Breaking the 3:40 FM barrier @ New Delhi Marathon 2023

New Delhi Marathon 2023 was one of my best marathons so far and it will remain etched in my memory forever. 3 things stood out for me:

1. I broke the 3:40 barrier for the first time with a 3:34 finish
2. Ran it as per the plan – to the tee as they say
3. Came at the back of a solid 16 weeks focused training block – one of the best training blocks for me

Calendar year 2022 was largely a poor year for me; a 4:25 FM in Bangaluru Marathon, 48 mins 10K in Bengaluru 10K weren’t exactly the results I liked. But, Circa Nov 2022, something just cliked for me. My hunger for running re-ignited. I started being more relaxed in my runs and that resulted in drastic improvement in my endurance & speed. A training block ensued with the prized target of 3:45 or lower finish in Tata Mumbai Marathon (Jan 2023) and in New Delhi Marathon (Feb 2023). By December 2022 end, I was clocking substantial weekly mileage at solid pace and that led me to believe in the possibility of a sub 3:40 finish. Going into TMM 2023 I was confident of a 3:40 or lower finish but ended up committing a tactical mistake leading to a 3:47 finish – not a bad one but surely below my aim. That left me with just one more race to achieve a sub 3:40 so a lot was riding on New Delhi Marathon.

Delhi track is flat with a perfect weather to run. It is one of those races where people run to hit their PBs. I have always got my PBs here – 2019 @ 4:02, 2020 @ 3:51! So, this has been a lucky event for me.

After significant deliberations within few folks of my running group – Sundar & Manas mostly (& internally with myself :-)), I zeroed in on a even to minor postive split strategy for the race. The plan was to run the two halves at 1:47 and 1:48 respectively. For the first half the tolerance limited was set at 1:46 to 1:48 – the risk was on the faster side as I tend to run faster first half. The plan for the second half was to hold 5:04-5:07 zone till 40K and then finish based on what’s left in the tank!

Leading upto the race, I had a great pre-race sleep despite an early start of 4:15 am, thank god for that. I reached the venue around 40 mins before the flag off – so had loads of time to get myself ready for the race. About 20 mins before the flag off, I started my pre-set warm-up routine – slow jogs, stretches and few strides at various pace zones around the target race pace. By the flag off time, I was fully charged up and genuinely feeling awesome and ready to rock. And, here is how the race went:

a) A wayward start but a quick hold back

I hit a good pace off the start line. The route was a little dark and there was usual crowding in the starting km. First 1K came in at 4:57 and I reminded myself of the plan (actually my race plan was to never run a sub 5 pace except for the final 2K). By 5K I got the average pace back to 5:50 and more importantly hit a very comfortable rhythm.

I hit the 10K mark at around 51 mins, right on the pace. I saw a lot of familiar faces pass me in that stretch. There was a temptation to unleash but I kept reminding myself of the race plan!

b) Capitalizing on a solid start, but the hold back continues

10K to HM is usually the fastest segment in my FMs. But, the plan was to hold 5:04-5:06 pace zone despite any urge to move faster. Holding back in this segment was my real test and I aced it.

I ran 10K to 15K at 5:05 and 15K to 20K in 5:04. Perfectly as per the plan. Again, saw many folks passing me and kept reminding myself of the plan to resist the urge to run faster.

At 1:47:06, I hit the HM mark – back to the start-finish line and onto the second loop of the race. 50% of the race done and perfectly as planned.

c) Careful start to the second half, but hold back still continues

At the HM mark, I muttered a little prayer and told myself that the real race begins now. Usually, HM to 32K is the segment which determines how you will finish the FM. If you go too fast, you will pay massive price in the final 10K but if you go too slow you might end up with a gap too big to cover in the final 10K. You have to play smart in this segment and I was determined to do it.

My plan was to continue the hold back and stay in 5:05-5:07 zone here. I hit 30K mark at 2:32 with the 20K to 30K segment avg pace of 5:07. Good job, I said to myself.

During this segment, I witnessed the first signs of benefits of holding back. I was able to maintain a steady pace and therefore started passing several folks who were slowing down.

d) Game time, but hold back still ON

At 30K mark, I remined myself of the strategy again. Hold 5:04-5:07 zone till 40K mark!

30K to 35K went as per the plan with the average pace of 5:06. I felt awesome in this segment as I was steadily passing several runners – almost 4-5 runners every km. This was the much needed positive reinforcement that the race strategy is working.

The mental game of the FM begins around 35K mark. You just have 7K more to go so the mind is raring to go but the body has its own plans. I was watching out for any early sign of distress so the I could nip it in the bud.

The first sign came at the 36Km (my slowest split of 5:13). There was a scheduled gel break which I took at the aid station and then the legs felt a bit heavy and I could not swtich up to the target pace. For a few seconds, I felt this might be it – the dreaded pace decay which I had not factored in the plan. There was no buffer at all!

I motored on desparately trying to remain as close to 5:06 pace as possible. And then out of nowhere, I had a vision. The vision of my son, Vivaan, cheering for me from the side line in his usual style, “Run, Pappy, Run. Run Fast!” Then I sensed my wife, Hiral, behind him egging me on to push. This triggered a sudden burst of energy and motivation and off I snapped from that moment of weakness. Back in the game, I said to myself with a few “Come on, Aashu” fist pumps. And right then, I felt my entire running gang cheering for me – I saw/heard Sundar, Prasanna, Manas, Rahul, Chandra, Vikas & gang. All of this was just a figment of my imagination, it was surreal but the effect it had on me was real.

By 37Km, I was fully out of the weak spot. I belted a 5:05, 5:10 and 5:02 over next 3ks. And by then, I knew that sub 3:35 was in the bag.

e) Final hurray and a BIG relief

I hit 40K mark at around 3:24 leaving me with a full 11 mins to nail the final 2.2km & I was not going to hash it up now. It was time to push and push I did, only to trigger a little snap in my right calf – that feeling when you know that a cramp is just around the corner. Safety first approach kicked in – its better to finish at 3:34 rather than gunning for 3:33 and finishing above 3:35. I held back (story of the race) again and decided to hold steady pace till I can see/sense the finish line.

41 and 42Km came in around 5:10 average pace. The finish line was in the sight now and all I had to do was to push. Finally, no holding back for the very first time in the race!

I crossed the finish line with my watch at 3:34:55. For some reason the start-finish clock wasn’t working so I could not note the exact finish time, but I wasn’t concerned!

At the finish line, I muttered a small prayer again and then was overwhelmed with a flurry of emotions – happiness, satisfaction, achievement, pride, and a deep sense of relief!

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I have been fortunate to have a super supportive family and big gang of friends who are tremendously invested into my running pursuits. Their belief in my running abilities oftentimes surpasses my self belief. Every single one of them wanted me to hit 3:30s in FM as they believed it to be my actual finish zone. Mumbai Marathon was as much a difficult pill to swallow for them as me. I couldn’t have disappointed such wonderful people by not hitting the target. It is probably because of the incredible support and the inivisble energy of this group of people that I was able to nail the race as per the plan – to the tee as they say!

What next & when? Well, from FM perspective there will be a break but I am determined to hit 3:20s in the next season. Untill then, running will continue with some Ultras and offseason 5K/10K/HMs.

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Event: New Delhi Marathon, 26 Feb 2023

Category: FM

Shoes: Saucony Endrophins Pro 2

Socks: Skechers Dry Fit

Gear: Nike Base layer, T10 Top, Adidas Zip Pocket Shorts, Kalenji Undershorts

Watch: Coros Pace 2