What makes some people do ultra marathons?

I have had this question on my mind for sometime. It was partially answered when I met some really interesting people during the Bangalore ultra. There was no one common answer, everyone had their own reason for doing the ultra, maybe because most of them were doing their first one.

All of us know that human body is not designed for long distance running, which usually means marathons, and that makes ultra quite unhealthy (does not sound very pleasant). But the buzz you get by doing it can't be achieved by any synthetic stimulant, and it truly amplifies the power of the mind (the longer the distance, more critical is the mental effort), training primarily helps you only in the recovery process post run.

The reasons were varied - Wanting to quit another addiction - like smoking, constant hunger for tougher challenges, if its there it needs to be conquered, wanting to push limits of physical endurance (almost everyone uses this, but the motives are different), training ground for tougher ultras, my friends (in running club) are doing it (now that is some super positive peer pressure), it goes on....

What will keep them going, and doing more challenging ultras - longer ultras, 24hr ultra, 100mile ultra, multi-stage ultras.... the list goes on. Maybe those who keep pushing the limits or constantly crave for continuous supply of ultras would be a more homogeneous group.

Back to square one

That pre-ultra niggling injury does not seem to want to go away. Though it did spare me during the ultra, its decided to make a comeback. So I have not been able to train for the Mumbai marathon, though I did manage to run on a few occasions during the last two weeks. Sub 4hr marathon seems very difficult if I dont recover before the end of this week.

Did a 3km run on 23rd, Sunday, followed by a 11km heavily laboured run on christmas day. And a 13km run to work on this saturday, which was slower than usual but given the injury was a decent effort with a time of 1hr29mins (against a usual time time of 1hr 23mins). I tried to follow it up with another run on Sunday, which was a big disappointment, managed to do about 3.5km and then decided to not push it. Instead I travelled to town and went for a swim to compensate for it. Did about 550mts in about 15mins.

This week I hope to rest (not run) and get back on my medication (Vevoron SR), and hope to make up for it by going for a swim on Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I hope I manage atleast 3 out of 4. Its going to be difficult to resist the temptation, as everyone seems to be running in Bombay (preparing for the marathon), the spirit is soooo infectious. This is the fifth edition of Mumbai marathon and running as a sport is finally starting to take off (atleast there are some visible signs) in Bombay.

Bangalore Ultramarathon pictures

Me at the Start/Finish line of the Bangalore Ultramarathon


Me with a fellow runner Sandeep Rao at the Bangalore Ultra, he also ran the Great Tibetan marathon with me.

Enjoying the break...

Its been a hectic week with some traveling thrown in (but relaxed from running perspective), as I was taking my well deserved break. It took me about 2-3days to fully recover from the after effects of the run. Monday was the most difficult, as my calves were feeling extremely stiff and climbing stairs was a huge effort. My Sunday run felt like any regular day, no injuries during the run, no cramps (as I was taking good amount of fluids and endurolites), no blisters, but once I rested, things were not so easy.

By Wednesday, I was almost back to normal except for some other pre-ultra pains and am hoping to restart next week. The most important thing left now is for me to strengthen my leg muscles in a focused manner, to reduce the string of injuries which I have been facing at regular intervals.

The Bangalore Ultra marathon was truly memorable in more ways than one, each time I get a post from one of my fellow runners or receive a email from the googlegroup of ultra runners or go through the Bangalore-ultramarathon.com website, everything comes back and the feeling is quite amazing. The results have been posted on the site by organsiers, in the race details sections of the site. I stood no.7 in the 78km category(surprising immediately after my expert pacer, even though she finished one hour before me), my bib number was also no.7! Never realised there was anything special about no.7, till the time I started my run. During the run I seemed to attract a lot of attention, not for my running but for my bib number, the three digit 007 brought about the most obvious connection, and to compound it my celebrity pacer seemed to know all the 52KM+ runners (as bulk of the participants were Bangalore Hashers & Bangalore based RFL - Runners For life (the biggest running club in India, with 800+ members) & everyone seemed to notice the bib number.

Another surprising fact which I noticed while going through the different race timings on the official website was that the 39Km timings show only the 52km participants with the best time being 4hr21. I guess it only includes names of participants who were not able to complete their respective distances.

I think the organisers got almost everything right. For a first time effort, it could not have been any better (and I would rate it higher than the marathons organised by Procam - Delhi and Mumbai marathon & the Great Tibetan marathon). The aid stations were well manned and stocked all through the 12hours and the enthusiasm of the aid station support staff was simply amazing, they encouraged us all through the race (esp. towards the later half when we really needed it). They had everything - energy drink, ice, cold water, regular water, all sorts of fruits, nuts, enduralites, pain killers, sprays, creams....... the list goes on, they never cut corners and did everything that needed to make the race a memorable one. The main reason for their success was the fact that it was organised by a group of runners, who were as passionate about running as we were. I am quite sure that next year they will make it even bigger and also make some good money out of their efforts.

