Mumbai

Over the last few years, I've lived in couple of state capitals and visited many other cities in India but no other city has impressed me as much as the amchi Mumbai. Yes, that's a big statement which might surprise a few and few others might simply acknowledge what I mean exactly. Well, I visited Mumbai for the very first time recently to participate in the Tata Mumbai Marathon 2018 held on 21st January. It was a 3 days visit and I had just enough time to explore at least a few interesting places in the city. My friend and host, Abhishek was gracious enough to take me around and made sure I had a memorable trip.

Here are the places I visited and the things that impressed me:

The Gateway of India:
The distinguished monument at the waterfront was a great scene. The monument pulls good crowd and its neighbors, Taj and Trident buildings just add to the beauty. And these are the places I generally like to visit and spend some time. And that's exactly what my friend and myself did, clicking photos and taking in the whole atmosphere.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya:
Formerly named as the Prince of Wales Museum of Western India, was an interesting place with a great variety of artifacts of great historic importance and included artifacts from other nations as well.
Jehangir Art Gallery:
A quick stop-over at this gallery amused us with some awe inspiring art work. Few paintings were simply outstanding showcased by artists from all over India.
Sanjay Gandhi National Park:
A well known wildlife sanctuary with dense flora and scarce fauna is a good option to spend some quite time in the natural habitat. There is a short ride inside in mini-bus to take us around few tigers and lions. Spotted deer are common and are found easily in the interiors. A lake/pond in the middle has a boat riding option where people can enjoy.
Local commutation:
Everybody uses local trains in Mumbai and I'm sure it's one of the most talked about thing. I had heard about it before but I understood it quite well only when I traveled in it. The auto-rickshaws outside the stations are lined up to transport the incoming crowd to their destinations. All of a sudden, everything around you seems to go in that fast track and you in your own thoughts stuck there watching, perhaps admiring the city pace.
Mumbaikars:
I need to emphasize on few aspects here otherwise the whole description about the city would be utterly incomplete if I miss mentioning them. 

- Firstly, along with the city getting kinda evolved over the years, the Mumbaikars have also evolved and not just the systems around which they exist. Take an instance, they follow some unsaid guidelines during the commutation in those over-crowded local trains; they know exactly how to or which side to board or get off, how to adjust and accommodate with others in that train without being too fussy about the whole over-crowded situation. Mumbaikars understand very well the problems what one faces and are more than willing to help others, just like when I had an altercation at the counter due to unavailability of exact change to buy a ticket, people came forward to lend that amount to me. I tried to transfer them online but they simply refused to take back asking me to consider them as friends.

- You will hardly see any taxi/auto-rickshaw driver overcharging or denying the trip just because he doesn't want to go to a particular destination. I know there will be exceptions and all, but when compared to other cities, this is so great.
- I found this city comparatively clean and I'm certain that this change cannot happen with just the system. Even the people contribute immensely in keeping the city clean. I found many folks who made sure to keep it clean and even objected others when they tried to litter around.
Mumbai Marathon:
Last but not the least, the Mumbai marathon is immensely popular in India and now I know why it's regarded as the best in India. The route took us through the sea-link i.e. the bridge connecting the Bandra and Worli through the sea and it was a great sight and experience running on it. Followed by it was the marine drive which each and every runner would have enjoyed. Local crowd came in good numbers to cheer the runners. They even went ahead distributing orange slices, water and candies. As if that wasn't enough, they even brought placards with funny & witty lines and shouted inspirational quotes all along.

When I sat alone at the airport while returning, I started wondering what was more satisfying, was it running my personal best at the marathon, meeting my trekking friends or was it the charming city Mumbai experience. I couldn't figure it out frankly.

Tata Mumbai Marathon 2018

Race category: Half Marathon (21.1 kms)
Timing: 2:16:26

I had registered for the Tata Mumbai Marathon 2018 in Aug'2017 as I was already practicing for Bengaluru Half Marathon and Hubballi Half Marathon for the months of Oct'2017 and Nov'2017 respectively. I got application confirmation in Oct'2017 based on my previous 10K timing of Bengaluru 10K. This provided me ample HM experience and practice.
Unfortunately, the month of December was hectic with a lot of traveling due to two marriages at home and hence I didn't have any good running going on. With only 3 weeks of running in January, I came to Mumbai with no great expectations and set a realistic target of 2:20. I reached Mumbai two days prior to the race and collected the bib on 19th. It's quite difficult to come to a place like Mumbai and not visit the interesting tourist attractions. The fact that it was my first visit to the Mumbai city added more excitement. And thanks to my wonderful friend, Abhishek who had all the energy, time and patience to take me around the city during these two days. Though we kept it light the previous day of the Marathon, I somehow felt little tired the previous night, may be due to traveling and lack of sleep.

On the race morning, I came to the holding area well before the scheduled time and warmed up. The plan was simple: run at constant speed from start to finish. The race started at 5:40 and within few minutes we were at the sea-link connecting Bandra and Worli and it was simply amazing. After couple of kilometers, I didn't feel any tiredness and started my self-talk: "I'm feeling good and strong". I changed my plan and started running at a faster pace as I felt strong. Taking advantage of the easy elevation, I continued for few more kilometers at that improved pace. That gave me confidence to update my target to 2:17. At around 12-13 kms mark, there was this crazy road which was quite steep uphill and I said to myself not to stop running at any cost. And I was successful in doing that and I started feeling much better. For next few kilometers the route was just next to the sea and it was a great sight. By this time the sun was up and it was quite a view; the sea, the birds in good numbers, people enjoying on the beach will surely give a soothing effect. The enthusiastic crowd cheering and providing support were great. At no point during the race I stopped or walked. I finished the race surprisingly strong, in fact I could afford a 200 mts sprint at the end (which few suggest not to do).
And when I checked the time, it read 2:16 and that brought a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. I was really happy with the efforts and this instilled a new urge to improve further with some changes in the running plans and good practice.

Glad that I ran in this this Mumbai Marathon and I know for sure I will run there again in coming years!