The Score reads 100*

Its been more than two years that I completed my second Comrades Ultramarathon. Yes, second and that is what got me that back to back medal in 2015. It is definitely something to brag about and I have used every opportunity to remind people of this accomplishment. It wasnt until when I was introducing myself as an ultramarathoner and was asked - "So whats the longest distance you have run ?" that the 89km of Comrades Run just didn't sound perfect enough. 

I am a numbers person - I record every run of mine to track my mileage for each training program, I look up the log to analyse the paces (and now the HR for those paces) post each run. 

And thats not enough - I also like those numbers in the log to be whole numbers - Yes I am the one who runs up and down the street to get that round 10.0 or a 23.0 on the Garmin. It isnt weird - is it?

Anyways, you get the drift - the 89 had to be taken upto a 100 - a wholesome number in itself !!

I was training for the Berlin Marathon in Sep 2016 and drew up a plan to amp up the mileage post the marathon and register for the Bangalore Ultra 100k in November 2016. I had a great run with a PB at 4:06. However, work, family commitments and the sheer exhaustion of training seriously, for the very first time for a marathon distance, meant the 100k plan was pushed to 2017. 

This year I was running the Chicago Marathon in October and so the same plan was pulled out to aim for the Bangalore Ultra 100k in November 2017. I knew I just had 4 weeks to move from a marathon race to be ready for the 100k. And heres what happened in those four weeks :

• I somehow very beautifully messed up my Chicago marathon. Against a target of 4:10, I finished it in 4:25 loosing it big time in the mind at 32k. Some niggles that I was experiencing before the race came in to join the party and the pain from those in the last 10k left me very scared to even think of a 100k. 
• I still put my plan into motion. I knew I wont be able to do any 50-60k long runs so the plan was simple - simple on the excel file that had the plan but it was challenging to execute - do a lot of back to back runs and get used to running on tired legs. I did a 10 day streak doing a total distance of 145km, took a 3 day rest and then over a Friday to Monday did back to back runs with a 70km over the weekend. A 42km in 4:30hrs at MCM 2017, after having done a 28km on Saturday gave me some confidence. 
• But I was still not being able to mentally commit to the distance. Sharing my plan and my target with friends helped as they nudged me but that wasnt enough. I was scared of the pain that such a long distance run would bring, I was scared of a DNF, I was scared of the run to drag on and so the running in the night (which I am just not comfortable with). I needed some inspiration and some strength. And thats when I picked up a few books written by ultra marathoners. And one of those books did the trick - "Nowhere Near First" by Cory Reese, a middle of the pack ultramarathoner. It completely changed the way I was thinking about the run !!!! I recommend that book to all of you, irrespective of the distance you run.  
• Bangalore Ultra is run on a 25km out and back loop except for the stretch run at night - which is a 1km up and down loop on loose gravel. It has aid stations every 2-2.5km and so logistically an easy one compared to some other ultras which have to be self supported for upto 5-10km. All I had to ensure was I eat and hydrate well and just run!!! And so in the last few days I prepared a checklist of things to carry with me and finalised my nutrition and run plan. 

And before I knew (but not before some added excitement because of work related issues which I will skip for this post) I was at the start line of the run. It was a good day and it remained a good day !!! I started slow, conservative with a plan to finish the first loop in 3hrs and run 5k and walk 0.5k for the second loop. For the second 50km - it was "We will see!!!"

When I started training for the run, I had no timing targets and the aim was just to finish, but by the time I reached the start line - with a much stronger approach to the race I wanted to finish the run in under 14 hours. I completed my 50km along with many of the strong 50km runners and knew the target is very much doable. At 75km, I revised the target to 13:30hrs and at 90km (because I was still running most of the distance) I revised it to under 13hrs and finally crossed the finish line in 12:55:08 hrs !!!

And so the score reads 100 and very nervously I add - Not Out !!!!! 

