Come on women....run!

I had a conversation with a friend on Twitter last night that had me both laughing and puzzled last night. She told me one of her friends said that if women take up running, then their breasts will start to sag. Of course my friend is far too smart to believe in nonsense like that but it got me thinking. I really do not see too many female runners in races. Even in my own running group, I can count the number of women with one hand. For me running is not about winning. I know that I will never have podium finishes but for me taking part in a race is the best part of running. The atmosphere, the challenge, the community...it's brilliant. But there are simply not enough women here.

I generally see a couple women ahead of me and maybe one or two behind and I pace with the men most of the time. At long stretches I don't see any women at all. I find this really distressing because I think women make for great runners. Here are the list of reasons why I think, if you are a girl or a woman, you need to find the perfect pair of running shoes and head out of home.

My ugliest pic and I never cared cause that run was fun!

You can handle the pain
If you think you won't be able to handle the exhaustion or find the energy for a run - think again. Physiologically and mentally women can handle a lot more than our male counterparts. Honest to god do you think any of our male friends will be able to handle one day in the parlour? I don't think most of my male friends will be able to survive even getting their eyebrows done and they run as fast as cheetahs. We can take the pain and we generally even push through it. So, why not show how tough you really are on the trail?

Be selfish
One married friend of mine told me that I should enjoy activities like running and trekking now because once I get married I will have to give up them all up. She just seemed so sure about it and it made me very sad. But then I know some wonderful women (Deepa Bhat I am looking at you!), who inspire by being great moms, friends, runners and everything else. My own mum has plenty of hobbies and passion projects that have nothing to do with the rest of us. Why aren't you entitled to your own me time? Run when you can and slowly your family will start recognising your passion and start accommodating your needs as well.

You have the time
Saying that you don't have the time is the worst excuse on earth. We make time for everything else in life including shopping, movies, television, beauty parlour visits, hanging out with friends but we can't find an hour to run? Really? You can sleep a little earlier and wake up a little earlier. I used to have that excuse all the time. For me it was about late night football matches followed by hours sitting arguing about the game on Twitter, so I convinced myself that I had no energy to get up in the mornings for runs. Now I don't Tweet after matches much (a girl has still got to Tweet!) and I only watch the important games. That under-21 game between 'club no one cares about' and 'club you don't know anything about' is not worth giving up your sleep. Oh and I have all but given up on cricket. My favourite players have retired and it hurts my eyes to see Dhoni's haircuts. Easiest decision made. Stop doing things you don't like anymore. It is as simple as that.

Cute guys
Okay so this is really shallow but ladies you will never find couch potatoes on a run. Every one of those guys there are either trying to get in shape or are already in the best shape possible. They lead healthy lifestyles. Most runners I know do not smoke which means you don't risk lung cancer any time soon. Also when you feel like dying on your feet, looking at a cute guy and commenting on his cute shoes does not hurt anyone. And when the cute guy flirts back, it's a total and harmless win. Why not?

*Side note to cute guys: If I have ever run with you and have mentioned your shoes, it means I think you are cute.
*Side note to the not so cute guys: Um....sometimes I just want to know about the shoes.....

You appreciate your body
You become very aware of your body. You become aware of what you're putting in and what's coming out (I know gross but you start caring about these things!). Every little pain gets treated immediately. You start listening to the signals being sent by your body. But running is not a vanity fitness project I must warn you. It's disgusting. When you're running, you generally do not look your best. You are outside so people see you looking haggard and sweating.

Nothing falls off!
To those who think the boobs start sagging (because gross), I have one answer for you - buy decent sports bra and you are set. Either way nothing falls off. Everything firms up as far as I can tell. You become stronger. But yes to be honest when you train hard sometimes your toenails fall off and some of your toenails turn black. On top of that you get feet blisters if you have sensitive skin like mine. But those blisters are war wounds and reminders that you are one tough cookie. So when you have a bad day, think of the time when your toenail fell off and you kept running anyway. It puts things in perspective immediately.

Men can't have all the fun
You get shiny medals at the end of races. You can eat all you want (well keep it relatively healthy) and running makes sure you still fit into those jeans you had back in college. And the best part about running? It's so much fun! You get to be with nature and appreciate things like sunrises and sunsets. You strap on your favourite music on your iPod and you get to really appreciate being alive. Why just let men enjoy that?

So ladies, run. I promise you, you will not regret it! Happy running.

99 problems but half marathon ain't one!

