Listicle

• 6 months being a vegetarian! yay! This was my long term life goal. And I am glad I could embrace it in my early thirties. Slightly inspired by Scott Jurek's lifestyle change and a lot more about trying to have minimal impact on nature and my surroundings. I know this sounds totally absurd, at least in my head, but believe me the more I think about it, the more I know I made the right choice. I have 0 cravings for chicken or any meat items. Initially I used to consciously tell myself to not gravitate towards the shrimps or the fish or the chicken. This was mere habit and did not take me long to change it. Another disclaimer : I am still eating eggs once in a while. Its because its easier to prepare eggs during travels and also easiest source of protein. Slowly I'll get there i.e. being a complete vegetarian. Next step in this journey : Growing my own veggies and food.

• My past few years' reading pattern suggests that I read non fiction just to add variety to my book lists. My personal grudge with non fiction is its boring most of the time. And I pick up a book only if its been recommended by someone I trust highly or getting rave reviews. This year I am trying to change that consciously. I have read 4 non fiction books till now (yay!) and none of them put me to sleep. I enjoyed each one of them. Needless to say they were really informative and at places inspiring. In fact the next 2 books in line are non fiction as well. I have put off some novels I wanted to read on the back burner since April. Talk about change.

• Recently I visited Las Vegas for a conference. I was least excited about being in the city. As expected I did not enjoy it one bit and was glad that I was there for work. This also saved me the trouble of writing a travel post. Although the only touristy advice I have is, do try the unlimited brunch/breakfast options at one of the casinos. We tried the one at Ceasar's palace and loved the variety of food.

• 6 months into this year and I have not registered for any running race. I am doing pretty good on the 'don't be so hard on yourself' pact I made with myself. My routine includes pretty much easy runs. And its unbelievable that I trained and ran 42 kms 5 months ago. Hence I like running. Its so humbling. Do the same thing over and over again. The moment you feel like you have arrived, you are back to being a novice.

SCMM 2016 - Full Marathon

My foolhardiness knows no bounds. Its always been like this. In school, I used to take up extra work, assignments because I loved studying. I would solve all types of extra problem books, study materials because I loved the challenge. As a runner, after having run 4 half marathons, I knew the drill of training and preparing. I also understood goal setting much better. Never been a believer of speed running or wanting to be one, becoming faster was not my goal. Here I agreed completely with my coaches at Running Potential, when they said, 'Let the speed come to you.' Around June, when SCMM registration discussions were in the air, I started toying with the idea of running a full marathon. A part of me was bored with the same structure of a HM training and wanted to run longer distances. I should also make it clear here that I had no bucket list goals such as, 'I wanted to run a full marathon before this and this age'. So, when the registration finally opened, I did it! When I told my coach at RP, the only reaction he gave me was 'Now on you have to treat every half marathon you run as a long run. There will be no races.' 
(Delhi was to be my race, how it went which you must know. So with these facts established my training started.)

My weekly volume gradually increased to 40-50 km. Initially it was too much to keep up with. The work travels added to the stress. Around August-Sept I got into a good rhythm and finally got accustomed to the schedule. By this time my overall running form had improved to a point, where I could do split after split at a given pace (in the 6.30 - 6.50 mins/km range). I also learned the art of running at slower paces with same effort and cadence. And for this I highly recommend training with experienced coaches. My 'gurujis' are the best thing that has happened to my running. It has taken me 3 years to inculcate and realize most of the advice and words of wisdom they have had for me. I am far from a great student when it comes to running. But I shall get there eventually. *touches wood and all sorts of objects nearby*

Post the ADHM performance, I was really doubtful about my chances of faring well at SCMM in January. My last long run was in last week of December. Like every foolish optimist I told myself, if that run went well, you are going to SCMM. Fortunately or unfortunately the run went well. I ran 42 km on a weekend (14/28 - split between Saturday and Sunday). I recovered in a day as well. And the stage was set. I was going to run the full marathon! I then did my hotel reservations, started spending time studying the race route, coming up with strategies, and focusing on the last phase of pre-race nutrition.
The nutrition strategy shared by running potential helped here as well!

I was a bag full of nerves by the time the race week started. On the weekend of the race I reached the bib collection expo with my brother (he was going to run the half) collected the bib, headed for lunch and then reached my hotel.  Of course there were surprises in store. Oyorooms, from where I had booked the hotel, had relocated me to a different, farther hotel, without even asking/confirming. I was furious at them. So I left the hotel deciding to stay with my brother instead. I let this episode go without giving it much energy. On the way to Dadar, where I was going to stay, I reminded myself to buy bananas for race day. I forgot, and then in the entire nearby area we did not get bananas. I wanted to let this go but was not able to. 'A lot of things can go wrong on your race day', I had read somewhere. For me it had started a day before. Who would have thunk ? After a light meal of idli sambhar, I called it a day and went to sleep at 9 PM with all race day prep completed. 

D-day started with a phone call from a slightly tipsy friend in a different timezone who told me to 'do anything but dont stop'. I wanted to be at the start point as fast as I could, so I said yes to whatever she told me. I got ready with a light meal of 4 marie biscuits, 3 almonds and water. I tucked in the 6 gel packs, made sure my phone was fully charged and gave the pacing plan provided by RP a last glance in the car. I have no idea where I got down from the car, but the start point was almost a kilometer away from there. So I walked to Azad Maidan blindly following other runners. Visited the loo 20 minutes before the race as usual and lined up in the assembly area.