My takeaways :

• Ultra distance runs and even a marathon is run with your mind and if your mind isnt prepared your body isn't, even if you keep clocking your training miles.

• During the run - Smile !! I dont know if it actually releases endorphins or its just the placebo effect, it works. I know its difficult so "Fake it till you make it !!". 

• You dont need to do very long distance runs while training. What is important is to train your body to run on tired legs and train your mind to get up the day after a long run day and push the body for another long run. 

• Plan out the entire race from what you will wear to whats in the drop bags to walking breaks to nutrition (I skipped my nutrition at 85km and by 89km I hit a very low point and then at 90km with that food in my stomach I had revised my target timing !!)

• And read and watch some videos to get that inspiration and get on that track to inspire others !!

There's always a first time

And so it was for me this Sunday – my first duathlon. I spent my Sunday morning thoroughly enjoying myself and surprising myself as I participated in an Olympic distance Duathlon – a total of 15km running and 40km cycling.

As I mentioned in my last post, I am slowly getting back into the routine. And I have always believed that participating in events is a sure shot way of upping the motivation levels and so had signed up for a few. But a duathlon - what was I thinking ? Anyways, I still got the bib picked up, leaving the GO / NO Go decision for last minute. And it was during the Saturday morning run, when a friend said – “When was the last time you did something for the first time?” that the planning really began. The format of the event was a 5km run followed by 40km of cycling and ending with a 10km run. And this is how my scorecard looked like :

My Handicaps
- I can’t even remember when I cycled last. I am not a regular cyclist, infact friends and family get their quota of laughter every time they see me get onto the saddle and finding my balance.

- My old rusty MTB is always in a non-cyclable condition. I did take it for servicing on Saturday evening but all that could be done was getting the nut bolts tightened with the guy at the bike shop telling me that my bike needs repairs and not just a service and it will take more than a day for it.

- Running has picked up and so I knew the first 5km would be a breeze. But it was the 10km after the cycle leg on sore bums that worried me. I even tried a mini FB campaign to get the organisers to change the format from 5-40-10 to 10-40-5 !!!

My Advantages
+ I was pepped up completely and was looking forward to the adventure – irrespective of the result

+ The weather was awesome. Weather prediction of a rain had me worried but thankfully it only drizzled and it kept the fun element intact.

+ The route wasn’t tough. Mostly flat with minimal incline. Hill repeats are my favourite running regime but cycling up an incline is my nemesis and so a route with minimal incline was a big advantage.

And the result

• I breezed through my first 5km – a 27mins odd !!!
• I didn’t get off my cycle even once for the entire cycling leg. Yay!!! And let me confess – there were moments, when I did feel the start of a new romance, when I wanted to let go of my current relationship (with running – mind you!!!) and embrace the new one ….
• But the old flame came back strong - all fun and pumped up and reminded me of the love between us and that what I am today is because I am a runner !!! When I passed many in that lap because I had strong legs and a strong mind, those fleeting romantic moments on the cycle were soon forgotten !!!

 The arrangements for the event were super. The roads we used have fast moving heavy traffic and the traffic police did a good job of managing the traffic in those conditions. Good food at the finish and a lovely medal for my first ever …..

pic courtesy : FB page of the event

Lessons from the SEALs

It was very late on that Saturday night or more like a very early Sunday morning, that I was sitting up on my bed sick to the core, with a running nose, watery eyes and constant sneezing and debating on what to do about my 30km run in the morning. With no sleep in the eyes, I turned to the net to while away my time. And with those watery eyes, jumping from one article to the other, I spent the next 1 hour reading about the Navy SEALS. It was so motivating and inspiring that I showed up for my long run in the morning with just 3 hours of sleep and suffering from a bad cold. And went on to complete the run as well. (Disclaimer - I am not saying that reading about SEALs when you are sick and then showing up for a long run is a sensible thing!!!).

