4 weeks in...

As mentioned before, I've divided my training weeks into blocks of 4. Each with its own goal. Yesterday marked the completion of the first block. 

I considered Block 1 as my honeymoon block, the easy block which would be a nice segway into Block 2 - slightly more intense. The goal for Block 1 was for me to transition from 0 (almost) running to consistent running and by the end of it to build up to running for a duration of 1 hr. Happy to say that it has gone well. This 4 week period was important because the idea of running 1hr at a stretch was not too daunting but the task of running consistently was still challenging enough. I feel it probably wouldn't have gone as well as it did if I had set myself loftier goals of say, a running a 12K straight away.

My time "off" running certainly shows in my training though. It has affected my fitness and endurance levels and most visibly it has affected my overall pace. Whereas before I could comfortably finish 8.5K in an hour, it is now a struggle to even do 7K. I used to consider 7'45" as my "run-forever pace" (you know, the pace that you can run at which feels so good that you feel like you can run forever at that pace) that has now slipped down to 8'45" or even 9'00" I would say. I'm trying not to be too concerned by it. The main goal for this race is to just to complete it but ideally I would love to finish it in under 4 hours. I'm hoping as the weeks go by, my paces will improve.

For Block 2 (weeks 4 to 8) I have set myself the goal of building up to running for 2 hours. Its not unchartered territory per se, but the last time I ran for 2 hours was 5 years ago. So yes, I'm definitely a bit nervous about it but having managed to get through the 1st block, I do feel positive going into the next one.

Wish me luck!

2 down 16 more to go

Two weeks of my training plan done! :) Feeling so great about it!! Been quite consistent with getting my runs in but have been skipping some of my strength workouts which is not ideal. Need to get better at doing those regularly too. 

For a few weeks before I started this, I had been doing nothing in terms of movement or exercise so my body is going through a coping phase. But its not so bad that it has become sore in protest. Energy & enthu levels are still quite high and I think thats the benefit about starting the training at a slow volume suited to my prior activity levels. 

My current training volume feels quite comfortable. Yesterday I ran 50 minutes straight (at a nice and easy pace of 8'15") and the thought of running 1 hour in a couple of weeks is not the least intimidating. But sometimes the errant thought creeps in that soon I would be running for 3 / 4 hours and that really gives me the butterflies - so I try not to think about it and tackle each training block as it comes. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.  

And it begins...

This week, without too much pomp and ado, I started my training. As always, I have my excel sheet ready with the training plan jotted down and after every run / workout that I do, I gleefully get to add my green tick to the chart (or woefully a red cross). 

Since I haven't been doing much running of late, the first 4 weeks of the training plan I've dedicated to base building and to getting my confidence to run long and far back. At the end of this block I should be able to comfortably run a steady hour. And then seeing how this block goes, I'll then move on to the next blocks of training which is to increase the distance / time on my feet.

I like to build my plans around time on my feet rather than distances... and week-on-week I would compare the distance covered in the same chunk of time to judge any progress. I find this way makes it mentally easier to tackle the run. I haven't specified any rest days. I'll add them in as I go along, swapping either the Wednesday, Thursday or Friday workouts for recovery as and when depending on how I'm feeling. This way the plan becomes flexible enough to absorb the inevitable curve balls that the upcoming weeks may have in store (migraine attack / unexpected late night socialising / too much work)!

So there! all set to take this on... more updates as I progress.

The years that were... :)

Wow! Logging back into this site after 3+ years!!!  So much has gone by, but on reading my last post, I realise that running-wise I'm still pretty much in the same place I was three years ago... 

To recap, I got injured in 2018. Feeling cocky after a particularly good half marathon race in October, I signed up for a 20-mile race (a new distance for me) with less than 8 weeks time to train for it. Recipe for disaster right? I know! Developed a cyst in my knee due to over training (too much, too fast), was kept off running for about 7-8 months, slowly built back to running a 5K in 2020 Jan... then, Covid19! Many lockdowns and also getting covid meant an on-again-off-again training pattern. The first half of 2021 seemed promising, it felt like I was getting back into the groove again. I was focussed on my 10K training and by mid year, I was almost back to pre-injury paces. Then we moved. I know it sounds ridiculous to say that the new place vibes turned me into a relaxed-i-don't-want-to-workout-anymore-person but I am saying it anyway. In 2022 July, I ran my slowest 10K race ever, clocking 72 something minutes. While it felt great to be doing a running event after a big gap, the race failed to reignite the old passion I felt for running.  Since then (and about a dozen cats later - IYKYK) my runs have gotten really sporadic and I seem to have really imbibed the feline spirit wanting to just stretch out and sleep all day. 😐

Okay so why the need to resuscitate this blog only to report this bland turn of events - you may be thinking right about now - and this is why: 2 days ago I decided to sign up for the Chennai Marathon coming up in Jan 2024. And I signed up for the 20 mile category. Yes, I did too! Its my big move to beat the distance that brought me down 5 years ago, to get my running mojo back and to fall in love with the sport all over again. Its a big ask - but I have 18 weeks to train and I think I've got it in me to see it through. 