I MADE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am now officially a half marathoner! Of course the road to making this happen was paved with best intentions and a ton of problems and self doubt as my blog clearly indicates. In fact this time last week I had all but decided to quit because I just did not think my body could take it. But turns out I am tougher than I thought I was. I am really proud of myself. I remember back to last year when I had to quit running (I only ran about 4-5kms a day) because of my knee pain. And then I think back to the Pinkathon in April of this year when running 10kms felt like the end of the world. And now if I could bottle up that feeling I had when I sprinted the finish line on October 6th 2013, am sure it will cure depression for all mankind.

I still have no idea how that person managed to complete a half marathon in two hours and thirty minutes. It would have been at least 10 minutes faster had it not been for the fact I was victim to something that I had always read about but had never encountered personally - the dreaded runner's stomach. You see the previous day I had sore throat and a little bit of cold. I also had stomach cramps because....well you can guess why. This is not how I wanted my first half marathon to be. I wanted to be fresh and raring to go instead the previous day I was tired, cramped up and exhausted. I had little lunch. A cup of milk in the afternoon and light early dinner. And then I crashed at around 10.30-11 pm. I had to wake up at 3.30 to stretch because I stretched only once on Saturday.

I woke up Sunday and I was not remotely nervous. I took a bath, wore my race day clothes, secured my running bib, stretched and popped in a pain killer (generally on those days my stomach cramps get so bad that I can't even get out of bed and here I was planning to run 21.1 kms with this....awesome). I had one banana, two visits to the bathroom and half a chocolate bar for energy.  I reached the venue and realised one major thing - my stomach was definitely not feeling good. I rushed to one of the portable bathrooms the organisers had installed at the venue and figured that my problems were solved. Except I had no idea that I was going to be victim to the runner's stomach. I have never had it before, so I had no way to compare it with anything in my life.

So let me tell you - it's not fun. I nearly dropped out of the race. On the 8km aid station I practically broke down in tears. I wanted to know if there were any portable restrooms on the way for the runners. Turns out there weren't. But the good news was that the 8km aid station was right next to a mall. The mall manager (god bless this man) quickly took me to the rest room in the mall's underground parking station. My stomach still felt a bit off for the rest of the race but it was never quite as bad again. And in the process I lost 10 whole minutes of my time and that really sucks because that means I would have completed as early as 2.20. Oh well. Lesson learnt.

But the weirdest part was that my left leg while always threatening to erupt in pain, never did. I stretched a bit at the 14k mark and it hurt for about 10 minutes but suddenly it went away. It went away till I crossed the finish line! It kept away after I finished stretching. The only thing is I felt a bad twinge after coming back home (sitting in an uncomfortable position during the train journey for 7 straight hours can do that to you!). But this morning I feel completely recovered and strong. The leg pain is there but minimal and I only feel it while walking up the staircase. That also should be gone by tomorrow because I have scheduled nearly an hour long stretching session in the evening at the gym.

Anyway back to the race day. Throughout the run I had wonderful thoughts running through my head. I could not believe I had finally made it to this day. I wanted to drink in every single second. The reason I know I didn't run my hardest is because even at the 18km mark I was able to have a casual and fun conversation with one of the runners. This means I should have pushed myself. But the truth is I had no idea how my body would behave after 14-15km (those are my safe distances). This was supposed to be my learning curve. I wanted to know and understand the way my body behaved during the run. I plan on running as as long as it's possible for me, which means a ton more half marathons and hopefully full marathons lie in my future. I can gun for timing on my next one. This one was strictly about understanding what I was capable of on race day. Turns out my training has served me really well. Gymming has helped. Stretching has helped. Core workouts have helped. And this is just the beginning. I plan on training harder and doing better. The first stone has been set on the foundation. Time to build upon a beautiful running experience with this.

I started this blog as a way to motivate myself to run my first half marathon. Mission accomplished. Now I need to hunker down and start improving my time. I want to bring my 10k time to 55 minutes (it's currently at 59.04). And I want to run half in two hours. That means during race days I will not goof around. Not stop to take pictures or pick up conversations with runners who are obviously holding you back from your general pace. Clear cut goals. At least for the important races.

And here's quiet push for all the non-runners who think it's impossible to run beyond a certain point. The only restrictions that exist are in your own head. You never know what you are capable of unless you try. It after all starts with one step at a time. And that feeling you get when you get to the cross line? Boss it's worth all the trouble in the world! And turns out I was top 15 in the women's category. Not bad eh? Happy running!