The mood at the Full Marathon starting point was somber. I guess every runner was in a zone and trying to conserve energy and not indulge. I loved the calm. The race started at exact 5.40 am. There was rush at the start but as advised in my pacing plan I stuck to the right side of the road and trudged on at a slow speed. I think I started in the 7-8 mins/km zone. I maintained the innermost line at the two U-turns and picked speed once I hit Marine Drive. Mumbai temperature and air felt really pleasant to be running by the sea. I started drinking water around 2-3 km. And started eating the gel pack at 30 mins, only to gulp one bite of the gel every 15 mins. I also picked up enerzal as and when they were offered. Upto 15 km I was going at a steady rhythm with split after split of 6 mins 42-46 sec. After 10 km, I also started spotting the half marathoners running from the other direction and hence decided to stay on the right side of the road to cheer for known faces (get some energy more like). We hit the majestic Worli Sea link at 14-15 km and my brain could not register the gradual uphill. I tried to soak in the breeze, washed my face at the water station and continued running. I completed 21.1 km in 2hrs 24 mins (1 min less than my pacing plan). I was told to run the first half conservatively and I was happy that I had not gone overboard. I started re-assessing my goals and decided to stick behind an energetic and talkative 5 hour bus pacer. 
Lesson 1 learnt - While running a distance of 42.195 km you need all sorts of positive energy.  Get it from wherever possible. 
I took ice from a station near 23-24 km and rubbed it on my neck, splashed some water on my head and face and kept running with the group. Around 26 km the elite runners pack passed us. Oh what a sight for sore legs that was! Pumped we all continued with good spirit. I walked a few paces around 29 km, as I needed to tear a gel and eat it. The bus went slightly ahead of me here. I walked few more paces with a fellow runner who looked tired and needed motivation, gave him a gel pack and started running again. By this time, the sun was up, but thankfully it was not that hot. I could still see the bus and keeping the goal of catching it, I kept running. It was 32km, and I still had not caught up with them. So frustrated with myself I took a walking break. My brain was not working a lot. I spotted the RP group cheering for me on the left side and deriving some energy out of them, I started running again. I ran well upto the 34 km marker and then started walking on the pedder road climb. I did try running here, but there was not much convincing my brain and I let it go. My brain had completely tossed away the pacing plan, and it was now convincing me to give up. The urge to give up became stronger around 38 km marker. 
Lesson 2 learnt - 'The mind is an excellent servant but a terrible master' Always always always remember this.

On the verge of tears, there was now a raging battle inside me. A part of my brain was telling my body to stop and sit down in shade. A part of it wanted to cry and bawl like a child and ask someone to pick me up and take me to finish line. A part of me was trying against these 2 beasts to keep moving. A part reminded me what the friend had told me earlier in the day. I then implemented this weird strategy, of running 60 paces and walking 60 paces. At times running 200 paces and walking 120 paces. Yes I was counting in my head. I was rid of all the positive energy inside me. When the final left turn arrived, a lady cheered me saying, 'you are almost there' and I snarkily replied 'Lets hope so'. Sorry well meaning lady. If you read this please know that it was not the real me.
Lesson 3 learnt - When anyone says they beat the odds to achieve something, remember the odds are always the voices in your head. You just need one tiny voice of courage and follow it.

I started hating every marker placed after 1000 meters. Still controlling tears, I started properly running without any mind-games around 300 meters from finish line and completed the race. If you see my finish video there is no gladness or hurrah on my face or in my body language. I could not believe 42 km was such a long distance. I wanted to complain to someone 'do you know what just happened? This distance was never ending' I felt completely exposed and vulnerable during these last 4 kms. I met P near the recovery tents, where she was patiently waiting for me for 2 hours! Seeing her familiar face brought back those tears I was hard fighting to keep hidden.
Everyone had been congratulating and messaging on facebook after she put up a picture, but it took me a lot of time to wrap my head around the torture my own brain made me go through.

Now after almost a day post the race, while typing this, I realize how fortunate I was to not get injured while running. Or not bonk. I have only my coaches at running potential to thank for this fantastic achievement. Of course my legs are sore and I am feeling tired. But I am ok with that feeling. btw those asking (and not asking openly and wondering) I completed the race in 5 hours 13 minutes and 11 seconds. 

I do not know what my next race will be or plan is. But I had decided to take a break from running races for some time and I intend to do so.

Delhi Half Marathon

I signed up for the Airtel Delhi half marathon 2 months ago (popularly known as #ADHM in running circles). I had been to Delhi earlier once and had liked the capital a lot! The race route went from Nehru Stadium, to Lodi Gardens to Rajpath (India Gate) to Parliament to Jantar Mantar and looped back to Nehru Stadium. So all the more reason for me to be able to run there and enjoy the royalty and history of Delhi.

In the running circles, the Delhi route is known as a flat route and hence best to get a personal best timing. Of course my wishful brain had already broken all personal records in its head and achieved running glory. Before you read further into this long post, let me shatter your dreams and make it clear nothing like this happened. In fact this was one of my worst post race experiences ever in terms of exhaustion and soreness. The saving grace was how valiantly I ran the first 18 km, without taking a break. And what happened after that as an anticlimax to an otherwise heroic story, if I may say so myself.

I reached Delhi well before the race ie early Friday morning. I spent the day with my childhood friend and her husband exploring Connaught place, Agrasen ki Baoli, Janpath, etc etc. Let me make it clear we did not walk much. Both of us (I and the friend) were going to run the half marathon and very well understood the implications of too much strain on the legs just 2 days before a race. We used the Metro extensively. Even sat on the floor for lack of space which was very Mumbai like of us according to Upasna :) We ended Friday with a light dinner and Mockingjay Part 2. The Katniss Everdeen within us had very much awakened and we felt ready for the battle.

On Saturday we collected our race kits and bibs. My only gripe was the collection point was far off from where I was staying ie Gurgaon. Because we wanted to conserve energy and time we did this trip by Uber and ended up spending a fortune of 1500 Rs. But nothing is greater than resting your legs and body before race day. We ended Saturday at 9 PM.

I woke up on race day at 4 AM without any alarm. Got ready with a light breakfast of banana, 2 parle G biscuits and some black tea and a glass of water. Reached the race holding area at 6.30 am i.e. 40 minutes before the race start. Of course had to take a loo break. Kudos to the organizers to have plenty of portable toilets at the venue (and also along the route). I did not have to wait in lines for a long time and go through anxiety of never reaching the start point in time.

