Precision Multisport athletes are known to travel the world to participate in some noteworthy races. For this column, we interview Sangeeta Wagh who raced in the Berlin Marathon in Germany, known for its fast and flat course.
Q. What was your racing season looking like leading up to the Berlin Marathon?
A. I had trained hard for the marathon. I followed my training plan to the word and focused on staying injury free and healthy if possible. I had run three half marathons leading up to the race and had felt good about my times.
Q: Any areas you had to focus on a bit more/challenges to take on during this past season’s training leading to this event?
A. My biggest challenge in my training season was to handle my family and house guests. Being an Indian, culturally I had to balance this which can be a fine line. My guests and family would not always understand why I had to get out to do my long run early in the morning. The question being: Why I could take time for training if guests are at home. My in-laws thought that I was rude to leave my guests and them to go get a workout in. I managed, but in doing I had drained myself a lot and felt a need to rest.
Q: How did you do at the Berlin Marathon, and what was your take-away?
A. I was aiming to complete the race in 4:30. I was running at a pace to complete the race in 4:30 till mile 16-17, and then my right quad had a terrible cramp…. a cramp which affected me for the rest of my race. The cramp kept coming back every now and then, slowing my pace down considerably. All I thought to myself at that point was ‘one step in front of the other… don’t stop till you see the finish…’
I had also run out of my hydration mix and was not able to adjust to the ones offered on the course. The race organizers provided runners with beet juice and some warm drink which tasted like jasmine tea. It was hot for back of pack runners like me, so it was hard to drink.
Q. What a location rich in history, politics, and nightlife! Did you find some down time either pre- or post-race, and if so, what did you do?
A. I traveled to Berlin with my 19-year old son. We reached Berlin on Wednesday night and played the tourist for Thursday and Friday. Went to the museums and walked to all historical sites including East Berlin and the remainder of the Berlin Wall. We went to beer garden (biergarten) and had beers together. It was nice to enjoy the evening with a drink with my son. Legal age for drinking in Berlin is not 21!
Q. What is next on your training or racing horizon?
A. I am trying to finish the Abbott Sox World Major Marathons. Tokyo is the only one left for me. I did not get into their lottery for 2019. This will to allow me to focus on trying to finish my first sprint triathlon. I had a DNF this season and I am hoping that 2019 is a positive year in that respect.