The last 3 weeks have been off-running for me. I've been working on crossfit (www.crossfit.com) for a while now.
Crossfit's promise is broad, general and inclusive fitness. What it means is that the program does not specialise in any one type of fitness and tries to keep the body guessing at all times.
There is a Work out of the Day every day that is brutal. Almost extreme (for me that is) work outs like 400m lunge walk with weights, 150 burpees for time, etc. All sessions are fast and benchmarked against your previous session.
This is also the same kind of workout that the cast of the movie 300 apparently did. Also check out www.gymjones.com. This is the website of the trainer for the "300" cast - Mark Twight. Very intense website - you do not want to mess with these guys whose membership is by invitation only.
After a long time I ran 54 minutes yesterday - and in the evening - here in Hyderabad where I am visitng for Christmas. Ran in the Hitech city area and ran through the campus of a place called Hitex which is a sort of exhibition centre. Dealt with the usual security guards who didnt know how to deal with runners and stray dogs that wanted to defend their territory. On whole however it was a great run - weather was of course superb. December in south India is getting to be great!
The run was medium hard and left me energised. I finished off the days workout with a ladder using the building's stairs. I am on the 5th floor. So the ladder was up one floor, down to the ground, up two floors, back down, up three, back down and so on until I finished all five. I completed the ladder in 4 min 15 secs. Recovery was also quick.
The only thing I am noticing is that I no longer have the patience for a run longer than 30 minutes. I think it is essential that I do atleast two runs that are 30 minutes and 60 minutes plus just to get my mind in sync.
Thats it for now.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Cycling on ECR
Last weekend I stayed over at the MGM beach resort. Naturally I couldnt resist going out on a ride Sunday morning. My friend and I took our cycles on my car and got in Saturday night. We partied somewhat intensely that night. But I managed to get to bed early because the kids had to sleep.
I had such a rough time that night because of my back and the extra soft mattress. Added to that my wife and I had to share the bed with both our kids. Pretty much of a torture for my already screwed back.
Anyway, got up at 7.30 and took off towards Mahabs. We just went about 8 - 9 k upto corocodile bank as we needed to get back in time for breakfast. It was a glorious morning with a slight over cast sky and a even a light drizzle on the way back. ECR is truly scenic in weather like this. Strongly recommend getting out there early in the morning and hitting the bike. Quite an experience.
I was doing 45 second sprint intervals and it was working out really well. My bike was also behaving even though my Hero was a far cry from my friend's firefox.
Quads got a good work out and I burnt some 750 calories.
Overall great experience.
I had such a rough time that night because of my back and the extra soft mattress. Added to that my wife and I had to share the bed with both our kids. Pretty much of a torture for my already screwed back.
Anyway, got up at 7.30 and took off towards Mahabs. We just went about 8 - 9 k upto corocodile bank as we needed to get back in time for breakfast. It was a glorious morning with a slight over cast sky and a even a light drizzle on the way back. ECR is truly scenic in weather like this. Strongly recommend getting out there early in the morning and hitting the bike. Quite an experience.
I was doing 45 second sprint intervals and it was working out really well. My bike was also behaving even though my Hero was a far cry from my friend's firefox.
Quads got a good work out and I burnt some 750 calories.
Overall great experience.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Readability test
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Just did a readability test on my site! Thanks Amy for this cool link from your site!
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Shah Rukh Khan and the Six-pack
I was poring through my favorite potty reading - Filmfare - this morning, and happened on an article on how Shah Rukh Khan achieved his apparently very fine six-pack that he is displaying in all its glory in the new movie Om Shanthi Om or something of that nature. Not much of a Hindi movie fan, so I wont be surprised if I didnt get the names right.
SRK's six-pack training involved 30 minutes of full body circuit training every day. Much like crossfit or army training. Apparently in less than 6 months he developed a "two pack" and then he popped several fat burner pills. In two weeks, voila!, he had his six pack.
I find that line a little simplistic. But then I have never popped a pill as part of my fitness regime. So I wouldnt know, would I?
If any of you out there have tried fat burner pills do let me know what you think.
In the meanwhile, its full body circuit training for me!
Until next time.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Paleolithic Diet and the Vegetarian!
Forgive me as I am about to delve into the mysterious world of my personal opinion, albeit with some research, in this post. Hence two posts in one day!
Ive been doing some reading on circuit training and its associated diet. I came across something called the Paleolithic diet. Apparently Man and his digestive system evolved along with the environment more or less in sync until about 12,000 years ago when agriculture was invented. So until then he (and she) was a "hunter-gatherer" who hunted for food or picked wild berries and nuts. The lifestyle was also such that it was quite active. In fact, the book "Natural Fitness" by Bruce Tulloh that I am currently reading gave me a shocking revelation.
Paleolithic man apparently went out hunting only 2 to 2.5 days in a week - and each day not more than 6 hours per day. Who said that civilized world was better? Im working 40 - 50 hours a week and I get 1 kg of fish for Rs. 400 per week. The rest of the time Paleo man stayed at home and basically enjoyed himself playing with the kids, helping with their home work, eating berries and having sex.
Anyway a study of their life and remains indicates that they were clearly omnivorous. In fact the teeth structure is made for both cutting/slicing and grinding which is an omnivorous predisposition.
Vegetarianism is therefore unnatural, ungodly and akin to devil worship! (Ok . its not ungodly or akin to devil worship - just trying to get a little sensational here.)
