Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Is every city in India better than Chennai for running?

I spent the last week at Hyderabad and Vizag. In Hyderabad we were in the Hitec City area. Since it was a Christmas holiday the dominant theme of the holiday was alcohol. So running was not really something I focused on much. But I did get out to run two evenings - once I ran through Hitex - an exhibition area and once just outside the place I was staying in.

What struck me the most were that the streets were so clean and well paved. Maybe because this area is so far out that regular Indians don't live there. Most of the people who live there are sofware types who have travelled abroad and have been confused by the way things are done elsewhere. These people think that garbage has to be put INSIDE garbage bins. I'm sure they will soon realise that that is not the Indian way and garbage needs to AROUND garbage bins.

The roads are also clean and brightly lit. Probably because the roads are less than a couple of years old.

Anyway the running was light and easy. Couldnt do much. Hmmm - wonder if the three quarter bottle of whisky inside me had anything to do with it.

Until next time.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Working hard and the right way to tie Shoelaces!

Been working a lot these last couple of weeks. The prospect of the recession is creating a sense of fear and urgency. So I've been focussing a lot on my company's ability to execute and deliver on what I think are our priorities these last couple of weeks.

As a result my running has taken a bit of a back seat. The last I ran (before today) was last Sunday when I ran with Chennai Runners. Did a slow 11K. Went from the usual starting place - Dimensions Gym - to Besant Nagar Beach. At the beach I did 24 pull ups and 24 dips in sets of 8. Came back to Dimensions.

It has been such a long time since I ran long and slow that certain unmentionable parts of my body were hurting on the drive back. Following that I resolved to really get back into running again. But 'tis the season to be jolly. So a lot of alcohol was moved around and processed this week.

Managed to get out this morning and go to the MCC. Hammerred out a really fast 4 laps - a tad more than a mile. Felt really powerful. I think sprinting has taken my running to another level altogether. Though stamina wise I think I need to throw in a couple of long runs each week. But in terms of just plain running action and feel, I find I'm running a lot more on the balls of the feet rather than heel-toe. And the quads and glutes are responding with a powerful kick.

So it all looks good for now. Planning to run again tomorrow morning with Chennai Runners. Probably do the same 11k route.

Found an interesting article on Runner's World about the right way to tie shoelaces. Didnt even know there was such a thing.

Long article but well worth reading and learning!

Until next time

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Disappointments and getting back to training

So I just got a kick in a butt from a friend about updating my blog. Here it is, Shumit.

The major development is that my meet which was scheduled to be tomorrow (Dec 7) has been postponed to Feb 15th. I was pretty disappointed. So much so that I actually ate only junk food for 2 days. (I have to watch this carefully - I think I may have some psychological problems associated with running and keeping fit)

Anyway, I entered this week feeling really tired and worn out. My legs were hurting and my mind was bruised from all the sprinting that I was doing the last several weeks. The rains made it more difficult because I would feel guilty for missing work outs. The sprints were getting laborious. I don't think I was getting faster but I certainly am lighter. I think my kick has now become a lot more powerful. But basically I was tired and fatigued.

So I decided that this week I was going to rest. I slept in the whole week - waking up at 0700hrs - previously I was waking up at 0445hrs.

When I heard that the meet was postponed, I generally let go and ate a lot of chocolate. That was good.

Finally I went out running this morning. Huge difference. I ran upto Pachayappa's college from home - it took me about 3.5 minutes - and I was not panting! So the workouts must have helped.

Today's workout was 450m jog and 10 pull-ups - repeat 5 times. I then did another 3 laps and 10 knees to elbows. I finished up with 3 sets of 10 x 10m shuttle runs.

Felt really good. I'll probably take a few more days off and completely recover before I start again - may be mid next week.

Until next time.