When you have an Owie.. :)

It's been a little more than a week since the discovery of the cyst in my knee and just about a week since I started cycling. The doctor I consulted had recommended that I start cycling, continue light-paced walking and commence strengthening exercises for my quads and hams for speedy healing of the cyst along with tips on how not to aggravate it further.

The cycling has been great. Since, at best, I'm an absolute beginner at cycling, we decided to set up an indoor training system where I could reap the benefits of cycling without the fear of bad roads, crazy traffic and hyper stray dogs having a go at my ankles. I started with 10 minutes and now I have slowly worked my way up to 15 minutes everyday. I have new found respect for those people who sweat their asses off (literally) in those fancy spin classes.

And it seems to have helped! It does feel like the discomfort in the knee is slowly easing off. It will probably take another 2-3 weeks of this for my knee to start feeling normal again and a couple of more weeks after that before I can even think of getting back to running. I'm looking at mid-Feb at the earliest if all goes well. 

As a note-to-self and for any others who maybe having a tough time with dealing with injuries, here are some thoughts...

Injuries are an inevitable side-effect of an active lifestyle. Everyone deals with it at some point - even elite athletes. So you don't have to feel bad about having gotten injured. It happens. It is also not a comment on your abilities. Even the most skilled sportspeople get injured. Manage the injury, heal, learn from the experience and get back stronger.

Patience. You gotta have patience. Healing takes time. And it takes longer as you grow older. It is very tempting to get back into training the second you're feeling okay-ish. Over the past 6 weeks, I've had several moments when I've thought, "Hey its not aching like yesterday, so lets try running again" and I'm super glad that I didn't act on that impulse for most-definitely, I would have worsened the situation and probably would have set back the healing process by a few extra weeks. 

Don't slack off. Just because you're healing does not mean that you have to veg-out and let your fitness go. Keep active. Most likely, the injury is isolated so there will be other exercises or activities that you can do without worsening the hurt. In my case, it is walking, cycling, swimming, strength-training... (basically anything that does not involve bending the knees beyond 90 degrees, locking them out, pivoting movements or high-impact movements like plyometrics or running) That way, when you get back off your injury, you're not starting off again at 0 fitness level. 

Find another love.  True, the injury might be keeping you from doing that one thing that you love but you could look at this as an opportunity to discover & pursue something else that you enjoy equally. Or you could take this time to work on something important that you may have neglected or overlooked in the past. For me, it is upper body strength. So weak, and an area that I've actively kept away from! Now would be a perfectly good time for me to work on this. Finding this other thing will help keep you going and bridge that gap between injured & recovered.

Be mindful of what you eat. Weight gain is all too common when you're injured. Mostly because you're not moving as much as before and you're probably eating the same amount as you would  have when you were in training. Learn to cut back on the calories and eat only as much as your body's activity levels demand.

And lastly....

It's not the end of the world! Though it might seem like it. If you're anything like me, you may tend to get depressed because you're not able to continue doing this thing that brings you so much joy and satisfaction. I have to keeping reminding myself that "Its Okay". I will eventually get to run again and a few weeks of not running really doesn't matter in the larger scheme of things.

Heal, Learn. Get back Stronger.

Of Knee Cysts and other sad stories...

In a parallel world I might have been writing about how I ran my longest and my first 20 miler but sadly in this world, I just had to pipe down and sit out the Chennai Marathon because of my sad, injured knees. :(

Yes there will be more such events and yes, I could be running them stronger and faster... yet, there is a mopey voice in my head that says "but you weren't running today". (Trying very hard to ignore that voice)

I gave my running 5 weeks of a time-out to see if the discomfort in my knees would ease out. But it just seemed to linger on. Of course, in that time I did read up a lot and all the running related knee injuries that I came across just didn't seem to apply to the discomfort that I was feeling in my knees. And I say discomfort and not pain because there was no major pain at all. Just that in certain positions (like a wide-legged stance or a lunge) I could feel something moving inside (like as though something was readjusting itself) and felt a sense of instability in the joint. From time to time, I would even feel a dull ache on the inside and back of the knee (quite randomly) Regular movement & functioning seemed unaffected. I could walk, climb stairs, squat, sit cross legged and even do yoga with no pain. I even tried my magic Muruvenna (an Avurvedic oil from Kerala that has literally worked magic before on previous injuries) but of no great consequence. And finally on the last day of 2018, I decided to take an MRI scan just to figure out what was going on. (Oh! Happy New Year btw).