P.S Kudos to the organisers of the Vodafone Coimbatore Marathon 2013. Brilliantly organised and fun race. The route was great. The atmosphere was unbelievable. The officials were helpful and the aid stations were wonderfully stocked. They had lime, salt, biscuits, energy drinks, salted water, water, oranges, cut bananas and extremely cheerful volunteers. Truly the best kind of experience. 

My running playlist

So while my post yesterday was not exactly a Debbie Downer (please refer to this particular blog post for epic one person pity party I threw myself a couple of months ago - The blues have hit me hard), I still feel like I put myself in a negative space by scaring myself. In fact last night I had a vivid dream about waking up with pain on my right knee. Suffice to say, I woke up freaked out but also determined to shake myself out of this panic that I created myself.

And that means, I spent a lot of my morning trying to figure out simple things I could control from now on till my run on Sunday. For instance, I will be having a nice pasta early dinner with my running friends the day before. I am going to the gym today and running tomorrow in the morning. That will be followed by a painful but totally necessary sports massage. Thursday is going to be my last day in the gym before my race. Friday I am going to hang out with my friend and Saturday I will be off in the train to do what I set out to do this year (no pressure see? lol).

Anyway, it has helped loads that I was able to organise my whole week. I have broken my days into small segments that I could easily tackle. And once I get to race day, I am hoping preparation and excitement will bring me (crawling I believe) to the finish line. This can be a great tip for runners (and people in general) who tend to panic before big events in life - just break into smaller moments that you know you can handle.

Another way I took control of my mind space? I spent a considerable amount of time coming up with a playlist that I will be listening to on the day of the run. Now I know a lot of runners believe in the run and don't even listen to music and in fact frown upon those who do. But I love music. I am more obsessed about music and books than I am about running (imagine if you could read a book and run and I would do just that). And I put a lot of importance to the song I'm listening to when I run. Now it may not be the greatest idea since you can't always rely on technology but it has worked for me so far and I love an excuse to slip away into music. I have a mix of trashy music and inspirational music to get me through any run and at times even a slow burner that you might not even think of as an ideal running song but it would get me through to the next kilometer.



Anyhoo...I thought it would be fun to share my top 10 songs from my running playlist (the familiar and the unconventional). If you find something that you like for your run that will make me very happy. So, here goes:

Arctic Monkeys - Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High? This is a fun song with a great beat. And this song always puts me in the fun zone and I feel quite flirty by the end of it (that's saying something as I am generally in track pants sweating and panting and ready to curse the world).

A R Rahman - Gangsta Blues. Honestly if this song from Slumdog Millionaire does not get you pumped during a run, then am not sure what will. It's that good.

Steven Cooper - I can. This is a new addition to my playlist because I didn't even know this guy existed until a while ago. And I am not a fan of rap music. But this number isn't filled with a million insults and a beat. It's inspiring. With lyrics like - "If you fall, stand up. When you break, stand tough", is it any surprise that it pushes me?

Gnarls Barkley - Run. I have a big problem with this song - it's only 2 minutes and 45 seconds. But it is on top of my running playlist because no other song makes me want to run quite like this song. I once ran nearly an hour with just this song on repeat. And I did not get bored. At all. I wish the song went on for hours. I could probably finish two marathons before dinner (not possible but you get the point). Run for your life indeed.

Passion Pit - Sleepyhead. Something about a fast and heady song about a sleepyhead during early morning runs is just what you need to wake up.

Outkast - Bombs over Baghdad. To this day I still have not figured out what the lyrics are but it has one relentlessly fast beat. And addictive to boot. I have always increased my speed and kept with the speed through the entirety of this song. It's that amazing.

Rudimental - Not giving in. This song is not particularly fast but has a fun fun beat to it. And it's perfect for those last couple of kilometers in the run. Who wants to give in to their doubts when the chorus keeps going - "This time I'm going to be stronger, am not giving in"?

Doctor Who Instrumental - This is Gallifrey, our childhood our home. Ok so you don't have to be a Doctor Who fan to get lost in this track. It's epic and beautiful and also melancholic at the same time. I feel like I am floating across the universe in a blue box when I hear it (ok so you may have to be a little bit of a fan to feel like that way). But I swear the track sees results.

The Royal Concept - On our way. We are young. We are one. Let's shine for all its worth. Yup. This song is quintessentially made for running.

