Ewww Gross!!

Many times I have come across articles & posts about runner's feet - most of them accompanied by nightmarish pictures of unsightly toenails and jammed up toes. Not pretty. (Go on! Just google runners feet and see - I dare you!). Having never experienced any such issues with my feet, I have never had much sympathy for the suffering owners of the feet in the pictures - that is until now!

The problem (not really a big one) actually began several weeks ago post my D2D night run. If you recall, that was a particularly cumbersome run - it was also my longest. After the run, I felt an unprecedented soreness in my toes. I found it strange at the time but didn't really give much thought to when after the usual resting and icing, the soreness went away. A few weeks later I noticed that the toenail on the second toe on my left foot had stopped growing. It was grey and dull while the others looked pink and normal. On closer examination I realized that the nail was not really attached to the toe any longer. Just a bit of it clung onto the skin at the base but the rest of it could be lifted right off and clipped away if I liked. This discovery came about a week before DRHM and I was afraid that if I clipped it or removed the whole thing away, it might hurt or worse bleed and prevent me from running the HM. So I left it.

Its finally been trimmed down now and theres a little stub of a toe nail that remains. I'm not sure if it will ever grow back. I've also noticed that three of the toenails on the right foot are also dead. Gosh! I guess this means no more sandals for a while!

The down side to running.

4 Down 2 more to go

Phew! DRHM 2016! Thats done!

It was a pretty good run as Half Marathons go. Could I have done better? - Sure! But I woke up at 3:00 a.m. on a Sunday and ran 21.1K!!! (And did not die enroute) and that is awesome in itself. After every run where I did not PB, I nitpick post-run on how it could have gone better - I could have pushed a little harder, I should have slept earlier last night, should have done this differently, should have done that another way - but I did not, so its pointless, so I shan't.

Prasad from Nitros had kindly agreed to pick me up on his way to the venue and so I had company to chat with and exchange running notes up until the flag-off. I also got a few selfies in at the start line (which I never do otherwise) thanks to him. 

The flag-off was at 4:30 and the weather was ok-ish at the start. The humidity was at about 55% when we started which although bad was manageable. Was pouring with sweat just a few minutes into the run. The first half of the run went really really well. I was going as planned. I finished the 1st 3K at around 21:30 (a minute and a half ahead of time), 6K at around 43:45, 9K at around 1:05:30 (still ahead) and then it went all downhill. At the 12K mark I was behind by 2 minutes but I was still feeling good and running at a steady strong pace between 7'00" and 7'15". It was around 6.00 a.m. and the humidity had climbed to 70%... From the 12K point onward my pace started slowing down a lot and I was behind by 6 minutes when I reached the 15K point. 

The humidity was still climbing and I found it a huge effort just to keep running even at a slow pace. Between the 17K mark and the finish line I had to take quite a few walking breaks. 18K point was passed at 2:17 and I was so looking forward to seeing the finish line. At around the 19K point when we reached the tree lined Besant Nagar avenue I knew the end was so close but I didn't have it in me to push harder. It was 2:24 something and I knew I couldn't PB so I chilled. :-) Slow jogged and walked to the finish from there. 2:41:12 was my official timing. Not my best but also not my worst. I'll take it!

For the first time ever I stayed at the race venue post-run. I had breakfast and hung out with some of the Nitros Runners, and my buddy from D2D. It was nice not to have to rush off. Another first during this run was a random stranger asking me to pace him (this happened at around the 7K mark) and insisting that I maintain my current pace so he could follow suit. I didn't want the responsibility of managing his finish time along with mine so I politely declined. Plus (and more importantly) is this really a done thing??? Can you actually go up to a stranger and demand to be paced that too when there are plenty of official race pacers around?

Overall, it was a good run. The event went off smoothly - I am happy to report that the scare about the blockades being lifted post 6:00 a.m. didn't materialize in the end. I felt good at the end of the run. Not sore or achy (or injured). Immensely looking forward to #5.

All Set...

Less than 12 hours to go before my 4th HM for the year. I had been to the DRHM expo just earlier today - collected my bib and my "race-kit". I really wish organizers would put more imagination into these give-aways. I think a race kit should have helpful things for the race day. This time it was a small duffel bag and a water bottle. Both nice but you're really not going to be using either of those on race day. 

Met a couple of fellow runners from Nitros and also happened to hear that the traffic blockades along the race route would be removed at 6:00 a.m. Which means unhindered-by-traffic-running for an hour and a half and watch-out-for-that-car/bike/bus-running after that. If what I heard is true. then it is really bad form on the part of the organizing committee and will definitely put a damper on the race experience for a large chunk of the participants. We'll know tomorrow.

Anyways, my bib is ready, my running gear is ready and my shoes are cleaned. All thats left is a good stretching session, an early dinner, some foot grooming & massaging, and to bed by 8:00 at the latest.

Getting set for the next one

Around this time last year, I was gearing up for my first half marathon. I still remember how excited & nervous I was at the same time. I just read my post from 26th July last year after finishing my DRHM 2015. A year and 3 more half marathons later, here I am, feeling pretty much the same way as I did before my maiden HM. Ofcourse, today I chalk the trepidation down to my un-preparedness rather than the distance as such. Looking back at last year's training plan that I went through, it is no wonder that I was able to finish strong with no aches and pains. 

