No more whining...

I have been told that I have become a whiner (whining about my injury) on my blog. So no more injury talk - the next update will be when I recover completely from it.

Now the good news, I have made a healthy beginning today. Did a laboured 10.5k run in the morning and after that did a lot of walking late afternoon while traveling and catching up on different things, would have managed 6kms + during the evening (about 2kms odd stretches each time).

Did the 10.5k run in about 1hr 07min, which was mixed with run and walk. The weather is now quite humid and hot, so that adds an extra burden to the effort. Looking forward to a promising week ahead. I hope to get more opportunities to update my blog (regularly)....

Back to back runs..

I finally managed to do two back to back 11k and 10.5k runs on Saturday and Sunday over the long holiday weekend. The three day holiday weekend was a welcome break after a long time. It took a lot of effort to do the sunday run as injury is still very much there. But, i still managed to complete both the runs in almost the same time.

I have also resolved (finally) about working to cure my injury, I will start the strengthening regime from Monday (everyday for the next few weeks) and will go to a specialist doctor if that does not yield the desired results.

I am yet to decide on the races I plan to take up next. The way things are going, I think the Bangalore ultra should be the next run in December this year, followed by the Mumbai marathon in Jan 2009 and finally if I can get my preparations started in full swing (after complete recovery from injury), do the MDS in Sahara in April 2009 (big hope, but time is too short) or April 2010 (this looks more likely). So the only thing coming between me and my decision is a niggling injury. And this will also be my first attempt at raising corporate sponsorship for the run. Currently am trying to find out if any Indian (resident) nationals have successfully completed the MDS.

Prescription glasses and more...

I have been neglecting the blog for the last couple of weeks, which was due to a combination of factors - lack of running and a hectic work schedule.

I managed to run once last week (on saturday), did a 10k run which was again hard and tough. Could not run the next day (sunday), as I was not in any shape to do back to back runs. This week was a lot better, I managed to do a 5k run on one of my travel trips. Its somehow easier to do a weekday run in some other city. I followed it up with a 12k run today in good time of 1hr 13mins, guess my body was properly warmed up thanks to some continuous standing and running about at a trade exposition on the previous day. Hoping to run atleast twice next week, need to get back in action. And yes my leg strengthening has not yet started, not sure what I am waiting for!

Oh yes, I now have prescription glasses for myopia. Haven't managed to do any long runs with them as I have still not got used to them, as its just been a little over a week since I started wearing them. I did do the 5km run this week wearing them and it was quite inconvenient (need something to keep them in place). Might actually consider using daily disposal lenses for my long runs, if I can't get used to glasses. Plus its difficult to run in the sun without sun glasses.

No change...

The break continues, managed to run only once this week. Did a 11km run and did it in about 1hr 10mins. This was not so smooth, so am still not back to normal. I managed to get some very good tips on leg strengthening from a Physiotherapist friend, so now the only thing left is putting it to practice. Going forward that should help me in a big way. And yes this was my first run with the runners backpack, which was another new variable.

I had also visited the eye doc during the week, a long overdue trip (as I need glasses for longer distances). All the checking resulted in a two day headache, so need to get my glasses in place real quick. Only if I can find my favourite pair..... Will need to get a pair which are good for running, should I need to replace my sun glasses (going forward). Am actually looking forward to my new look.

Quick update..

Last week was quite hectic and eventful. Managed to do two runs during the week of 4km and 5km each respectively on Thursday and Friday around Ulsoor lake in Bangalore. Its a very nice place to run, as you get a decent mud track and its good enough for a (upto) 1hr run.

The Sunday run was super special, I managed to do a painfree 12.5km run from Home to Shivaji Park, the first one in about 5 weeks. I could have continued running but did not want to push myself, as this was my first long run (after a long time).