Cracked my first ultra

I could not have asked for anything better, it was a dream run all the way. One of my best races till date, despite the really long distance, the aches and pains suffered were controllable during the run, though I had to resort to lot of walking at different stages after the half way mark.

I had a dream start, actually the best part was the first half in the Bangalore Ultra marathon 2007's 78km run. This was despite of the fact that I had not been able to run properly for the last 2.5 weeks thanks to injuries/strains due to the heavy training (60-70km weeks) during the last couple of months. But, the rest period and training worked for me today. I also need to thank my stars for having found a perfect pacer during the entire first half of the run. I owe big time to Nischal, the only female runner in the list of 16 participant for the 78km run. She had trained extremely well for the Bangalore Ultra marathon 2007, doing 80km weeks and some hard back to back weekend runs, and thanks to her I was able to set a very good pace for the first half and use the saved time during the second half which was extremely hard.

I completed the 78km run in 11hrs 07minutes, I could not have asked for anything more. Especially given the hot and sunny weather in Bangalore, it was nowhere close to the 24degress centigrade as forecast by weather bureau. It was closer to 28 and the sun was really hard.

For the next week or so, its going to be some well deserved rest after a hard Bangalore Ultra marathon. And then I will start my preparation for Mumbai marathon, I might just do a Sub 4hr run, this ultra has given my confidence a huge boost. Hopefully I will find a super pacer to help me achieve it (I have been lucky during the last two marathons (one being a ultra), need it one more time!

The day has come - Bangalore Ultramarathon 2007

I have finally made it to Bangalore Ultra marathon in one piece. My body ache has disappeared but the cold and cough is very much there. Just hoping my legs feel normal tomorrow morning atleast for the first 30kms.
Time to sleep and get ready for my run.

Testing times...

Its been a tough week. I have rested most of the week but am still not back to normal. Mid week I got on to a five day course of Vevoron SR 100, its a mild painkiller and anti inflammatory medicine. The rest and medication seemed to have worked quite well and I decided to go for a light run on Saturday for 6kms. It felt as if I was running after ages, but there was no sign of any strain (except for some mind pain on the joint near the outside of my right knee).

I followed it up with a light 11km run on Sunday morning, which should ideally have been a normal run, but to my misfortune the pain of day before flared up and I had to alternate between running and walking to complete it. Did the 11km run in about 1hr 20mins. So now i am trying everything possible to 'repair' the joint pain, in time for my ultra. I badly need to ensure that I start the run injury free. I might run once during the week, just to get back to running and get used to my new shoe.

So will need to take care and I guess just be patient (plus a little bit of luck would not hurt). I am mentally all there, but I guess it now going to be one big mental battle on Dec 16, it will be a 12hr expedition now. My only aim would be to complete it, irrespective of the time it takes.

Rest and recovery week.

The strain of the last few weeks, finally started to affect my legs. I did a 13km run on Wednesday, but could not run anything after that. I had to rest completely for the next few days. But, there was no way I could not run on Sunday as my Sunday is not complete without it.

I did a easy paced 12km run in about 1hr 20minutes. Legs were not feeling too good, during the run, but completed the run quite comfortably. 13km runs now feel like walk in the park, with or without injury/strain!!

I also immediately bought myself a new pair of shoes, this time went in for Reebok DMX road running shoes, instead of my regular Adidas Nova (as it was out of stock). So that should provide additional cushioning for my future runs and help me both for the Ultra and the following Mumbai marathon.

I will need to take extra care during the next two weeks, before the ultra marathon. I will need to run, but don't think i will do more than 13km at a time. I hope my legs recover quickly, as I need to break into my new shoes before the ultra. So some interesting days in store for me.

a 59km week.

This week was not as exciting as the last few weeks. I managed three 13km weekday runs on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, followed by a 20km on Sunday. I wanted to do a another 70km during the week, but could not make that happen due to strain of the last few weeks. I need to take a break for a few days but rest my legs and get them back into action soon, esp. the right calf. This week is going to be a bit of challenge, as I don't think I will be able to do the 3 weekday runs.

The good thing is that I have done combination Saturday & Sunday runs, for the last few weeks, which should help me for the ultra.

64km week

Given the fact that i did 71km last week, makes this weeks 64km extra special. Its a sign that my legs are able to manage the additional punishment successfully. I hope I can manage another week with 65-70km.

