Super Sonic: Ketaki

I got married in 2000 and shifted to the US for a while, and that’s where my running journey began, including the love for outdoor running. We then moved back to Mumbai, and by now, I was running 5-8 km thrice a week. In 2003, as part of regular annual medicals, I was diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism. This autoimmune disease continues to be part of my daily existence, which I manage with medication. I do believe my active lifestyle has helped with managing a lot of the known side effects. In 2004 I had my first child and within six weeks of my delivery, I got back to exercise and short runs .I was pleasantly surprised to see my body respond to physical activity by readjusting and shedding the pregnancy weight. I have always been lean and in the general average percentile of weight for my height and frame, so weight loss was not my target, but I aimed to build my stamina and work on the lost strength. 

In 2009, my second child was born, and now it was a challenging task to manage work, children, schedules and other chores. There were days when I used to start my workout  at 9.30 pm after putting my kids to sleep and wrapping up tasks.

The constant time management and juggling was getting tougher, hence I invested in a  semi-commercial ( full size, the type that are used in gyms – pulled out the stops on this one) treadmill at home, and thereby tried to eliminate excuses for missed runs.

The pounding on the treadmill became a lullaby to my kids.

Despite having adequate resources, I was missing a certain sense of rhythm as I seemed to be tailoring my fitness activities around everyone else’s schedules rather than prioritise them as a part of the whole.

And thus began my journey of outdoor running 2.0 with renewed vigour and the purpose of prioritising my fitness goals.

Along the way, I joined striders in 2013. Joining this very dynamic and well organised group was a fantastic decision! I came across like-minded people and in the process have made friends for life. Our conversations went beyond our professions and social status. I learned a lot about the nitty-gritties of running. I explored, read and became aware of the nuances of running, injury, recovery, types of shoes and much more. 

It opened a window to the world of endurance sport and ignited a passion that had obviously been dormant thus far.

“I’ve learned through the years that it’s not where you live, it’s the people who surround you that make you feel at home.”

J.B. McGee

Gradually I started racing half marathons. I set myself a personal goal of doing a comfortable Sub-2 HM before taking the plunge into Full Marathons. 

Among the races I did over the years, some included the HM(Half Marathon) in Satara, HM in Amsterdam, several local and domestic runs including HTHM (Hiranandani Thane Half Marathon)and Powai runs.

I also stood second in my age category in SCMM 2017. Receiving a podium medal at one of the most iconic marathons in the country was an exhilarating feeling! The fun cherry on the cake was a cash prize 🙂

The journey for the Fulls began with the first one being one of the BIG 5: Chicago Marathon. And then the personal goal of doing a sub 4 FM happened in the beautiful city of Riga, Latvia. My gift to myself for my 40th Birthday. 

(sub 4 means; completing a full marathon 42.2 km under 4 hours)

Most recently, at the Hiranandani Thane Half Marathon 2020, I stood fourth in the women’s open category, and I felt pride as the podium finishers were competitive athletes, all in their 20s. Felt chuffed at being somewhere near, in their league.

Running is my happy space, and I can run in most weather conditions. Whenever I am unable to stick to the regular schedule, I complete  my runs at any time of day even if it’s slap bang in the middle of a hot and humid afternoon. Come heat, rain, shine or snow; I endeavour to always complete that scheduled run! I would like to say that I am always cautious and do take adequate measures when running at odd hours, be it additional hydration, running on shady routes, keeping someone in the know of my whereabouts etc. 

I was advised to cut back (and ideally stop for a short period) on my running when I suffered shin splints and a stress fracture back in 2014. And so, in order to keep up with the cardio fitness, I went ahead and bought myself a hybrid bike.  And thus began my tryst with cycling albeit the focus continued to be running.

2017 saw me going through various transitions across different aspects of my life. It is also the year I serendipitously stumbled into Triathlons. As they say- there is a time and place for everything, and it couldn’t have been better timing for me to step into this amazing endurance sport! 

The very nature of my training changed. There was cycling and swimming now, in addition to running. This also meant fewer outdoor running days and more workouts throughout the week. The tempo and rhythm of the beast ensured high adrenaline levels to say the least! 

“Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes.”

Gautam Buddha

During that year, in 2017 I registered for the Kolhapur Triathlon, which was going to be my 1st Tri!

Just two months before the race I’d graduated to cleats, and as part of the customary falls, I fractured my rib when the handlebar hit my chest.

Thankfully I recovered before the race and went ahead to participate.

My first ever Triathlon was exciting and nerve-wracking, all at the same time. Being my first time in the open waters in India and being mortally terrified of the ecosystem in the cobalt blue- emerald waters of Rajaram talav of Kolhapur, I was one of the last ones to finish the swim and that too doing the backstroke! 

I did, however, make up for the lost time on the bike and run leg and successfully finished my 1st Triathlon. Always a special one!

The swim has and continues to be the weakest link, and I continue to endeavour to work on it.

I started 2018 with the customary SCMM- Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon (this year it became TMM- Tata Mumbai Marathon) and moved on to do the Goa Tri in February. As a learning from my Kolhapur Tri, I’d decided to enrol for a swim camp in Goa in preparation towards my upcoming Goa Olympic Tri. I attended a swimming camp organised by Coach Kaustubh Radkar. The learnings were invaluable. Albeit my swim time still left a lot to be desired, I completed the swim leg of the Goa Tri with ease and comfort. 

The mountains beckoned in September 2018. Ladakh Marathon; a race that’d been on my wishlist for a few years now, finally happened! The most breathtaking and beautiful race. Never have I been so tuned into my breath and HR(HeartRate) as I was during this race. I did come in 2nd in the Women’s Open category.

I also did the Tour of Nilgiris(TFN) in December 2018. Although Nilgiris and the southern states are familiar ground, traversing these roads on a cycle was a rediscovery! TFN was a phenomenal experience! I came out as a more confident rider with better bike handling skills. This particular year at TFN (2018) saw the maximum number of women participants, both from India and abroad. It was wonderful to meet and interact with some high performing endurance athletes. Needless to say, some lovely friendships were forged. 

As the Tri journey continued, I felt it necessary to attack and build on all three disciplines(swim, bike and run) individually as well to perform better from an overall perspective.  

Before the Ironman Goa 70.3, I did the Goa swimathon in 2019. With some expert advice and guidance by star swimmer Nisha Madgavkar, the nervousness of Open water swimming reduced tremendously. Little tips on calming one’s self down, treading the water etc. did the trick! Open water panic is quite common, and it’s been reported that even the most seasoned triathletes have panic attacks sometimes. Guidance, technique and practise helps in managing & overcoming the fear.