Quick update

Last two weeks have been difficult. I have only managed 4 swims during this period, three 1km and one 2km swim. Manged good time of about 26mins per KM. In addition I managed 2 cycling trips of about 20km each.

I have not been running for the last two weeks, but have tried to walk as much as possible. Plus have been down with a cold and bodyache during this week. So basically everything that could go wrong did, but all this makes thing easier as it just takes the pressure off me. I just need to now go out on Sunday morning at 6.30am and just give it all I have got. Its going to test me fully for my future ultras and multi-stage ultras, as the last few weeks have ensured that I am under prepared for the the Sunday run.

I am looking forward to the run.

Diwali week and recovery plan

I don't think I have had such a holiday filled Diwali ever before. I will not be working five of the seven days this week.

I have had to take a break from running, to give my legs some much required break (well its a forced break, did not really have a choice) and to also get on a course of anti-inflammatory medication during the week. I am taking Voviron 50mg (antibiotic) and combining is with Evion 400mg, vitamin E medication (to ensure that there is no cramping). I am taking this under medication supervision. Self medication can be dangerous. The only reason I am putting this up on my blog is so that I remember what i had taken and when (pl. do not take this medication without consulting your doctor). The course started on Monday night.

I need to keep my legs moving so started the week with a swim today, I did around 1.2km today and managed 1km in about 29minutes. I will keep a track of my distance and time over the next few swims so that I can get a better idea of my standard/default pace. Which means I will have to do a minimum of 1km, will try and do at least 2km on one of the days.

I will be swimming thrice this week, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. I will mix it with a cycling trip n Wednesday with a 20km plus trip. If all goes well, I should be back in business on Sunday with a 10km run. The plan is well laid out and hope that things fall in place.

Things going from bad to worse..

Things don't look very promising and I will need to take some corrective action to get things back on track.

Last weeks slide continued, I managed to run on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. I only managed 10.5km run on all three days. The Sunday run was the most difficult, my right leg is definitely not in good shape. Thankfully this is not a injury, its just strain and hammering my leg has received over the past few months. But, that does not make things any easier.

I plan to use the new week, which has tons of holidays to get my right leg back in shape. I can't afford to rest them completely as that will set me back big time and I won't be in the right shape for my Bangalore Ultra on November 16. So next week should see a good amount of cycling and swimming, I just need to find motivation to ensure that I do one of the two on at least four of the five holidays I have next week.

Interesting week..

Last week was quite different. My legs were strained, actually my right calf and upper part of the ankle were feeling awful and I knew my body needed rest and by Tuesday I was also struck by a nasty cold. The cold made my body feel drained and tired.

I still managed to run on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Managed two 10.5km runs on Friday and Saturday, followed by a 21km run on Sunday, taking the weeks tally to 42km. Things don't look too good with my right leg (Calf and shin). Will be watchful and decide accordingly.

Things are improving..

This weekend turned out to be a lot better than what I had expected out of myself. I managed a reasonable 12km run in about 1hr 20mins and followed it up with a 20km run in 2hr15mins. It was a bit of effort and yes my legs are a little strained due to the training. But there seems to be no injury, thank god for small mercies.

Now I only need to stick it out and keep chipping away and aim for a 50+ week for the next 3-4 week, don't think I want to push my body with a really long run. Will attempt it only if my legs feel really good on one of the Sundays, as the last thing i need is a injury before the ultra.

I have got most of the things organised for the Bangalore ultra on November 16, including my tickets for Saturday afternoon, to make it well in time for the Sunday ultra. I don't think I will be able to make much improvement on my 11hr 7 minutes time at the ultra, but am confident that this time my recovery after the ultra marathon is going to be a lot better.

I also have a very strong feeling that given my current training, the biggest benefit is going to come during my Bombay marathon. I stand a good chance of doing a time of under 4hr 20mins.

Tough times..

I was away for quite a few days on work, but managed to put some kilometres into my training. The good thing is that this was around a steep hill on asphalt roads, which meant I could pack more effort with less kilometres. It also meant that my legs took some beating, I had some stiffness around my shins before I left and this sort of aggravated it.

