Ultra running has always attracted me. And this time circumstances led me to choose a trail run, Aravalli Trail run which I finished on March 17th, 2024.

September 2023, as the winter running season started, I had a target in mind to do a 50 kms in 6 hours.

Why 50 kms under 6 hours?

In the last 2 years, I had not been able to do any long run as my mother was not doing well. And now that she was in her ultimate resting place (She passed away in December 2022; Love you Mumma!), I wanted to focus on running and build until 50 kms as base run for next winter seasons run. But alas I could do only 52 kms trail in under 8 hours. I am still happy, read ahead …

Aravalli Trail Run Experience

Participating in a 52 km trail run was a challenging yet fulfilling experience for me, especially as it was my first time venturing into trail running. Initially aiming for a stadium run, circumstances led me to choose a trail run, a decision I am grateful for now.

When myself, Priya, Vinod ji, Monika and Anshu started the race, we were all so excited and happy to be in the middle of nowhere. Somehow you give that look to each other, that “you are also just as crazy as I am” and you end up smiling. So, the race started at 5:30 and it was a trail run in the Aravalli Hills just outside Gurgaon.

First Loop (2 kms ahead and come back)

It was still dark, and the road was narrow. and it was an absolute dirt path making the initial stages treacherous in the dim light. We proceeded cautiously, balancing between running and walking to conserve energy and avoid injury. Despite the difficulty, the camaraderie among runners was palpable, creating a supportive atmosphere throughout the race. So, we kept it slow and easy and were all waiting for the first daylight to break.

Second loop (16 kms ahead and come back)

As we completed the first 4 km, it was nearly 6 am and daylight had emerged, but the initial 2 km were rocky, so we opted to proceed slowly. Whenever the path was even, we ran, and when it was rough, we walked. Despite some challenging patches, we remained alert to our footing.

The atmosphere of the race differed greatly from any I’d experienced before, with fewer participants fostering a sense of camaraderie. The rugged jungle route, filled with rocks, dirt paths, and trees, offered a picturesque setting.

Reaching the 14 km mark, the view of the entire Aravalli range was breathtaking, filling us with joy. Meeting fellow runner Anju Saini we felt happy.

At the 16 km mark, Priya and I decided to stick together due to the high risk of injury on the trail and the distance between runners.

There were water stations at every 2 km to provide much-needed refreshments, including oranges, chips, curd rice, and chocolate.

Until 34 kms, I was feeling quite fine. But post this my right knee started paining. I sprayed the voilini twice to ease out the pain as it felt like I was dragging this leg. And that was not a good thing to do. Considering the route was quite rocky, there was a chance I could fall, so I focused on getting it healed. As we reached near the end of the 16 kms loop at the start line, we were thinking weather I shall get the kneecap from car (parked 200 mts away). But the additional 200 mts walk felt like too much a distance to cover and we discarded the thought and started the last and the final loop.

Third loop (8 kms ahead and come back)

During this time, I was tired, and the sun was also high. It was more walking and less running. Especially, because now the focus was just on finishing the race and going home healthy and avoiding any fall at this stage.

So as my back and legs started paining, I just kept my mouth shut and kept running as much as possible, but at the same time did not bother about walking too much also. At 42.2 kms mark, I was so happy, this was the training run I so badly wanted to do and just couldn’t do. Me and Priya did a quick high five and celebrated the little occasion.

Also post 42 kms, Vinod ji also joined us, and we all decided to do the last 10 kms run together. Priya and Vinod ji kept joking which kept all of us going. But for most part of the run, I kept my mouth shut as I wanted to save the energy for running.
As we neared the finish line, all of us decided to step on the finish line together. And we did high five for finishing the longest race of the season.

So thankful to Priya, for pushing me to register and running together in the whole stretch.:)

Finally, all the doubtful thoughts were put to rest, and I was happy I could now post on Facebook that I finished it. 🙂

How I prepared for this race ?

Considering I had started training with Manjeet in January 2023. A lot of focus was on strength training and speed training. And all the speed and strength training sessions would leave me so fatigued. By the time it used to be Sunday (day of long run), I used to be completely exhausted. And in the whole year I could only manage my first longest run of the year 18 kms on September 20^th, 2023.  But I resolved to build up from this. The good part was I had built enough strength that despite the weeklong hard training now I was able to do long runs on Sunday.

My plan was to do couple of Half marathon runs, then do a 28 kms, then 35 kms and ultimately a 42 kms run to feel prepared for a 50 kms event run.

Infact, I had decided that I shall keep it alternate with 1 long run on one Sunday, and a fast run of 10 kms next Sunday and repeat it till I reach 42 kms training run.
Note: Clearly shows I plan a lot 😊.

October 2023

As much as I wanted to do long run in this month, but I could not as the whole month was focused on 2 events VDHM (Oct 15^th) and DXR Run (Oct 29^th).
Considering VDHM, I had a target of doing sub 60 mins 10 kms, I dedicated the whole month to doing more of 10 kms fast run in preparation for VDHM, hence no long runs for this month.

November,2023

Did first HM of the year on Nov 19^th (2:57 hrs)

December, 2023
3^rd Dec – HM, (2:42 hrs)
17^th Dec – 28 kms run (3:30 hrs) I got injured after this run because of over stretched ribs during a yoga session. I had to take nearly a month off before restarting again. Read here

January, 2024

As I recovered from the injury, I knew I had little time left for this winter season and I needed to make it count. So, I tried to do as many long runs as possible.

