"My holidays revolve around running destinations,” wrote Dr Jerestin Watchmaker who was in Durshet, nestled in the Sahyadri range, last month, participating in the 10 km marathon that she completed in one hour 11 minutes. "Considering the hilly terrain, I was satisfied with my performance,” responded the microbiologist who runs her laboratory in Nagpur, is attached to a multispecialty hospital, and yet makes time to train and participate in marathons, duathlons and even triathlon.
Her appetite whetted after the seven kilometer fun run at the Ladakh marathon in 2017 (see "Leverage in Ladakh,” Sports, Parsiana, November 21, 2017), she evinced keener interest to improve her distance and pace. She started trekking too and even went up Kalsubai Peak, the highest peak in the Western Ghats at a height of 1,646 m last year. In fact, in 2018 she ran seven marathons in the 10 km category in and around Nagpur. Thereafter, she attempted her first half marathon of 21 km at the Tata Mumbai Marathon in January this year, followed by a triathlon in March. "It was a first for me to swim, cycle and run in one sequence. I was extremely confident about swimming as it was ‘my sport’ (having competed at inter-school events) but since I had not practiced for years, I enrolled at a swimming pool for a month before the event. The scary part for me was cycling. So with help and motivation from cyclists of various cycling clubs and shops, I learnt about different bikes and started hiring a bicycle for long distance cycling practice. To build up my stamina, I participated in a cyclothon of 40 km at Nagpur…
"I was surprised on the triathlon day to realize that I was the only lady participant in my age group of above 40 years to go solo. On D day, my husband Cyrus and I loaded the hired hybrid bicycle and set off for Ambazari Lake. Swimming in an open lake was a first for me, made tougher by the moss and poor visibility in water. I completed the triathlon – swam 500 m, cycled 20 km and ran 10 km. The organizers of the event "Miles and Milers” headed by Dr Amit Samarth wanted to introduce this racing concept to Nagpur and I was happy to be a successful first timer,” conveyed Watchmaker who would like to attempt an Olympic distance triathlon in the future.
Above left: Dr Jerestin Watchmaker running the Nagpur Maha Marathon
and (right) after completing the Durshet marathon
Simultaneously she completed a Hundred Day Run Challenge when she was required to run a minimum two kilometers every day from April 27 to August 4 irrespective of whether she was in Nagpur or outside. "I used to carry my sneakers with me every day and manage to jog anywhere that I could snatch 15 to 20 minutes. Sometimes I would sneak out early morning and sometimes just about manage it after work as late as 9.30 p.m. I even ran up and down the hospital stairs and sometimes to and from work. I didn’t let it slide even during my holiday to Europe in May,” she recalls.
Referring to the rigors of training, she understands the importance of "following a schedule… recognizing your strengths and weaknesses and appropriately working towards your goal.” The need for a correct diet and eating at the right time have proved difficult for her in her profession since her work day usually gets over at 9.30 p.m. "which does not give me the liberty of falling asleep before 11.30. Waking up early by 4.45 a.m. to be at training at 5.30 a.m. every day took a few weeks of adjustment.” Socialization required to be sacrificed too. She also bemoaned the city’s infrastructure with the condition of roads not being conducive for running or cycling.
The support of her family, Cyrus and children Ruxshin and Danesh she values greatly. She is also grateful to the Parsi community in Nagpur that is "extremely encouraging and applauds me for every achievement.”