Anyways back to the Navy SEALS. Zero Dark Thirty and many movies before that have shown us how the SEALs do the unthinkable, the impossible and the most adventurous. And for that we are in awe of them. So much so that, one of us, an American entrepreneur named Jesse Itzler even got one of them to move in with him for 31 days to train him. Here is the link to the book he wrote about his experience living with a SEAL.
http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/jesse-itzler/living-with-a-seal/9781455534678/
(The book was ordered that same very night and can be borrowed from me). He talks of how he was living on the edge always – there was no pattern to his days, there were no limits but how he enjoyed it immensely.

Why are the SEALs the way they are? What makes them so tough and so determined? The answer to that is in two parts –

One, starts at an individual’s decision to become a SEAL. Anyone who signs up for it knows its no party he is going for. It’s that person’s mental strength that makes him commit to this new life – and that’s what is true about running as well. You have to get that will power – to get up each day / alternate day be it hot, cold or rains and go for a run, to run those long distances in preparation for your races, to sweat it out. Running is a physical activity but its not guided by your body but by the mind and your will. The body just aids the process.

Two, is the training they go through. Here are a few training mantras that I picked up from the various articles I read that night and which are all so relevant for us runners too.

1. “When your mind tells you that you are done, you are only 40 percent done!!” – Don’t we all know about the famous “Wall” we hit in each of our HM and Full Marathons. It’s the mind that plays all those games with us. And we recover from it to finish our races. So believe in this rule and tell your mind “I am not done yet!!” at all those crucial moments and continue.

2. Do small things right – One of the commandments for the SEALs is - Make up your bed first thing in the morning –Start the day with an accomplishment even if its a small task and that one completed task will lead to a “high” to help you complete many more tasks. For me I have replaced “making my bed” with “get a run in the morning” and I am full of energy, a whole lot chirpier and in a good mood to tackle the day. The endorphins keep me on a “high” to keep accomplishing things during the day.

3. Suck it up – One of the punishments during SEAL training known as a "sugar cookie” is where a student is made to run, fully clothed into the surfzone and then, wet from head to toe, roll around on the beach until every part of the body is covered with sand and he stays in that that uniform the rest of the day--cold, wet and sandy. It may hurt and you may feel as you will collapse any moment during the run, but sometimes you have to suck it up – because there is no choice. The run has to be completed and finish line has to be crossed. One of the best advice I got for my Comrades run was – “Don’t Stop. Just keep moving – one foot in front of the other because thats the only way you will reach Durban.” And that’s what I did.

4. Visualise success – Imagine yourself at the finish line with Garmin showing the time you wanted, imagine yourself with your favorite drink in hand and narrating your race story to your friends post run – all these are ways to get yourself pumped up. I remember crossing the finish line dancing when I got my PB for the HM and now before a race I always visualize myself doing the same dance to charge myself. Another way is to run the route in your mind, with your strong body and mind carrying you through the course effortlessly.

5. Seek support and be a support – One of the sadistic incidents mentioned in an article was about an entire team being forced to stand in freezing water up to their necks, while their instructors told them they wouldn't let them out until five trainees gave up--and quit the entire course. And what did the team do - They started to sing. The instructor describes it as follows :

"The chattering teeth and shivering moans of the trainees were so loud it was hard to hear anything and then, one voice began to echo through the night--one voice raised in song," he said. "The song was terribly out of tune, but sung with great enthusiasm. One voice became two and two became three and before long everyone in the class was singing. We knew that if one man could rise above the misery then others could as well."

A shared goal, a common plan and training partners make a huge difference to your running. I would have given up running if not for the group I joined early on. I would not have achieved my sub-2 if it were not for the bunch of us who had this dream to get it done in that particular race and planned for it. The group’s enthusiasm, the collective knowledge can help not only a beginner but an experienced runner. My Comrade run would not have been possible if it were not for someone or the other from my group supporting me for those long tiring runs. (Thanks Ultrons!!) Join a group to get inspired and motivated and to inspire and motivate.

