Run Update 28.05.2016

Since I reduced my running to once a week, I can't afford to skip a run anymore these days! Not running early in the mornings during weekdays also means I get to sleep in a little extra... so 4 am mornings are slowly starting to look like a thing of the past! Saturday morning however, I had to relive old habits. Though I went to bed at 10:30, I remained awake till about 12:30 meaning which meant my Saturday LSD (long slow distance) was one of those oft-repeated low-on-sleep run. 

It was meant to be a fast-paced 10k. I was targeting a pace of 6'30" to 7'00 and I managed to maintain that till about the 7k mark. Then the sun made its climb - it was hot, I was tired and I just about managed to finish the targeted 10k. Took me 1:12 but my average pace was still higher than last week so I'm not complaining.

I also realize that for many people a pace of 6'30" is a far cry from "fast". When I use terms like fast and moderate it is relative - to me. In my training terms anything faster than a pace of 5'30", I class as insane. I could probably sustain this pace for a distance of not more than one kilometer maaaaybe two. 5'30" to 6'00" is crazy fast for me. A pace between 6'00" and 6'30" is what I consider very fast and this is what I would maintain for tempo runs. 6'30" to 7'00" is a fast pace for me. Runs at this pace falls in the category of challenging but doable. This would be my comfortable 5k pace. 7'00" to 7'30" is my moderate pace and also my comfortable 10k pace. 7'30" to 8'00 is my easy pace. I have run all three of my half-marathons at this pace. I would consider a 8'00" - 8'30" pace as slow and anything slower as crawling. (Again, for me)

My average pace currently is 6'55". Which is borderline fast & moderate. In order to pick up my pace I will have to incorporate more tempo runs and speed training. As soon as it cools off a bit weather-wise this will be the POA.

Run Update 20.05.2016

A short spell of rains last week cooled the city down considerably and though the rains have stopped since last evening, the weather continues to remain pleasant (well relatively at least). I decided to take advantage of the good running weather today and went for a nice long 15k run (because before you know it, its going to turn scorching hot again!).

It was a much better run than last Saturday's - today I was able to maintain an average pace of 7'33". It could be better but I'm not going to push it for fear of injuring myself again. I have two back to back runs coming up in June that I definitely don't want to sit out. 

This heat is slowing me down

The sluggishly hot Saturday morning of 35 degrees C and about 70% humidity did not stop me from lacing up and attacking my 12k goal. Even though I was out the door and running by 5:00 am, the heat was still oppressive. My wristband was soaked just two kilometers in. And another 500 meters or so and the music stopped. I recently changed phones and have still not gotten down to transferring my playlist to the new phone. I was playing music from youtube which for reasons unknown stopped after 4 songs. I feel uneasy running without music. Something just doesn't feel right and not having the songs to distract me from the laborous distance probably played its part in slowing me down. 

At about 5k, I met up with Nishani (who finally kept our running date) and chatting with her while running helped make up for the lack of music. We ran all the way down to marina and along the beach and back. I took 1:36:07 to complete 11.7k. It was also the longest time ever that I've taken to do 10k. It was zapping but we did manage to find the energy to take a couple of selfies... :-)

The slowing down could be a number of things but I attribute it mainly to the hotter weather alongside the usual culprits of not enough sleep and not enough hydration.

Bottom line is that the mercury is so high that I've pretty much decided on once a week runs and work on some HIIT routines and strength training routines during the week. 

There was a bunch of insane people who ran today for the May Madness Midday Half Marathon. Honestly I call them insane because they thought nothing of running at noon in Chennai in the middle of the month of May!!! It must have been close to 40 degrees C at 75% humidity with zero shade! I wonder if I'll ever get that insane about running.

Back on the road! :-)

Despite the scorching heat, despite being stood up on my Saturday run date, it feels great to be running again. I ran an easy 3k on Friday to test my recovery and then a longer 7.35k on Saturday.

Friday's run felt good. Even though it was a late start, the short 20 minute run meant that I was back indoors by 6:30 before it got unpleasantly hot. Saturday's run not so much. It was again a late start and since my date ditched me I decided to run multiple loops of my usual route instead of taking the long route to the beach and back. It was meant to be a 1 hour run and I expected to finish 8.5 to 9 k as I would normally do. Was low on the zzzs in my sleep bank and it was super-hot to boot and I just managed 7.35k.

Even then, I felt super charged-up and happy. Nothing like a run to put me in a good mood.

Getting back to Running

I must say it has been terribly difficult to get back to running ever since my injury. It took all of four weeks of rest (with a smattering of yoga and mild exercise thrown in) to heal my strained hip adducter muscle and I felt "normal" again by the last week of April or so. Since then I have made several "Easy 3k Run (Test it out)" notations on my exercise calendar only to place the dismal red cross next to it at the end of the day.

This inertia is quite common to me. When I stop doing something (not just running - it could be painting or crafts or any one of the numerous other hobbies I indulge in from time to time) it is insanely hard for me to take it up again. Also, this crazy summer we've been having is not making things any easier. With the a.m. temperatures itself ranging from 32 - 35 degrees C, any normal person would balk at stepping out and sweating it out in these near sauna-like conditions. 

Times like these, I resort to anything that will spike my motivation and get me back to pounding the pavement. Here's my for-future-reference-list.

Read

Running related stories that is. I have so many websites to thank for keeping me motivated - runnersworld, competitor, women's running to name a few. Just reading articles on running tips, gear, work outs for running etc. helps keep me connected to the sport even though I am not physically indulging in it. I love reading interesting articles about regular people who train hard and meet their personal goals in running. A couple of days back I was reading the latest rundown magazine (created & published by the Chennai Runners) which featured Shailja Singh Sridhar, the winner of TWCM '15 full marathon, women's open category. She finished her race in 3:49:36 and made it look breezy at the same time. Reading her interview was really motivating. Here's a 36 year old mother of two who took to long distance road running about 4 years back. She finished her maiden half marathon in 2:11 and her current PB in this category is 1:38:57. While reading this, in my head I go "Wow! I wanna do that" and another voice goes "Then get off your butt and start running again".

Join a hyper-active running group

For me, being part of a running group has its pros and cons and definitely one of the pros is ample motivation. Everyday there is constant chatter on my whatsapp of training runs, running events, people posting running pics, pace goals, running tips and advice. Even if you are not actively involved in any of the conversation, its hard to be unaffected by it. Call it mob psychology - you just HAVE to be a part of it.

Make a Running Date

Theres nothing like knowing someone is waiting for you to join them for a run to get you out of bed and push you out the door. I've set a running date with my friend, Nishani for Saturday and we will do a short stint till the beach and back. Not likely that I will stand her up. :-)

Sign up for a Race

If all else fails, sign up for a race. When you know that your weeks for training are numbered there is a certain amount of urgency that builds up which will propel you out the door. My next big run is scheduled for June 5th - the Pinkathon 10k. And then the (postponed from last year) D2D half marathon on June 11th. That leaves me with roughly 6 weeks of training and more than enough motivation to resume running.

This morning, with a herculean effort, I broke my inertia and did a 20 minute running drill at home - a slow, easy jog-in-place (baby steps). Phew! The time was 8:30 am and it was an uncomfortably hot but much needed drill to kick-start my momentum. Here's wishing for hugely consistent, injury-free running days from here to the end of the year.