Pre-event
----------
The morning of the event, I felt like not going because it was raining non-stop. But of course, that fleeting thought was instantly cast aside by the rational Mihir, and after having a bath (I wanted to get fresh, do some activity to restore the flexibility in my muscles) I gobbled down 4 slices of bread and a bowl of cereal. Did some light stretching. Couldn't figure out how to stick my bib number to the tee, but other than using tape, I didn't have any other ideas. Also, because it was raining I wanted to put on a water-proof jacket, but I didn't have any which were light. Just used the navy blue Cornell hoodie. After reaching the place, I had no idea where to put my backpack, plus I had no way of marking my number on it because it was a dark blue colored bag. Just left it alongwith the other bags, and joined the other runners at the starting line.
The 13.1 miles
---------------
The rain turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Normally I start using my mouth for breathing after about 1 mile. This time was no different, but with the beautiful views around me, the rainwater constantly hydrating me (no, I was not drinking the rainwater) and running with 5000 people, I easily managed to get going. There was an uphill climb near the entrance to the Golden Gate bridge. That was perhaps the toughest part, but it was around the 4 mile mark that the elevations started, so it was not too hard to continue running. After about 5 miles, the entrance to the bridge appeared. The brilliant red towers and beams look so majestic up close. With water all around me, Alcatraz island in plain view, it was simply breathtaking, to say the least!
I continued running till the 7 mile mark. Had to walk a bit after that, to recover my breath and the feeling in my legs. People around me kept changing, with some (very few) falling behind, and some (a lot) leaving me staring at their backs. It was interesting to see their gear. Most people wore a light fanny pack around their waist with the bottle at the back. I don't know how heavy it might be with the filled water bottle, but almost everyone was carrying fluids. One girl had a backpack with a sipping pipe coming out of it!
After the 10 mile mark I couldn't keep running continuously anymore. Had to take several walking breaks. Plus, my damned ipod, which is very bulky by the way, only has a tiny clock on it, which replaces the "Now Playing" title 4 seconds after you touch the wheel. While running there was no way to keep track of the time. I couldn't have made it without the music though, thats a certainty. After 12 miles, I realised my left thigh was hurting like mad with every step. Did some quadricep stretching, and it felt better after a while. I steeled myself to run the last mile. I won't be caught
walking through the finish line, no way!
