SaptaShrungi Hill half marathon 2017 - Nasik Runners

SaptaShrungi Hill half marathon was organised by Nashik Runners .

Run was around the Saptashrungi Devi temple which is located at Vani near Nashik in Maharashtra. 

This temple is one among the 51 Shakti peethas located on the Indian subcontinent. 

The Devi is surrounded by seven (sapta-in Sanskrit) peaks (shrunga-in Sanskrit), hence the name- Sapta Shrungi Mata (mother of the seven peaks). The image of the Devi is huge-about 10 feet tall with 18 hands, holding various weapons. She is believed to be Mahishasur Mardini. The temple, sort of sticks to the cliff . 

The run started at Nanduri which is the base station to reach Saptashrungi. 

As the run starts, you start  climbing the hill after few twist and turns, it goes up to almost 1500 metres . 

The weather was very nice and chilly . The Organisers had blocked the traffic for the entire route from 5.30am till 10.30am . Route was very well supported by bikes and few cars moving to and fro apart from well equipped water stops . Great entertainment by  Nasik dhol and adivasi folk dancers. There were inquisitive local onlookers and supporters around Vani , near the temple. 

This race reminded me of Comrades  down run half way because as we are running down towards the half way , we encountered the same type of hill and one could hear the music from top of the hill .  Even here too, as we were returning from half way turnoff , we could here the music and the announcement at the finish line. This made us feel as if we are very close to the finish . 

One can have a strong finish in this terrain because there is a down slope all the way to the finish. 

Downhills aren’t so good for your knees but  they’re so damn good for your soul ! . 

Felt good to watch few local talents.   The second runner beyond the kenyan runner was only 1 minute behind and third was 4 seconds behind the second .

Best part I liked about this run was that the  Organisors of this race were  eminent   doctors and remaining of them were industrialists but most importantly all are passionate runners . Just for the love of sports they were organising  this race . 

Since there were many doctors , they gave importance for providing best of medical care to the runners in case of emergencies . They had well Equipped Ambulances with  Defibrillator , Drugs to treat a heart attack, CPR kit , Saline bottles , Dextrose solution, in addition to the other routine trauma management kits and dressing materials in all their Ambulances . 

It will be fun to run in monsoon also , so  don't  miss their main event in July

Donate Platelet To Save A Life !!

We make a living by what we get !
but we make a life by what we give !!


First time I heard about platelet donation was from A runner friend Dr.Smriti who is a regular platelet donor . She told me how safe platelet donation is and most importantly by donating my platelets I can save someone's life.


I knew about how important it is to donate blood. But I didn't know what platelets are ? Is it the same process as blood donation ? Does it hurt? How long does it take? Can anyone do this? Is it safe to donate for a runner like me, who regularly trains ? is it safe to donate platelets ? I had lots of questions for Dr. Smriti .

So I am going share in details about my experience with you guys .
Hopefully by the end of this post, you're inspired to go out and donate !



Question: What are platelets and why do people donate them?

Pronounced just like it's spelled (plate-lets), platelets are cells within our blood that help our body to form clots to stop bleeding , which is why they're so important when it comes to cancer therapy, open heart surgery, treatment of blood disorders, dengue and children suffering from blood cancer.



Question: Ok, so people need platelets. Got it. Can anyone donate or are there restrictions like in giving blood?

Many people don't know they can donate platelets until a family member or friend is in need but just like blood, the platelet donations are always needed. The best part? You can donate every 2-3 weeks (up to 24 times a year)! Much more frequently than donating blood !



Question: What should be the count If one wants to donate?

Not less than 2.2 lakhs.



Question: How often can a person who is active in sports can donate?
A healthy physically active adult male can donate once every 15 days.
Advised to avoid extreme physical exertion a day prior to and the day of donation to avoid dehydration.  5 to 10 km run, gymmimg, swimming is ok but not 25 kms plus running 😅. If you are a long distance runner then its safer to run long distance 24 hours prior or 24 hours after the Platelets donation .



Question: Does platelet donation hurt?

Absolutely not !!! except for the single prick from a needle, the procedure is painless.




Question: What are the advantages?

Emotionally and mentally it gives one a high of being able to serve without having to spend any money. Physically, regular platelet donation is known to stimulate your bone marrow and lead to an increase in your Hemoglobin levels, increase in platelet count too, without any special dietary supplements or changes.



Question: What are the disadvantages?

Absolutely none. Because the entire process is a closed circuit procedure, done at the Tata memorial hospital's blood under the supervision of dedicated team of transfusion medicine experts.
Individual sealed imported kits are used for each donor. ( was told that each sterile sealed kit costs about 20k).



Question: Do we have to follow any special diet to regenerate the Platelets after or before the donation .

Nothing special needs to be done on the day of donation other than having a filling meal half hour before the Platelets donation and drink plenty fluids for a day to maintain hydration.



Question: How soon the platelets will regenerates after the donation?

Our bone marrow regenerates Platelets within 48 hours of donation I.e Platelets are back to normal count in 2 days .



Question: What are the benefits of donating Platelets ?

Emotionally and mentally it gives one a high of being able to serve without having spend any money.



Question: What is the life span of a platelets ?

The life span of the platelets donated is only 5 days .



So let me describe you the procedure what happens for those of you might be nervous.

First thing they do is counselling and the doctor will do a detailed examination, answer all your queries if any and blood sample is collected to know if you are fit to donate.


Just like when you do blood donation , single prick from a needle, the procedure is painless. The entire process of Platelets donation takes about 60 to 70 mins. One can lie down comfortable and watch TV, read a book or browse on the cell phone.
Lot of people probably don't donate because they think it is inconvenient. But for me I did it anyway, even on a working day , so I felt super good about it. In the long run, it is not so inconvenient when you think that few hours of your time could save a life. We are are among the fortunate ones who are blessed with the ability to save lives . It was really an honour to feel that , I was able to give something that could save a life and the fact that it wasn't a perfectly easy process made me more that I did it, and inspired me to do it again .


For more information please contact :
Tata Memorial Hospital , Blood Bank
Tel No: 24177000 Ext: 4681.

Certificate of Appreciation from Tata Memorial Hospital

Platelets

The process is really painless