Done!!!!

Woo Hoo!! Its done & dusted. Ran the TWCM this morning and did not die...

The race was superbly organized. There were no glitches, the starting line & corrals were set up well, the pacers were very visible thanks to the giant yellow helium balloons that had been strapped onto them with their pace printed on them, all the aid stations along the way were manned and supplied well and lastly, as soon as you finish the run and walk twenty feet, your medals were handed to you - no messy long queues. Kudos to the organizers.

The half marathon was flagged off exactly at 4:30 as scheduled and 2 hours 42 minutes and 36 seconds after crossing the start line, I made it to the finish... It was a really good run. Might not be the better by 15 minutes PB I wanted but was a PB all the same! I'll take it! :-)

I had been running for about a minute or so when I saw the big yellow balloons that said 2:30 bobbing past me. This was expected and I figured as long as I could keep them in sight just ahead and stick to my pace plan, I could still make it. The starting few kilometers were good. I was running steady and strong and managed to maintain a pace between 6'50" and 7'15". I really thought a 2:30 time was doable. I reached the 8k marker at 57:26 (less than a minute off the plan) and then somewhere between 8k and 9k I switched off. I gave into the steady rhythm of running, just listening to the pounding of my feet on the roads and indulging in my favourite thing to do during these runs - people watching. Checking out running outfits, gawking at those amazing gazelle-like runners who finish like a whole hour and a half before you, looking out for familiar faces, studying the running form of those around me - it is really, really occupying not to mention distracting.

My pace started slipping at around the 9k mark. I could blame it on the hot sultry weather (there wasn't the slightest breeze stirring even around Marina beach), or the raging cold that I had woken up with but by the 17K mark, I was starting to feel fatigued. The 2:30 pacers had long been out of sight and I knew there was no chance I would make it in my goal time. At around 19K when we came up to the flyover my mental state was "f#$% not this again". I had been hoping against hope that we would bypass the  flyover on the return. By kilometer 20, I felt like I was done. I was really tempted to just walk the last kilometer and 100 meters but something just kept me going. It must have been a lot to do with the cheering crowd that had lined up all along the last kilometer stretch of the route.

As I turned into the last 200 meter or so stretch to the finish line, I could spot the giant digital clock that was counting down the seconds since the flag-off time and it said 2:43-something. I was completely dismayed thinking I wouldn't PB at all so gave it my all for that last stretch and stepped over the finish mat as the clock said 2:44-something thinking not bad - at least PBed by a minute. Later when I got my timing SMS from the race organizers saying 2:42:36, I realized that had not taken to account the difference between my start time and the flag-off time. :-) PBed by 3 minutes.

Today's run wasn't as peachy as my first. I finished my first feeling I could run another 5 kilometers, unlike today. There is also a lot more soreness & tightness of the muscles today which I attribute to not warming up properly. I normally finish my warm-up routine at home before any run. I just didn't manage to squeeze in the time today having woken up at 3:15 and then leaving home by 3:45. I got to the race venue with just a few minutes to spare before the flag-off announcement and did a super rushed, half-baked warm-up routine which didn't cut it.

Feeling okay now after a whole day of stretching, and nutrition-packed eating and am strangely looking forward very much to the next one!

THE run-plan

I keep telling myself that I should be just going out there and running for the fun of it - to focus on finishing and not on achieving a PB. But there is a big part of me that really wants to better my time - a part that keeps telling me if you don't set goals, and "achieve" something then what really is the point of it all?

Ever since the TWCM expo I've been running the route through my head and have been visualizing me running along those roads. As always I broke down the route (TWCM organizers had sort of done it already) into 1K segments using familiar spots & buildings along the way as markers in my head. This time around, I also looked at an approximate time that I need to pass by each of these markers in order to finish the distance in a time of 2:30. (There you go! That is my goal. That is what I would love to achieve - a PB, 15 minutes faster than my last)

I figured with the crowds at the start, I will be doing my first couple of kilometers the slowest. Then 4K to 5K at 6'45", 5K to 6K at 6'30" and the rest I plan to run at a pace between 7'00" and 7'15".

These are my plans. But anything could happen.

1 day to go and I'm filling up with nervous excitement. I've got my gear all set out, I've been hydrating more and carb-loading ever so slightly since yesterday. I've been doing a lot of stretching & Yoga and generally being well behaved.

Can't wait for Sunday morning.

Counting Down to D Day

Exactly a week to go to TWCM (The Wipro Chennai Marathon) and the excitement is slowly creeping in. It has mostly to do with the race expo held yesterday. I picked up my bib & race goody bag there and the general excitement and buzz going around was quite infectious. The goody bag had the latest copy of the Rundown magazine and the race Tshirt (which I will not be wearing) among other knickknacks such as a Gatorade bottle, some pre-race energy snacks and some pain gels. By far one of the better goody bags I've seen thus far.

The race routes have also been published on the site and I've started mentally stripping down the route and imagining the distance in my head.

