One foot in front of the other.” But when the thought needs to be lived, it’s not as simple. The Star Wars creator, George Lucas, further insists that one must keep going. When the distance is 42km, and one isn’t a regular, the philosophy becomes ornamental. This experience may be excruciating for most of the marathon runners who participate in the endurance examination. The prolific and proficient marathoners have reached the level of competence and comfort where pace matters and it’s a challenge to be faster, and better than the previous best. For runners like me, though, it’s the 49th time and seventh time full marathon, it’s still confined to mind games and a test of endurance.
Each year, the full marathon has a different lesson to offer. If the scalp was a battlefield, the greys were the invaders and the blacks live in constant fear of invasion, or eradication. At 43, I have few strands of hair more than what Mr Weatherbee in Archies would pompously show off. With each year, as the patches of grey keep feeding their greed of invading the skull, the feet seem to give constant reminders of wear and tear. During the run, I keep replaying the audio-visual images of the ‘angry young man’ being showered with bullets, white clothes soaked in blood, and the words of Harivansh Rai Bachchan heard in the deep baritone, “Tunathake ga kabhi, tunathame ga kabhi, tunamuregakabhi, karshapath… agneepath….” And that’s perhaps the secret. One foot in front of the other. As it is in life.
Tathagata Chowdhury at the bib camp before the Kolkata Full Marathon
At a Ted talk, I shared how I mapped marathon running with surviving cancer. At the event I spoke about running four marathons within six months of chemotherapy. I think in recent times, when a ‘celebrity’ staged cervical cancer as a cheap publicity stunt, in contrast, it’s proper to share how I read marathon training in the journey of healing and recovery for survivors. In 2019, at the Tata Medical Hospital, I experienced the need to push through physical and mental barriers during the treatment which was more challenging than the ailment. The seminoma carcinoma or testicular cancer didn’t feel arduous despite the lymph nodes affecting the heart, lungs and liver at the time of diagnosis. The treatment was a different ball game altogether. Long-term commitment to survive is like long-term commitment to finishing the race. My childhood friend, Dr Gunjan Baijal, a leading oncologist practising at the Manipal Hospital, Goa, once reasoned that since my body is used to marathon running, it was easier to accommodate tediously protracted treatment. The ISC topper is an occasional marathoner himself. When asked why he runs marathons, the radiation oncologist responds with his trademark humour that makes him popular among his patients, “there’s nothing better to do”.
The feel of the metal, the medal awarded to finisher(s) is a feeling that only finishers will know. I keep hearing the advice “listen to your body”. At the risk and cost of sounding arrogant and ignorant perhaps, I feel the body plays tricks and it’s important for the body to listen to the mind. The body is being pushed out of its comfort cocoon. Which body will want to pop out of a warm quilt on a Sunday even before the rooster and willingly gear up to run 42km? At a time when the Yuletide’s leftover breeze is still caressing the cheeks. Psychotherapist Alaokika Motwane offers a physiological reasoning on how one combats anxiety with marathon running. “There’s more oxygen intake”, and this helps to concentrate better with defined focus. Any kind of mobility or movement is necessary and training for marathons requires coordinated movement of the body.
The three witches of Macbeth here are the legs, thighs, and arms who will constantly conspire to remind us of fatigue and ache. It’s against this conspiracy that we need to win the mind game. “Long-distance running is 90 per cent mental, and the other half is physical,” shares YouTuber and motivational speaker, Rich Davis. “Running gives a sense of purpose,” shares Nandita Gangwal. The 11-time Mumbai full-marathoner says running a full marathon in January is a “tone-setter for the year ahead”. Prema Rajaram, media and fitness consultant, is not just a popular marathoner in the city but also a “pacing bus”. “It’s best to catch a pacer who is with a faster bus than your target time, so that if you do lag behind, at some point in time, you can fall back on the pacing bus,” she shares. A pacing bus is usually a marathoner with enough experience to complete the race at a given time, and motivate fellow runners in reaching their destination.
The impact of training for a marathon does not yield to being immune to pain. The training helps to accommodate pain. The training is meant to imbibe resilience. With each kilometre conquered, and inching towards the finish line, a marathoner goes through various emotions during the stretch. These emotions may not be as dynamic or versatile as the Nava Rasas but they are no less reflective of the mind, body and soul. It’s a choice, to tilt towards the zeal to complete and not give in to the lure of giving up. Another popular marathoner in the city is Rohit who has to his credit, an ultra. A 50km in Jaisalmer, interestingly labelled ‘the hellrun’. “It helps me be myself with my friends when we run together. And if I’m alone, the stillness of it all gives you that peace, that mental freeness that all is good and will be.” This gift of tranquillity that marathoners usually achieve is best summarized by Rohit. It’s important to complete the race, to finish the race even if there’s a decline in the pace. Painter Anukta Mukherjee Ghosh completed the 21km this time. She’s not happy with her pace but she ran the extra distance compared to the previous years.
JBro — regular marathoner, motivator and marathon organiser
There’s hardly a marathoner in Calcutta who won’t swear by JBro. That’s how he’s addressed. Jay is one of those who is instrumental in ensuring the Kolkata Full Marathon deserves the level of proficiency that it has not reached. I have seen this event advance over the years. I remember the year 2017 when we had a full marathon for the first time. This annual event has come a long way since then and I’m glad that I’ve been part of it. The level of proficiency that the full marathon has received makes it an annual event in the calendar of all marathon enthusiasts.
Tathagata Chowdhury is the founder of Theatrician