Also the human stomach still produces pepsin - an enzyme needed to digest meat. There are several other bits of evidence that Tulloh cites to prove beyond a doubt that eating meat is not only natural but also necessary for a balanced diet.
So Mr. Vegetarian, the next time you want to argue with me about the joys of fruits and vegatables, please explain to me why you have canines and incisors!
There's going to be another post about training to simulate the paleo lifestyle. Look out for it.
Until next time!
Pain, the whole pain and nothing but the Pain!
Well its Deepavali and Im not running this week. So its a week off from running. Whats more my back is hurting like hell when I wake up. I tried to do a head stand last week and simply threw it right out of alignment. Yes, its as painful as it sounds. I rested the whole of Friday (november 2nd) and went out for a long walk on Saturday - from Chetpet to Besant Nagar beach. Needless to say, my back was not happy.
I then proceeded to do a pushup/situp circuit that evening. If my back had access to the internet, it would have booked tickets out of town and left that very night. Anyway for the last one week I have been groaning and moaning at night because my back tends to freeze up due to the air conditioning I think. The pain is in the upper back between the shoulder blades tending to the right side. I have some exercises from my Ortho which have greatly helped. And the pain is subsiding. I am much better this morning. So lets see how it progresses. If I am not ready to run again by Tuesday, I think I will go and see the doctor.
In any case, the timing could not have been better because it coincided with my rest week. So my running was not really affected. Oh, also, my tooth is singing away like the next American Idol. I think I may need a root canal. But the dentist doesnt want to jump to any major job right away. So Im rinsing my mouth with an antiseptic mouth wash three times a day. Need to observe that too.
Anyway, Tuesday is the deadline for my body to fix itself up. If it doesnt by then am I going to be upset!!?
I then proceeded to do a pushup/situp circuit that evening. If my back had access to the internet, it would have booked tickets out of town and left that very night. Anyway for the last one week I have been groaning and moaning at night because my back tends to freeze up due to the air conditioning I think. The pain is in the upper back between the shoulder blades tending to the right side. I have some exercises from my Ortho which have greatly helped. And the pain is subsiding. I am much better this morning. So lets see how it progresses. If I am not ready to run again by Tuesday, I think I will go and see the doctor.
In any case, the timing could not have been better because it coincided with my rest week. So my running was not really affected. Oh, also, my tooth is singing away like the next American Idol. I think I may need a root canal. But the dentist doesnt want to jump to any major job right away. So Im rinsing my mouth with an antiseptic mouth wash three times a day. Need to observe that too.
Anyway, Tuesday is the deadline for my body to fix itself up. If it doesnt by then am I going to be upset!!?
Friday, November 9, 2007
Training for Speed - another post!
I thought I'd focus a bit on weight training that my coach and friend Jagdeesh suggested. Jagdeesh was my junior in college - didnt know him then since I had finished college the year he joined. He ran for college (Madras Christian College) and Tamil Nadu. He was a national level sprinter whose best timing was 10.70 for the 100m.
His weight training sessions were most interesting. First off a sprinter's weight training session was a full body session and did not follow a split routine like a body builders. Makes sense when you consider that a sprint involves the entire body.
The weights used were always very light - 5kgs at the most. So if its a dumbbell - its 5 kg per dumbbell. If its a barbell exercise, its 5kg per side.
We would start with shoulder presses. They were usually performed fast and furious for about 30 reps. Three sets of this with about 1.5 minutes rest.
Next would be Bench presses. Again a light weight. Obviously this an exercise where I can handle a bit more weight. So I was using 20 kgs on a 7kg bar. Again the presses were some what fast. The idea being to bounce into a thrust. Much like a plyometric bound or box jump. The muscle was allowed to coil and burst into the movement. Three sets of 30.
Trunk Twists then focussed on the core. Little to no weight. just the rod - 7kg.
Alternating Lunge jumps with 10kg on 7kg bar.
Calf raises. These were the only exercise where I had to use heavy weights and work on slow reps. Still put in about 25 reps for each of the 3 sets.
Finish off with Ab work. This was some what hard core. On an incline bench, I had to do 25 situps - full situps not crunches. Without rest move into side situps - 25 on the right and then 25 on the left. With no rest. After a minutes rest crunches on the swiss ball. 50 reps for 2 sets.
THe warm for this would be 10 minutes of jogging, followed by 10 minutes of warm up exercises for each body part from head to ankle with a lot of stretching.
The work out would end with a full fledged stretching session.
Try it out or mail me for details.
His weight training sessions were most interesting. First off a sprinter's weight training session was a full body session and did not follow a split routine like a body builders. Makes sense when you consider that a sprint involves the entire body.
The weights used were always very light - 5kgs at the most. So if its a dumbbell - its 5 kg per dumbbell. If its a barbell exercise, its 5kg per side.
We would start with shoulder presses. They were usually performed fast and furious for about 30 reps. Three sets of this with about 1.5 minutes rest.
Next would be Bench presses. Again a light weight. Obviously this an exercise where I can handle a bit more weight. So I was using 20 kgs on a 7kg bar. Again the presses were some what fast. The idea being to bounce into a thrust. Much like a plyometric bound or box jump. The muscle was allowed to coil and burst into the movement. Three sets of 30.