The 21.1k will be flagged off by 4:30 which means I'll be having a pretty early start from home (3:30?). When do I go to sleep if I have to be up by 3:00? I had planned to start waking up race-time-early all of this week to get my body clock adjusted and used to this early morning hour. That may need some re-thinking. I think I will just continue waking up at 4:00 and hopefully that one hour difference wont matter on the day of the race.

How to run a decent run

Don't let the post title fool you - this is not an entry on form or technique but rather my put-together checklist of all the small things I could do before a run to ensure a good strong finish. Perhaps it would have been better titled the-what-not-to-do-before-a-run-list. Moving on...

I've had good runs and bad runs (some really, really bad runs). A wise person would learn from the bad runs and try not to repeat the mistakes that caused the badness of the run. It would also be wise to understand what you did right before the good runs and use it for future runs. So here is what I've learnt...

Eat.

Must. Absolutely must. I am not talking about a fully loaded meal - more like a little bit of a snack. There are various sources and articles out there that tell you how many exact calories you should have for the number of miles / hours of training that you would put in but I've found that for me, one banana (two if it is a long run), a breakfast bar or a slice of toast with some sugary, fruity jam works best. Anything more and mid-way through the run I will be wanting a toilet break. The rule of thumb is to get in some calories to fuel your run at least about half an hour to twenty minutes before the run. I usually go for my run early in the morning - on long run days I would hit the roads by around 5:00 which means having to eat my little snack at around 4:30.

There have been many times when I've run on an empty stomach and for runs shorter than half an hour, this has been just fine but I've really regretted going on those long runs with little to no fuel to keep me going. I always, always drink a tall mug of coffee first thing in the morning, and my pre-run ritual does not exclude it. I have never been on a run sans coffee so I'm not sure how my run would fare without my morning cuppa. 

I haven't given eating while on the run a shot but judging by the numerous articles on running nutrition that I've read, a little energy-filled bite a couple of times during the run may not be a bad idea. A few raisins, dates, or even a few gummy bears could give me a boost when I'm in the near-bonking zone. More on this after I've tried it.

What I eat the night before also plays a vital role in the next day's run. I've found that my basic, carb-heavy dinner of rice, curds, and a mild veg or chicken curry works much better than a meal of pasta, grilled chicken and veggies. Considering that pasta is equally carb-heavy this probably has something to do with what my body is used to.

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate

This is something else that I've found to be crucial for my running. And its not just the water & fluids I drink during the run - I've found that when my general levels of hydration is high, I run better and faster with less fatiguing. Incidentally, I have an app on my phone that reminds me to drink water throughout the day (yes, this is true!) and it also tracks my hydration across days, weeks and months. The weeks where I'm well hydrated (3 - 4l of water a day) are also the weeks when my runs have been good. Of-late my hydration levels have really dipped and interestingly my average pace has also seen a dip.

Alcohol + Run = Disaster

This makes total sense since alcohol severely dehydrates your body. I've tried and tested this fact on quite a few occasions and never has this formula varied. Party Friday night and run on Saturday morning has never ever worked for me. 

Get enough Zzzs

Another well tested factor - sleep. Every time I've run with over seven hours of sleep in the bank, it has been infinitely better that when I've run with 6 hours and lesser sleep. This is tricky for me since to begin my run at 5:00 means I have to be up by 4:00 (I absolutely need an hour of pre-run ritual time and I absolutely loathe rushed mornings) which in turn means getting to bed by 9:00 and finishing dinner by at least 8:00. All my life, I've been a night-person. Assignments in college sometimes involved pulling several all-nighters which I found pretty easy to do but during the weekends, waking up before 10:00 a.m. was unthinkable (my average waking up time was 12:00). So it was a major transition for me to switch to early morning mode. I still find it extremely difficult to fall asleep at 10:00 at night let alone 9:00 unless I am bone-tired.

Uggh! Its that time of the month

I workout even when I'm on my period (I know lots of women who prefer not to). Running isn't any different but running on the days leading up to and also the first couple of days of the cycle feels very draining. I'm not sure if this is the case for all all women but I feel extremely sluggish and feel like I have to go at a much slower pace than normal. There isn't much I can do about this other than not to plan long runs around these days.

Run in the moment

It happens to me on every run. After about 5 minutes, my mind starts wandering and I find myself not paying any attention to my body, my form, my stride or anything to do with the physical action of running. My running sort of goes into auto-pilot mode and I'll be thinking about random things from work, idle gossip, what I had for dinner two nights ago, my shopping list - anything other than what I am actually doing at the moment. On one hand this is good, because it mentally distracts me from the distance & goal but every time I bring my attention back, I discover that I've slowed down considerably and haven't covered quite as much distance that I would have normally covered. I think its generally a good idea to stay focused on what you are doing at the moment.

These are just some of the things I can remember. I will probably revisit this post in the future and add more as when they are discovered.

I have about a week left to TWCM. I have begun tapering - its just going to be easy, relaxed runs from here on out. I'm hoping that every mile I've run so far has helped and I will definitely be looking to check off all the above points come D-Day.