The race started at sharp 7.10 AM. I and my friend were in holding area C, so it took us 2-3 minutes to reach timing mats on start point. I had already started my running app, as I did not want to miss starting it later. I started running only after the start point making way through the crowd of runners. I started steadily and slowly in the 7-7.20 mins/km pace zone. After 1 km point I settled in the 6.20-6.30 mins/km pace zone. Time for some back story here.

I had returned to India after a work trip a week before the race. As soon as I reached home, I caught a terrible cold. I let it run its course because I wanted my lungs to be freer of cough and related ailments on race day. I was also jetlagged and my sleep cycle was totally ruined. Because of all this drama I had missed one of my slightly longer weekly run. I had run only once in the week before the race. And before that due to travel etc I had missed 2 of my long runs.
So when I started #ADHM my mind and body knew that finishing the race strong would be a task in itself, given the hassle my body had gone through. But once I started running in the capital, in the morning smog and haze, my body settled in a rhythm and ran consistently. Around 6 km mark when India gate came into sight I could feel slight excitement. It was a very surreal moment for me to be running near India gate and on Rajpath. That added to my consistency and I continued running at the steady pace. At the 8km mark, I could see faster runners going back to the stadium (it was their 13km mark) and I felt immense joy that only 13 more km were remaining in my race. The half way point was near Jantar Mantar and once I looped around it, I promised my body that it will get a gel pack and some almonds once it reaches 15 km. At around 14km, I ate an almond and continued running without a break. My brain was functioning very well, as in it was not tired and asking my body to give up and start walking. My lungs were 'running' better than ever despite the cold/cough. So when the 16km mark came my brain told my body, one more kilometer and you will get half an energy gel! My body obliged. Somewhere during the 18th kilometer I tried to tear the gel pack while running. I could not, so I walked a few paces to concentrate on the tearing. To my shock the moment I paused to walk, I realized my legs had gone numb. My toes had that tingling sensation you get when blood flow has stopped to some part of your body. My immediate thought was I was going to faint in the middle of the road. I did not. So I continued walking for few meters and concentrated on eating the gel. I ate half the gel and started running again. My mind had of course started playing games. It was telling me to walk more. After 18km I started walking again. I felt I would walk to the finish line.

Seven!

And then a miracle man came by my side. He told me only 2 kms were remaining and I could do it. In a marathon event, you meet many such people who say words like 'come on' and move on. But he persisted. He did not let me walk. And so reluctantly I started running. I regained my initial pace despite my body screaming to let it go. I was literally chanting 'push, come one, push' to myself. Howmuchever weird it may sound. I crossed the finish line running and on a stronger note. Post run I sat down at the first spot I found empty on a staircase and ate the remaining gel and water. I was staring at the passersby like a zombie, trying to make sense of the trauma I made my body go through. And of course trying to find out my angel in disguise who made me not give up, whom I could never find again.

My lesson learnt is, however regular I am in training, I need to focus on what I eat specially when I travel. And since travel takes a toll on routine and general health, I need to plan better. Or may be I need to stop travelling and focus only on running :P

I am glad though I did this race. It was one of the better organized races I have been to. This was my seventh half marathon and it will always remain special for me!

Hyderabad half marahton 2015

Apart from my perfect world reasoning, I have figured out another reason to register for and run races. Change of scenery. Simple. Every day running in the same neighborhood, hunting for a new route to trod under your weathered running shoes starts to become a challenge. Within a couple of years once you start running. So the only way to kill boredom and monotony of above routine is to register and run for races.

And if you like to travel, its an added bonus. With or without trains.

For this year's version of the #AHM, I registered for the half marathon. AGAIN. As if going through last year's ordeal was not enough. But snarky comments on my decision making aside, I wanted to run in Hyderabad by correcting a few wrongs on my end and see if it affected how I felt post run.
I'll list down the things I felt I did wrong last year, considering my overall fitness at that point:
1. Traveled around the city on Saturday in blazing heat, in a bus, in auto, on foot.
2. Ate food without due consideration for the race next day.
3. Wore clothes in which I had not practiced before.
4. Slept at 12 in the night and got up at 3.30 am on race day. ie insufficient sleep

This time I took the Shatabdi from Pune to Hyderabad, along with a bunch of other runners. I loved the Shatabdi experience! The food was good and the train super clean and super fast. As the train criss crossed through Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, the eight hour long day journey felt seemingly small. We reached in the afternoon, on the day before the race day. Did the ritual of visiting the race expo, bib collection, hanging around sports booths.

Upon checking in at the hotel, it was already evening. So even if I had any plans of sight seeing or shopping, I could not. So the evening culminated in a light South Indian dinner at Minerva Café. I was back at the hotel and in bed at 8.30 PM. After unpacking for race day and keeping my race gear* etc ready. Yes! At 9 PM I was asleep. Of course, one can blame the residual jet lag in my system for such early bed time. Nonetheless, I was asleep soon and woke up at 3.30 AM. 6-6.5 hours of sleep before a race has been a never before event in my running life. That itself was exciting enough. I was ready by 4.30 AM and done with one round of light breakfast of banana, some black tea, 2 marie biscuits and 2 glasses of water.

We left hotel at 5.20 AM. Because I had so much water I had to clear it out as well, and I spent 10 anxious minutes in the toilet line, just before the event. By the time we made it to the runners assembly area, it was crowded beyond imagination. We tried to sneak in with 'Excuse Me's and shoves and pushes, but could only make some progress. As the balloons went off and the race was flagged off, it took us 3-4 minutes to get to the start point. So the initial jitters of starting the race properly, were practically non existent. We were too worried about getting pushed to the start line.

Once the race started, it dawned on me that I had not made any plans. I had just shown up with enough regular runs in my pocket. One more thing I should clarify here. I ran in the US for a month prior to the race. Due to some magic (running gods must be happy with me!), my running speeds had improved tremendously there.