Trunk Twists then focussed on the core. Little to no weight. just the rod - 7kg.
Alternating Lunge jumps with 10kg on 7kg bar.
Calf raises. These were the only exercise where I had to use heavy weights and work on slow reps. Still put in about 25 reps for each of the 3 sets.
Finish off with Ab work. This was some what hard core. On an incline bench, I had to do 25 situps - full situps not crunches. Without rest move into side situps - 25 on the right and then 25 on the left. With no rest. After a minutes rest crunches on the swiss ball. 50 reps for 2 sets.
THe warm for this would be 10 minutes of jogging, followed by 10 minutes of warm up exercises for each body part from head to ankle with a lot of stretching.
The work out would end with a full fledged stretching session.
Try it out or mail me for details.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Training for speed!
Here's my first post on how I train for speed.
I recently competed in the 400, 100, 800, 4x100, 1500m and did fairly well. While individual event timings were not top class, what I found most interesting was that I did a bang up job on every event. My wins were emphatic.
My training goals were:
1. General Endurance - to last through 5 events of maximal performance.
2. Strength - all the events required a significant amount of pounding the track. Since the events were fairly short (compared to the middle distances), the legs had to propel maximally on each foot strike.
3. Strength endurance - none of the events were pure endurance events. All (except the 100 of course) needed some amount of strength over a sustained period of over 1 minute.
I did several things for this mainly
1. Weight training - two sessions a week. One session was medium to heavy weights upto 15 reps on each set. The other was light weights at 30 reps or more at high speed. Strength and strength Endurance.
2. Plyometrics - bounding and hopping type exercises for 30 minutes, once a week. (there was a 20 minute warmup and 7 minute cool down sandwiching the Plyo session. Explosive Power.
3. Redline training. This was simply a case of getting the body used to hard running for more than a minute. Once a week, I would do a 7-8 minute warmup jog - probably 800 meters or so. This followed by six 400m repeats at near full speed. The speed was always kept at a level where form could be maintained. Between each of these runs, I would jog/walk 400m and allow the heart rate to come back down to about 68%. At the end of 6 repeats, I am totally wasted.
Every one of these sessions was closed out with either abs or arms workouts.
What this did for me was that it gave me a very fast recovery between events. Also since the events were no where near as long as my training sessions, I was able to bring the entire strength to the event and focus it on moving from point a to point b in the shortest possible time.
Do try out your own version of the above and let me know if it works for you.
Until next time.
I recently competed in the 400, 100, 800, 4x100, 1500m and did fairly well. While individual event timings were not top class, what I found most interesting was that I did a bang up job on every event. My wins were emphatic.
My training goals were:
1. General Endurance - to last through 5 events of maximal performance.
2. Strength - all the events required a significant amount of pounding the track. Since the events were fairly short (compared to the middle distances), the legs had to propel maximally on each foot strike.
3. Strength endurance - none of the events were pure endurance events. All (except the 100 of course) needed some amount of strength over a sustained period of over 1 minute.
I did several things for this mainly
1. Weight training - two sessions a week. One session was medium to heavy weights upto 15 reps on each set. The other was light weights at 30 reps or more at high speed. Strength and strength Endurance.
2. Plyometrics - bounding and hopping type exercises for 30 minutes, once a week. (there was a 20 minute warmup and 7 minute cool down sandwiching the Plyo session. Explosive Power.
3. Redline training. This was simply a case of getting the body used to hard running for more than a minute. Once a week, I would do a 7-8 minute warmup jog - probably 800 meters or so. This followed by six 400m repeats at near full speed. The speed was always kept at a level where form could be maintained. Between each of these runs, I would jog/walk 400m and allow the heart rate to come back down to about 68%. At the end of 6 repeats, I am totally wasted.
Every one of these sessions was closed out with either abs or arms workouts.
What this did for me was that it gave me a very fast recovery between events. Also since the events were no where near as long as my training sessions, I was able to bring the entire strength to the event and focus it on moving from point a to point b in the shortest possible time.
Do try out your own version of the above and let me know if it works for you.
Until next time.
Meet report!
Now that I have done my bit to popularise my blog, its time for another post!
I recently competed in the Inter Table Athletic meet on October 21st at Nehru Stadium. Its a meet that is held for members of Round Table India. Its a non-profit social welfare and fellowship organisation that I have been a member of for the last 10 years or so.
The competition is fierce, the athletes not so fierce. I basically use this as a good anchor to focus my training and allow me to get fit atleast once a year. The rest of the year I wallow.
This year's meet was very interesting for me. I competed in the 400m, 100m, 800m, 4x100m relay and 1500m. Did fairly well too with 4 golds and 1 silver (in the 1500). I was very happy because all the running was at a hard - balls to the wall - pace.
I barely managed to win the 100 - by a whisker. I think I won because of my lean at the finish line. But I was running really relaxed and also started late. I was having a chat with one of the race organisers when the gun went off. So I had to catch up a bit.
I hammered the 400, 800 and 4x100. Felt really good. I really felt the breeze in my face. Now I know what "wind assisted" means.
I ran the 1500 within 5 minutes of completing the last leg of the 4x100. So it was a little hard. But I think I could have done better. I ran too conservatively in the last 100 meters and kicked only with 50 m to go. I wasnt sure I would be able to hold out for a 100m kick. But after I finished I was kicking my self for not kicking earlier. Sorry for the gross pun.
