Kodaikanal Hills Ultra 130km

"Behind every woman who finishes an ultra are many men who support her in that journey!!"

This post would start by thanking each one of those – Deepayan for the strength he gives me with his strong belief that his wife can complete any epic challenge she takes up and to bear with the boredom and nervousness when I am out running, my running buddies who encourage and support me in my training esp Shshank and Princy, to the ultra runners, all of whom I met for the first time during the run, and who ensured that I had company all through the run especially as large part of the run was through desolate quiet jungle areas – Sathish from Trichy, Vijay, Srivatsal & Ram from Banglore, Vikram from Chennai, Satpal from Chandigarh and Ram from Jaipur.

I am not getting into the whys of doing this run, of taking a 5hr flight and then driving 4hours for the 130kms from Madurai to Kodai for a 130km Ultra run, it was just meant to be. This was a CTC event and having heard good things about the many events they organize, I was looking forward to the experience.

The run had a lot of “firsts” for me. 1. This was my first 100k + run. 2. It was my first self-supported run (with aid stations 7-12km apart and drop bag available at 60k I had to carry things for the way). 3. It was my first ultra with a night leg on the roads (for those who know me, know that I am just not comfortable running in the dark). So this was not just unchartered territory but uncomfortable territory as well.

 

But there I was, at 3 am on a cold Saturday morning, at Kodaikanal International School, under a star spangled sky with a full moon, along with 110+ more runners to start my 24 hr journey in the hills of Kodai. The 130km distance had an elevation gain of 3500m+ and that by then was not my major worry. At the expo, group of CTC runners who had done the recee, asked us to also watch out for the bisons. I remembered them as wild buffalos but subsequent googling and looking at pictures of that animal had me quite disturbed !!!! Anyways, at the start we were all requested to stay in groups and given instructions on what to do if we spot a bison – lights out, stay Calm and let the animal pass – easy said than done !!

 

I covered the 130km distance in 26 hours but in those hours I collected memories for the lifetime. I will post my detailed race report later withh full details on check Point to check point stretch, but let me summarise my race as follows :

 

1.      Long Uphill Stretches – This run has only uphill sections. You will say what? Okay some downhill stretches as well. But I will remember this run for its long uphill stretches – 6km, 8km, 10km of long, continuous, torturous and never ending climbs up the hill some part of it over rocky, hard muddy paths. This was besides the many smaller inclines on teh rolling hills. The beauty around – the soft grassy patches, the streams, the tall eucalyptus tree lined roads, the greenery – could not make me forget the pain of climbing those inclines. For sure there were no flat sections – so it was either walk up the hills or run down on the hills and which in the second half of the run was only walking whether up or down. The 3500m+ of elevation gain was clearly felt by my legs !! 

 

 

2.   Ultra running community – The most selfless and grounded set of people are the ultra runners. They may be in pain themselves but would stop and check on you if you so much as even sit and rest by the roadside, share the last gulp of their water when you finish yours, forget their own timing targets and pace to accompany you for the entire stretch. I have run all my ultras alone so far and that day I had someone or the other for company for the entire 130km / 26hrs on the track. It was fun. We laughed, we cursed, we enjoyed the scenery around and also prayed together (though each silently) to be rescued !!! I met some great ultra runners from Chennai, Bangalore and Pune and learnt about the ultra running scene down south.

 

3.      Beauty of the jungles – We ran the first 25km and the last 40km in the dark. To be running / walking in those jungles under a star spangled sky on a full moon night is an experience in itself. One minute you may be in your own thoughts and enjoying the silence and then suddenly a slight rustle of the leaves and you would skip many heart beats together!!! Not a soul for the many kms ahead or behind you. And then, to watch those wide green valleys in the rising and the setting sun is breathtaking. I prefer road running and since most of this run (about 80%) was on tarmac for me it was the best of the world – getting to see the nature so up close and yet not be on a trail.

 

4.      Murphy’s Law always works – This whole “be careful around a bison” thing had me very nervous. And because of my tantrums that I will not move till we get some volunteers to accompany us, we were the only group who got an escort for almost 25km through the jungle area in the night. The others did too but for much shorter stretches of 3-4km which were through the Forest reserve area. And the law never fails – as soon as the last of those escorts left us, gave us a green signal to go ahead that no more bisons, we met the mighty beast !!!!!!!!

