Distance running was revered because it was indispensable. It was the way we survived and thrived and spread across the planet. You ran to eat and to avoid being eaten; you ran to find a mate and impress her, and with her you ran off to start a new life together. You had to love running, or you wouldnt live to love anything else. - Christopher McDougall in Born To RunBy the time the mens marathon was staged in Rio, on the last day of the Olympics as per tradition, the average Indian fan had switched off. It was the first time since Rome 1960 that India had three in the field, though, for Thonakal Gopi - one among Indias three male marathoners in Rio, it didnt matter that his event wasnt among the most closely followed in the country. He was living a dream.Being at the Olympics was an incredible experience, he says, The target I had set myself was to breach the 2:12 national record. The record was set by Shivnath Singh in Jalandhar way back in 1978.Clocking his personal best, Gopi finished a second shy of compatriot Kheta Ram, at 2:15:26 in 26th position in a field of 155 marathoners in Rio. Nitendra Rawat, the more accomplished marathon runner of the three, finished 84th. Gopi, though isnt new to pulling off surprises. His Olympic qualification itself was a huge surprise considering the marathon was never an event he trained for or competed in.At the Mumbai marathon earlier this year, Gopi, who had never before participated in a full marathon, was brought in as a pace-setter for Rawat. He was supposed to drop out after 30 kms. He didnt. And it paid off.Finishing 37 seconds behind Rawat at 2:16:15, Gopi, primarily a 10000m athlete, wore a look of disbelief when he learnt that he had qualified for the marathon event in Rio. I never imagined that I would compete in a full marathon and qualify for the Olympics, says Gopi, who names Mo Farah among his idols, I hadnt even trained for it. Maybe the intensity and continuity I put in my training for 10000m helped.42.1 kms or 26.2 miles, the distance covered at a marathon, is probably one that most of us take 21 days to complete given we walk/jog at least 2kms daily. The ability to judge pace-setting is one of the most crucial tactics in a marathon. Running too slow at the start to save up on energy may result in not being able to inject a quick burst of speed so as to take the lead. While a thrust on speed early on could mean losing advantage and steam towards the finish.Right through the run I was thinking of the 2:12 record and how I would have to cover a km in 3.8s to touch that mark, he says, Its obviously not feasible to maintain that timing in every km. After a certain point in the marathon your mind begins feeling unsettled, your body fatigued and your muscles begin to get tight. I felt I was losing control over my arms and feet and moved my arms back and forth swiftly to try to regain command.Gopi was clearly in the lead among the Indians for the larger part of the race. Completing the 30km mark in 1:34:59, the Kerala runner moved into 39th position. Kheta and Rawat were at 52nd and 93rd respectively. In the next five km stretch, Kheta jumped a few places to be placed at 37th, with Gopi three places ahead of him. Soon enough the pair in the identical blue jerseys were racing alongside each other. Only after I crossed 33 kms did I notice that Kheta was right behind me, says Gopi, His presence worked as a support for me. I told myself OK, now for the rest of the race I can go alongside him.The 28 year-old admits though that he wasnt too happy with the scheduling of the event in Rio. A 9:30 am start meant that you finish around afternoon when the heat is at its worst. Luckily during our event there were light showers but during the womens marathon, it was scorching. He, was, however, prompt to suggest that he did not face any problem with regard to the facilitation of drinks during the race, unlike female marathoner OP Jaisha. I had trained with personalized drinks and used them during the race as well. My coach was there at the station to ensure everything was in place.?Ahead of the Olympics, a ten-month training stint at a high-altitude Ooty facility was coach Surendra Singh Bhandaris way of preparing his wards, Gopi, Kheta and Rawat, for the rigours of a road race. Training at a high altitude helps increase your heart and lung capacity, says Bhandari, who serves as an athletics coach at the Army Institute of Sports in Pune.The main focus has been on endurance and we divide our sessions into basic, preparatory and specific, bringing in speed training four weeks before the competition. Our usual sessions are of three hours in the morning and two in the evening and touch 300km a week during endurance training. Gopi is still new to marathon and his threshold for holding his body together during a race will only get better with increased endurance training.In speed training, Bhandari goes on to fill us in, the idea is to lessen the number of kilometres covered in the weeks preceding the event. Starting with 120-130 kms four weeks before the event, its tapered down to 40-50 km and lesser progressively with the sole thrust on speed.?After 30 kms, my hamstring and calves were hurting. Thats how I slowed down towards the end, says Gopi, Also in the final 3kms the road had a tiled feel to it and since there was a light drizzle it was slippery.Fatigue, cramps and hamstring pulls can be delayed with increased training, says Bhandari, even if not entirely averted. As opposed to a 100m sprint which lasts no more than 10 seconds, its essence lying in speed and its nature being almost entirely anaerobic, in a marathon, which typically spans over two hours, the body uses up its last reserves of energy. An extreme and lonely sport, marathon pushes your mind and body to the edge.The carbohydrate and fat reserves are used up 90 minutes into the race, he says, That explains why cramps set in post the 30 km mark. The body then begins to convert protein into energy. With more endurance training the onset of fatigue can be delayed, bit by bit. We have to push it to 42 km.Hailing from the town of Suthan Bathery, in Wayanad, Kerala, situated at an altitude of 1000m above sea level, Gopi, whose farmer parents alternately grew rice and ginger on their patch of land to bring food on the table, always had an innate love for running. I was into running right from my school