Of all the random injuries, it turned out to be a synovial cyst (a smallish one) on the back of the knee  towards the left which had caused a grade 1 strain on my posterior cruciate ligament. Consultation with the doc revealed that this was minor and that it would go away on its own provided I didn't aggravate it any further (turns out that sitting cross legged, squatting and any position where the knees were bent at less than a 90 degree angle would put unnecessary stress on it and prevent it from healing). He did confirm that it was usually overuse / over strain that causes these sort of injuries from happening. I've also been recommended cycling and strengthening for my quads and hams. 

So thats where I am at now. This will probably take another 3-4 weeks to set right. Meanwhile, I'm still working out. We've set up an indoor cycle trainer in our gym room and I have been doing about 10-12 minutes of stationary cycling every day over the past few days. Making a conscious effort to avoid sitting cross legged or bending my knees too much. Overall staying pretty positive and hoping that I'll come out the other end a stronger & better runner. (Definitely wiser runner ;))

Run Update

Remember how in a bout of over-enthusiasm, I signed up for a 20-mile race? Well... here's how that went down.

Post my super awesome Bangalore Marathon, I had 10 weeks left to train for the Chennai Marathon 20 miler. I was super excited (but also dreading it at the same time) to start the training for my longest run to date. I downloaded the novice plan from the race organizers. The plan was for 16 weeks and I was going to jump in at week 6. I had been training for my half so that made up for the 1-5 weeks of foundation training that I skipped. Or so I thought. 

The plan, in a snapshot, had four days of running in a week and 2 days of cross training. Of the 4 runs, one was a tempo run, 2 were easy short runs and 1 was a easy long run. At week 6, the training mileage was 36K, and it peaked at 56K four weeks before the actual race. The longest run was 26K and it appeared twice in the plan.

I started the training in full earnestness. Checking off each run as it happened. First week the long run was 16K (no problems there) and I also managed to rack up the 36K for the week. Second week had my longest run to date. 22K. And that closed my week at 40K. While training for the HM, I was only running 2-3 times a week and averaging around 25K per week. So it's quite safe to say that this was quite the bump up in terms of weekly mileage and time spent on my feet. I took 2 hours and 43 minutes to complete that 22K. Sure its just 900 meters longer than the longest I have done but it also took 27 minutes longer. Throughout my HM training, the most I was running was 2 hours. This is what my body was used to. I think the sudden increase in mileage and duration of my runs was a shocker for my system.

After that 22K, my knees felt it the most. It felt completely knocked up. I should have rested it but I didn't (of course!). I continued optimistically with my training plan. I ran an 8K and then an easy 6K. I was on the road attempting a 24K when everything came to a screeching halt. 13 kilometers into the run my left knee started hurting. At that point I couldn't even walk. The pain disappeared almost as quickly as it came. A day or two later my right knee started feeling uncomfortable. The pain was not in the least unmanageable so I assumed with rest it would be fine. Three days later it felt fine. I attempted an easy 8K. Couldn't go beyond 5K. 

All running has been put on hold for now. And in all probability I will have to forego the race. I am focusing on some rehabilitating exercises now and hopefully will be able to resume running in about 6-8 weeks. 

The increased running volume was one thing but there were other factors that probably didn't help my case either. Work-wise I have been quite busy which means sitting at my desk for hours and hours on end. This is something I'm so not used to (I've always been a standing desk / workstation person) and probably the way I sit also put unnecessary strain on my knees. Moreover, I hadn't been doing any strength training for about 3 - 4 weeks (for no good reason) and had I been consistently training, my knees would have probably been able to take the increased running volume.

