KOCHI: Vice-admirals are not generally required to go to the ground zero and engage themselves in firefights or daredevil rescue operations. They are highly decorated Navy officers who make important decisions on maritime and national security. They employ their brain and experience, rather than the body, to get the work done.
But Vice-admiral P Murugesan, the Chief of Personnel at the Naval Headquarters in New Delhi, on Sunday redefined what was possible for his 58-year-old body.
He ran the 21.097 km of the Cochin International Half Marathon in less than two hours - an impressive feat considering the fact that he finished the race far ahead of many participants who were several years younger to him.
It was not a mean task for him. After crossing 15 km, he started sensing the need for oxygen in his body. He has been associated with long-distance races long enough to understand what it meant. If the muscles are involved in something as strenuous as running, they would require energy faster than the body can deliver.
In such cases, the muscles will try to generate energy through something called anaerobic respiration and release lactic acid. Its accumulation can cause a deep burning sensation, and could halt a person’s athletic activities in under three minutes. So, Murugesan deliberately slowed himself down. For him, completing the mission was more important than leaving it halfway over health concerns.
“I am used to running. In fact, I have been running since I was 15 and have participated in more than 50 marathons and half marathons,” said the Vice-admiral, whose next target is the Mumbai Marathon on January 18.To keep himself fit, he follows a strict diet and exercise regimen. And then, he follows them ruthlessly. He runs six to eight km every alternate days, and runs a longer distance of about 10-12 km once in a week.
Three days before the event, he switches to carbohydrate-rich food and scales down his morning sprint to 2 km. “I do this to keep myself fit and to strengthen my body and mind,” Murugesan said. While getting ready to fly back to Delhi in a day or so, to get back to busy schedule, he promises to come back next year to clock an even better time.