years, he says.While I was in college I tried my hand at half marathon too. As the sport grew more integral to his life, he knew he had to find a way to support both his needs and that of the family. A steady, sustained income was crucial, thats how I took up a job in the Indian Army through the sports quota, says the Havaldar in the Artillery regiment.Gopi doesnt recall when he fell in love with running. It was, he feels, always encoded in his system. There is no money in running. But I cant think of another sport I would want to pursue for life, he says, Nothing equals the feeling of running.Or as McDougall put it succinctly: We were born to run; we were born because we run. Custom Edgar Martinez Jersey .5 seconds to play in the game, Kevin Love never stopped believing that they would come out of there with a win. Cheap Custom Mariners Jersey . It was the second consecutive win for the Pacers (2-5), who lost their first five preseason games. Jeff Teague led the Hawks (1-5) with 17 points and eight assists and Al Horford had 12 points and seven rebounds. Mike Scott scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half. http://www.custommarinersjersey.com/ . The lawyers filed a 33-page amended complaint Tuesday in federal court in Manhattan, expanding on the suit originally filed Oct. 3 in New York Supreme Court. Arbitrator Fredric Horowitz last week refused to compel Selig to testify in the grievance, and Rodriguez then walked out of the hearing without testifying. Cheap Mariners Jerseys . Thats not a comment on the suspension that banished the Portland Winterhawks general manager and coach from his Western Hockey League teams bench for most of the 2012-13 season. Custom Mariners Jerseys . Murray beat Sam Querrey 7-6 (5), 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-3 to clinch Britains opening-round victory against the United States on Sunday at Petco Park. "Im proud of the way Im playing just now, because I had to do a lot of work to get back to where I want to be," Murray said after celebrating with his teammates on the red clay court in a temporary stadium in left field of the downtown home of baseballs San Diego Padres. Will Team USA snap its Ryder Cup slump? The Americans will try to win their first title since 2008 as the 41st edition of the event gets underway Friday at Hazeltine National Golf Club:Who is competing in the Ryder Cup?? Team USA, captained by Davis Love III (roster), vs. Team Europe, captained by?Darren Clarke (roster)How is the Ryder Cup scored?? There are 28 points available, one per match (eight on Friday, eight on Saturday and 12 on Sunday). The side that wins each match gets one point, and each side gets half a point when matches are tied (all square) through 18 holes.? The defending champion, in this case Team Europe, retains the Ryder Cup in the event of a tie, so Team USA needs at least 14 1/2 points to win.Latest match pairings, scoresWhen does the Ryder Cup start?Here is the complete schedule for the event:Thursday, Sept. 29 ? Opening ceremony 5:50-6 p.m. ET (around this time, the Friday morning foursomes pairings will be announced)Friday, Sept. 30 (Golf Channel) ? Four morning foursomes (alternate shot) matches starting at 8:35 a.m. ET ? Four afternoon four-ball matches starting at approximately 1:30 p.m. ET, with play expected to last about six hoursSaturday, Oct. 1 (NBC) ? Four morning foursomes (alternate shot) matches starting at 8:35 a.m. ET ? Four afternoon four-ball matches starting at approximately 1:30 p.m. ET, with play expected to last about six hoursSunday, Oct. 2 (NBC) ? Twelve singles matches starting at 12:04 p.m. ET ? Play concludes approximately 6 p.m. ET, followed by the trophy presentation and closing ceremonyWhere is the Ryder Cup being played?The course: Hazeltine National Golf Club Location: Chaska, Minnesota Par and yardage: 72 and 7,628 yards Course designer: Robert Trent Jones Majors hosted at Hazeltine: 2009 PGA Championship (won by Y.E. Yang), 2002 PGA Championship (won by Rich Beem), 1991 U.S. Open (won by Payne Stewart) and 1970 U.S. Open (won by Tony Jacklin)What do these terms mean?All square:?The score is tied.Dormie:?In match-play scoring, when a player or team is leading the match by the number of holes that remain to be played. For example, if a player is 3-up with three holes to play, his opponent is considered dormie. 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One player per team tees off, and his partner takes the second shot. Partners continue alternating shots until the hole is completed or conceded, using match-play scoring. Partners also alternate tee shots as they move from hole to hole.Halving: When both teams register the same score on a hole in match play. It also pertains to when a match is tied after 18 holes, which results in half a point for each side.Singles: There are 12 singles matches of head-to-head match-play competition. If tied after 18 holes, each side earns half a point.What else should you know?? Ryder Cup players and captains dont get paid. According to the PGA of America, which runs the event when it is held in the United States, $2.6 million is allocated to charities of the competitors choice.? The Ryder Cup is usually held every two years. The exceptions were a 10-year gap from 1937 to 1947 because of World War II and a three-year gap from 1999 to 2002 because the 2001 event was postponed in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.? From the Ryder Cups inception in 1927 until 1971, it was the United States vs. Great Britain. It was the U.S. vs. Great Britain/Ireland in 1973, 75 and 77, before it changed to the current format of Team USA ?vs. Team Europe in 1979.? Europe has won three consecutive Ryder Cups and six of the past seven. The most recent American victory was in 2008 at Valhalla in Louisville, Kentucky. That is the only U.S. victory this century and the first since 1999.? Team USA has an overall Ryder Cup record of 25-13-2. Europe, however, holds a 10-4-1 advantage dating to 1985.? The next four Ryder Cup locations are already decided: Le Golf National in Paris, France (2018), Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin (2020), Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome, Italy (2022) and Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York (2024).? The Ryder Cup trophy is only 17 inches tall and weighs all of 4 pounds. ' ' '