In one of the most sufficient stay arrangments, right in the center of the capital city of delhi, a short walk away from start area of the most scenic 21km run that i expect, i sit to savor a double omlette sandwich with bread and cheese and a cup of black coffee. And i sit in (what i term as a beautifull part of any experience), anticipation.
That nagging knee injury makes me nervous enough....but not enough to hold my excitment as i near that thrill-full moment, that will last around two hours...
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
The leap - From Determination to Confidence.
34 minutes, the average time i take to run 3miles or 4.5 Km, at a comfortable pace...(Fact)
A timer watch - From determination to not look at it to the confidence to not look. A leap from will power to self assured. From being 'at it' to being 'on top of it'. ..(Philosophy)
(History)
The most basic running distance of 3miles, is a distance that i run the most in my training, at least twice a week. In study language these would be revision run. A brush through. To keep off the body from jamming up, conserving it for that long weekend run. A timer watch, that helps moderate pace, to know if you running too fast or a bit slow. As much as you know what a comfortable pace should be, you would not want to be too slow, and watch helps control this. A timer watch, however, can enslave you, to constantly check it, a certain dependence on it, and a certain lack of it on your own self. Body lacks the judgement to moderate, for the lack of conditioning. In all the training pressure and madness, i tend to look at the watch too often. Not something i regret, but cant help the natural urge. Hal says (virtual coach) that if you are a first time marathoner you should forget about the watch and just look at running the distance. Don't care about the time, its immaterial, for your pride would be if you cross that finish line, and you have proven enough. I am obviously ignoring it for my need to know and track my progress.
On the other side, i suffer from a little excess dependence on the watch. Determination, is therefore what i practice to control that Urge…(Weakness)
(Fact)
Determination to confidence, the lesson from my 24th run yesterday, 15th three mile. That leap, of being on top of it. I did not look at the watch. Never felt the urge. Pace was comfortable enough. I knew i was in control of my run. Timing did not worry, for i was confident i will finish at best in a little more than 34mins. I felt comfortable and confident. I realised i took my leap, from determination to confidence...
(Unexpected)
31mins, the time I took to cover that 3mile yesterday. 10% better. My prized reward for the leap i took...
A timer watch - From determination to not look at it to the confidence to not look. A leap from will power to self assured. From being 'at it' to being 'on top of it'. ..(Philosophy)
(History)
The most basic running distance of 3miles, is a distance that i run the most in my training, at least twice a week. In study language these would be revision run. A brush through. To keep off the body from jamming up, conserving it for that long weekend run. A timer watch, that helps moderate pace, to know if you running too fast or a bit slow. As much as you know what a comfortable pace should be, you would not want to be too slow, and watch helps control this. A timer watch, however, can enslave you, to constantly check it, a certain dependence on it, and a certain lack of it on your own self. Body lacks the judgement to moderate, for the lack of conditioning. In all the training pressure and madness, i tend to look at the watch too often. Not something i regret, but cant help the natural urge. Hal says (virtual coach) that if you are a first time marathoner you should forget about the watch and just look at running the distance. Don't care about the time, its immaterial, for your pride would be if you cross that finish line, and you have proven enough. I am obviously ignoring it for my need to know and track my progress.
On the other side, i suffer from a little excess dependence on the watch. Determination, is therefore what i practice to control that Urge…(Weakness)
(Fact)
Determination to confidence, the lesson from my 24th run yesterday, 15th three mile. That leap, of being on top of it. I did not look at the watch. Never felt the urge. Pace was comfortable enough. I knew i was in control of my run. Timing did not worry, for i was confident i will finish at best in a little more than 34mins. I felt comfortable and confident. I realised i took my leap, from determination to confidence...
(Unexpected)
31mins, the time I took to cover that 3mile yesterday. 10% better. My prized reward for the leap i took...
Monday, October 19, 2009
Ran out of legs. 16Km . Marathon Training
I had more than a breath left in me to have a normal conversation when i finished the 16km run. But my legs have never felt this fatigued before in training.So i ran out of legs.
The most important part of any training is to try out different combinations of work-outs and routines to see what fits you the best.This would be combinations of various elements of training like Rest, Run, Recovery and Replenishment(tried hard to make them all "R" :) ).....also pre race food.The last (pre race food)being what seems to have made the biggest difference in my fatigued run. While i did most things right, i realised that for my 14km evening run i had eaten a full meal around 3-4 hours prior and caught an hour of rest. Where as for the 16km morning run, the last meal i had was dinner which would be a good 8 hours prior.If its legs that i ran out of, there is a strong chance that it had got to do with food and energy levels.
However, the excitement of running across marine drive was still more than any fatigue. For a brief moment that i passed Pizzeria i got the best view of a perfect orange sun, an image that stayed strong in my head.