This week I managed three 13km runs on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, and followed it with a 25km run this Sunday. So it feels good having done two back to back runs of 13km and 25km over the weekend. The Saturday 13km was the quickest one, I managed it in 1hr 18mins 42seconds (what better way to celebrate ones Birthday!), I usually manage a 1hr 20min run.(it actual distance must be closer to 13.5km but since I am not sure i will take it as 13km). Today was a tough one as I had a late night on Saturday, so I ended up starting my run at around 9am, which is very late. The only one I have to thank is the weather for allowing me to do the 2hr 30mins run.

I have finally managed to send my registration form for the Bangalore ultra. The last date for sending entries is Nov 31, 2007. So almost everything seems to be in place now. I also registered for the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon, the registrations began on November 15, 2007 and will continue till December 10, 2007.

Three runs in four days & a 71km week

The final run of the week was tough. I had a slightly stiff right calf in the morning before start of the run, and I was skeptical about how much I would be able to do today. Things were not good during the first 45minutes of the run but after that things started to improve and eventually I was able to do about 21kms in 2hr 6mins, with a little huff and a puff. Yesterday's run was a lot easier, although the weather on both days was more or less similar. The only problem with yesterdays run was that I was chased by a stray dog on two occasions, even though I had started pretty late in the day - 8am. I did not initially realise why they were hostile, but afterwards realised that they had gone through a lot of pain the previous night (with diwali fire crackers - which tend to be very noisy) and this had irritated them a lot and brought out their aggressive side. I was the innocent victim and it was quite scary.

With this 21km, I have managed 37.5km over the last two days, which is quite close to the 40km target I had set for myself. And the week's total has again hit another all time high of 71km.

Long weekend continues...

I did better than expected today. Did a 16.5km run in 1hr 41mins, which was more than what I had hoped to have done. The weather today was a lot bearable, significantly better than what Bombay has seen for the last one week. Hope tomorrow it behaves the same way.

So my week's tally is now gone unto 50Kms, (Monday 7.5km, Wednesday 13km, Thursday 13km, Sat 16.5), I hope to do a 20km plus run tomorrow, If I can do a 25km run it would be a dream 75km week, something I badly need for my preparation. Hoping for the best. This is the best opportunity for me to do a high mileage week.

Is Red Bull and Gatorade bad for health???

I have had a lot of people ask me if drinking Red Bull and Gatorade is good for health. Some of them have read some research pieces which state that energy drinks like Red Bull and Electrol drinks like Gatorade, are not good for health.

My answer to them has been a yes and a no. But before I start, the most important thing to note is that these are not social drinks, these are for endurance athletes or in some cases for dehydration patients. You are not suppose to have this when you hit a party or hang out with friends.

Let me give my example to explain this point, the only time I have a energy drink is when I have done a long run, its the way I reward myself once a week. Energy drink is not something I have at social occasions, its better to have a soft drink which has empty calories than a energy drink (soft drinks/sodas are avoidable as well, but they are a lesser evil, its always better to settle for some fresh fruit juice or lime juice!). The problem does not occur with the first glass of energy drink (read Red Bull, Edge....), its when you hit the second and third drink. These are very high sugar drinks, which only a endurance athlete can stomach and burn, not meant for everybody (once in a while is ok, but should not be habitual). Its really sad to see F1 drivers drinking a energy drink before the start of a race, absolutely avoidable. I would not recommend having it during your exercise routine, its not a hydration drink (remember!!), the only time you can afford to have it is after a workout, when a good sugar burst makes you feel a better.

Another very disturbing trend is when I see people mixing Red Bull and Vodka. That is a complete no no, its a deadly combination. Alcohol is a depressant and Red Bull gives you a sugar boost, so the drink pulls you in different direction and is completely avoidable. Most people do not even realise what they are doing to their bodies, when they have this combination. There are enough research articles to support this point of view.

Now coming to Gatorade or similar hydration drinks, these are not really substitutes for water or softdrinks, they have salts which in excess can cause imbalance in your body's water retention (it gets more complicated if you have problems with your blood pressure). These are again meant for athletes and are good after facing some really hot and muggy climate. And are again meant to be had in moderation. Soft drinks which give you empty calories (and which damage your enamel) do not result in any imbalance even if you have 1.5liters at one go, but a similar quantity of Gatorade (without loss of fluids) can result in a big imbalance in body water & salt levels.

Enjoying the long weekend....

This long Diwali weekend, is something I was really looking forward to and badly needed. Just not having to do anything, catching up on sleep and basically having a well deserved break is very welcome. This has also meant that now I finally have some time to catch up on my blog, online social networks, catching up with friends and family and everything else which was a little neglected. And yes catching up on telly as well.

Hard fought runs..