So lets be a SEAL in our own way and keep running !!!

Sub 2 Hr HM Finish

When I started running 5 years back, being a science student and used to extrapolations, it was easy for me to arrive at my estimated 21km time based on the 5ks I was doing then – 2hrs. It seemed like a nice rounded off number and sounded good too. And then somebody said why not a Sub -2 and I said – why not? All I had to do was run that last 1km faster than the average (and working it all out on excel, it didn’t seem like that big a task!!). However, my first half marathon on a hot dusty Sunday in August of 2010 in a 2:57 sent my maths flying out of the window (at a speed at which Kenyans run or may be faster!!!). So the road to a sub 2 hr finish seemed like a long one but I wasn’t the one to give up. I kept making progress and kept improving my timing, looking for that one race where I would get a sub 2 hr finish - the one with the finish time which has a big figure of “1”.

ADHM 2011 was a good run, I managed to better my HM time to a 2:01. Still not there but close, close enough. There were a few more of us chasing that dream of a sub 2 hour and we agreed that the next race – which was the Mawana Marathon 2012 would be the one – where we get that sub 2 finish. We put together our own bus and got ourselves a “pacer” as well. And on that perfect February Sunday morning, accompanied by a light drizzle, running that flat route from India Gate to Connaught Place and back, with the “Chak De” song playing in the background, I crossed the finish line along with a friend in 1:58 – thanks to the “param” kripa of our pacer. And felt light!!!! A milestone had been achieved, a dream realized, monkey off the back, nirvana attained and that’s when I also for the first time felt like a “fast runner”.

Now it was just another fast time. I had improved from a 2:57 to a 2:01 in a year, and that 56 minutes drop was Huge but it was not as satisfying as that 4 mins shave off to get to a 1:57. What is it about a Sub 2 hr HM finish that most of us set as a target for ourselves? What is about it that achieving it makes us heave a sigh of relief, gives us a feeling of satisfaction, and makes us celebrate our running as never before?

The fact is that a majority of us are amateur / recreational runners and are just happy to be chugging along till we get stronger and “want to get faster”. Then every minute counts, we want to shave off minutes in each and every run that we do. We start setting goals, time targets for ourselves. Self-improvement is a fun and exciting adventure. And as we engage with others more, we become more knowledgeable, we – the middle of the pack runners - become hungry. We, the ones who make up the biggest crowd in any running event and who jostle our way in that thick crowd of sweaty smelly runners, want to break away. There is that desire to STAND out. And more importantly, have that sense of accomplishment, a sense of having arrived and by what - by being able to run fast enough by getting a finish time starting with a big “1”. It’s as if with the big figure change from “2” to “1”, we cross a threshold – the threshold to qualify as a fast runner, a serious runner, an accomplished runner!!! It’s a hype we as runners have created, a goal post set for every new runner – it’s the ticket to the exclusive club of “sub-2 hour finisher”. And I am glad we have done it and created this big hullaboo – it keeps us motivated, this is what you think of when your body on that 5th 400m interval wants to stop but you continue and do 5 more, this is what gets you on top of that long 1km hill again and again, this is what gets you out of the bed be it rain, sun or cold. And when you get your “sub 2”, its sweet !!!! Trust me !!!

How to Train for a Sub 2 hour finish

There are enough training manuals and plans to help one train for a sub-2 hour finish. Each of those are good and cover the essentials. I am giving below what worked for me :

1. Loads of attitude – believe that you are a Sub-2 hour runner and run like that

2. Hill Training – I personally have benefitted a lot from that and love the hill repeats

3. Run Longer – Do your long runs for 24-25km. More you get your legs used to the pounding, less you will struggle in the final leg of the race

4. Cadence – This one needs a full post of its own. But this is nothing but your “foot turnover”. Higher the cadence, less the impact or the shock the foot feels and therefore lesser chance of an injury and a stronger you.

