Ootyultra 60K – ek #ultramalaivasi banne ka chakkar!!
I killed it, though! 60K in 8:21 (Elevn of 2000+ ) never thought that would be possible (though target of 9:30 itself was aggressive) 
Taru Mateti, your training plan was bang on – thanks for getting after me for all those hill runs on Bhopdev Ghat, Diveghat, and Sinhagad – they paid off with interest. 
Coach Kay Sundararajan – this was one of the toughest road races I have run. You and your team did a fantastic job. 
A lot has already been posted about this run – and all good. Suffice it to say it was a fantastic event all around!
While I made sure I reached the start line injury free and in a good mental state, my biggest worry was my Vertigo – I had lately seen that I would get these attacks around 35-45 km and my runs were getting impacted adversely. So my first challenge was to push that worry right out and focus on the things that seem to trigger this – dehydration, caffeine, fatigue, and constantly looking down. Now how the hell do you keep away from these when you are running an Ultra, that too at such elevations 
So I targeted things in my control – hydrate well, reduce gel intake (decided to fuel on Oranges and dates), and try not to look down too long (as possible as most of it was good roads).
At around 46/47 km (where we descended the steepest, I guess), I was hit by a wave of dizziness, which sent me into a panic – immediately stopped a bit, took deep breaths, kept my head up and prayed. Something worked, and I managed to get over it quickly. The rest was no looking back (except two “big” Loo breaks).
The heat of course was a factor (burnt my big Mateti nose crisp), with my internal body temperature shooting up. I had to pour a lot of water on my head and arms – managed it, nevertheless.
My decision to wear my full-length 2XU compressions helped, which I believe kept the cramps at bay.
The highlight of this run was realising my capabilities – how far I could push myself at 62+ years of life if I trained well (and yes, Taru, you are right, as always ).
).Overall, it was an Ultra that tested the best in me, and I bested it!! So “Ultramalaivaasi” is