Did manage the 13km run yesterday in about 1hr 26mins, which included having to walk for about half a kilometer, just to recover from the heat. I had to take this break inbetween inspite of having carried a Gatorade bottle, that should be a good indicator of the heat & humidity (I was drenched in about 25mins). Just waiting for the weather to improve (significantly), as I have two runs coming up over the weekend. Hope to do atleast 40km over the two days, if the weather allows me to do that!!

It a big change, having to fight weather instead of injuries. But, I don't really have a choice, have to log my miles and ensure that I put in decent preparation for the Ultra on December 16, 2007. The weather in Bangalore is going to be lot better than Bombay, the average temperature high is 26degree C (79F) & a low of 16degree C (60F)(on December 16, 2007). Bombay currently has a max temperature of 34degree C, so I am going to have a 8degree C, drop for the Ultra.

Time to pickup the pace

As I had predicted the mileage last week has been low. I managed a 13Km run on Tuesday, followed by a 7.5km run on Thursday and another 7.5km run on Sunday (the Sunday run was quite hard as I was doing it at a hill station, with steep slopes), totaling 28km. The Thursday and Sunday runs were in two different cities, where the weather was very pleasant and I could easily have done twice that distance only if I had more time on my hands.

This week has been better, Monday I did a 7.5km run (followup to the Sunday run) and did a 10km run yesterday. Yesterday was very tough as the weather in Bombay has been quite horrible (and that is an understatement), so I was not able to do my planned 13kms. I hope to do a 13km today, even if the weather continues to be hot and muggy.

Next four days should be a lot easier to catchup on some running, as its the long diwali weekend. For me its going to be three days as I need to catchup with some meetings during the first half of the day today.

Super Sunday..

Its been one hell of a great Sunday, I did a 26km run (2hrs 34mins), from home till Churchgate station and it was not too much of an effort. So that takes my weekly tally to 65km, another alltime high. Next Goal would be to take it to 70km mark and eventually get down to doing a 80+km mileage, which should help me get ready for the Ultra. My start time was 7.30am today, exactly the same time that the Delhi Half marathon started, what a coincidence. So even though I was not in Delhi today, I made up for it with a good effort in Bombay.

I have moved a few steps closer to the Ultra marathon, have made by bookings for the event. Would be going to Bangalore on December 15 evening and returning on December 17 noon. So now the only thing left is my preparation...

Next week is going to be hectic as it has a lot of traveling, so a 60+km week looks next to impossible. Will try and make up for it by doing shorter run with greater frequency.

Getting things back on track

This week has been a lot better for me. I managed to do my 3 weekday runs of 13km each. Did them in good time, about 1hr 20mins each. The only problem being my third run of the week, which was today, in addition to one on Tuesday and Thursday. This will mean I will have to do my Sunday run immediately, without a break. I need to do atleast a 25km run tomorrow, hope my legs handle it well. If I do that then that will be another all time high.

Tomorrow also happens to be The Vodafone Delhi half marathon. I had registered for it, but could not make it as it was too short a distance, given my prep for the ultra marathon. Plus life has been quite hectic, so another trip is definitely avoidable. This will be the first professionally organised marathon (or half marathon) in India, which I will be missing. Feeling a little sad and today I get a feeling that maybe I should have gone for the marathon, just to ensure continuity... but then one also needs to learn to move on in life.

Repeat week...

This weekend has been almost identical to the previous one. I managed to do only a 13km run on Wednesday, followed by a 21km run today (in 2hrs 2mins). Need to pull up my socks and get back to the 60km a week range, as I have less than 2 months to get ready for the Ultra on December 16.

This week has been very eventful and hectic, lotsa late nights, plus tons of work. The only thing missing was sleep, finally managed to catchup some on Saturday night, which meant I had a late start on Sunday, thankfully nature had some mercy, it was not humid and the weather was pleasant. Plus as an added bonus it was nice to see everyone in their best outfits, enjoying the Dussera festival, have never seen so many people outside on the streets on a Sunday morning (dressed in their finest).

This week saw the launch of FHM in India, the best men's magazine finally comes to India. The online offering of FHM, www.fhmindia.com was also launch on the same day. For more on the launch party visit http://www.fhmindia.in/site/content/article.aspx?ID=25118

uneventful week...

This week has not been very eventful in terms of running. Managed only 34kms during the week. Did one 13km run during the week and a 21km run today. Todays half marathon distance was quite easy and effortless, mainly due to the weather in Bangalore, its so much easier running in this weather compared to Bombay. I did the distance in 2hrs 2 minutes. Humidity is so much lower, temperature around 25degree celcius, it felt completely effortless. I could have done a 42km run, if I had more time and hydration. Hope to do a short 7km run on Monday morning as well, to try and make up on some lost miles of the current week.

It always nice to have a break from running in Bombay, especially when the weather is so much better in the new city.