Another pleasant surprise was to see other runners, many of them.I did expect to see a few but this was more than that. They seem to belong to a running club, the sorts you get to hear of but never see (atleast in Mumbai) .They kept passing me by coming from the opposite direction.Slowly i realised they had some sort of a bib on them with number.I wondered if there was a race going on that i must have missed hearing about.Clearly it was a Nike running club thing because the bib said so.On my return from marine drive i came across a water station provided for these Nike running aspirants.Got to know that they had all enrolled for 2010 Mumbai Marathon training and would come every Sunday to Marine Drive to train. the coaching was free and the registrations were on at the Parsi Gymkhana nearby.I thought of enrolling myself but on second thoughts decided not to, used that enquiry halt to fill up some water in system and continue with my run.
The moment of this run was a short nod i received around my 5th Km from a fellow runner. As much as i spoke of the pride in rarity of not seeing too many runners around me, i must say is that nod of acknowledgement added another kilometer of energy to my run run if not less. So i guess it does help to have people sharing your passion...
The most important part of any training is to try out different combinations of work-outs and routines to see what fits you the best.This would be combinations of various elements of training like Rest, Run, Recovery and Replenishment(tried hard to make them all "R" :) ).....also pre race food.The last (pre race food)being what seems to have made the biggest difference in my fatigued run. While i did most things right, i realised that for my 14km evening run i had eaten a full meal around 3-4 hours prior and caught an hour of rest. Where as for the 16km morning run, the last meal i had was dinner which would be a good 8 hours prior.If its legs that i ran out of, there is a strong chance that it had got to do with food and energy levels.
However, the excitement of running across marine drive was still more than any fatigue. For a brief moment that i passed Pizzeria i got the best view of a perfect orange sun, an image that stayed strong in my head.
Another pleasant surprise was to see other runners, many of them.I did expect to see a few but this was more than that. They seem to belong to a running club, the sorts you get to hear of but never see (atleast in Mumbai) .They kept passing me by coming from the opposite direction.Slowly i realised they had some sort of a bib on them with number.I wondered if there was a race going on that i must have missed hearing about.Clearly it was a Nike running club thing because the bib said so.On my return from marine drive i came across a water station provided for these Nike running aspirants.Got to know that they had all enrolled for 2010 Mumbai Marathon training and would come every Sunday to Marine Drive to train. the coaching was free and the registrations were on at the Parsi Gymkhana nearby.I thought of enrolling myself but on second thoughts decided not to, used that enquiry halt to fill up some water in system and continue with my run.
The moment of this run was a short nod i received around my 5th Km from a fellow runner. As much as i spoke of the pride in rarity of not seeing too many runners around me, i must say is that nod of acknowledgement added another kilometer of energy to my run run if not less. So i guess it does help to have people sharing your passion...
Thursday, October 15, 2009
First long run-14.5km. Mumbai Marathon 2010
I run in the evenings. Morning is not the time for me, for not just the fact that i feel lazy, but also because i feel tired the rest of the day. This means that i try to leave work not too late and catch that run. And saturday is better for its a holiday. But this saturday i had some commitments, that kept me working my way around the city and co-ordinating needless details. Its appropriate for for such a day at work-outside-work that you miss meals, which did too.
However the constant worry of the distance i had to finish got me to manage one well thought meal (lots of carbohydrates, rice - simply put) and an hour of rest before i began the run. This ideally is not good enough, i had to rely heavily on my confidence, where as i prefer to rely on preperation, mostly (which inspires confidence).i was apprehensive.
However the constant worry of the distance i had to finish got me to manage one well thought meal (lots of carbohydrates, rice - simply put) and an hour of rest before i began the run. This ideally is not good enough, i had to rely heavily on my confidence, where as i prefer to rely on preperation, mostly (which inspires confidence).i was apprehensive.
And For all the apprehensions and second thoughts i had on my fitness to finish this long run with a breath left in me, i was wronged, entirely. I have possibily never ran better run before.I felt energised when i finished , i ran feeling tall (have to elaborate on that) ,and in control all the time.
Running tall - mostly while you run, one is adviced to look about 10 meters ahead of them, that is the recommended angle for your head. However in my hightened sense of running, i realised i found myself looking straight at the end of the road. For me it was a combination of running confidence (when your sure you can go that far) and familiarity with the route.The only description that fit that experience was running tall.A certain sense of running above the ground.
It proved to me that it helps when you stick to the training. And disciplined running helped too. By disciplined i mean moderating your run smartly than to give in to the need for speed, which can happen when you feel energised at the first phase of the run. For all the charge and fresh legs you have when you start, one has to make sure that you dont speed too much and tire yourself.
This training for me is also an experiment, of testing if everything Hal Higdon (virtual trainer) says is true. And he spoke of how if you start your run at a comfortable pace, you would end up running in a much better time than if you push for pace in the initial part of the run. And as i ran this 14.5km, i validated it, and can now second that...
More of what a long distance run can teach you. Or atleast what it made me realise -
1.One and half hour on road, running in your own company is no less than a form of meditation. The beauty of focussing on that one act clears your mind of needless worries, it atleast makes them needless for that while. Knwing me they come back later!