I managed to run on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, and did 6km, 9km and 6km respectively. Which does not sound much but the high impact doing downhill and the steep climb ensured that I kept up with my training going. But, when today I had a tough time doing my planned 20km and managed only 12km in about 1hr 25minutes.

I will try my best to get over this stiffness around my shins and manage some good distances over the weekend. Guess these are the after effects of the hard training of last few weeks. I hope I feel much better and legs are back to normal on Sunday, badly need a 35-40km run in October.

Registered for Bangalore Ultra

I finally got down to actually registering for the Bangalore ultra on November 16, 2008. This year they thankfully have a online payment option, which makes things sooo simple.

visit for online registration http://www.thefullerlife.com/index.php?id=568

For offline registration download the form - http://www.thefullerlife.com/index.php?id=206

The rates are Rs.1250 for regular people and Rs.1000 for RFL members (and it costs Rs.1000 a year to become a RFL members). Strange that they don't have a lower rate for last years runners, which is a usual policy at most progressive marathons. Guess they are more keen to build RFL membership.

And yes these are special early bird rates, applicable till October 15, 2008. After this they go up a little. They have also made arrangement to stay at Our Native Village, venue for the Ultra marathon.

13k plus 7.5k, plus more to come

I was not able to run on Tuesday morning as my legs still appeared a little strained from last week. Thought of making up for it on Wednesday, but as luck would have it, I went out to catch a awesome event in town and slept very late. And then it was down to Thursday, which was a holiday. As usual I got up early but could not get out of home before 8.20am, the scheduled time was 7am!

Given the heat, sun and humidity, I knew I would not be able to do the planned 20km, so did the second best thing. I did a 13km run in the morning and followed it up with a 7.5km run in the evening. Now its down to two more weekend runs on Saturday and Sunday while I am traveling, I don't think I will be able to make up for the lost day, but that is not really a problem. Till the time i got the long run today (breaking it up into two parts is as good, as it helps me to train at make quicker recoveries)

My 30km journey on a Sunday morning...

Its been one of my most eventful runs till date. I started with some really tired legs and the first few kilometers were very difficult, I almost gave up on my planned 30km run. I also made changes to my route, originally i had planed to run till Hali Ali, about 2hrs after start then come back to Shivaji park and then do another 30mins around Shivaji Park, to complete the 3hr runs for doing 30km. After evaluating my condition at the 5km mark, I decided to abandon plan A and shifted to plan B. I now planned to run directly run to Shivaji Park and then run around the park, hoping for a 25km but was reconciled to something like a 20km. This would not only protect me from the sun (the path around the park is shaded) and 30 odd degrees of temperature, but also ensure that I was not stranded in the middle of nowhere especially if my legs simply gave up on me (the fear was very real).

That was not to be, by the time I touched the 10km, things started to change, I was getting into a good rhythm and the fatigue in my legs was starting to disappear (I also had a slight twitch in my right outer thigh a few kilometers back and even that did not appear again) and I got a feeling that the 30km was still possible unless something unexpected came up. And then next 20km were sheer bliss and I put in some 15laps around the park. It was an amazing experience moving from one extreme to the other. Actually my legs were feeling better after than the run than when I started.

What makes the run even more special is that this was my third consecutive run, I did a 11km on Friday followed by a 10km on Saturday. I needed to make this run, to give me confidence for my ultra (78km run).

Next weekend I will be traveling again, which means there will be no long run over the weekend. But luckily for me Thursday is a holiday and I can easily put in a 20km plus run for the week. I hope to run on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, doing a 50km plus week (since the Saturday and Sunday runs will be in a around a hill, I will be able to bring some variety to my run and climbing steep slopes will do me a lot of good). I also hope to run on Monday and Tuesday, which will sort of make up for the missed Sunday long run, as i will be able to put in four consecutive runs of around 10km each.

Last two weeks...

Its been over 12days since my last post. So will do a quick recap of last week. I again managed to do 4 runs during the week, on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, with 13k, 13k, 11k and 23.5k. The Sunday run was very difficult as I just was not feeling good during my run & legs were feeling tired, which meant i had to walk in between twice to get through the distance. I sort of got into some rhythm after the 17km mark but did not have enough time to do a 30k given that I was already running late for a breakfast meeting in town.I took a good 2hr 40min to do this distance. I started at 7.50am instead of the planned 7am run, its still so difficult to get myself out of the house on a Sunday morning. But, now that the weather is deteriorating I end up suffering bigtime for delays.