When I returned, I was worried how this would impact my race day. Weather and temperature are a huge factor in determining how you feel during a run. Keeping that in mind from last year's fiasco at Hyderabad, I felt I was prepared for any kind of drastic weather change. This was another reason, I had no particular plan for #AHM.

Around 4-5 km when everyone had found their comfort zone and the roads had cleared a bit, I spotted a 2.30 hour half marathon bus. The pacer looked familiar (he was from Pune) so I felt like joining him. One good outcome of this decision was, I ended up running in my comfort zone of 6.30-6.45 mins/km for the most distance. I did not push myself too hard to run faster and hence prevented a burn out. I also felt amazingly in control most of the time during the run. To quote every runner 'I was enjoying the run'. One flyover turned into another, one uphill turned into another but I did not feel like stopping or giving up. Despite blisters starting to form on my soles of both feet. I had never experienced this before. After 5-6 km, there was this weird burning sensation of the soles and it never quite went away.

I just ran. Never minding the pain or discomfort. This is how pain feels like, I told myself.

Around 17km, when the last uphill leg of the half marathon route started, I felt a bit tired. I told the pacer I wanted to walk. We still had 30 good minutes buffer to cover the 4 km and finish race before the 2 hour 30 mark. He kept on pushing me and making me feel comfortable by giving me illusive goals of 'just few more steps', 'just that banner', 'just that bend'. I did listen to him! When we entered the last 500 meters, I somehow got ahead of the bus and finished the race in 2 hours 22 mins.
I waited and waited for the pacer and his bus to show up but could not find him to convey my thanks, in the sea of people ->

there is no such thing as too many people!

[When I told this story to a few friends later, they laughed at me saying I must have imagined this 'pacer'! Of course, I did not.]

I was extremely satisfied and satiated post run. I got out of the daze to sit on the nearby lawn and removed my shoes. The touch of the grass to my blistered feet, is how heaven must feel like, I wanted to tell someone. I was smiling like a fool with that realization.
Contrary to all my previous race experiences, I ran this one without any specific goals and outcomes in mind. I was the most happy by the end of it. I think there is some hidden life lesson here. But I am going to let it go and try to learn during next race. May be ?

* I had practiced in my race day clothes on long runs during training. Since I sweat profusely while running, I was aware of what to expect in these clothes during the humid, hot run in hyderabad.

SCMM 2015

These are some really long notes about SCMM and running.

Sometimes I think in my perfect world I would never register for races. Nor would I travel to different places just to be able to run in an organized fashion. Its not my perfect world, and hence for above reasons I take decisions from time to time to register for racing events and train for them with experts. 

Before every outstation event I go through this :
i. make travel plans a month/15 days in advance
ii.  plan my clothes (its a big part of how you fare at any run!) well in advance. Shop if required and practice in them.
iii. Excitement starts building up in the race week.
iv. The Friday before the race is full of travel anxiety.No productive work gets done. I still go to office (Must thank my stars that no one bothers me with important work on such fridays!)
v. Dream about things that may go wrong. For eg. What if I do not reach the venue on time and they disqualify me. Such positive thinking makes me full of nerves. I am *this* short of outbirsts.
vi. Travel. Travel. Travel.
vii. Meet friends to keep mind off d-day. If possible shop, eat out.
viii. Try to get minimum 6 hours of sleep. Though my brain clock wakes me up at ungodly hours like 2.30 am, 3.30 am and then finally 4.30 am.

Till now (this was my 4th half marathon), I have not missed out on showing up at any event. Things haven't gone as worse as I play the what-if scenarios in my head. But all this has somewhere made me a better human being. 
I look at the positives. I make plan A-G to be executed during any run. My failover scenarios are ready. And I feel as if I am raring to go. Exactly 2 years ago when I started running, I would not have been able to say a single word about all this, of course for lack of experience. These stretch-your-limits experiences have taught me to be prepared and not prepared for elements of life. I am also not sure if I am conveying any meaning out of the words I just typed. 

Anywho, the point is this is my way of tackling pointlessness which loves making its presence felt in my head from time to time. After every race pointlessness takes a backseat and I gain one point. You see the point I am making ?

So if you are a runner in India then SCMM marks the official end of running season here. Its one of the oldest, well organized and prestigious events here! 
I signed up for SCMM to nicely seal off my training plan for the year and later to serve as a marker to analyze running performance over the year. I had a good amount of rest in the race week, showed up well before flag off at start point, clicked selfies with friends, ate almonds, calmed my nerves by remembering favorite bollywood songs. Somewhere I was not feeling that strong, but I had following goals laid out :
A. Target the 2.15 hour bus, wherever the pacers were. Run my own race as all the 5 pacers of the 2.15 bus had weird pacing strategies. If I finished 9.5 km in one hour then I would be able to finish in 2.15 hours by staying strong in the last segment i.e. post 18km.
B. Do a personal best.
C. Run my own race. Did I say this already ?

I started really slow as planned, gained pace over the majestic worli sea link, got steady with every passing kilometer. Surprisingly, I did not have to take a single walking break till 17th km, even for drinking water. Even during the infamous steep Pedder Road incline. *humble brag* I could not run a single kilometer without walking breaks 2 years ago and in my last half marathon I took 10 seconds walking breaks just to gulp water. A huge shoutout to RP and their training!