In my next post I'll write a bit about speed training and why I think its important for endurance. Many of my friends in Chennai Runners think I am against long distance running and that running anything less than 5k is, whats the word?!, sissy?
So look out for a little about the red line training and weight training I've been doing to to improve my running in general.
I recently competed in the Inter Table Athletic meet on October 21st at Nehru Stadium. Its a meet that is held for members of Round Table India. Its a non-profit social welfare and fellowship organisation that I have been a member of for the last 10 years or so.
The competition is fierce, the athletes not so fierce. I basically use this as a good anchor to focus my training and allow me to get fit atleast once a year. The rest of the year I wallow.
This year's meet was very interesting for me. I competed in the 400m, 100m, 800m, 4x100m relay and 1500m. Did fairly well too with 4 golds and 1 silver (in the 1500). I was very happy because all the running was at a hard - balls to the wall - pace.
I barely managed to win the 100 - by a whisker. I think I won because of my lean at the finish line. But I was running really relaxed and also started late. I was having a chat with one of the race organisers when the gun went off. So I had to catch up a bit.
I hammered the 400, 800 and 4x100. Felt really good. I really felt the breeze in my face. Now I know what "wind assisted" means.
I ran the 1500 within 5 minutes of completing the last leg of the 4x100. So it was a little hard. But I think I could have done better. I ran too conservatively in the last 100 meters and kicked only with 50 m to go. I wasnt sure I would be able to hold out for a 100m kick. But after I finished I was kicking my self for not kicking earlier. Sorry for the gross pun.
In my next post I'll write a bit about speed training and why I think its important for endurance. Many of my friends in Chennai Runners think I am against long distance running and that running anything less than 5k is, whats the word?!, sissy?
So look out for a little about the red line training and weight training I've been doing to to improve my running in general.
Friday, September 21, 2007
35 battles in one day!
After my bout of overtraining I decided to get back into running with a bang. Actually it was more of a whimper. My running group - the Chennai Runners (corny name I agree- but I didnt come up with it, so Im absolved) - organized a run to Mahabs from the Toll Gate. The total distance being about 29km.
So at 4.50 AM on Sunday September 16, 35 guys (34 guys + 1 girl whose one of the guys anyway) assembled at the Toll Gate on ECR with their ipods, water bottles, caps and other assorted battle gear. Battle started at 5.00 AM sharp thanks to the main organizer Ram.
I did my usual slow start with a gentle walk. I kept Mahadevan company for about 5 minutes. After that I started jogging. Managed to catch up with several people along the way and was listening to music most of the way. It stayed dark almost until 6.30 I would think because the sky was somewhat overcast. After about an hour, I was hit by a revelation.
The idea of running from Toll Gate to Mahabs is a BAD idea. Anyway, the water points were supposed to be at 5KM intervals. So when I passed the 3rd water point I was very impressed that I completed 15km in little under 1 hour and 15 minutes. As I was passing by I asked with requisite arrogance how far I had reached. The volunteer chirpily informed me that we had covered 11K. THe water points were moved to 3.5 to 4 k intervals because there were some newbie runners in the group!
It took me about 30 minutes to shake off that dissappointment. I then made it to the 17Km mark and caught up with my friend Cmdr Ashvini. He was a little sick from the previous days chicken curry apparently. So I sat with him (ok - that was an excuse to get some rest), drank a litre of water and ate a banana. All bad ideas.
I also packed an Electral drink. The packet advised 1 packet for one litre. I was a little over enthusiastic and made a drink of one litre with 3 packets. So my drink turned into a salty mess. So I had to drink the water. I was hungry so the banana was demolished. Anyway, these are all things you should not do!
After that we got one of the support cars to come back and pick up CAsh - as he likes to be called. Then I decided I will continue. I then started a run/walk attempt. I did that for about 40 minutes and went a bit further. Again caught up with several people along the way. I was feeling quite strong and my knees werent giving me any trouble as yet.
By now it was 2h 30min and I had about 9 km to go. I decided I'll just walk fast at this point. Suresh - another runner - joined me and we both walked briskly to a 3.30 finish.
The finish was somewhat of an adventure. The end point was to be a resort called Mamalla Beach resort. We were all looking at signs for Mamalla Restaurant and ended up at the restaurant which was 1 km further away than the actual end point. We hobbled and cursed but made it the wrong end point and came back to the correct spot.
Breakfast was as usual a diet disaster for me. I ate like I returned from a concentration camp and put away several dosas and eggs. Several trees and fruits were also demolished. It was topped off with a beer with Shumit.
All in all 35 battles were fought that day. Some won decisively, some lost, many didnt know whether they had won or lost. But at the end the breakfast was good.
Planning to do my next run on Saturday just to recover. Been doing some light jogging and some hard weights. My next event is on OCtober 14 where I want to run the 100, 400, 4x100 relay, and 1 mile. Im starting my training this coming week.
Lets see how that goes...
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Overtraining and its benefits!
I am now officially overtrained. I have persistent soreness, tiredness, lack of motivation and am generally depressed. Please refer to this entry in Wikipedia for more info on how I feel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overtraining#Other_symptoms.
There are some benefits to overtraining though. I get a good nights sleep, everyone feels sorry for me and I can eat what I want.