This week has been very hectic and given the schedules its been difficult taking time out for early morning runs. I managed a run on Wednesday, finally a good 13k smooth run and am now trying to follow it up with three consecutive runs on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I had a decent run on Friday and managed a 11k. I hope to follow it up with another similar run today and top it off with a good 30k run tomorrow. I badly need a good long run and the three consecutive runs will do me a world of good if I can manage it well. It will also tell me about my level of preparation for the Ultra in November.

Awesome weekend...

I could not have had it any better. I did a 20km run today in 2hrs, after doing a 17km run yesterday, could not have done any better. This takes my weeks mileage to 61km, the best (yet)weekly mileage for the year. What makes it really special is that fact that I was planning it to be a low mileage week, as I am away from Bombay.

The main reason for this has been the wonderful weather in Baroda. Its rained in the evening on both the days, which has kept the temperature at reasonable levels, plus the fact that I had 6.30am and 6am starts on the two days. And yes it was quite humid by Baroda standards, which is usually quite dry.

I plan to take a break on Tuesday (my scheduled day of running), to celebrate this. But, will try and make up for the miles towards the weekend. I hope to do a 30km run next Sunday.

Weekend getaway and big questions...

So for things have been going better than expected with my runs, am trying to have a well deserved weekend break to unwind and to get recharged.

I managed a 13km and 11km run on Tuesday and Thursday and followed it up with a super 17km run today in Baroda. I had originally planned two 10km runs on Saturday and Sunday. I was feeling very good and the weather was a lot better than Bombay and I decided to do more. It was also easier for me to have a early start today (6.30am), lot easier to get out of bed in a new city. I hope to go for my run tomorrow at 6am and hope to do atleast another 15km tomorrow.

I also caught two very interesting and inspiring movies, Rock On and A Wednesday. The former tells you to live and fulfill your dreams (plus its never too late to pursue it) and the latter tries to shake the common man and system out of their slumber while dealing with terrorism (though I don't agree with the means used in the story, but we definitely need a awakening to be more demanding of ourselves and our government & its bodies). The serial blasts which have taken place in Delhi today, just reinforces how helpless the common man is in the hands of terrorists. Wondering what answer the common man can give to these endless serial blasts, and being insensitive and moving on with normal life is just not the answer....

Dri-fit shoes??

I recently realized the discomfort one goes through (other than dehydration & exhaustion!!) while running in humid weather. All my recent runs which last more than an hour, have been in shoes which are completely wet (its almost as if I am wearing shoes which have been soaked in water) on the inside. Its the same feeling while I am running in the rains. The reason why this happens is that perspiration from my singlet and shorts (both of them are dri-fit), drips through my legs, to my socks (again dri-fit) and finally into my shoes. And once it enters the shoe there is no place for it to go.

Are there any shoes which suck out the fluids from inside to the outside and keep the inside of the shoe dry? (well as dry as it can get in the given conditions). Or, how does one stop the body sweat from entering the shoes (something like sweat band for ankles)? Any suggestions??

End of a tough week

Its been one hell of a tough week. I have not missed my runs for a long long time, its very difficult when your legs feel perfectly fine but your body (in this case the severe bout of cold, which made breathing difficult) just does not allow you to run.

After a lot of struggle I have managed 6km, 12km & 15.5km runs on Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday, taking the weeks tally to 33.5km. Am yet to recover from the cold and cough. Today's run was smooth but after the first the one hour mark, I needed to walk a while to get my breathing back to normal. Given the traffic conditions in Bombay, its not a good idea to breath through the mouth. It took me 1hr 46mins to complete this hard run of 15.5km. The extremely hot and humid weather just decided to make things more difficult (it had rained the previous night), even though I had a early start of 7.20am.

Looking forward to a much better next week. I hope to run on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. I am off for a long weekend, badly need the break to recharge my batteries, and look forward to some interesting runs in a new city. On mileage terms the week will not be very big, as there is no way I can take three hours off to complete a 30km run over this weekend.