Imagine dragons - Demons. Short song. Wonderfully deep lyrics. So when you feel like that today is the day you cut your run short, listen to this song. I promise you that you will forget why you were doubting yourself in the first place.

So, that's it. My top 10 running songs for now. What I love about them is that they are not insulting rap songs about - bitches and whores. They are not negative. They are fun. They carry wonderful messages. And they will get you to the finish line. Or so I hope.

Happy running!

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! 

Tight hamstrings - the cause of all evil

Ok so according to my PT, my hamstrings are so freaking tight that he does not expect them to loosen up in time for Hyderabad but promised me I should be fine in maybe another week after aggressive rounds of stretching every day.

And I have to say, yesterday was PAINFUL. I could not handle it. I had to keep running on the treadmill for a period of five minutes and then stretch my hamstrings. The running part I liked because I realised that every single time I returned to the treadmill, it hurt a little less but stretching? I cannot emphasise on how painful it was. The PT assisted/tortured me during those moments and when I went back home after an hour, I genuinely felt like I ached all over the body especially my hips.

But when I woke up this morning, my left leg felt about as good as I can possibly hope in this short time frame. I have also changed my running form and paying more attention to my upper body and that has helped me a lot. I have not stretched today so far (it's only 5pm) but I feel very tired today just not ready to move past the pain I felt yesterday.

But then Sunday is Hyderabad. That means I just don't have the luxury to call it a day on my IT band and hammies and say - screw it. But then I am also feeling really optimistic about September. By next week, my knee issues will most likely be sorted (I am being VERY aggressive) and with my changed running form and constant stretching, I should get back on HM training track as early as next week. No rolling hills for me for a while though, that's for sure but the focus is on training, strengthening and stretching. I found out yesterday that even though I thought I was stretching certain muscles like my hamstrings, generally when they are tight, we go easy on them and that should be the opposite. I have been doing this subconsciously but it has caught up to me. Happy running.

One thousand feet to ascend

The longer I look at the trail map for the Hyderabad Marathon, the more scared I tend to become. By the looks of it I the first 7.5KMs are bumpy by themselves with loads of ups and downs. And then my route ends with a clear ascent of close to 1,000 feet.

Oh well. It will be a blast anyway. If I run in Hyderabad, then I would have run in Bangalore, Chennai, Pune and Hyderabad so far and that count can only increase by October when I run the Coimbatore half marathon. Either way I have decided to become very serious starting this week. Going to run anywhere between 17 and 20kms on the weekends and going to sucker in one 10k run during the weekdays in the coming weeks with maybe a 5k run if I can manage it. Also, not going to forget about heading to the gym. I want to run injury free in Coimbatore. And I don't want to be in too much pain at the end of Hyderabad. Let's see. Fingers crossed. Happy running. 

Just in - push the panic button

This is what happens when you make a knee jerk decision without thinking things through. While I love being an impulsive person, I just just found out that the Hyderabad marathon features a terribly hilly terrain. So for my first leg of the competition, I literally have to do a slow descent up a hill! Which is awesome when you have IT Band issues (not!). Sigh. It's ok. I will make it. I can do it. I will just train extra hard this week. Stretch extra hard and pray extra hard. And take it easy on the hills. I have an hour and 45 minutes before I am disqualified and that's ok cause even at my slowest walk I finish in 70. So I am taking it slow and going to enjoy the run and stretch all day long after the race. And am definitely not tackling any form of hills in the near future and I should be fully recovered in time for my first official half marathon on October 6th. I know I am cutting everything short but I have faith. And plenty of time to foam roll. Till next time you guys.

P.S Always check before letting someone register you for a marathon. Even if it's a relay. But then 10.5 does not seem like it will be too much. Fingers crossed and praying. 

A Bangalore runner's plea to men - don't attack me

I have thought long and hard about posting this particular blog as I really didn't want to even broach this subject but I have come to the conclusion that it's necessary for me to talk about this issue. It goes without saying that I love to run. Even through injuries, it is what I love doing. I love that feeling you get after a run that's gone off particularly well. What I hate about it though? How unsafe I sometimes feel while running in the city.