So Im off running for a few days and just enjoying it. I am also changing my schedule to a once every other day rather than every day. I think that would help. Another revelation is that even if I feel like a child my body is 32 years old and there is some wear and tear. Its ability to recover quickly is hampered apparently from the moment it hit 30.
So its time to slow down on the training and maybe up the intensity.
Until next time.
There are some benefits to overtraining though. I get a good nights sleep, everyone feels sorry for me and I can eat what I want.
So Im off running for a few days and just enjoying it. I am also changing my schedule to a once every other day rather than every day. I think that would help. Another revelation is that even if I feel like a child my body is 32 years old and there is some wear and tear. Its ability to recover quickly is hampered apparently from the moment it hit 30.
So its time to slow down on the training and maybe up the intensity.
Until next time.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Sprinting to a T
On Wednesday morning Chennai Runners met at the Egmore SDAT stadium for a slow run. That happened to be my training day. So I decided that I will do my sprints.
And my new sprinting pal Gunasekar happened to come along. Let me tell you something about Gunasekar. Gunasekar is 22 years old. He is in the Tamil Nadu police team - just got in a week ago. He is built like a beast - muscular, big and fat free. Runs like a fast penguin. But smokes the 100m in 10.8 seconds. Think of a lean Rottweiller.
I am the only guy sprinting with him - not sure if thats because Im the fastest around or because Im the stupidest around. I have a suspicion that its the latter because every time we sprint, he beats me by about 7 or 8 yards.
The good news is that I stay ahead of Gunasekar for the first 20 yards. I wonder whether he actually clocks a sub 11.
Anyway, I did 4 sprints with him. And I finally got my core working. I can tell you that it was one of the most amazing experiences Ive had in running. It felt surreal. Now I now what "activating your T" means. The power and control - atleast what I feel - was totally exciting.
Im looking forward to next Wednesday for my next sprinting run with Guna.
I just wish the guys in my club would take to sprinting more. Dont understand why none of them wants to even try it.
Until next time!
And my new sprinting pal Gunasekar happened to come along. Let me tell you something about Gunasekar. Gunasekar is 22 years old. He is in the Tamil Nadu police team - just got in a week ago. He is built like a beast - muscular, big and fat free. Runs like a fast penguin. But smokes the 100m in 10.8 seconds. Think of a lean Rottweiller.
I am the only guy sprinting with him - not sure if thats because Im the fastest around or because Im the stupidest around. I have a suspicion that its the latter because every time we sprint, he beats me by about 7 or 8 yards.
The good news is that I stay ahead of Gunasekar for the first 20 yards. I wonder whether he actually clocks a sub 11.
Anyway, I did 4 sprints with him. And I finally got my core working. I can tell you that it was one of the most amazing experiences Ive had in running. It felt surreal. Now I now what "activating your T" means. The power and control - atleast what I feel - was totally exciting.
Im looking forward to next Wednesday for my next sprinting run with Guna.
I just wish the guys in my club would take to sprinting more. Dont understand why none of them wants to even try it.
Until next time!
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Saturday night disaster....
Last night was such a disaster.
Actually it was a party. The party went very well. We had some 20 people at home and I had some 20 drinks!! Now (sunday morning) I feel like a walrus on land. My inches around the waist feel like meters. Damn, Im sick.
Actually it was a party. The party went very well. We had some 20 people at home and I had some 20 drinks!! Now (sunday morning) I feel like a walrus on land. My inches around the waist feel like meters. Damn, Im sick.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
New Technology!!
Where will technology stop??
It looks like people want to go to the moon just to go to their backyard.
http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/
Until next time.
It looks like people want to go to the moon just to go to their backyard.
http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/
Until next time.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Bangalore Midnight Marathon
Just got in from an exhausting drive to Bangalore for the Midnight Marathon!
Some background here. The Bangalore Midnight Marathon http://www.coindia.com/current.html happened on 19th / 20th May midnight in, yes, you guessed it, Bangalore!
Apparently, this is a world's first! There has never been a midnight marathon ever before - and I can see why.
Its hell running at night. Especially for someone like me who is a morning person. I read somewhere (in my Chennai Runners group mails I think) that the circadian rythm is on a major downswing at night and its extremely counter productive to an activity like running.
Anyway, it was an interesting variation and there was a lot of entertainment around. So I had a pretty good time. We had to run around a 5.5 km loop 4 times. There were killer inclines every one or two km. So it was one of my hardest runs. I managed to run 3 loops and had to walk/jog/shuffle the last loop. Also I think I came into this race some what overtrained. Never really rested after the Groton 10k.
My calves were bunched up like tennis balls by the end of the 4th lap. I managed to finish the half in 2hrs 23 minutes. Thats a world class time. Only problem was that it is world class for the marathon. But thats a small detail.
The elite runners were keeping a pace that seemed more like my sprinting. Boy were they fast. The Dammaro drummers who were hanging about to encourage the runners would beat their drums to the rythm of their gait each time they passed by. When I passed by it sounded like they were tuning their drums. I wasnt very happy with that. Must complain to the organisers.
Anyway, I had a great time, and my buddies from Chennai runners - Hari, Shumit, Ravi, Guna, Karthik, Adhinav, et all seemed to have had a great time too. Karthik finished the race quite strong. But was making funny noises for a while after. The noises earned him a cold bottle of "Pulpy" mango juice or some sugary drink that they were vending at the end of the race.
