London Marathon 2018

I ran my first ever London Marathon on Sunday (22nd April). It was truly a running festival and I've had an unforgettable experience 🤔.

There were tens of thousands of people lined the streets from the start to the end to cheer on friends, family – and everybody else. All the way, you could see people enjoying the sunny day with the loud music, drums, singing, dancing and having fun while more than 42,000 runners tried to complete the challenge in the hottest London Marathon ever. But, forget about the heat, at one point, I got tired of smiling, saying thank you to all the strangers shouting my name and hi5ing 100s of kids. I felt like I was celebrating 'running'.

26.2 miles (42.2kms) is of course a long way to run on the punishing hard surface (road). Your body does suffer a lot as you try to push your limit. It's mentally even more challenging to keep going when you know you've already done enough around 20 miles.

That's when I almost pulled my left hamstring twice and started feeling a sharp pain in my left-side glute. Not that I was running fast, however I had to slow down and lost my pace that I was trying to maintain (around 5:30 mins/km). Except that, I think I managed well in the heat as I kept drinking some water and pour the rest on my head and the rest of my body. I also enjoyed running through the showers. In fact, I paused for a bit every time as it reminded me of my childhood days back home when we use to run around in the long awaited monsoon rain in a very hot day. I probably enjoyed the water a bit too much that even my shocks were wet and felt my shoes heavy. But I can't complain. I was there to enjoy the race and so I did.

Running is meaningful and it's good to run for a reason. Some people run marathons to step out of their Comfort Zone and for the sense of accomplishment as running a marathon is one of the largest physical challenges you can set for yourself. Those addicted to running will run any races, anyhow. Some get inspired by others and some manage to inspire others to do something they thought was too tough or impossible. Some run for a PB (time) and some to use the run as a means to raise money and awareness. This year, for the first time, I also combined my running ambition with the goal of helping NNAUK by raising money to build a birthing centre in a remote district of Nepal. I'll also be running very challenging ultra 50k and 100k races this year. So I've no time to rest but carry on training. The inspiration and motivation that I am helping others will help me get through all the long miles and hard training. Thanks to all who supported me and also donated for the worthy cause I'm running for. If you'd like to support: please use this Link: https://goo.gl/CT7ScL

Now, when I go back to trails, I'll probably get disappointed not to hear my name called almost every few meters that I run 😁. But, I love trail running. I totally enjoy the sounds of nature and the sights, the excitement and adventure that I can experience. You will exercise all your muscles but it will also give you the time and space to think, the peace and opportunity to reset your mind. It's defintely more interesting than running on roads, as you feel so engaged and aware on the trails. Lucky if you live near the mountains but you can just go and explore your local parks and hills and enjoy trail running. I can't wait to go to the top of a Box hill, stop and watch the sun rise again...

London Marathon 2018:
(Finish Time: 04:08:29)
Total number of finishers recorded: 40,273.
My place overall: 11240.
Place gender: 8470.
The hottest Race Day on record. 24°C

Thank you everyone for your support, encouragement and donations 🙏.#SpiritofLondon #SpiritofNepal