The sad truth is that in terms of my running ability, speed & stamina I haven't progressed much. The last half that I ran in June (again with very few training hours in the bank), I finished in 2:45:51 - about twenty seconds slower than my first HM and the whole run was a battle to the finish line. I was sore & achy for two days post-run. I am in exactly the same spot as I was last year - hoping to get on the 2:30 pacer bus and finish in that time. Last year I lost sight of the 2:30 bus pretty early on... will it work this time around?

The race route has changed a little from last year. We will not be doing the IT expressway stretch this year but the rest of the landmarks seem to be intact. 

As ever, I checked out the route on maps and did my own little analysis. I'm trying to mentally break the route down to 7 segments of 3 kilometers each - so somehow it seems more doable. Each 3k segment has a very "undaunting" time target attached to it which should help me in getting to the finish line in the targeted time. 

I've given myself a leisurely start with the first 3K being done in 23:00 minutes. That is mostly to allow for the inevitable crowded start. The next 3K is at 22:00 minutes which is also a comfortable target. The idea is to conserve some energy at the start. The balance sets of 3K can be done at a steady, moderate paced 21:00 minutes which should allow me to finish within 2:30. 

I ran a quick 3K on Wednesday to limber up - that would be my last run prior to race day. At a good effort, it took me 19 odd minutes to finish. So at a moderate effort I ought to be able to do 3K in 21 minutes and sustain it for the entire run.

I remember having mapped out such well-intentioned race plans before, but I do not recollect ever being able to stick by it. :-). Sunday will tell.

Nitros Running Festival & Other Stories

Last weekend, - 9th July - to be specific, my running group hosted our annual running event, the Nitros Running Festival, at the Nehru Stadium. All the other chapters of Chennai Runners had been invited to participate in a bunch of track events including a 10k race, a 5K relay for men, another 5k relay for women, a costume relay run for families and a short race for kids. There was also a 6 hour run where a few elite runners had been invited to run several laps around the the track for that duration of time. That, to me, was phenomenal how people could just run, and run and run for what seemed to me like forever around the same 400 meter track. Every hour they would switch directions from clockwise to anticlockwise but other than that the run seemed mind-numbingly monotonous and it was incredible how some of these athletes completed 50 odd kilometers in such great form. The 10k race had a cut-off time of 48 minutes and it was great watching the top runners complete it in under 40 minutes. Being on the organizing side of the events as volunteers, none of us were part of any of the races but feeling the electric ambiance of the evening and seeing the energy of all the runners, I sorely wished I could have been running on that well maintained track.

After the Nitros day on Saturday, I had zero energy on Sunday to run the 18k LSD I was scheduled for. But with the dream runners HM just up ahead, I had to squeeze in that distance somewhere and so on Wednesday I decided to get up early and go for it. I had planned on doing 6 sets of a short 3k loop around home - Kothari road, Sterling road and back down Kothari Road. By the 4th set I was bored! The same scenery looping around and around, the same buildings, the same people - and though I wasn't tired, by the 14k point I decided to stop my run short. I really should have taken the Marina beach route. 

This Friday, I had a hectic day of work travel and having got back home at 12:30 am on Saturday, I knew I wouldn't be able to wake up 3 hours later to go for a long run. Saturday night was a late night as well which meant sleeping in this morning - and no run. By evening a stupendously pressing guilt trip got me do an indoor run for 2 and a half hours. I don't know how effective a training run that was but it definitely eased my guilt trip. 

Given my average pace of 7'45" for a long distance run, I should be able to do my HM in about 2 hours 45 minutes. If I can push myself down a bit to 7'15" - 7'20" I could achieve a PB. Here's hoping!

When you've not been running...

Things have been quiet on the blog-front since I haven't gone running for the past couple of weeks. The weekends have been socially packed with friends and family visiting and late nights mean sleeping in the next day which means no run. But I have been compensating by squeezing in some indoor running drills ranging from 15 minutes to 45 minutes that incorporate some cardio moves in between. The idea is to maintain my fitness level while working on my running form.

My go to drill is as follows:

3 minutes easy jog

30 sec high knees

2:30 min recovery jog

30 sec butt kicks

2:30 min recovery jog

30 sec fast feet

2:30 min recovery jog

Continue this for 3 - 5 sets and end with a 3 minute easy jog. 

When I want it more challenging I reduce the recovery jog interval to a minute & 30 sec.

Yesterday I tried switching things up a bit by changing the cardio moves

10 secs jog, drop down to a 1 burpee - continue for 10 minutes

10 secs jog, switch to 4 jumping jacks - continue for 10 minutes

10 secs jog, drop down to mountain climbers - continue for 10 minutes

This one was a real sweat fest and because you're constantly changing positions & footwork, you will get thoroughly worked out. At least I did.

You'd think 10 minutes is a long time to continue the same cardio move but surprisingly the 30 minutes flew past without my feeling bored. But again, to switch things up a bit I am going to try a few more exercises in the same time span

10 secs jog, drop down to a 1 burpee - continue for 5 minutes

10 secs jog, switch to 4 jumping jacks - continue for 5 minutes

10 secs jog, drop down to mountain climbers - continue for 5 minutes

10 secs jog, switch to 4 lateral jumps - continue for 5 minutes

10 secs jog, switch to 4 pop squats - continue for 5 minutes

10 secs jog, swicth to 2 jumping lunges - continue for 5 minutes

We'll see soon how that pans out.

Meanwhile the Dream runners HM is looming up ahead and I feel as unprepared as with all my other half marathons this year. If not for the groin pull I would have been training hard for this one and aiming at a PB. It is less than two weeks to go, so I ought to be in taper mode but still need to do at least an 18k LSD - hopefully within this week.