I was taking 2-3 sips of water every 5-7 minutes to compensate for the humidity in Mumbai. My body showed first sign of weakness in the form of salt loss at 16 km with cramps in lower left abdomen. I immediately switched to sipping enerzal from a nearby aid station. They went away fairly quickly. The next event happened post 17km. Lower right abdomen started cramping. This time I walked for 10 seconds, sipped good amount of enerzal and water. Willed it to go away. Bugger did not. It kept on making its presence felt even if my body took a slight bend or tried to do something different to steer my brain away from the pain. I let the body take over the brain which was in such a good controlling position till now. In a way I knew my race was over specially goal A. I walked a bit more. Let time slip by. Post the 18th km marker, I decided I would walk every 20 seconds. But. But. But. The mumbai crowd and excellent support system in the form of bands playing live music, dance troupes, motivational songs, showed up. Damn! How could I even imagine to walk when so many unknown faces were cheering all of us weirdos for no particular reason to keep going. So I kept going. At a slow and steady pace. The pain went away. I crossed the finish line with a timing of 2:21:25. And fainted. This is what real electrolyte loss feels like, I told myself. I steadied and made way to the amazing and special recovery area for women athletes (if I may call myself so without any pretense). 

#scmm2015 memories

SCMM is a really well organized event. Water and aid stations are plenty and well placed. If you have studied your race route well, you would find water/aid stations exactly where you were supposed to find them. In addition locals setup stalls to help poor, thirsty and hungry runners. 
But this year's race felt too crowded for my taste. There was not a stretch where you could have the patch of a street to yourself. That's my only grouch. I can imagine how tough it can be to organize an event on such a massive scale so my only plea to the organizers is to cut down on entries. Pretty please!

So what am I up to now ?
I am still recovering from the race. I have showed up at work. I have achieved my personal best timing. And I have learnt to run my own race and enjoy what I can by planning what I can plan for during a run. I am also grateful to the support my friends and family give and sometimes plan their life around my running schedule. I am now going through marathon events in India this year and listing down interesting ones. I'll plan a part of my year around them. Because as I mentioned at the beginning, in my perfect world I would never register for or run races.

Pune run beyond myself - half marathon

Pune running is an active bunch of amateur runners in Pune city. PRBM (pune run beyond myself) is the flagship charity event organized by this group along the lovely route of NCL/Pashan/Bavdhan (if you know your bearings around Pune you will know what I mean).

After the hyderabad running nightmare I really wanted to run a half marathon to gauge the improvement in my running stamina and form. So I signed up for the half marathon at PRBM (which my trainers at running potential did not approve of!). Reluctantly I resumed the training routine. Running 4 times a week with a comparatively longer run a week before the actual run. I even started developing a cold feet a week before the run. 21.1 km started feeling like a ridiculously long distance to be run by anyone. (Full Marathoners I respect thee!)

With all these background activities going on in my head, race day arrived. This was exactly 48 days after the Hyderabad run. The pleasant Satara Hill run had assuaged the running blerch a bit. But there were still doubts in my head. I wanted to validate my own beliefs.
Like a kid getting nervous before her first stage appearance, I started feeling jittery before the run. A point came when I could hardly contain my excitement so I made myself watch the tragic Anna Karenina. That did help! 

So race day arrived. And if you like me get excited about racing events like school exams, you would know the emotions. I was ready with warm up at 5.15 am (race was to start at 6am). But despite that I reached the start point late ie around 5.45 am and made a dash for the start line. Thankfully I caught sight of  the 2.30 hour pacer and I snuck behind his bus.

My strategy for this run was to stick with the 2.30 hour bus for the most part and try to finish the HM under that. My earlier HM timings were more than that so it was a huge task in my head. The gun went off at 6 am sharp and I slowly made it out of the crowded beginning section of the route. 600 meters into the route and the 2.30 hour pacer started walking. I had not confirmed his race strategy earlier, so this run-walk routine came as a big disappointment to me. It became clear to me that I had to run the race with my own bus at my own pace and just try to be ahead of the 2.30 hour bus all the time.

With this little improvisation I got my mind back into the race. The earlier part of the route was uphill so my slow but constant pace helped. I ran with a pace of 6.45-7 mins/km during the first 5 km, having crossed the 5km mark at 35 minutes. This is when part deux of my strategy came to the fore. I took my first water break for exactly 30 seconds, where I kept on walking sipping 200 ml of water. My next water break of 30 seconds came after the 7 km mark. Next 20 second electrolyte solution break came past the 10.5 km mark. And so on. The return route was quite downhill and the weather was perfect for a long run. Of course the sun had started shining down on us by the time we started our journey back to the start point. But it all felt like good sun god behavior. Post the 15 km mark, my urge to take more and longer water breaks started creeping in. This is when the real test began. I managed to cross the 18 km mark under 2 hours and gave myself a treat by taking a 1 minute long walking water break. With only 3 kms to go, I knew I could achieve that elusive timing. 

But these 3 kms were not a breeze as my over imaginative brain had pictured. I took another walk break on a quite uphill part and totally lost track of time. It was only when I saw people behind me overtake me, that the competitive person in me awakened. I started running with all my heart (literally, you should have seen me panting :P) and finished the race in 2 hours 24 minutes and 30 seconds.

This is my personal best timing after having run 3 half marathons. I have realized, the only way to get over a bad race (or run) is to run another race.

Until SCMM in January then!

Satara hill marathon 2014

I can see this blog is slowly becoming a place to document running events. But as long as I keep on writing here, no one's loss right ?

The Satara Hill Marathon is an elite ultra marathon event in Maharashtra, which only in its 3rd year has already become famous for some superlative arrangements for runners and gorgeous and tough route. I ran the 10 k race there yesterday and immediately made a plan to run the half marathon next year.

I and P reached Satara, (1.5 hours drive, 2 hours by bus and 3 hours by train, away from Pune) a day before, collected* our stuff (kit consisting of bib, running tee, route map and other goodies)  from the expo and set about exploring Satara. 
* Great story about the managing team here: They sent a wrong text message regarding the bib number and race category to a bunch of participants. I was one of them. My immediate thought was to get this resolved at the expo itself. To my surprise, I received an email the next day, where they admitted their mistake and gave instructions about what should be done by these participants. I think this was a pretty good corrective measure in what could have been a management disaster, where I could picture participants arguing and fighting with the marathon staff.

