Panic before the marathon

It's hard for me to talk about running these days. I feel like I end up jinxing myself, as paranoid as it sounds. And the panic of running my first ever official half marathon on Sunday is finally setting in. I ran 11kms on Saturday. The time I took to do it was one hour and 10 minutes. Not bad I thought. But then my trusty (rusty) old left knee kicked into complain mode. I cannot even explain it. The moment the outside of my knee started to feel uncomfortable, I nearly burst out crying.

First, the silver lining - a month ago I couldn't do 4kms without my knee exploding in pain. This is most definitely an improvement and I am very grateful. I also recovered incredibly fast. By the time I had finished stretching after the run, the knee felt comfortable again. There was some pain climbing down the stairs the next day morning but an hour stretching at the physio helped me loads. The pain was all gone. Now am planning on doing a final 15k run on Wednesday. Honestly I am feeling both hopeful and scared. Am scared because I really hate that my knee is not letting me be. But am hopeful that I will recover from the next in time for Sunday half marathon.

Of course the half marathon is whole different ball game. I am terrified! I have been waiting for this moment for so long that now that it's here, all I want to do is hide under a rock and simply not run at all. Sure, I am excited but I will not be lying when I say that I am really scared of embarrassing myself. What if I blow my knees again? What if I make a fool of myself and run at a pathetic time? What if I lose my way through the marathon because I am the last person in the race and have no one to tell me where to turn? Ugh. I am allowing myself just today to walk around in my insecurities. When I wake up tomorrow, I will be ready. I shall force myself to believe in me and hopefully I can delude myself into thinking that I can do this.

Oh and I signed up for a running workshop! It's a bit expensive but it is run (pun intended) by one of the most veterans marathoners in India - Ash Nath. I am very excited because of that. He is all about technique for injury free runs and I am hoping if there is someone on this planet who can help me right now, it's going to be him (no pressure right? LOL).

And finally I am seriously LOVING Nike Free Version 4. It's like it was meant for me. I still use it only for treadmill runs but honest to god, it feels like a light sock that hugs your feet and makes you feel good. If I could afford it, I would dearly want Nike Free Flyknit but I think it's for runners who actually make it to the podium or close....not beginners like myself. But man I can only imagine how amazing it will be to run in those. Anyway, catch you guys later. If you are injured right now and reading this please know this - you are not alone. It's hard but the injury did not happen overnight, so we can't expect results overnight either. That's the amazing thing about becoming a runner - you really have to put in the time to see results. There is no such thing as a shortcut.

Happy running!

P.S If there is anyone interested about the running workshop I had mentioned earlier, you can find more information here - http://catalystsports.in/. The one I am attending is on October 19th-20th weekend. I know for a fact my running is going to change after this because I am determined to implement what I learn. But am hoping I change as a runner too. 

Learning from Arsenal

Well it has been good progress so far in life. Been hitting the gym regularly. Got myself Nike Free Version 4 (trying out the minimalist trend!) to rotate with my Nike Structure 16s. And yesterday was particularly a good day because I ran over an hour and my left leg felt pretty okay. Not perfect though. Cause at around the 47th minute mark, the outside of the left knee felt uncomfortable. I stretched a bit and honestly I was pain free. Woke up this morning and was again pain free (THANK YOU LORD). But had the same discomfort in my left knee. So I stretched thoroughly and religiously and am happy to report that the discomfort has left me!

Man, that is progress in my head. Two weeks ago 4kms would have left my knee feeling destroyed. During the Hyd Marathon, I practically wept at the 15k mark. Honestly I know I have a long way to go but am getting results for working hard, so there is no cheat sheet here. You work and you get results. So I have to work.

Anyway, things have been going swimmingly well for my football team as well. Despite being bogged down with injuries themselves (just like me!), Arsenal have shown such resilience in the face of so many naysayers that I can't help but feel inspired by them. So, am going to dedicate my first official half marathon (and the reason I even started this blog) to my team. Every time on October 6th when I am running in Coimbatore and I feel like giving up, I will think of Arsenal. Every time the sides of my stomach feel like they are about to be knackered, I will think of Ramsey's broken leg and how he came back from that injury and has now become a goal scoring machine. Every moment I think this is simply not worth it, I will think of the boys in the Arsenal jersey. Everyone critic, journalist doubted Arsenal could compete with the big guys but now they have been silenced. Not because the lads are better than the rest, but because they just don't give up. They have that spirit. The Gooner spirit. The one that says that they will not back down to any opposition. Win or lose, they show up suited for war. And I am a Gooner. I have that spirit too.

Happy running! And if you're an Arsenal fan, happy EPL season! 

I'm back!

So I know I have been gone a long time but my experience in Hyderabad was quite bad and I didn't want to come across as the whiniest runner of all time. The good things first - I was able to do my leg of the race with minimal pain. The pain only kicked in at the 45th minute and even then by the 59th minute I was done with my part! Our team came in 21st out of over 60 teams. Not bad I say.

The bad part now - while the half and full marathons were so wonderfully organised in the Airtel Hyderabad Marathon, the relay part was not quite as a good. Only because early in the morning we were shuffled from one end to another, not knowing where we were going. Also, there were no spectators. Zilch. At one point I was nearly hit by a biker who decided to forgo the policeman's instruction to stay put and anyway run over the runners. Very classy indeed. Another part I missed? Because the volunteers were spread over 42kms, there were not enough to really help when help was needed. Why you ask? Well, I decided to run past my own section and ran 15kms on that day. Busting my knee in the process, again. I had some people spraying in volini but no one knew how to take me to the finish line once I was done running my bit. The lack of people cheering you on also played heavily on the psyche. That said. It's a beautiful city. Beautiful marathon. Just wish the people in the city cared more about the runners. Oh well.

Now the really good news - my left knee is almost fixed! Even though literally a week ago I could not run more than five minutes without pain, thanks to strengthening exercises, rehab and stretching, both my knees are doing quite well. I ran for half hour a couple of days ago and even though I felt pain at the 30th minute, once I was done, the pain was gone. I stretched loads and whatever little discomfort I was feeling before is slowly ebbing away. GOOD NEWS. Today am planning on making it 45-50 minutes of running. Let's see.

Have also been thinking a lot about getting Nike Free Flyknit. But they cost Rs 14,000 and that bill scares the hell out of me! But then I am planning on at least trying it out and seeing. Anyway I seem to have sprained my left hand, so can't type too much (I must have slept incorrectly, just my luck I say). I am just glad, I am back to writing about running in a hopeful and cheerful mood. I love running again!

Happy running you guys.