How running Marathons helped me handle COVID!

Running marathons teaches life’s lessons. And whenever a difficult task confronts a runner, nothing seems bigger, if he is a marathoner.  Similar thoughts crossed my mind when I was given the responsibility of managing the COVID zone of my hospital, the busiest center in the armed forces dealing with this pandemic, with more than 200 active cases admitted.

What would I do before a marathon? Prepare for it before getting into it, and while in it, to stay positive, energized and pace it well through to the finish. In this case, I had to take the team along the way I would run this race, because winning this race would mean all of the team making it to finish line well.

The most important part of this marathon was the patient, for whom this team was there. And hence, all our efforts had to be directed towards doing our best for them. In a disease where there is little to be done by the way of curative drug treatment, it was necessary to identify the critical ones and those in the marginal zone, tilting towards serious state and treat them aggressively. Those asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic had to be kept in colder wards but always under watchful eyes, not to be missed and to be picked up at the earliest indication of worsening. While it would be almost inevitable to lose a critically ill patient on ventilator in the intensive care unit, no such eventuality would be acceptable in a colder ward.  The High dependency   unit (HDU) ward where borderline seriously ill patients, requiring oxygen would be kept, needed a close, constant watch for any indication of worsening, when such patients would have to be shifted to ICU. On the other hand, those showing improvement, and ability to sustain without oxygen, would be shifted to other wards.

All these decisions, required a mindful, conscious effort, quite similar to how a runner would pace himself through a marathon distance, based on the terrain, weather, distance remaining and how the body felt. The final aim being to reach the finish line strong, with minimum damage.

So, before I entered the zone, I started my preparation by educating myself about the disease, its testing, admission and treatment protocols, various guidelines and advisories in vogue and consulted with my predecessors in the zone who shared their valuable experience. After I moved in, my first meal was a joint one with the team, to acquaint myself with all of them and to cheer those up entering with me, and gain from the experiences of those already inside.

Wearing the personal protective equipment (PPE) for the first time is like a gladiator preparing for the arena. Proper pre-hydration and a pre-emptive visit to the loo ensures that one is free to work for the next 4hrs. All the components of the PPE had to be worn well to ensure that there was no room for contamination. My first few minutes of walk towards the ICU in PPE through the warm and humid morning made me realise that its going to be some tough times ahead. Sweating wasn’t new to me, but to have scant air to breathe and to keep talking through it was a challenge. My respect for all those who wore this for long hours and worked, immediately went high.

Walking through all the wards, talking to the patients, checking their vital parameters, giving instructions to the ward staff and deciding on discharges and transfers for the day was the marathon run, and had to be done with a clear head, pleasant persona and cheerful expression and all this despite extreme discomfort of sweat and heat inside the PPE shield. A forced smile within the masks made the pain lesser.

End of the round, doffing time was a welcome feeling, almost like the last few 100m of the marathon, with finish line in sight. This was a good time to pass a few final instructions in the ICU, and admin staff, before getting back to the cool comfort of breathing easy.

Post- doffing, it was a cold-water disinfectant bath, rehydration and a refreshing hot cup of tea. As phones cannot be carried along during the rounds, thankfully so, I would get back to find numerous missed calls and messages from restless bosses and anxious relatives who wanted to know the details, just like the post-race updates. Next few hours would be spent responding to all of them patiently, before getting back to rest of the job.  

Running marathons not only gives one the physical endurance to perform such tasks, it also teaches one teamwork, the importance of cheering the others alongside, motivating and taking them along, and pacing through a long hard effort to a strong finish with a smile. All these learnings helped me stand tall and deliver when I was faced with this unprecedented challenge. As I pen down these experience, I am already visualizing how these lessons would help me when I run my next marathon.