Last two weeks, high and low combo

I had a fab run last Sunday, managed a good 25k run to complete the targeted 60km for the week. Did the run in about 2hr 40mins. I had managed three other runs during the week of 11km, 11km and 13km each on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

I was traveling on Monday and Tuesday, so had planned a short run on Tuesday of about 6km followed by a 13km on Wednesday morning when I returned. But this is when things started to go wrong, I was down with a very bad cold on Tuesday. I was just about able to complete my 6km run on Tuesday morning in Maharani Baug area of Delhi, which was a welcome break from my regular runs. After that its been 4 days of a lot of rest and sleep (10hrs each day) and cold medication for 2 days to bring things to bearable level (my first shot at cold medication after many years, I usually prefer to just wait it out).

All this meant I was only able to run on Saturday and this was a sort of a comeback run, getting my lungs to act normally & legs back to normal. It was a hard fought 12km and it took me 1hr 30mins, as it included a walk and run routine, as the chest congestion (from the cold) is still there. But, the only way to start feeling normal again was to start running. Plus a break from running simply messes up my training and build up of long runs. I hope I can complete the week with a good long run today, but will not try and attempt something fancy.

Krishna Festival Pic from last Sunday.

59km week, the best so far for the season

I managed to do the planned 20km run today and achieved the weeks target of 60k.

The natural variables were all in place (exactly how I had hoped for it to be) and the weather could not have been better, but I did my best to make it as extremely challenging for myself! I was out the whole of Saturday mall hopping and the day ended well past mid-night. This meant I barely managed 5hours of sleep and started with some really tired legs. Thankfully after the first 14kms, I settled into a great rhythm and could have gone on for another 10km.

I hope to do another 60km distance next week.

Alarming polution levels in Bombay

Like they say pictures speak a thousand words. I shot these pictures at Haji Ali, while doing the freedom run on August 15.

How to get out of bed for a early morning run?

I have been trying to figure this out for the last five years. Its always been an effort for me to get out of bed early, esp. on a holiday, for my run. Yes, there are some days when I am highly motivated & I can manage it, but on most other days its a very big effort. Everything else has becomes a habit/routine, but not this thing. I am a early morning person and am at my productive best in the mornings, but I still have not been able to figure of why its so difficult, other than the two core facts that I love my sleep (I can sleep anywhere and at any time, especially in a moving vehicle or while waiting for something/someone. This is a big plus under normal conditions, as I can easily nap any time and be really fresh for something important, plus I don't waste time doing nothing!!) and the second is that fact that I am extremely lazy (so doing something that I don't enjoy is a big effort). Another special trait - if I have had a hard week with limited sleep and I want to make up for it on a Sunday, I can easily get up in the morning, have my breakfast and go back to sleep (can't sleep long hours on a empty stomach).

Now the solution, this has been arrived at after years of research. I have tried everything from changing into my running gear as soon as I get up, to immediately brushing my teeth on waking up, to doing stretches after getting up, to switching on the TV or loud music,...... the list goes on, but I always manage to laze around for a long while or actually get knocked off to sleep even in a sitting position. Today I got up and immediately went for a shower, this made all the usual issues/problems just disappear (the reason I have never tried having a shower in the morning before a run, is the fact that I need to have one after the run and it did not make sense to have two showers in quick succession). So, from now on I plan to have a shower before my run on all holidays, so that I can have a early start and beat the sun (the rains are almost over and sunny days are back!)

Week so far..

I have managed three runs so far in the week, did a 10.5k, 13k and 15.5k, on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Had to shuffle my days as had a tight schedule this week and the best way to find time was to run on two of my holidays (Tuesday and Saturday), the only regret being the late start on Tuesday which did not give me enough time for clocking more miles. So its been a 39km week so far and it seems highly unlikely that I will be able to do my targeted 60km for the week.

But, I will have to wait till tomorrow to find out as I still have sometime to catch up, with a bit of luck I might just be able to make it happen. Things I need to make that happen, early start - 7am (today for the first time after many months I managed a 7.20am start on a holiday!!), cloud cover, lot of continuous rain esp. in the second half of the run, 8 hours of sleep and need some really fresh legs when I start my run to last the half marathon distance (esp. after today's 15k)!