Satara has a distinct small town feel to it. There is not much to do in the city itself, except some amazing foodie treats. But around the city are some great escapades like, Sajjangad, thoseghar falls, kass valley (smaller version of valley of flowers) which are 30-40 minutes drive away from the city. So if you are the adventurous kind and would not mind exploring these instead of resting it off, these are a must visit. Of course, we did not do any of this as we were quite anxious about the run the next day.

We hit the sack early and got up at 4.30 am on race day. Owing to the fact that our hotel had some cleanliness and water issues. Runner tip: If possible get an idea about where you will be staying in advance to avoid such issues.

We reached the start point when the half marathon was about to start. After cheering the amazing elite and non elite runners for the half marathon and some warm up, we queued up for the 10k race. The 10 k race, starts in the city, takes one to the sahyadri ghaats upto 5km and then one returns to the start point having gained an elevation of 2034 ft. 
I clicked this picture during one of the water breaks -> 

<3

Needless to say I had not run on a route which is outside the city limits and is surrounded by luscious green hills. I was mesmerized by the views on my way upto the 5k mark. The return was even more beautiful with view of Satara city covered by fog and mist in the early morning hours and the sun penetrating the cover. I did not click any pictures on the way down from the ghaats as I was busy capturing the beauty for my own sake. I will go back to these images in my head over and over, is the only thing I can say right now.

The live traditional dhol-tutari played by local troupes welcomed the runners back in the arena on completion. That along with some astounding ground support all along the route made this one of the most well managed events I have attended since I started running.

I wish to come back over and over again to this wonderful city and these amazing people, just to run with nature and take it all in. If you are a runner anywhere and reading this, then I also urge you to visit the Satar Hill Marathon. You will not be disappointed!

Hyderabad marathon 2014

As an amateur runner, I have decided to try to select 2 new cities or venues every year for running events and show up and complete the run (if no fancy goals). As part of this plan, I decided to run the Hyderabad half marathon, touted as 'India's toughest city marathon'.

My training journey to Hyderabad Marathon 2014 (popularly known as AHM) started in April, when I signed up for an year long training plan for SCMM 2015, with running potential. I started running out of various reasons last year and after the first half marathon experience, I wanted to run more and better. So my training included lots of base building which focused on improving my aerobic fitness and some ramp runs to prepare me for the hilly (tough) route of the AHM.
[Please call/meet/write to me for detailed training discussions. I have realized over time how boring it can be for non runners!]

The planning for the marathon weekend started in June with train and hotel bookings. Plenty of trains from Pune so no issues on that front. Also plenty of hotels near necklace road where the race normally starts so no hassles on that front too. I had received the race route and altitudes from my trainers well in advance, which I had studied for quite some time. But as the race day approached, I started becoming more jittery and less confident. I had a lotof strategies and back up plans ready in my head. Timing was not even in the picture. Because on a tough route a lot of factors play deciding role. I entered the city of Hyderabad with only one aim ie finishing the run in under 3 hours. 

all in a day's work!

I reached on Saturday and spent the entire day out. From 9 am to 10.30 pm. Explored the charming old city. Visited Charminar, Macca masjid, Salarjung museum, haggled with the shopkeepers in Meena Bazar, asked for directions from random strangers, argued with rikshawalas, took city buses, ate at chutneys, Ohri's. In short loved Hyderabad despite the heat and traffic rush. 

I also managed to collect my running kit for the race during all this touristy activity and literally forgot that I was visiting the city for a half marathon and not all this sight seeing. 

When I hit the bed before race day did I realize that I was kind of tired. Nervousness started creeping in. And I went to bed making all the arrangements for the next morning ready like running clothes, shoes, breakfast stuff, water bottles, charging phone. 

Woke up at 4.30 am on race day with 5.5 hours sleep. Got ready and drank 2 glasses of water and ate a banana and did some light warm up. Prepared my electrolyte solution to be carried with me. With some money in pocket and earpods and phone I went to the hotel lobby where I met other runners. Together we all left for the start point which was 10 minutes walk away. 

And boy was that a party or not! Loud music was playing. Hordes of runners had gathered. The full marathon runners were about to reach our start point as part of their route. Our race was to start at necklace road and end at GMS balyogi stadium. A calm started to spread over me. I made a simple strategy of starting steady with the 2.30 hour bus and making it a point to hydrate well even if it meant longer waits at water stations. The announcers also confirmed the expected bad weather conditions like extreme heat and humidity and asked us to keep hydration levels high. Even if it meant taking loo breaks!

The gun went off at precise 6 am on the watch. I started slow and steady with a pace of 6.40 mins/km. The 4 month long training had taught me that this was my comfort zone pace. I was feeling good and my breathing also sounded rhythmic (I fall into trouble if my breathing is irregular and hence that's a huge indicator for me if my run would soar or tank). By 7 am I was near the 10 km mark and was feeling hopeful. The 2.30 hour pacer was still in my sight so that meant I would be able to catch up.
The only concern was the increasing perspiration. It was annoying. I was waiting for the next water station to take my first water break. The electrolyte solution had helped me take this risk. I drank 2 glasses of water at the next station and started the next phase with renewed hope. The route had started to get tougher. The ramps looked never ending and the sun god made running even more tough. 

a sight for sore legs!

I had roamed around the city the day before enough to know the halfway point of the half marathon. I was overjoyed when I crossed it. Only to encounter a steep ramp, where my first walk of the run started. It was to be first of many walking breaks that I took that day. From then on it became a constant struggle to not get annoyed by the sweat, humidity and heat and keep going on. By this time the 2.45 hour pacers had passed me by. 
I started to feel miserable by 16 km. And thought of giving up for an entire stretch of 500 meters. But then I thought of the friend who had accompanied me to Hyderabad and was eager to see the medal. Her presence made me not give up. So I continued on till I saw this sign -> 

This meant only 2 more kilometers remaining!
But to everyone's shock these 2 kms were also full of ramps. The Hyderabad route would not have it easy on any of us. 
I managed to run the entire last kilometer with whatever willpower I had left and completed my half marathon in 2 hours 49 minutes and 53 seconds. 