So like with all the races that came before, I've got my training logs & records reopened and I remembered that this blog used to be a big part of my record keeping too. 

So here goes!!!

The year that was...

I think its safe to say that this year was quite a let down (for me and a lot of people around the world). In Jan, I was all set to make a post-injury comeback but you know what they say about the best-laid-plans...

COVID comes along and the March to May lockdowns put a pause to all training. All the year through, my training can be best described as being on-and-off.

This December however turned out to be the saving-grace. I managed a fair bit of consistency, racking up a mileage of 80K for the month. The high point though was this morning's run. I ran my first 10K post-injury in 70 minutes and it felt so good. I didn't push the pace and ran at what felt like a moderate effort.

I'm wishing for 2021 to be the year of 10Ks... waiting to see if I can get back to my pre-injury pace and quicker...

SBI Green 5K

Even though the event is billed as a "Marathon" I feel odd calling it one when I've only run 5K. Given that the route was actually 500 meters shy of a 5K, I should probably consider revising the title to SBI Green 4K and then some. :)

After my little toe mishap, that had put me back on the sidelines for another 5 weeks, I got back to running on Jan 19th. (Yes, I keep track of these things.) This particular event was originally scheduled for 1st Dec, 2019 and got postponed due to bad weather. The new date had been set for Feb 9th which gave me just about 3 weeks to prepare for it. At the start, my little toe still hurt so my stride was off and I felt like I had to keep my pace at an easy - moderate effort. So all I could commit to was 30 minute runs at an easy, comfortable pace three days a week until race day. 

Despite the squished toe, my pace was still "decent" and by the end of 3 weeks I was running comfortably at 6'55". Come Race Day, that was more or less the pace I stuck to. I completed the "5K" in 31:31 but according to my watch that timing was for a distance of 4.53K. The event wasn't particularly well organized but as small-time races go, it was okay. I got my medal and my belated bib for 2019 and that was that!

I'm more excited about whats to come. The toe is more or less fine now. My knee is fine(ish) and I can resume a consistent schedule of running now. I’ve got my year-in-running all planned out and I can’t wait! Will keep this space updated.

Update

Two months ago, I was all set to run a 5K and earn my sole bib for 2019. After weeks of building up my base through slow run-walk progressions, I was finally able to run continously. I did a couple of 5K time trials too with a decent time of 32 odd minutes. But as Murphy's Law would have it, the race was called off last minute due to bad weather. <eye roll> 

While I was disappointed that my one event for 2019 wouldn't happen as I had hoped, I was still very excited at being back on my run journey and was very much looking forward to amping my training, doing some tempo runs and maybe even some speed drills. 

My immediate goal was to build my base and improve my 5K time before getting back to half marathon or distance training. With that goal in mind I started upon a new training schedule that included some 1K repeats, 100 & 200m speed training sessions and some easy days which would have been  incredibly fun to do after those weeks of run/walk workouts. But this was not to be. <another eye roll>

On Dec 7th, I stupidly went and stubbed my toe (not on purpose of course!) - twice! (That too, in the span of 2 hours no less). It was the little toe on my right foot. It swelled up and got all blue & black. Maybe it broke a little or maybe it was just a major impact but it was super painful and though its been nearly 6 weeks, it hasn't returned to normal yet. As is typical of me, I didn't get it checked out. <shrug>

It honestly felt like the universe was trying to keep me from running. 

But then, I had holidays coming up and generally December is a very social month for us so it was just as well. I probably wouldn't have been able to run even if this hadn't happened. Why overthink things? Why add unnecessary meaning to random mishaps? I was careless and I got hurt. Why bring the universe in to it? I will resume running when I can.

Hopefully the pain will ease off completely in a few days time. At present it only hurts when I wear very tight closed shoes and move very fast. If I put a lot of pressure on the toe from the top it hurts but tapping it lightly and applying a medium amount of pressure doesn't hurt anymore. It's also not as swollen as before. (I have hope for it! :))

Whenever I do resume running, I'll have to start slow all over again. And that sucks! But the journey is often more joyful than the destination (which, in this case, is elusive anyways and constantly moving further away) and without these little bumps along the way, to learn & grow from, I'm pretty sure I would have stagnated or given this up a long time ago.