I wear Nike shorts on race days but during my own personal runs, I wear over sized t-shirts and loose fitting sweatpants. I figured early on that I will not give reason for anyone to stare or "pass judgement" as the so-called moral police would say. Oh how wrong I turned out to be. You see whether I wore shorts, or compression tights or the baggiest sweatpants on earth, I have always found that the city is simply not a safe place for a woman to do anything except hide inside her house. I live in Jayanagar, a suburban area with mostly middle class, upper middle class residents. When I decide to go on personal runs, I generally have this tried and tested 1.1k loop which I keep repeating until I complete my desired mileage. This helps me stay close to home which I think it very important. I also ensure that I don't run too early in the mornings when the roads are deserted, because as long as there is some general movement, I can always call out for help.

Therefore every week before I go for a run, I am also subconsciously thinking about different ways I could possibly get harassed by men. By now I am used to the curious glances. Even though there is a vibrant running community in the city, generally when a woman runs alone, men on bikes, autos, scooters, cars, or any kind of vehicle for that matter, slow down and stare at her. I still have no idea what exactly they are trying to figure out or what exactly they are gawking at but I crank up my iPod and essentially put them away from my mind.

And then there is the more dangerous kind - the ones that will hurl comments at you. It still takes me by surprise when a disgusting old man passes a lewd comment at me, be it when I am running or when I am going about my business for the day. Do they get some form of guttural satisfaction knowing that they have objectified a woman? But seeing as I have been taking the public transport since I was 17 (in three different cities no less), I have also learned to tune it out (see how women have to condition themselves against harassment?).

There is also another kind of a man - the one that starts stalking you. It's only happened to me two times so far but both times (it happened in plain daylight), I was shaken and scared. The first was when an auto driver kept looping my route and stopping around me. I kept quiet for a while but when it got scary, I pulled out my phone and threatened him with police action and he went on his way. The other incident happened last weekend when these two guys on a scooter (by the looks of it they were both educated and from so-called "good families"), decided it would be fun to call out to me and be around me. Suffice to say that once again the threat of police action and some yelling from my part and the threat of their faces being photographed, got them to leave me alone.

But then I keep thinking what happens if I encounter the most dangerous kind of man? The one that is not deterred by threats? I now carry pepper spray when I run alone. I carry my cellphone and I am always wary. I know as long as I am in my own area, I should be safe but experiences have told me not to take even that for granted. But a day before India celebrates yet another Independence day, I have to ask - how independent are women really in this city? In this country?

Why have men been conditioned to think it's fine to harass someone as long as they don't do anything beyond it? I remember once when I was in college in Chennai, these bunch of boys from Pachiappas College had boarded the same bus as me and were singing lewd and horrible songs every time a girl came onto the bus. When I complained to the bus conductor, he stared at me for a while and told me to get off the bus because I was making a scene and told me very clearly - boys will be boys.

And in many ways girls have learned to adapt to the way the men behave in this country. If you wear a salwar and a duppatta, don't be surprised when a guy on a bike yanks off your duppatta and drives away. You just learn to either pick up that duppatta again and keep walking or simply skip wearing it the next time you decide to wear salwar kameez (this actually happens in Chennai). I have learnt to run with a group of trusted people because there really is safety in numbers and I have learnt to never board a crowded bus in any city in the country. All because I am a woman.

But today I have one simple plea to men - set women free in India. We are not property. We are not things to be objectified. We are living breathing human beings with actual emotions. Let us be. A girl should be able to get into an auto or ride around in a scooter without fearing for her own safety. A girl should be able to take part in physical activities, no matter the time or place, and feel safe enough not to carry a pepper spray. As for me, I will keep running with my pepper spray in tow for now hoping for a day when it's no longer the case. Oh and next time I am definitely calling the cops. 

The crouch is not cool for your body

We have all had parents or grandparents telling us to sit up straight growing up and apparently that particular posture is key is ensuring faster recovery from injuries like mine (IT Band Syndrome). You see I have generally the worst posture of all time. Seriously. When I was a kid I was not a very confident person and hence would crouch while walking around and generally not pay attention to my posture at all. And being a backpack person, my natural gait suffered (I still carry a backpack!).

So, yesterday I was sitting at the PT's office absolutely devastated that even though my left knee seems to be on the mend, it's still taking much much longer than I had expected it to. And that's when my physiotherapist, the fabulous Dr Gladson told me that my posture was all wrong and that was hindering faster recovery. It also not helps that my job requires me to be sitting for hours at length and my go-to stance while working is the crouch. While I must say that in the past year since I started working out, I have improved my stance considerably, it's the little things that you ignore that end up biting you in the ass. I think it's also because I have naturally broad shoulders for my height, I tend subconsciously minimise it by crouching. But my muscles are put under a strain every time I do this. While I have been told to sit up straight more times than anyone else I know, I finally paid attention to the doctor's words yesterday.