5. Progressive Runs – I swear by them. Run each Km faster than the previous one.

6. Discipline – Be disciplined about your training.

I will do a separate detailed post on training for a sub-2 hour HM and also cover the training program I followed. Till then google away as I am doing right now (to read up on how to get a 1:45 finish time for a HM !!!)     

Finish times - Do they matter?

Embed from Getty Images

The curtain on this year’s ADHM has come down. My own run was a personally satisfying one. The awful lot that I am travelling these days, just didn’t give me enough time for a good serious preparation. This is despite me announcing my target of 1.45 to my running group so that I could be kept on track by them – but nah it didn’t help. And so a sub 2 finish (though 9 minutes slower than my PB at ADHM) was happily accepted.

There were many beaming faces who managed their PBs and equal number of sad, frustrated faces who despite a good training just did not make it that day – or missed their target not by a few seconds but minutes. The one thing you could hear all around was everyone asking the other – “how was your run?” followed by “what time?”. Now we runners may say we run for fun, and most of us do that as well, but there is this one or two runs in a year when you really want to excel, you want to prove it yourself that you can do better, you secretly want to get closer to someone else’s time ;), you push yourself and get your mind to rule over your body to reach that state of exhilaration and lock in your achievement. And ADHM provides that opportunity to excel. According to me ADHM is like that easy paper a child knows he can crack with some decent preparation and can always brag about to others. I say this because I do that too. (Did you not notice the subtle mention of my 1:50 PB above !!!)

So the question is – does finish time matter? Ofcourse it does. For those who have trained for it and have diligently followed a plan – giving up on their social commitments, dietary indulgences, sleep etc – for them it matters a lot. For me, atleast, running was a way to prove to myself I can do more – that I am capable of doing much more than I can ever imagine - and that is the case for a lot of us. And the finish times are a measure of that “more”, of “success”. For us runners in NCR and even those who travel to Delhi for this event, this is their test, the day of reckoning, whether you have trained for it or not, its your barometer (or your speedometer!!) to know how far you have come as a runner - whether you have a good day or a bad day, you know exactly what went right and what needs a correction... And we all know that even though there are races every month (the running calendar needs more weekends in a year!!!!) this is the ultimate test. If you are racing it, it is with a purpose - this is not another training run, this is the real thing.

And so if you see a smiling, beaming face – go ask him / her “what time?” he / she wants to tell you and the world (the FB posts ensure that those who didn’t ask or know, will know it too and the accolades remain there forever !!!! – I hope you people did “Like” my Comrades post on FB !!!) Go cheer for their success, for their win. But be mindful of those who couldn’t make it. There are those with pragmatic wisdom, who move on – even if they cant put a reason behind their failure, they know it was “not their day”. Either the body failed them or the mind was just not upto it and got distracted. And so go wish them too –for a better training, for the next one. And so what do you do with the ones who do not move on – well I need to meet a runner like that and then will advise !!!! We runners are the resilient ones – one bad race does not break us – we start browsing the net for the next race, go look up the training plan again, modify it and are back in our beast modes for that next race. See you New Delhi Marathon in Feb 16 with a faster stronger me !!! and Good Luck to all of you too !!

Running for fun or with a goal 

There is no right or wrong on this one. Most of us start with a goal in mind – let me just run uptil that next block and that’s it, let me get my sub-2 and I am done (my friends still tease me for this statement of mine made in 2012 !!!), one full and nirvana – and we continue because setting those goals is fun too. Every run will not be fun – some of the runs will kick your @$ (literally - with a not to subside pain), some would leave you gasping for breath (a friend loves his intervals and I hate those) – but every run will only make you wiser and stronger that is if you listen to your body and that is what will also keep the fun in the run!!! My personal take – as long as the motivation to get out of the door is there – whether for having a fun run or with a goal in mind, its fine. And so keep running !!!