For now, these few weeks of rehabilation is crucial. Better to correct the imbalances now and come out the other end a stronger runner than push through this, run the event anyway and come off the worse for it.

SPBM2018 - Race Update

And I've set a new PB!!! :) :)

Here's how it went down: Race expo day went fine. No trouble finding the venue. No rush at the counters, picked my bib and race kit well in time and had a pretty much relaxed pre-race afternoon. Towards evening, I started feeling a migraine set in. (Uggh! for me these are the worst. When I get a full blown one, all I can think of is carving out the top right corner of my head and tossing it out! Too graphic huh?) I took a random headache pill, had my basic comfort meal of  curds and rice and hit the bed at 8:00 p.m.

Maybe it was the Universe's way of telling me not to push it, but come race morning, I forgot my Garmin! I had left it charging in the corner and forgot all about it as I left in the morning for the race venue. I was half-way to the venue by the time I realized that my watch was missing, and it was too late to go back for it. For non-runners this may not seem like a big deal, but it is. It is a BIG deal!! All my pace plans had to be thrown out the window because without my little watch telling me how fast I was going, I had no way to knowing if I was  going at 6'00", 6'30" or 7'00"... Aaargh!! Anyways, I decided not to let it ruin my race and figured I'd just run it. Enjoy the race and just run. 

And indeed, it was the strangest (but extremely freeing) experience to run without the watch. All throughout the race I had no notion of my pace, or the time that had elapsed. There were around 4 mile markers on the route but other than that I only had a vague estimate of the distance I had covered. There was no way of knowing if I should speed it up or rein it in. I just had to keep running. The weather was definitely much better than what I was used to in training. But given the late start of the run (6:45 am) it became too sunny too quickly and the bright sunshine was a little uncomfortable. The route was pretty (especially the parts that snaked through Cubbon Park) but there were lots of gradual inclines and lots of U-turns which tended to slow you down. And there were lots of runners!!! It was by far the most crowded half marathon that I have done. I couldn't find my rhythm till about half way in and the crowd had thinned a bit. At the start, had I heard them announce that it was a crowd of 7000+ runners. But I believe there were only 3669 finishers (and of them just 584 were women)

It was a good, strong run. I didn't feel fatigued and I didn't feel myself fading (even towards the end) and just as I was getting to the point where I was wishing it was over, I had reached the 20.5K timing mat. I had noted the time on that giant LED timer as I crossed the start line. It was around 00:01:30... And as I turned into the stadium for that last 100 meters to the finish line, I saw it was at 02:17:something. PB!! :) :) By some miracle, PB. I don't know how, but PB. :) The official timing was 2:16:38. (PB by 3 minutes and 10 seconds)

Maybe if I had had my Garmin I might have pushed a little harder for that 2:15 goal. I'll never know. But here's to going for it another day.

2 Days to Race Day

Those last three weeks sure went by super quick! 8 weeks of training (including 2 weeks taper) and I feel about 85% ready! Still not a 100% sure if I can sustain a 6'23" pace for the distance. Running any long distance event is as much a mental skill as it is a physical one. I must get into a head space where I believe I can and then I will. :) I think!

I'm all packed and set to leave for Bangalore tomorrow. Looking forward to the expo and then the actual run on Sunday. The route looks great. A fair bit of it is through Cubbon Park and thats really nice! The weather forecast says its going to be a very pleasant 18-22 degrees C and given that I've been training in a 27 - 30 degree ambiance, that sounds spectacular!! I'm going to have to rethink my shorts though!

I'm going to run with the same strategy as last time : 45 minutes for each 7K segment. Maybe tweak it slightly to 46 min, 45 min & 44 min each so I'm running positive splits. That means maintaining a pace of 6'34" for the first 7K, 6'25" for the middle 7K and 6'17" for the last 7K. Lets see how that pans out. I have never been able to follow through with a pace plan on race day before. Maybe this one will be the one!! 