Run Update 17.01.2016

I really enjoyed today's run. I had a breakfast date to keep with a friend who lives in Thiruvanmiyur and I thought, "Hey why not run there?". I was slotted to do a 16k today and google maps showed me this route to Thiruvanmyur from home covering a distance of 16.5k. I call it my beach-to-beach-to-beach route. It started with my usual route along the usual roads up to Marina beach, from there to Eliot's Beach in Besant Nagar and finishing up with the very pleasant, clean and inviting Thiruvanmyur Beach. The total distance of  17.75k took me 2 hours and 20 minutes. I had to do a fair bit of walking while getting my bearings and direction right along certain parts of the route. But it was pretty thrilling once I finished.

The D2D has been further postponed for reasons not cited. It actually works out well for me and I am a little relieved that I won't have to push myself through 3 back-to-back half marathons. My workouts have been going on as scheduled (minus a few small changes to accommodate work travel) and am pretty pleased in general. I am going to go easy on the weekday running though. Both my feet feel strained and I want them to be fresh and strong for the upcoming races.

Run Update 10.01.2015

What a difference a couple of extra hours of sleep and a couple of bananas make. I felt strong throughout the run with minimal fatigue at the end of the run. Was a great run today. Weather was nice and pleasant and covered the 19k quite comfortably.

Getting closer and closer to the races. The schedule is happily filled with green ticks and not so much red crosses anymore. Feeling good and prepared.

:-)

Crazy Person!

I had a bit of free time on my hands and I decided to look up running back-to-back half marathons. Turns out I'm not the only crazy person who has this seemingly insane idea of running two half marathons in 2 consecutive weeks. Here is one such discussion on a running forum with some good advise. The general consensus is that it is entirely doable and not much of a risk provided you pace both the runs such that one is easier & slower than the other. (This was the plan anyway). Many of the comments warn you to be prepared not to PB on the 2nd one (This was so not the plan). Anyway considering that this will only be my 2nd & 3rd HMs, I shouldn't really be concerned with my PB. 

I also found this blog post  which outlines a proper recovery & training plan for running back-to-back half marathons. The writer had just 2 weeks in between the races and still made PB in both the races (with finishing times a good hour faster than my PB - I must add) 

It just struck me that my scenario is quite different - I actually have 3 back-to-back HMs with just 1 week between the first two and 2 weeks between the 2nd & the 3rd. Thats right! Three Half Marathons in 4 weeks. I almost forgot that I have signed up for the Auroville Marathon as well. While I can definitely take notes from the above blog post, I will be listening intently to my body and what it needs. I have no intention of killing myself.

So am I crazy? The only reason I think this is doable is because I know I will be running at an easy pace. I might push myself a little for TWCM - or maybe I wont - but I'll definitely be running way below my "all-out" effort. I have been consistently running 2+ hours in the weekends and my body has bounced back fine after every long run. There will of course be no more running in a sleep deprived state - I'll just have to make damned sure of that. Minimum 7 hours of sleep required. Non-negotiable. I will also have to keep a close check on my hydration and nutrition during these days leading up to the races. And I will probably also have to tweak my schedule a bit and add in more active recovery days in between the races.

Finally, there was this one article from a runner's world coach & contributor which put me completely at ease and gave me a sense of you-might-not-be-so-crazy-after-all. The article gives training advice & tips to a reader who had inquired whether it was okay to do 4 half marathons in 4 consecutive weeks.

Well... so here goes!

Run Update 08.01.2016

I did my first tempo run for 2016 this morning. It was a good paced 5k  - I was targeting 6'00" to a kilometer (0'45" longer than my average)  but ended up doing an average of 6'15". Was still pretty pleased with the effort. I did feel pretty winded at several points where I had to stop and take a breather. Allowed myself about 10 seconds here before taking off again. 5k in 31:27 - not my best but definitely up there.

I felt so awesome that shortly after the run I did a bit of impulse online shopping and got myself some new running gear. Yay! I think there might be a new post on the blog once they get here.

Now, nine hours later, I am really feeling the workout - calves, hamstrings - everything is sore. I think I'll have to go through another stretch routine in the evening to loosen up all the muscles.

Run Update 05.01.2016

My second run in the new year was marginally better than my first. Probably because I got marginally more sleep than the last time. Even though I was running today at an easy pace of 7'30" on average, it felt more exhaustive than it should have - even in spite of the cool conducive weather. I must stop this habit of running on too little sleep. 

I had a late start today and missed running with the Nitros. Will probably join them on Thursday. I feel like I'm back in the groove with my running. I am happy to be running consistently and am hoping this trend will go on through the year.

Did I mention that my goal for 2016 is six half marathons? 

Run Update 03.01.2016

It was my first run for the year - and not a great one at that. New year frivolities spilled over to the whole weekend and it was quite late when I went to bed on Saturday. I had had just about 3 hours of sleep when I woke up with the alarm on Sunday morning and not wanting to repeat the disastrous experience from a month ago, I made sure that I ate something before I ran and I kept the pace as slow as I possibly could.

It took me 2 hours and 26 minutes to finish my goal distance of 17k. Meaning which, my pace was considerably slower that even my first half marathon. But I finished it. And for that I give myself a pat on the back!