Even though the weather and route had it tough on us, the extremely enthusiastic volunteers and awesome arrangements for food, water, rest made the run a memorable experience.
I failed almost all goals I had set myself up before this run. The only goal I succeeded at was recovering sooner post run. So all is still well in lala land. And looking forward to next year's AHM!

My half marathon training with Running Potential

Training is a very important aspect of any half/full marathon aspirant or participant. 

When I registered for the Pune half marathon, I knew I had to train hard given I was an amateur runner. To top that its 21.1 km I was thinking of running, my longest ever. If one has to finish a book before a deadline, one doesn't start writing a day before. It takes work. I think as great writers write everyday, even great runners run (must be?) every day or train on a regular basis.

I was pretty ignorant of running techniques, training, how much to run, how long to run, whether to monitor my heart rate or my pace, etc etc. I had jumped in thinking google, fellow runners would help me find a way. On one of my Sunday runs I met Anand (we work at the same place) from running potential who is an accomplished runner himself. We talked about my 'running' plans and he suggested I attend a talk he was going to give about 'Physiology of running'. I was welcome for any insights and went in to attend, a bit hesitant. It was a super informative and illuminating talk which focused on the science behind running and its aspects. 

I immediately signed up for training with running potential as mentioned in the super long post I wrote earlier.

my training log for HM with reds and greens all over it :)

My training started in last week of September and my half marathon was scheduled for first week of december, an exact 2 month period. I had a 10 k run coming up in first week of october. So the first 2 weeks were about getting me to run that 10k without breaking myself. But I fell ill, missed out on the event and an entire week of training. So post that it was 'start from scratch'. Because I was an amateur runner, my training became about getting across mental blocks of long distances, and running for duration rather than distance. According to the training plan I was supposed to run 4/5 days a week and maintain a log (essential for any aspiring long distance runner) and update it in a shared google doc.

Also I was to increase my mileage gradually . So I started out with 23km per week and ramped up to 35 km per week. My runs were broken into easy runs of 3-5 km on weekdays (I had to go to work as well!) and longer i.e. 8-10 km runs on weekends. The longest distance I ran before the half marathon was 12km. So you can see the training never made me stretch myself beyond my physical fitness so that my body would break. It first of all aimed at getting me to a fitter level. It also concentrated on simulating the conditions of a longer run for my body to be able to learn and adapt. Within 3 weeks I could see that my aerobic system i.e my lungs and breathing had become much better. I had always run out of breath during runs, which used to compel me to take walking breaks to get my breath in control. Due to this short + long distance combination of running this behavior got better and now I felt like taking a walking break after 10 km on really good run days. The 2 month long training progressed and hit its peak 2 weeks before the half marathon. By that time I was half over my dread of longer distances and half tired of following the training routine. But it reduced in volume over the last 2 weeks before HM where I took it really easy and ran only 3/4 times a day.
It was like preparing for a huge exam (I know its nerdy and hence cannot think of a better analogy) without caring for the results. Of course, I cared as I wanted to finish and had set myself these 3 goals before the training started:

1. to finish the half marathon without killing myself
2. to get a decent timing (below 3 hours)
3. to be able to go to office the next day*

I achieved all the 3 with this awesome training program by running potential which was designed for me and was very personal and took into consideration my abilities, limitations and running background. And that too at a very nominal cost!

You can get all these benefits of running and realize your running potential just by following their facebook feed or twitter handle or even sign up for a training. You need not be a local.
running potential fb page: https://www.facebook.com/MyRunningPotential?fref=ts
twitter handle: https://twitter.com/RunPotential

*In case you are wondering I was mobile and active post run. But once I hit the bed I did sleep for more than 12 hours at a stretch. I went to work the next day with a few sore muscles. And my half marathon official timing was 2.36 (2 hours 36 minutes 03 seconds).

P.S. this is based entirely on my training experience. I am not getting paid for my endorsements :)

thoughts of a first time half marathoner

Yes. I joined the bandwagon, I ran a half marathon when I am just reaching thirties. I also must be one of those n people who are penning down things that flashed through their mind as they drudged kilometer after kilometer.

So to set the records straight, I have wanted to take up one sport and follow it continuously, passionately (at least with interest) and get rid of negativity in life and around it (at least shift my focus away from it) and hence in the pursuit become a better person. Cliched as it may sound this motivation has payed off well. The past year has been about running, training, developing endurance and fitness. I am still an amateur and may remain one but I am enjoying the feeling of well being that comes along with any rewarding physical activity. 

It all started earlier this year when a friend asked me to join her for a Sunday run. We did badly, ran walked, but we stuck to the plan of meeting up every Sunday for a run and breakfast afterwards. The breakfast bit is most important as that remained our motivation for initial 3-4 months. We would barely finish the 5k and then eat. A routine I started enjoying immensely. I also joined the gym in the wake of getting other body parts to become stronger. Some wrong running on treadmill and an injury later, my tryst with the gym ended. I have never been a gym person, so I was glad to put all this behind me. A good 2 month break later I was back to running. By this time I had made lot of acquaintances who ran on Sundays at the place I went running to. Questions started popping. They would see me do a good 5k and would ask why not run more ? Of course, I would reply running was not my thing. I do it cos its fun and the breakfast courses taste delicious afterwards. All in good jest. Deep down I was shit scared of doing longer distances, of pushing myself. What if I got injured, what if I could not do it, what if I failed.

A close friend who lives in the US and had registered for her first half marathon, started sharing her training stories. Partly inspired by her and partly to test myself, I too enrolled in a training program (a dedicated post about that later). I started beating my own distances without pushing myself too far or stretching my endurance. I started clocking distances as long as 8km without breaks. The fear of the big 21.1 was still hovering over me, but at least I had developed stamina to imagine myself doing it. I ran a 10km in 70 minutes 2 weeks before the marathon day. And then just started gathering my will power and concentrating my energies for the half marathon. I had never felt so focused and nervous after the 12th standard board exams I gave.