But the thing which really made it special was when one of the Autorickshaw (Tuk Tuk) drivers came up me and asked me why I was late for my run. I have been running on this route on Sundays for the last 5 years, so it would not be really surpising for them to have noticed it (but it definately made me feel special)

Chugging along

Its was both interesting as well as a hectic week, especially with the traveling thrown in. Thankfully this travel was refreshing, thanks to some super fine weather and fresh air. I also managed to do two uphill runs on Wednesday and Thursday. Managed 3km and 4km runs respectively.

I followed it up with a run today, did a 7.5km run. I wish I could have done more, but am yet to get back to normal, which appears quite far away. So till such time I will keep chugging along and manage with run&walk routine anytime I am doing more than 7km runs (as I need to make the most of what is possible).

I also managed to pick up a wonderful Puma ultra runners backpack during my recent travels. Its fits me perfectly and can store quite a lot of things. Sadly I have not been able to use it during any of my runs, as I am not doing any 13km+ distances. This again will have to wait till I am able to restart my runs to work.

Complete break..

After a long time I have had a complete break from running (esp. the Sunday run), actually its also been a complete break from any sort of exercise. Lots of work to catchup on, so everything else has been put on hold. Actually the break will do me a lot of good. Next two weeks is going to be a lot of travel, but I hope to catchup on some running during next week, though these runs will be shorter (5km runs).

The weather in Bombay continues to be very pleasant. The minimum temperature is around 8degree Celsius and the maximum temperature is around 24degrees, both are 8degrees below the normal temperature during time of the year. The biggest surprise has been the day temperature, which never dips so low, it never really goes below 28degrees. Great weather to run (actually its better for just lazing), and its likely to continue like this for the next week or so (though the temperature is likely to go up gradually). Its a very rare sight to find so many people wearing woolens during the day in Bombay.

Running with an injury...

I decided (and managed to) to run on both Saturday and Sunday, managed to do about 10kms on Saturday (I ran to BKC from my house) and did about 8km on Sunday. My Saturday run was more eventful as I started at 11am in the morning, thanks to the wonderful weather continuing in Bombay. My injury continued, and the pain started after the first 6kms on Saturday run, the Sunday one was harder as it started 3kms. The pain does not seem to disappear anytime soon (I seem to be talking about it on almost every other post, but don't seem to have done anything to cure it. So far its been all talk and no action). The reason I seem to be dragging my feet (literally as well), is because I have time on my side, my next marathon/ultra is still far away (well its not even been decided).

Got to know about some ultra/multi-stage ultra which are taking place in India, there was one ultra in Himalayas (around Sandakphu) a 100mile run over 5 odd days (took place Oct/Nov 2007) and there is one coming up in Rajasthan. I am yet to find out more about them, will post as soon as I get more inputs.

Super Bombay weather

Did about 11kms today in a little under 1hr 3minutes. It was quite smooth, though had to put in some effort after the first 5kms. The best part of the run was the weather, this is the best weather I have seen in the last few years, this Saturday was the coldest day in the last 40 years and was the main reason for making the run effortless. And I started at 9.00am for my run. And on Saturday I did the second 3km run after coffee at 12noon, absolutely unimaginable in Bombay. Global warming seems to have some positive impact for Bombay.

A new begining after Mumbai marathon.

The start has been very good after the Standard Chartered Mumbai marathon 2008. After a few days of rest, I am back to running. Went for a swim on Friday and followed it up with a relaxed 6km run today. Hope to continue swimming once a week, if I can manage my schedules better. The run was quite enjoyable and I don't seem to have picked up any new injury after the Mumbai marathon. The old injury flares up when there is lot of strain (over longer distances) and this needs to be cured permanently. Other than that I seem to be quite normal and fine, which is a welcome relief, can't dream of missing my Sunday morning coffee after the run (it just does not taste the same without the run!!).

Am looking for my first long run after the Mumbai marathon tomorrow.

Hard fought 5hr 23 at Mumbai marathon 2008

Todays Mumbai marathon was very hard for me and that is an understatement. The injury and the lack of training post Bangalore Ultra (did only two 10plus KM runs in the last one month).