After the race we gathered at the main area for announcements and generally basked in a sense of triumph and achievement. The walk back to the car park was a bit of a chore. Ravi and I hobbled to the car like a couple of old women and helped each other across a 1 foot high median. Fortunately, there was no one around to see us.
I went home at 4 AM and ate the perfect post race meal - rice and beef curry. After that lights out till 9 AM.
Some background here. The Bangalore Midnight Marathon http://www.coindia.com/current.html happened on 19th / 20th May midnight in, yes, you guessed it, Bangalore!
Apparently, this is a world's first! There has never been a midnight marathon ever before - and I can see why.
Its hell running at night. Especially for someone like me who is a morning person. I read somewhere (in my Chennai Runners group mails I think) that the circadian rythm is on a major downswing at night and its extremely counter productive to an activity like running.
Anyway, it was an interesting variation and there was a lot of entertainment around. So I had a pretty good time. We had to run around a 5.5 km loop 4 times. There were killer inclines every one or two km. So it was one of my hardest runs. I managed to run 3 loops and had to walk/jog/shuffle the last loop. Also I think I came into this race some what overtrained. Never really rested after the Groton 10k.
My calves were bunched up like tennis balls by the end of the 4th lap. I managed to finish the half in 2hrs 23 minutes. Thats a world class time. Only problem was that it is world class for the marathon. But thats a small detail.
The elite runners were keeping a pace that seemed more like my sprinting. Boy were they fast. The Dammaro drummers who were hanging about to encourage the runners would beat their drums to the rythm of their gait each time they passed by. When I passed by it sounded like they were tuning their drums. I wasnt very happy with that. Must complain to the organisers.
Anyway, I had a great time, and my buddies from Chennai runners - Hari, Shumit, Ravi, Guna, Karthik, Adhinav, et all seemed to have had a great time too. Karthik finished the race quite strong. But was making funny noises for a while after. The noises earned him a cold bottle of "Pulpy" mango juice or some sugary drink that they were vending at the end of the race.
After the race we gathered at the main area for announcements and generally basked in a sense of triumph and achievement. The walk back to the car park was a bit of a chore. Ravi and I hobbled to the car like a couple of old women and helped each other across a 1 foot high median. Fortunately, there was no one around to see us.
I went home at 4 AM and ate the perfect post race meal - rice and beef curry. After that lights out till 9 AM.
53.12 at the Groton 10k!
My last day in the US this visit and its at the Groton 10k. This post is a little late, but I had to write about it.
My first long race (more than 1 mile!) in 3 years. I had the usual race nerves getting ready for the race. My brother, a couple of his friends and I reached the venue a little early and were just taking in the sites and the atmosphere. There were the usual band playing, sports drinks companies selling samples, etc. There was even a test where they were giving free pre and post race massages.
I was too nervous to try it out. Anyway, we gathered at the start line - a good 150 meters behind it actually. There was quite a crowd. I heard later that there were some 1200 participants in the 10k.
When the gun went off, I quickly moved through the crowd trying to find a gap. The first kilometer was tough - as always. Getting warmed up and finding my rythm. Fortunately, I was dressed warm in a pull over. I also carried a couple of energy gels with me. Never tried it before but I thought I'll check them out.
Once I got into my rythm things started looking good. There was a bag piper around the 5th k - up on a hill and alone - quite picturesque. I running a pretty good pace and I was moving up on a few people by now.
A couple of kms later and the picture started to change just a little bit. A couple of pretty girls passed me by. I had to let them pass. Gentlemen are like that. Then a guy who seemed to be in his 70s - he was probably a lot younger - slowly passed me by. Gentlemen are like that too.
I decided to try my energy gel. It was pungent and harsh. But it woke me up. I pulled in a blistering burst for 100m and exhausted all the gel I had consumed. These packets are very small it seems. I then continued at my regular pace after having shaken up the several ( 2 ) runners that I passed in that burst.
I made the mistake of not drinking any water. There were only two stations. So I couldnt really get any in for the rest of the race.
I was now coming up to the last km of the race. It was getting really exciting now. I and a couple of guys with a stroller and a baby fought bitterly for position. Then I let them go - yes, you got it - gentlemen are like that.
I then urned into the final quarter mile and I decided to burn all my matches and sprint all out like Abibe Bekila coming in for a strong finish in the 10,000m. Boy was I a sight. I finished 683rd out of a field of 1200. I was just being gentlemanly as you would have guess by now.
Overall, it was a great race. I felt really good after the race. I waited for my brother to finish and we packed up and left.
From here next step was the Bangalore Midnight Marathon!
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Groton 10k Road Race coming up
Well, two days to go for the Groton 10k. Ive have started eating larger and larger amounts of food, anticipating a greater than normal burn of calories on Sunday at the race. Not sure if it will really make a big difference. The engine can go only as fast as its capacity. Higher grade fuel does not neccessarily mean a larger faster pace - does it?
We'll see on Sunday. Have stopped running. No running today, and nothing tomorrow. Im going to get a lot of sleep tonight and tomorrow - even during the day if possible. I took a two hour nap this evening. So that should be good. My legs feel good. They are twitching to race. It looks like I might have planned the taper somewhat well - not ideal - but ok for a first race.
We pick up the race packets tomorrow. We are also planning driving the route tomorrow to understand the grades.
Wish me luck.
