A decade-long journey of a recreational runner! 

My first 10K run

Since it was an annual event, I set a goal for myself -- to try running in 10K category in the 2012 edition.

Posing with my first 10K finisher medal

Till then, running was just for fitness. And I had not given much thought about the technicalities associated with long-distance races, including even warm-up and warm-down exercises, and diet.

To help by body with the challenge of running 10kms, I started including a few minutes of simple warm-up and warm-down exercises before and after my practice runs respectively. I started taking more water and also started including a glass of juice and a serving of tender coconut water in my daily diet.

Due to time constraints, I couldn't practice running an entire 10-km at a stretch before the event. In the run-up week to the race I could barely touch the 7.2-km mark. But I had gained enough confidence for race day.

On the race day though, there were butterflies in my stomach. Since it was my first competitive timed race, I was a bit nervous. I was just worrying if I could run the entire distance at a stretch.

As the race was flagged off, I started steadily. I kept a slow comfortable pace till my body got warmed up. My plan was to conserve energy in order to last for the entire distance. My target was to complete the race in 75 minutes.

Once warm-up phase was over, I started feeling confident about my body. Hence I started increasing my pace bit by bit. I was successful in scaling distance at a stretch and finish the race strongly in just 63 minutes.