZG1jOHpj

The Dehradun Ultra was in its 2nd edition and a considerably low key event that is gaining some footfall now. The runners turning up at this event has a competitive edge and knowing that many hail from the mountain terrains located nearby, the rankings were up for the grab. The BIB collection happened near the start location of the race and was at a walkable distance for me since I chose to stay at JSR INN which again is opposite to the start location. Staying here could be tricky as accessibility to the Cabs on Ola and Uber can be a challenge at times. This was the old mussoorie road that extended from Gehri Cantt to Mussoorie and was quite a uphill that lasted 25kms in the 50kms category race. 

The 5am start time demanded for a head torch as it was still dark and though being a road run, the pot holes had to be watched out for to avoid any falls even on the way up. The traffic on this road is very minimal and is not a hindrance at all in the early hours of the run. The later half of the race could get tricky as the twist and turns on the route can block your sight on vehicular movement and just to give you an idea on how the trajectory is laid out, here you go on the elevation graph 

And to witness the turns that felt quite intimidating only after you have managed to capture it from the top

The milestones were pretty clear when the start and end point is same. This was a 25km upward run followed by the downhill 25kms on the same route. So the only milestone I had in mind was the 25th km post which I could use the run as a no brainer knowing the terrain by now and the only factor that could bother you on your return is the overlooking sun. 

And hence the full sleeves to avoid the harsh sunrays.

The first 25 kilometres had a mixed bag of steep uphill at certain distances and some gradually gained the elevation while running. These were the dear ones for sure. The aid stations were appropriately placed at every 5th kilometre and were well stocked with whatever you need to survive this ordeal. My goto has always been the orange and salt combination that keep my engeries intact and yes, the taste too. 

I carried a 1litre hydration backpack on me and energy gels as usual. A litre to go up with electrolytes in it and a litre refill of water to come down but this time I did not top up the electrolytes as the sweetness of it gets a bit annoying on your taste glands. The water intakes at aid stations and orange + salt was followed through out the downhill. I also wore the compression socks after a long time to comfort the injury that I carried from the start of the year. It definitely kept the cramps at bay though slowing down could give me a muscle pull here and there, I chose not to stop on the downhills and kept the pace in check to ensure there is no burn out. 

I wouldn't say the downhill run was entirely hunky dorey as it took considerable effort to maintain the energy levels in you. I had to be mindful to not exploit the conditions though seemed favourable due to the downward motion and it could happen that you tend to miss on quick sips of water and electrolyte. Also the turns are tricky at certain sections and you could be absolutely blind to the incoming traffic from the other side. A big thankyou to the volunteers manning the aid stations under the sun and supporting the runners with much needed nutrition. Staying put at one place and waiting on pitstops from runners get be taxing just like the f1 races 😜 because at times runners tend to get restless if things are not offered quickly or not well spread on the table for them to pick. Kudos team Dehradun Ultra!.

The journey continued and so did the ritual of conquering shorter milestones and frequent intakes of food, water, salt to ensure you don't run on fumes. There are treas towards the start of the run that give you much needed shade and respite from the sun and when you see some civilization in sight, it's bring the much needed motivation when people happen to cheer you to the finish line. Crossed the finish line well within 6 hours and as low key it could get, it was a warm welcome back in the tent and only to my surprise I see runners from Mongolia had also taken part in the fury of the event. Rested well with some more water for rescue and foooooooooodddddd. A few clicks here and there and off I go for a hot water shower 😊, such a blessing! 

Just when I see myself lying down on my bed, I hear category prize announcement for my BIB number and well well, this came in from no where.i bagged 2nd place in my age category and this was a well deserved closure for the birthday week. Happy me happy legs :).

A thought just crossed my mind and the willingness to run shorter distance that prevailed from early past was kicking in. I was wondering if this continuous cycle of developing endurance for every other run was getting overwhelming and felt like I could use a break from the longer format. Lasting for hours is a thing but being cautious enough to not loose the charm of running in the chase of further credits to my name had to be given a thought. It's either that or its time to switch the playground 😉. As long as I am keeping the strength game up, I owe all those moments to myself that validate the achievements. The milestones will definitely be looked at, history will be created, theories will be put to practice and passion be the only driving the essense of times to come.

Being a marathon tourist can be one of the greatest experiences of your lifetime.