Water Water Paani Paani

When I was in school, we had a dark room that was the video room. We were periodically taken there and shown a movie. It was always the same one. About giants and bad guys in a desert. The details are irrelevant (meaning, I have forgotten them), but they were walking in the desert and really dying of thirst. Because they were bad guys. Not because the desert is such an environment where water is scarce. "Paani Paani" they would rasp at periodic intervals. God may or may not have been involved.

Being a geek, I sat down and watched the movie whenever they showed it to us. The activity in the dark(er) regions in the back of the room was not happening, as far as I was concerned. I would nod off periodically (I would have gone nuts from about 5:30 am with various, so putting me in a dark room with a boring movie at 2 pm was a good recipe for that, surely). But I swear I watched that movie at lot. Without once asking them why they went on showing it to us. Whatever.

I was reading eatdrinkrun yesterday and well, I did not disagree with her, but like I have said before. I don't drink much water when I run anyhow. I rarely bring a bottle along. I don't own a fuel belt. Well, I do, but its tight round the gut, I don't use it. I don't like it. I will snap on a bottle of gatorade to my bike if I bike to the run. Else I just step out of house and home with the towel & watch, pretty much.

So I was not thinking of camels, deserts, or god (!) when I waltzed out this morning. It was 5 am. I zoomed over on my bike & discovered that the group was out in numbers today. Which was pretty cool as I hadn't looked at the emails and as far as I knew, it was only KP & I. Not that I mind running or galloway-ing with KP, he is awesome and super enthu. But imagine. Its still dark out and there are 11 people stretching. Thats pretty inspiring, eh?

We decided to run through (lets say, I decided for our gang of 5 that we would ditch the run-walk and just run). Off. We reached the beach at around km 5. And gosh, it was warm. Everyone had water/gatorade with them, but I was too cool to ask for it. I generally don't like to pile on others hydration packs 'cause you know how it is. You carry it, I will drink it? Sounds a bit mean, no? Anyhow, when KP called the 1 min walk break, I was very happy. In a dehydrated sort of way. Like your smile can only stretch so much because of the white goo on the side of your mouth.

We ran for a total of 1:14; I still retained enough moisture to stride at the end; but I tell you folks. I was super dehydrated. I gulped down my gatorade the second I found my bike (bad idea, I know, but it worked okay for today). But the good part? Legs were perfect. My breathing was good (has been troubling me of late, possibly just that MSB's pace is not comfortable for me any more). The group is fantastic, so positive and so cute. I biked back home and by the time I got in to work, I had drunk at least 3 liters of fluids. Really, I don't drink much of anything, except stout beer, of course. But today, I did.

Next up:: My comeuppance akin to the giants in the video in the school dark room place? Naah. I'll be fine. I will carry water on my runs henceforth. I will carry water on my runs henceforth. This is Chennai.