We'll see on Sunday. Have stopped running. No running today, and nothing tomorrow. Im going to get a lot of sleep tonight and tomorrow - even during the day if possible. I took a two hour nap this evening. So that should be good. My legs feel good. They are twitching to race. It looks like I might have planned the taper somewhat well - not ideal - but ok for a first race.
We pick up the race packets tomorrow. We are also planning driving the route tomorrow to understand the grades.
Wish me luck.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Running in Westford, MA
Thought I'd make a quick entry today before I rush out to pick up my brother at the station. Got into Westford, MA two weeks ago. Ran for the first time in 30 Degree F and in a light drizzle. The experience was surreal. I felt like I was in a Pink Floyd video. I thought I could tell between dark skies and pain.
I guess it takes some getting used to. Some of the people who post on Runner's World claim to run in 50 below (with Windchill of course). Im not there yet and dont know if I will ever be considering that most of my running is in good ole Chennai.
The next couple of runs were pretty ok. The weather changed. My immediate next run was in a hotel in New York - on the treadmill. I did a 4 mile tempo run with one mile warm up and one to cool down. Managed to keep a good pace even though the damn mill decided to keep slowing down. I had to keep increasing the speed every 3 - 4 minutes. So it was a like a Tempo-Interval run.
My next couple of runs were back in Westford. I did a long run on Saturday around this area - about 8.5 miles. Got to try out my new runner's belt and running glasses. It was really cool! Had some great music blasting out of the Ipod and the weather was perfect for a long run. After the run I had a real good breakfast of crepes and chicken at the Friendly's in Chelmsford. Felt really strong. The runs here are my first experience with hills. But I think my beach training in Chennai really paid off.
On Sunday I did a 16 mile bike ride from Bedford to Arlington - on pretty good mountain bikes. Managed to get in four 3-minute sprints on the way back. It was too crowded for more than that - sunday and earthday - everyone was there. I also went to Goodales in Nashua and checked out a few bikes there. Saw a 1000$ beauty that I am so tempted to buy - but not sure where to ride it. Apparently Im a size 54. One day..
This week is all about slow and easy recoveries. I ran a 4 mile easy (somewhat fast but comfortable) today to recover from a weight session yesterday. For the next few days until the Groton 10k I will only be walking to keep my legs fresh.
Most likely my next post will only be after the race. Wish me luck.
I guess it takes some getting used to. Some of the people who post on Runner's World claim to run in 50 below (with Windchill of course). Im not there yet and dont know if I will ever be considering that most of my running is in good ole Chennai.
The next couple of runs were pretty ok. The weather changed. My immediate next run was in a hotel in New York - on the treadmill. I did a 4 mile tempo run with one mile warm up and one to cool down. Managed to keep a good pace even though the damn mill decided to keep slowing down. I had to keep increasing the speed every 3 - 4 minutes. So it was a like a Tempo-Interval run.
My next couple of runs were back in Westford. I did a long run on Saturday around this area - about 8.5 miles. Got to try out my new runner's belt and running glasses. It was really cool! Had some great music blasting out of the Ipod and the weather was perfect for a long run. After the run I had a real good breakfast of crepes and chicken at the Friendly's in Chelmsford. Felt really strong. The runs here are my first experience with hills. But I think my beach training in Chennai really paid off.
On Sunday I did a 16 mile bike ride from Bedford to Arlington - on pretty good mountain bikes. Managed to get in four 3-minute sprints on the way back. It was too crowded for more than that - sunday and earthday - everyone was there. I also went to Goodales in Nashua and checked out a few bikes there. Saw a 1000$ beauty that I am so tempted to buy - but not sure where to ride it. Apparently Im a size 54. One day..
This week is all about slow and easy recoveries. I ran a 4 mile easy (somewhat fast but comfortable) today to recover from a weight session yesterday. For the next few days until the Groton 10k I will only be walking to keep my legs fresh.
Most likely my next post will only be after the race. Wish me luck.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Runaway appetite!
I did some minor weight training - back and some leg presses - and 50 minutes on the exercise bike. Burnt about 800 calories today. I am desperately trying to get my weight back under control. In the last couple of weeks it looks like I have actually put on about a kilo. However, I am actually increasing my mileage and intensity. What has however happened is that my appetite seems to be running way out of control. I sometimes eat 3 times between 6 and 12 AM in an evening. Not sure how to fix this.
Im going to post in a discussion at Runner's World and see if any one has any answers.
Im going to post in a discussion at Runner's World and see if any one has any answers.
Monday, April 9, 2007
Long run yesterday - to IIT Madras
Yesterday was my second run with Chennai Runners, a group of guys who train for various marathons.
Our route was Dimensions Gym off C.P. Ramasamy road to IIT Madras and a 2.5 mile loop inside which each of us could do as many times as we liked. The run to IIT was uneventful. We were unsure of the reception at IIT as none of us had run there before. In any case, we decided to give it a shot and turn to Anna university in case we had problems getting in. Anyway, as we approched IIT we got strung out a bit and I was the first to hit the entrance. I saw a couple of suspicious guards at the security booth and came up with a quick strategy. I turned up the volume on my Ipod looked the other way and ran through. The guys following (Ravi had just joined us for his first run with us) say that the guard tried to call after me to check if I was a student. I of course could not hear the guard and kept running confident in the knowledge that there was no way the guard would leave his post to chase after me. The plan worked and I was deep inside IIT by the time I realised that the rest of my group was missing.