2. I am beggining to now like it when i meet so many people who just cant imagine running or relate to it. It feels good to know that my passion is rare. And i enjoy the difficulty that most have in doing it inspite of knowing that there is single form of exercise as beneficial and affordable as it. I have always been told on how running has no entertainment like other sport, the thrill, of a goal or a shot or winning. I have done my best to explain that you have to love it to like it. Probably it suits personalities that dont fancy winning, enjoy the journey and the effort, and enjoy being left alone at times (if not all the time)
my next long run is a 16km, 10miles. In the absence of measured distance i will be running a fixed time, 1hr and 45mins. Am not running on my usual road, so dont know the distance. But i am running on most of it on the actual marathon route, and covering the most difficult patch of it - the kemps corner flyover and marine drive. And this would also be my first morning run. And the longest i have ever ran in training (max i ran for half marathon trainings is 14km). I Can't say i am as nervous this time. But i don't want to do something stupid and lose the training confidence i have aquired.
For the rest, i would just let the road decide....
Running tall - mostly while you run, one is adviced to look about 10 meters ahead of them, that is the recommended angle for your head. However in my hightened sense of running, i realised i found myself looking straight at the end of the road. For me it was a combination of running confidence (when your sure you can go that far) and familiarity with the route.The only description that fit that experience was running tall.A certain sense of running above the ground.
It proved to me that it helps when you stick to the training. And disciplined running helped too. By disciplined i mean moderating your run smartly than to give in to the need for speed, which can happen when you feel energised at the first phase of the run. For all the charge and fresh legs you have when you start, one has to make sure that you dont speed too much and tire yourself.
This training for me is also an experiment, of testing if everything Hal Higdon (virtual trainer) says is true. And he spoke of how if you start your run at a comfortable pace, you would end up running in a much better time than if you push for pace in the initial part of the run. And as i ran this 14.5km, i validated it, and can now second that...
More of what a long distance run can teach you. Or atleast what it made me realise -
1.One and half hour on road, running in your own company is no less than a form of meditation. The beauty of focussing on that one act clears your mind of needless worries, it atleast makes them needless for that while. Knwing me they come back later!
2. I am beggining to now like it when i meet so many people who just cant imagine running or relate to it. It feels good to know that my passion is rare. And i enjoy the difficulty that most have in doing it inspite of knowing that there is single form of exercise as beneficial and affordable as it. I have always been told on how running has no entertainment like other sport, the thrill, of a goal or a shot or winning. I have done my best to explain that you have to love it to like it. Probably it suits personalities that dont fancy winning, enjoy the journey and the effort, and enjoy being left alone at times (if not all the time)
my next long run is a 16km, 10miles. In the absence of measured distance i will be running a fixed time, 1hr and 45mins. Am not running on my usual road, so dont know the distance. But i am running on most of it on the actual marathon route, and covering the most difficult patch of it - the kemps corner flyover and marine drive. And this would also be my first morning run. And the longest i have ever ran in training (max i ran for half marathon trainings is 14km). I Can't say i am as nervous this time. But i don't want to do something stupid and lose the training confidence i have aquired.
For the rest, i would just let the road decide....
Friday, October 9, 2009
Three week update.....Mumbai Marathon 2010 - training
pain is inevitable, suffering is optional - these lines resonate and pull me through a lot of tough situations so far. Training does not seem like the most easiest thing to follow consistently, but the fresh drive and tireless resolve are pulling me through each day. Its as if giving up is not an option.In fact i wonder if this newest discipline is in many ways helping me live through a patch of life which i would not have been able to withstand otherwise.
The progress has been satisfactory. In fact its only obvious to presume that if you stick to something, keep working at it, in due course, it will get more manageable and better.Life has its ways of teaching lessons, mine i guess come through running.
My training so far has had a lot of 3 mile runs. I am talking the American distance, yes i succumbed to it.3 miles would be other wise 4.8Km. So its best to compare the difference between the 3 mile run three weeks ago and the 3 mile run on the 3rd week. I ran my first 3miles in 36 min, was struggling a bit for breath, and dreaded my fitness levels. Specially after having faltered miserably on the basic running fitness one is advised to have before the training starts.However, 12 runs later, after having run various combination of distances (more on weekends) the 3 mile took me 33mins and i was struggling, but to control my energy.
This Saturday however will be my longest run in the training so far, 9 miles (14.4Kms). Writing it makes me a bit nervous....i am expecting running it will not.
The progress has been satisfactory. In fact its only obvious to presume that if you stick to something, keep working at it, in due course, it will get more manageable and better.Life has its ways of teaching lessons, mine i guess come through running.
My training so far has had a lot of 3 mile runs. I am talking the American distance, yes i succumbed to it.3 miles would be other wise 4.8Km. So its best to compare the difference between the 3 mile run three weeks ago and the 3 mile run on the 3rd week. I ran my first 3miles in 36 min, was struggling a bit for breath, and dreaded my fitness levels. Specially after having faltered miserably on the basic running fitness one is advised to have before the training starts.However, 12 runs later, after having run various combination of distances (more on weekends) the 3 mile took me 33mins and i was struggling, but to control my energy.
This Saturday however will be my longest run in the training so far, 9 miles (14.4Kms). Writing it makes me a bit nervous....i am expecting running it will not.
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