Btw, I just realized recently, that SPBM'18 will be the 25th race of mine. #cheapthrills... :)

Time for the next one...

Every time I open up my blog these days, I quietly tsk tsk to myself when I see how long it has been since my last post. It is not because I haven't been running - that has been the most consistent it has ever been - but more to do with not finding the time (or inclination) to chronicle those runs.

Lets put the self-berating aside for a while for a quick recap. My last major run was at DRHM18 in July. I was thrilled to bits at the new PB that I had set during the race and I decided that I had earned some time off from running.  I dedicated 4 weeks to focus on strength and flexibility and that was pretty much all of August. Running is such a high-impact activity, that it does to an extent burden the joints. The whole point in taking the time off was to strengthen my muscles so it can be better equipped to support the running movement and to improve flexibility and mobility in the joints to counter any damaging effects that the running may have had on them. It was definitely not crucial to take a complete break from running, a good balance of these forms of exercises on a weekly basis should normally be more than sufficient so I'm really not sure how much good the 4 weeks off actually did... but it certainly did no harm. 

Come September, I resumed running. I signed up for two races and the first one of them is coming up on Oct 21st - the Bangalore Marathon. Still chasing my elusive goal of a 2:15 HM, I set up my training plan for 8 weeks. I have been more or less consistent with the schedule but haven't quite been able to hit the target pace. 

Here's the logic behind my training plan: To run a HM in 2:15, my average pace for that distance ought to be 6'23". I ought to be able to run a third of that distance (7K) at a little bit faster pace; say 6'10"- 6'15". Running at 6'15" would mean covering 7K in a time of 43:45. Come race day, I slow it down comfortably to 45 minutes and 7K x 3 = HM. 45 min x 3 = 2:15. Voila! (I hated math in school as a kid but I do love running math) Anyways, this is the basis of my training plan and also the reason behind the seemingly odd shorter distance intervals (1.4Kx5, 1.75Kx4, 3.5Kx2)

While logically the plan makes perfect sense (to me atleast) the trouble is that 6'15 (and even 6'23") is yet to become a comfortable pace for me. Running at those paces still feels like hard effort for me. 6'31" (thats my current PB pace)  to 6'23" seems like hardly a jump. On paper it looks damn silly. In reality it seems like an impossible gap to bridge. 

6 training runs & 2 and a half weeks to go. 

DRHM 2018 (A.K.A Yay!! PB)

Yay!!! PB!!!

Was riding my runner's high all day on Sunday singing this in my head. It was a good event and a great run. 

The event like every year was organized well. No hiccups anywhere along the way. Flag off was held on the dot, the aid stations were well stocked, the route was marshaled well, there were clear instructions at ever U turn and every diversion, littering was closely monitored and well handled. All in all a well-run event.

I was praying for good weather and I wasn't too disappointed. For about an hour into the run, the weather was excellent. In fact it was so good that I might have gone out a bit too fast at the start. The plan was to hold a steady pace of 6'20 - 6'25" throughout the run. I reached the first timing mat (4.75 K) at a pace of about 6'10" and finished my first 7K in about 44 minutes (1 minute quicker than planned). The humidity set in by the time I was at 11K. Still managed to finish the second 7K within my goal time of 1:30. During the last 7K however, I found it very tough to hold on to the pace.  The higher humidity meant slowing down more often to hydrate. At 2 hours, I had reached 18.2K and knew fully well that I wouldn't be able to cover the balance 2.9K to the finish point in 15 minutes. Even 20 minutes to cover that last bit of distance seemed like a tough ask. At that point, I suffered through a few moments thinking that I wouldn't make PB. Shrugged it off and plodded along.

I reached the 20.1K mark at 2:14. Something clicked inside my head at that point. If I could do the last kilometer in about 6 minutes, I could still make PB. Somehow gathered together the last remaining scattered bits of energy, picked up the pace and made it to the finish line in 2:19:48. Phew! PB. All smiles now. 11th Half Marathon done!