The weather was just perfect (well by Bombay standards), it was more pleasant than what its been for the previous 4 editions. The arrangements made by Procam was better than ever before. Right from pre-race arrangements on raceday, during the race (water stations at regular intervals, thought there were too few toilets) and post race (speed with which timing certificates where distributed, medal and arrangements to sit and refreshments). The arrangements were just perfect to do a personal best.

With a lot of effort I managed to reach the 21km mark in 2hr10mins and after that it was all downhill, the next 21km took about 3hrs 15mins. But, given my condition, this was a fabulous effort and yet again I have someone to thank, I happened to meet a fellow runner Anand from Hyderabad, who gave me company till the end and we both combined very well and put in a mind blowing effort for the last 6kms, even though both of us very in really bad shape. Plus my friend from Pedder Road, who came to give me a chilled bottle of Gatorade at the 33km mark, which helped make the effort possible. Even thought the time achieved was disappointing, this was the most enjoyable and hard fought Mumbai Marathon, as I was able to manage it despite the fact that it was almost impossible for me to raise my right leg (thanks to the old nagging injury, which badly flared up at the 25km mark). The effort required for the last 15kms, was more daunting than what i had to put in for the 78km ultra.

Mumbai marathon organisers, Procam disappoints again..

Despite repeated protests for two consecutive years, Procam does not seem to have learned anything. They continue to pander to the tunes of TV broadcasters and commercial interests (read sponsors), at the cost of passionate runners & the marathon itself. Just having some paid elite athletes is not going to take the Mumbai marathon too far, you need to build a running culture to seed the industry. They are again starting the full marathon at 7.40am instead of 6.30am, as its not bright enough to to do live TV broadcast. So you actually have the half marathon before the full one, which is nonsensical especially given the humidity and temperatures in Bombay.

The Singapore marathon starts way before sunrise, which makes the marathon so much better and easier. Quote from the Singapore marathon official website - "the flag off for the Full Marathon will be at 5.30am. Organisers said this was in response to feedback from runners that an earlier start will help them cope better with the heat and humidity". Both the marathons have the same sponsor, but the organisers are different.

The Athens marathon has an early start for slow runners. Why can't Bombay learn from such international marathons. Also, the organisers need to actually run and participate in marathons across the world. If that is too much, can they set up an advisory panel of reputed Mumbai runners, who can help them implement suggestions with help from runners without compromising commercial interests.

Mainstream media thankfully has been bold enough to highlight the fact that the number of participants in the full marathon is half of what it was in 2007 (isn't that really alarming?? We have only 1350 full marathon runners this year. What do we need for the organisers to sit up and take notice? A boycott of the marathon by Mumbai based runners??). And the only reason this got highlighted was the fact that finally we have some competition (both in TV and mainstream newspaper space) in media. I had highlighted this fact last year as well, that the number of full marathon participants in 2007 was lower than 2006, but could not support that with credible numbers.

I finally have my race bib with me, its 1196 and am waiting for Sunday morning. I happened to meet some of my fellow runners from GTM (Great Tibetan Marathon) for lunch today and hope to catch up with many more tomorrow morning.

Traffic spike

I have been wondering for the past few days about why there has been a sudden spike in traffic to my blog over the last few weeks. I could not find an answer, as I had not done anything different, maybe frequency of my posts had gone up marginally. But, today while watching a TV talk show program which discussed blogging, I realised it must be through search.

So I Googled "Mumbai marathon blog" and viola my blog appeared no.4, this along with the upcoming marathon, resulted in a spike in traffic. I need to start incorporating labels (keywords) to help improve my ranking on search results.

Sunday without a run

This was one of the first Sundays without a run, for a long long time. Its so much a part of my routine that I was missing it big time, plus my Sunday coffee. So I decided to do atleast half the routine, and used the time to catch up on some reading and plan my next Sunday marathon. I have two plans to approach my run, Plan A - If my legs are normal at the start of the run, I would be aiming to beat my personal best of Mumbai Marathon (2007) of 4hr 22min and if I am lucky even do a Sub 4hr (I still want it and would give it a shot). Plan B - If my legs are not alright at start, I would aim to do a Sub 5hr marathon. I need to be practical as well!!