 

5.      Meeting the bison – Its an encounter you don’t want when you have been running for almost 23 hours, in the middle of nowhere on a cold night and don’t have a network signal on your phone (we did finally get a BSNL phone to work – so a learning that if you are in the jungles carry a phone with a BSNL network). This was just 500m from where the last of our bike escort left us. One of the 5 in our group was walking fast and about 100m ahead of us and at a slight bend in the road we heard him shout “Lights out”, “Watch out” and we knew we have some special company, and saw the mighty animal slowly crossing the road and sitting down on the right side of the road !!! How our friend escaped and warned us at the same time is another matter. With lights switched off and slowly without making a noise, prayers in our heart, we walked back to quietly sit at one of the stone bench and began our wait for the animal to move… But half an hour later and shivering from the cold and also scared that sitting here we are more exposed to another one, we decided to make an attempt to cross the animal. Gathering our strength, in a line, we slowly started moving towards it when suddenly one of us whispered “It just looked this way” and back we came running. And this time all the way to a small hut, where we expected a forest guard to be there. He was there but refused to help us cross !!! And so with that saviour BSNL Phone we finally called the organisers to send a vehicle. In the meanwhile, the next group of runners joined us to wait for the vehicle. Finally 1-1/2 hours later, with a vehicle in front of us, the cautious and tired gang of 9 started the run / walk for the final stretch to the finish line. What a story to remember for the life time. (The organsiers agreed to adjust our timing for this 1-1/2hr spent here!!)

 

6.      Finish – The finish line in a race is the most awesomest place on earth esp in an ultra run !! 26hrs from when I started I was back in the school grounds, but with memories that will stay with me forever!!!

 

In the end, what changed - I am more confident of doing a self supported run but I still don’t like running in the dark, I have lived to tell the tales of my first 130km run in the hills of Kodai but will have to spend more time convincing the hubby to let me go for another adventure !!

But I know I will…….

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 !!

The Year that was..

The season has come to an end for all. The long dry days of summer will soon be upon us followed by the humid months of July and August. And with that most of us will move into a low mileage or a break mode. But for now Coach Ravinder has sent out a note seeking nominations for the Runner of the Year award and so its time to assess this running season. And here is my assessment of the good and the bad :

Hits

+ Each of the previous years, I have usually gone low mileage and slow between May and Aug, picking up with a training plan for the Autumn / Winter races. This season was different. I came back from a hiatus in April by joining Tanvir’s 100 day running challenge. At that time, I didn’t realize the big difference it will make to my marathon training (more about it below). But those 3k-10k runs all through the months of May-July helped. I had to stop at the 86^th day due to a personal emergency but by that time I had built up a solid mileage to take me into my training plan for the Berlin marathon.

+ With the 100 day running challenge, I also joined the 100 day no-sugar challenge. It was a little difficult at the start, but 10 days into the challenge, I had given up all sources of processed sugar and was feasting on the summer fruits of mangoes and melons. This definitely helped in boosting my fitness level. And btw, I am still continuing with no sugar Tea and Coffee.

+ The low mileage was supplemented with many strength training exercises – Planks, Squats, Lunges, Dead Lifts etc. in the base building period and so for once, I had followed a slow yet an efficient way of improving my fitness and strength.

+ And with all of the above, I had a good 3 months of base building period, and was able to transition a much stronger me into the marathon training plan for the Berlin Marathon in September. This was my A race for the year and bettering my marathon PB by 22 mins for a finish time of 4:06 was a result I am very happy with.

+I was happy to have maintained my timings for the shorter distances all through the year. So here’s the report card.

NYRR Mini 10K Women’s Run         54.19

Artemis Day Breaker 21k                 2:09:37

Manger Trail Run 25km                   2:58:49

Pinkathon 21km                               1:57:41

Dwarka Half Marathon                     2:05:17

Hero Sunrise HM 21km                   1:58:32

Berlin Marathon 42km                     4:06:32

Airtel HM 21Km                                1:55:00

Muskaan Run 10km                         52:37

Super Sikh Run 10km                       52:53

And now to the misses

- The strong marathon training was to be used for an ultra or a faster HM in November – never attempted the Ultra and just maintained a decent time for the HM

- I was supposed to chronicle my training on the blog but the training, recovery and life in general did not leave anytime for the blog.

- Sugar binge – it started with small and not so frequent portions but the winter comfort food of chikkis and sandesh and other sweets had me crave for the sugar big time.

- December till date have been little or no running and with all events registered for being a No Show.

But

“Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin. Beginnings make the conditions perfect” – Alan Cohen

So though life in general is still busy, its time for a fresh start, a reboot…..

And you will see more of me on the roads and more of my running rants here.

Fartlek Training : Methods and Benefits

(This post originally appeared at http://wellthy.fit/fartlek-training-method-benefits/)

 

I hate interval training – I just cannot understand the logic of running your heart out for those 2-5mins (depending on how long the interval is). My friends swear by it and have also dragged my reluctant self out for some of those sessions. There have been enough discussions on the merits and demerits of the same between us but I have this big phobia – the phobia of “I-will-die-doing-intervals”. And so any group runs planned with interval training as the theme sees me at my creative best – of coming up with excuses to skip the session.

I hate intervals but there is one thing that I completely agree with – the result you get with interval training :

• an improved cardiovascular system – increases lung capacity which is what builds stamina and endurance
• trains the muscles to tolerate lactic acid build-up significantly – gets the body used to working even with some fatigue

And so basically, it improves the overall aerobic power and fitness levels.