Apparently they were effectively intercepted at the gate by the same guard who tried to stop me. He demanded an entry pass which none of the guys had. So they paid the requisite obeisance and proclaimed him lord and master of the roads in IIT. Sufficiently appeased, he let them continue with the stern warning that he will not let them in the next time around.
I completed three loops inside to give me a total mileage of 11.84 miles (18.94 Km). So Im getting closer to the half marathon it looks like. This time around I had applied diaper rash cream to my inner thighs so I didnt get chafed like last week. However, my right nipple almost fell off with the t-shirt chafing it!
Other than that hoary experience, it was great running in IIT, reminiscing all the time I've been there drunk or stoned going in for some concert or the other. It was somewhat surreal - lol.
Hope to be running in Mass this week end and in New York next week. I will post a comparison if I can!
Our route was Dimensions Gym off C.P. Ramasamy road to IIT Madras and a 2.5 mile loop inside which each of us could do as many times as we liked. The run to IIT was uneventful. We were unsure of the reception at IIT as none of us had run there before. In any case, we decided to give it a shot and turn to Anna university in case we had problems getting in. Anyway, as we approched IIT we got strung out a bit and I was the first to hit the entrance. I saw a couple of suspicious guards at the security booth and came up with a quick strategy. I turned up the volume on my Ipod looked the other way and ran through. The guys following (Ravi had just joined us for his first run with us) say that the guard tried to call after me to check if I was a student. I of course could not hear the guard and kept running confident in the knowledge that there was no way the guard would leave his post to chase after me. The plan worked and I was deep inside IIT by the time I realised that the rest of my group was missing.
Apparently they were effectively intercepted at the gate by the same guard who tried to stop me. He demanded an entry pass which none of the guys had. So they paid the requisite obeisance and proclaimed him lord and master of the roads in IIT. Sufficiently appeased, he let them continue with the stern warning that he will not let them in the next time around.
I completed three loops inside to give me a total mileage of 11.84 miles (18.94 Km). So Im getting closer to the half marathon it looks like. This time around I had applied diaper rash cream to my inner thighs so I didnt get chafed like last week. However, my right nipple almost fell off with the t-shirt chafing it!
Other than that hoary experience, it was great running in IIT, reminiscing all the time I've been there drunk or stoned going in for some concert or the other. It was somewhat surreal - lol.
Hope to be running in Mass this week end and in New York next week. I will post a comparison if I can!
Friday, April 6, 2007
Its not about the bike!
I am almost done with a great book on Lance Armstrong. Its called "Its not about the bike". I must say its one hell of a book.
Its great because it really inspires and pushes you to try and do some thing right away. It also gave me a complex about my cycling. I recently participated in a cycle rally and covered 30 km in a pathetic 1 hour and 10 minutes (I defend myself saying I had no training and what not). The Tour riders do 30 Km uphil in some surreal 25 minutes!
And to think that this guy went from 40% chance of survival to 7 continuous tour victories! Its mind boggling. Check out this great video of Lance speaking at the ESPY awards - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytZkRFRf0Do
and here's one of the god climbing the Sestriere in 1999 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiCIJ2JewPE
Definitely read the book guys. Its a whole new perspective on what the human mind and body can do.
Its great because it really inspires and pushes you to try and do some thing right away. It also gave me a complex about my cycling. I recently participated in a cycle rally and covered 30 km in a pathetic 1 hour and 10 minutes (I defend myself saying I had no training and what not). The Tour riders do 30 Km uphil in some surreal 25 minutes!
And to think that this guy went from 40% chance of survival to 7 continuous tour victories! Its mind boggling. Check out this great video of Lance speaking at the ESPY awards - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytZkRFRf0Do
and here's one of the god climbing the Sestriere in 1999 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiCIJ2JewPE
Definitely read the book guys. Its a whole new perspective on what the human mind and body can do.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Blogman returns
After several endeavours at maintaining blogs on different subjects and giving up, here's an attempt at returning to blogging.
My latest craze is running. The more I thought about it, the more I realised how much similar running is to life. Hence a blog that talks about running - running in every aspect of my life. So mush on and hopefully I will have something to say that people would like to read about.
I recently discovered this great site - www.goruneasy.com by Rbk - and no, unfortunately, I am not getting paid by them to write about it. Let me just say that I found the site amazing. Its a great site to plot your runs (or any route for that matter) and get the distance. Its powered by google maps so you can see a sat image superimposed and all that. I was blown away that this was possible for Chennai.
I checked out a couple of other sites. But this looks like the most slick. The interface is not obviously intuitive, but it works great once you get the hang of it. So try it out folks and let me know if you find anything better.
My latest craze is running. The more I thought about it, the more I realised how much similar running is to life. Hence a blog that talks about running - running in every aspect of my life. So mush on and hopefully I will have something to say that people would like to read about.
I recently discovered this great site - www.goruneasy.com by Rbk - and no, unfortunately, I am not getting paid by them to write about it. Let me just say that I found the site amazing. Its a great site to plot your runs (or any route for that matter) and get the distance. Its powered by google maps so you can see a sat image superimposed and all that. I was blown away that this was possible for Chennai.
I checked out a couple of other sites. But this looks like the most slick. The interface is not obviously intuitive, but it works great once you get the hang of it. So try it out folks and let me know if you find anything better.
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