Cannonball 2026, Gurgaon
Cannonball 2026 - my second time participating in Cannonball. I had a clear objective: to improve on last year’s 10k time in the same event. A reasonable target, given that I have been training fairly consistently over the year. That did not happen, but I learned so much about myself and my growth over the last year – something that the pace numbers do not tell. So it was a bad race, but a good bad - it taught me stuff that a good race might not have.
First, the race. Cannonball is now a familiar event - known faces among the organisers, swim buddies in the same distance category, the same pool. The familiarity meant there was no thrill like there was while exploring things for the first time last year. But the comfort of knowing exactly what to expect was a relief. Of course, it still meant getting up at 3:30 am and trying to get in some carbs at an ungodly hour. Although carpooling with Rajat - the 10k buddy - was a relief.
The race started, and I was happy with my first 30 minutes (about 1300m). But soon, I was about to meet my nemesis and my archenemy - migraine. The thing with my migraine is, it comes not only with a throbbing headache, but also, the much worse, nausea. I tried switching from the race cap to my personal cap, hoping it might be the new cap-induced headache. I knew in my heart that it wasn’t. After a few laps, I took a tablet, which was around 2k.
Nausea wasn’t good. I felt like throwing up, and it was worse with every wall push off.
And so my swim became intentless and dull. Just trudging along without any purpose. And I finished the 10k in 4 hours and 40ish minutes – worse than last year. This was also about 30-40 minutes more than my expected time for this year! On the surface, it should have been very frustrating. But it wasn’t. And I discovered what I had learned over the last year.
While training consistently for a big goal, we don’t just learn technique and the physical part of it; we also grow from within.
For instance, I have learned to be kind to myself. If a swim buddy got the same result I did, I would be supportive and encouraging, not mad about missing the target. Why should I not show that grace to myself! I have also learned not to be frustrated with the result alone, and to trust the process. And in my heart, I know that the process was in place and that I had trained fairly seriously, without cutting corners.
I am also glad to have discovered some key weaknesses, like I swim a lot flatter, with almost no rotation, when the body is tired.
I also learned that I have now crossed the point of no return in distance swimming. My ‘bad result’, instead of disappointing me or dampening my spirits, is motivating me to put in more effort. You’re in serious trouble when both a good and a bad race end up motivating you! There is nothing to be done now except to work harder, address the shortcomings, and look forward to another opportunity.