These were the thoughts streaming through my mind as the race progressed.

• at 7.22 am in my watch: race start time was 7.20 am, they have not started the race yet. I have to pee.
• 7.25 am: the race has started. nice and steady. wow a boy with polio running with his father. wow. I have to pee.
• 8 am: how much have I run so far. is it 5km yet (I run with a pace of 7-7.5 km). Whee so many runners together. how exciting for the cops to manage traffic for us.
• 8.15 am: hi-5ved few onlooker kids. They are cheering for us. Yayyy.
• 8.20 am: Why cant I see any water station. I need water. I am walking now in hope of seeing a water station. Uncle stops by asks me to push it and tells me there is a water station along the corner.
• 8.35 am: all tricks. no water station yet. I am still pushing it. A nice fellow offers me his energy drink. Remind myself - you cant drink all that. Give it back after a sip. Curse myself for throwing off that water bottle in the bin.
• 8.45 am: water station. Yay. But they dont have bottles only disposable glasses. Its going to be ok.
• 9 am: spotted an aunty carrying water on her bike for runners. thank god for good people.
• 9.15 am: I am entering area of the city where I live, come on give them a run for their claps, run dont stop is what I am telling myself. I stop at a water booth, pick a small bottle, splash some on my face to get rid of the sweat and start running. People are cheering us by our names (bibs had our names printed). For the first time in life I am not conscious of strangers screaming my name.
• 9.20 am: I am in part of the route where it starts elevating gradually. Strategy change, I am walking fast now. 500 meters of this slope done. Running again. This has given me enough strength to run 1.5 km without break. 
• 9.30 am: only 4km remaining. I am in the busiest part of the city. All the traffic has been stopped and people are cheering like crazy now.
• 9.45 am: 2 km remaining. I see the 19km sign board. My feet have started to give up. Its like I have stones tied around my ankles. I cannot run anymore. I am walking. An uncle comes along and asks me to join him, to run together. I tell him I cannot feel my legs. He says dont worry about it.
• 9.55 am: I am 500 meters from finish point. Gathering whatever will power is left inside me, I make a run for it. See bunch of my coaches along, they cheer and tell me you are done, carry on.
• 9.57 am: meet a runner friend/photographer at the 50 meters from finish line mark. I am grinning as he clicks snaps. I am done and dusted in the next 2 minutes. As I hit the lawn to cool down and relax, I notice someone took away my water bottle. I am not angry or frustrated with those people. I am happy, enjoying the moment, not caring about anything. (no thought of 'I have to pee' after 5 minutes into the run, if you observed)

Because of running I have met the most amazing and inspiring people over the last few months from all age groups. I have made some really good 'runner' friends and gurus, with whom I can discuss any silly running insight. 
I am sure I have conquered the fear of running longer distances. Of course the big 42 still looms in the distance. May be in 3-4 years I will conquer that too. In a way I was looking forward for these 2.5 months to get over, because I was bored of living the routine life, eating the same proteins, sleeping early etc etc. But as the half marathon day approached, I had new questions about what now ? what next ? 

I think I have the answers now and a tentative strategy even if no sure way to implement it. 

~ A girl who became a runner and started a small change in her life.

to run or not

I feel weirdly good today about writing this post. I started running in January this year. Treadmill and on road. After my first 5k (run + walk) in a rush of excitement I jotted down the feeling of achievement. By the end of the day when initial joy was taken over by exhaustion and other bodily tiredness, I told myself let's do a few more runs and then write it down. Then one day while running on the treadmill I did something terribly wrong, while trying to change my running technique and hurt an ankle ligament. In the world of pain killers and ankle support I missed out on 3 weeks of running. The effective advice from the doctor being wait till the swelling and pain goes away and then start rebuilding. (also the very well known and effective R.I.C.E. rest, ice, compress, elevate mantra).

Post that I immediately stopped running on the treadmill and stuck to cycling in the gym and running outside. After 3 months, today I ran my first 5k with a 50 meters walking break, to regulate my breathing.
And I told myself stop being hard on yourself and celebrate a bit. Hence the blog post.

I get a mentor, a teacher next week and things will change for the better from next week onward. Before that I am just going to relax a bit and share what all I have learnt about running. I still do not have any philosophical take on it, because most of my time while running is spent on focusing on the next 100 meters or terrain and how I am not going to max myself out. This is what my first 3 months have been about.

* Running in group helps a lot better than running alone. I joined** a group which meets every sunday (weekdays also but I am not yet motivated to get out often on weekdays). Its interesting to know better runners and learn from them.
* I have learnt that I walk/run in a slightly wrong manner (took me 28 years) which causes me the recurring ligament strain. I am consciously working on improving my techniques.
* Exercise after running is much better than before. I know you need a bit of warm up. But my experience tells me that a few stretches are enough to get you going.
* I experimented with listening to songs while running. It has the benefit of letting you focus on the song that's being played rather than how tired your body and mind feels, but when out in the open I prefer not listening to songs.
* I strongly believe that your body develops its own technique while running and hence I prefer sticking to the one I have developed. There are only improvements in the pain areas which I think I need to work on for now.
* Shoes matter. A lot. I am still in search of an affordable great pair. (the internet opens you up to so many articles/blogs/communities that its tough to choose!)
* Being used to yoga has helped me a lot in regulating my breathing during runs. Of course the common advise is breath through your mouth a bit so that lungs are not unnecessarily pressured. Bottomline yoga helps!

I was talking to a friend today who also runs and he told me how much he loves the sore pain afterwards.
I am not kidding but the peaceful sleep at the end of a good run day is the best thing I have worked on to get for myself, in a long time. And that makes me want to run more!

** A friend asked me for company and that's how I ended up showing up regularly. Can never be thankful enough for this!