Jan – 25^th – HM (2:37 hrs)

February,2024

Feb 3^rd – 30 kms (3:46 hrs)

Feb 11^th – 35 kms (4:32 hrs)

Feb 17^th – I had planned to do 42 kms run, but somehow felt so low on energy on this day and couldn’t really do it.

Feb 20^th – I was diagnosed with low Vitamin D. So, I took the medicine and decided to just focus on NDM race which was approaching on the weekend.

Feb 25^th – HM (2:10 hrs) – New Delhi Marathon.

Feb 27^th – I was diagnosed with Typhoid which left me very weak, and I had to take a weak off from running.

March 2024

I still was planning to take off on a working day to do a 42 kms run until I realized, I was too weak to attempt such a long run now.
March 3-8^th – I restarted my training as I felt better after 1 week off from training. I adapted my training plan to do 2 days back-to-back long run (instead of 42 kms training run) as a last long run-in preparation for 50 kms because this seemed more possible.

March 8^th – Half Marathon (2:39 hrs)

March 9^th – I planned to do 25-28 kms run on March 9^th as my final run. But alas, I felt so weak and could not make myself go for a run in the morning.

March 10^th – I caught a bad viral fever, which made me weak yet again. The only run leading from March 8^th to race day I could manage was an 8 kms run on March 16^th.  

I thought once I recover, I will at least do weight training to gain more strength but alas I felt too weak and the household chores themselves became so difficult, that it seemed stupid to do any workout. So, I had to be content with resting and relying on the training I had done so far.

March 17^th – 52 kms trail run.

Note : Ofcourse apart from these long runs , we did many intervals, tempo, strength training sessions; but all of them were taken care by Manjeet`s coaching. And I am not listing them here.

My mindset going into this race

Considering I had been quite unwell leading nearly a month up to this race, I doubted myself a lot going into the race. Couple of questions that I had in my mind 1 week before the race.

1. Should I just quit and not participate as I had been unwell?
2. Should I do a 30-32 kms run and then quit the race?
3. Will I be able to finish this race?
4. Will I do any harm to myself by running this race?

As enjoyable as it seems, but these races are quite daunting. So, I talked to so many people who gave me enough strength to attempt and finish it.

My conversation with Raghav(My husband)

Me: I am so unwell. I don’t think I should participate as I can’t finish. I may do myself more harm going into this race.

Raghav: No, you must participate. And I am sure you will finish it. If you don’t go, you have already lost it. But if you go ahead and participate you have a chance of finishing it. And I have no doubts you will finish the race.

The above conversation made me fall in love with him all over again. For someone who is not passionate about running, saying such words just stole my heart. Lucky to be his wife!

Conversation with Manjeet (My current coach) – 2 weeks before the race day
Manjeet : Finish to kar hi loge aap.

I think he said more than this, but I wanted to hear only this, so everything after that became a blur.

Yagdeep ( a fellow runner and friend)

Yagdeep: Ultimately, it’s just an event run, keep in mind that more important is that you come back in the same form as you went ahead for this run.
The most practical advice.

Arun Ji( My coach, who inspired me to run at first place) – 4 days before the race
I called him in utter panic because I could not convince myself that I could finish this race.
He calmed my mind and told me to go slow from the very beginning .

Arun Ji: If you are thinking of quitting after 32 kms now, you will surely quit. Make up your mind that you can finish it. And YOU WILL FINISH it.
In the 30 mins conversation he fully convinced me that I could finish the race. His words are always magic.

Priya (A good friend and experienced runner) – 3 days before the race

Me: I have decided that I will finish the race, no matter how slow I go and how much time I take; but I am not quitting.

Priya: I was never doubtful about that (wo to mujhe doubt tha hi nahi) .
Me : Facepalm movement. (Is it? because I was not convinced till now, that I will be able to finish it)

All in all, I am grateful to everyone and also Taru Ma`am for giving me words of encouragement to attempt the race.

Being a mother and running

Balancing personal goals with family responsibilities is always a challenging task. As a mother, I felt guilty about considering participating in a race, especially given the circumstances surrounding my daughter Sarah’s final Hindi exam on March 18th, which coincided with the day after the race. Adding to my dilemma was Raghav’s absence as he had to travel out of town for the weekend. Compounding the situation was the fact that Hindi was Sarah’s weakest subject among

Considering I had already been thinking of this race, I began preparing Sarah for her Hindi test three weeks in advance. Even though Hindi was scheduled as her final exam, I encouraged her to study a little each day, even during breaks between other exams, despite having two days off before her Hindi exam. When she returned home on Friday, I ensured she focused on studying Hindi literature. On Saturday, we dedicated the day to studying Hindi grammar before I left for Gurgaon to visit my brother.

Then I sought help from my father and my sister- in law to help her revise some concepts of Hindi Grammar while I would be out running on Sunday morning.

Returning home around 3 PM, I realized I had forgotten my keys, leaving both Sarah and me waiting outside until a locksmith made a new key for us. Covered in mud and sweat, I headed straight to the bathroom. Upon returning, Sarah kindly brought me water, cream, and other necessities before I urged her to go play while I rested for an hour.

In the evening, feeling refreshed, we revisited her syllabus and cooked dinner together. Sarah helped with tasks such as sorting vegetables while I prepared the meal. We enjoyed dinner together, and afterward, she assisted me in setting up the bed.

Sarah is quite sensitive and understands greatly that I was physically tired on the day and made sure she helps me in everything.

The next morning, we woke up to cuddles, revised our syllabus before she bid me goodbye to go to school to attempt her last exam. And I am so happy to say she got 45/50 marks in Hindi which is particularly satisfying considering it is her weakest subject.

I hope you remember this exam, my dear daughter, as much as I will remember for worrying too much about it. Love you!