Now if you are like me and have the “do-not-want-to-die-while-interval training” phobia, what can you do as an alternative to get the above results? One of the ways to get this kind of training is doing Fartleks. Infact Interval training is nothing but a formal and more structured form of fartleks. And I am happy with the rudimentary way of building up my cardiovascular capacity.

 

What are Fartleks ?

Fartlek is a Swedish term which means speed play. Fartlek running involves varying the pace throughout the run, alternating between fast segments and slow jogs and these segments can be based on how the body feels.

 

How do I use fartleks in my runs?
 

Training Runs: I use the fartlek workouts in two ways during my training runs:

1. I do short periods of slightly higher pace run as part of my normal run. I maintain the faster pace for a short distance or time intervals, such as 200m or 30 seconds and then get back to my normal running pace. Sometimes, I race a cycle or a rickshaw for that small stretch – and you should see the competitiveness in the riders facesJ. On some occasions, I have tried to catch some fast runners – and failed L. But what it helps in is that it simulates what is possible for you to do on a race day. On a race day you will have opportunities to speed up, but then you will have to settle back to a normal pace. You can’t stop, walk or bend over double panting and huffing trying to get your breath back during the race after a speedy stretch.

2. My last km irrespective of the distance I have run that day is the fastest. It not only helps getting used to running fast on tired legs, it’s a big confidence booster and these muscle memories help me speed up anytime during the race.

The one important thing is that I do not run my heart out, its fast – way faster than my target speed for the day, but easy enough that I can get back to my normal pace easily. And also what’s important is to have the discipline to add these stretches at regular intervals during the run.

Races: I have very successfully used fartleks during my races – my A Races and also races being run as part of the training. I speed up to overtake the runner in the front, sometimes leaving a big gap between us and sometimes leaving a runner between us J This is so that I am not made to do unnecessary big swings in my pace and after each such attempt can find enough time and distance to get my breath back by running at a normal pace.

I am a big fan of these – my unstructured mind loves these compared to the formal interval training where I keep looking at the watch to check – how much more distance to cover ???

Go ahead try it… and Good Luck !!!!

 

By Rashmi Mohanty for Wellthy.fit

 

About Rashmi (In her own words)

I am senior finance professional working for a global company. A mother of two, I took up long distance running six years back to get away from the stress of increased demands in managing a career, a family and other worldly duties. It gave me “my-me-time” and a great set of friends. What started as a stress buster, has also seen me do some crazy stuff besides the usual HMs and FMs (which I have run many) – trail ultras at Bhatti, Comrades twice over, travel domestic and internationally to run a race !!!
I enjoy both the pleasures and the pain running brings into my life and can say that I am hooked.

Training Right and preventing injuries

It's been 6 years now with my addiction for long distance running. And I can say I have reached a point of no return.  No rehab, no retreats, nothing can get me off it - that's what I think but then I look around and see many of my runner friends injured and I know if there is one thing that can and seriously can get me off the track is a running injury. I too have been injured in the past and it took some serious disciplined effort to get back onto the track. And so is there a way to avoid running injuries - yes!! One can with a proper disciplined structured training program.
What else will proper training help you achieve - Your running goal !!!
In these 6 years, I have trained properly only thrice and not only achieved my running goal every time but I have stayed injury free too.
1. My first Airtel HM in 2010 - I did a slow 2:52 that year in my first HM and realised I need to train properly if I need to get closer to my target of 2.20. I trained proper and finished in 2:15
2. My first Comrades Ultramarathon in 2014- I picked up a plan from the Comrades website and trained to the "T". I started the race, confident of getting a sub 11.30 hrs and was rewarded with an ecstatic 11:13. In fact while training for this I also achieved my targets for the shorter distances - 10k, HM, FM
3. The recent Berlin Marathon - I had a target of sub 4.10 with the training plan I had used and again was overjoyed with a 4:06 finish time.

 

And so, if you have a goal, work towards it with a proper plan in place - and that plan should include
1. Base building period
2. A 12-16week training program

3. Regular stretching routine - don't skip this please - see my point above on running injuries
4. Core / Strength training - once or twice a week, a 15-20 min session is good for us runners.
5. Diet and Nutrition - can't emphasise how important this is.

Take help of a trainer, a dietician if needed.

By the way, a missed run or a missed stretching / strength session does not mean the plan is derailed and it won't work. Stick to it.
Of course, don't make every race target oriented - run for the sheer fun it provides, for the endorphins and for the camaraderie of your group.

PS : The above is no new information but then I have seen runners make every race as Race A and look for improvement in timings in each every race. Even elites choose their A Race for the year and train towards it and they also start from scratch for it. So however experienced you may be there no short cuts to achieve that Race Goal of yours.... Good Luck!!!