Just one more week to go before the Mumbai marathon. So its going to be one interesting wait.

Back to back swims

I followed up yesterday's 1.3km swim with another one today. Did the same distance in about 38minutes. Todays swim was also effortless. I have always loved water and when I am the only person in the pool, it makes things really special - feels like a private pool. Love the winters for swimming as the water is nice and cold, plus it keeps most people away.

I don't plan to run before the marathon, might do one more swim before the marathon. I also plan to revert to my earlier shoe, as I have a feeling that the new Reebok Road running shoe is not suiting me, the cushioning technology is different and maybe not as good as my Adidas Nova.

Temperatures are starting to rise in Bombay, so I also picked up a new pair of sun glasses. Jan 20, Mumbai marathon is going to be hard, so want to have as many things to help me as possible. I will be wearing my baseball cap, sun glasses, waist pouch with a bottle of gatorate & another one in my hand (hope to get the third one from a friend who is coming to see me at the 32km mark). In addition I will carry 4 powergel energy gels, one Granola bar and will have a sugary energy drink (Edge) after the race. The only thing I need now is to be injury free at the start of the race (will keep my fingers crossed for it and will hope for some divine intervention!!).

Finally feeling better...

No luck as yet on the running front, legs are still in the same sore state. But, I had my first high after the Ultra, did my longest swim till date. I swam for 1.3km (that is about 55laps of my 25meter pool) continuously which is a personal best. My previous best was about 500mts. The best part of the swim, it was effortless, I could have just gone on and on. For the first time (today) in my life I felt that it was easier for me to swim than actually run.

All the training for the Ultra seems to be working for me in different ways. So maybe a Triathlon is not too far away!

Now the only thing I need is some divine intervention to ensure that I have am injury free by next Sunday, and after that I will have some chance at doing a decent time in the Mumbai marathon.

Today was a welcome break after some really hard days.... Looking forward to some more such positive days before the marathon.

No luck yet...

Managed to for a run today, after India put up a disappointing effort in the second test match. I managed to run only 5kms as my legs were struggling to return to normal. The overall result was good as well as bad. The bad part is obvious, the good thing was that this time it was not the old injury.

I plan to work on my legs during the coming week and try and do as many runs as possible till next Sunday. After that I plan to rest completely so that I have completely fresh pair of legs on the following Sunday for the marathon.

Back to running

It was nice to be running again, after a weeks rest and medication. It was a tough run and it felt as if I was running after a very long time. Did a distance of 11kms in about 1hr10min, it was a tough laboured run.

I did face some aches and pains during the run, as my body was getting used to running again, but the big test will be tomorrows run. If it goes well, I am back in business, else its going to be another big struggle preparing for the Bombay marathon. I badly need some good runs under my belt, before the marathon, else sub 4 is going to be one distant dream. I hope to supplement tomorrows run with a swim. I haven't been able to manage the planned swims due to hectic work related schedules.

Super new year gift

I could not have asked for a better New year gift. A special thank you to Bob (who shot this picture) and his wife, who covered the event. For more visit http://bvzphoto.com/~bob/bangalore_ultra/index_8.html for more picture of the Bangalore Ultra marathon December 16, 2007

Its 2008 ...

Had a very nice pleasant start to the new year. Some early dinner with friends, some super lavazza coffee (accompanied by an eventful power shut down in that part of the town - guess it was due to power surge thanks to new year celebrations) and followed some amazing red wine.

The only thing which I will miss is a super soothing long run tomorrow morning. I guess I will have to wait for another 4-5days to restart running. But I hope to use the time to do lotsa free hand and muscle building exercises, which would finally culminate in some swimming.

Hoping to celebrate the new year with a sub 4 hr marathon, my long cherrished wish. The only thing I need is an uneventful first 20km on Januray 20 and my mind will take care of the rest.

I also hope to blog more regularly in the new year... The start has been good. Hope to keep it up.