Anyway I decided that from today I will not bring my shoulders together in order to blend in and be invisible (childhood trait but nothing is set on stone). Gladson said that in order to achieve perfect posture while siting and working on a cubicle, you need to position your butt in the far end of the chair which will naturally make you sit up straight. Then you need to pull your chair close to the desk, so your hands rest comfortably on the desk while you type on the laptop. It's as simple as that but is definitely easier said than done. Right now my mind is looking for any kind of slip up to bring me back to my original position but I am mentally being aware of my own body. And what's better is that I am already noticing that lower my back does not hurt as much as it used to just a day ago. It may be the easiest tip on earth but one really needs to be aware of their own body and what it does to literally pull you down. Am still hoping to run a bit tomorrow but essentially that depends on how confident I feel about my left knee. Happy running you guys :)

My calves

It's hard to explain how tight my left calf has become. It's fine when I foam roll it but then after 10 or 15 minutes the heaviness to the knee returns. So I foam roll again to find out that the calf is still tight. I woke up this morning and figured that instead of hitting the gym I might as well just foam roll and stretch for a long time...(I also wanted to oversleep just by a little bit...). So, that's exactly what I did. Foam rolled on my calves for over 10 minutes and then stretched my hamstrings, calves, IT band areas and inner thighs. The moment I finished my stretches, I immediately felt good but the nagging weight kept coming back. So I foam rolled AGAIN which is when I realised that my left calf is unbelievably tight and I really need to do something about it before it becomes too much of an issue.

My lower left back also seems to be radiating some amount of pain. I am hitting the gym later tonight after work and hope to sort out these issues. I also plan on gymming again tomorrow, so I am ready for a hopeful (and I am very hopeful about this) but easy 15k on Thursday. Seeing as it's independence day, I don't have to work...whoohoo! I really really want to iron out all my muscle strains before the August 25th, so I run pain free and then carry on that trend till my half marathon. Of course I will like to be injury free for the rest of my running career. Suffering pain 10 minutes into a run is no one's idea of fun. I want to do better. Guess that means hitting the gym harder and complaining a little less about lack of sleep. It's hard to remember how good I feel after a run that early in the morning when all I want to do is curl up and go back to sleep. I might have started hating my alarm clock...

Happy running and hope you guys have a better relationship with your calf muscles. 

Running 10k and pain

I honestly am never ever going to ever skimp on stretching properly at least twice a day from now on. Because I am a vegetarian runner or because of my own history with injuries, I seem to have very weak muscle tone that keeps straining. So apart from cross training, am going to stretch religiously no matter how sleepy or tired I think I am. Why such a vehement preamble you ask? Well my left leg is the one struggling with a IT band related knee pain right now.

Exactly the way I struggled with my right leg, my left leg has decided to get in on the action as the right leg seems to be on the mend. I ran a little over 10k yesterday. As far as endurance goes, I could have easily run 5 to 6kms more without feeling the strain but my left knee started proving to be problem after 10 minutes! I went home (finished run in 62 minutes which is not too bad considering my knee) and foam rolled till I died. Took a very hot bath, stretched and foam rolled again. Leg was certainly better but the pain was not gone. What's worse is that my right leg was fine! My left calf is so tight that it's PAINFUL when I foam roll through it. And my IT band area also aches. I woke up this morning with my knee feeling terribly heavy and yes I stretched for a looooong time. Then came to work where I have to sit all the time! I took the lunch time to do another round of stretches. I don't care who's watching, I need my leg to be in fighting shape! Tomorrow I head off to the gym and today after going home I plan on doing MORE stretches, foam roller and some yoga videos I found on youtube. I will write a whole other post about the Yoga videos once I have tried a bunch of them and gauge their usefulness.

Oh and I am running in the Airtel Hyderabad Marathon (see why I am panicking?) on August 25th. It's only a 10k relay but I need my knee to be absolutely fit, so I can recover and keep my knees in tip top shape for my first half marathon which is less than two months away. Right now my back hurts and my left knee while loads better is still feeling extremely off. I am never ever ever skimping on stretching ever again. That's for sure.

P.S That foam roller I bought was one of the best investments I have ever made. A few months ago, this pain would have even worse but thanks to the painful painful foam roller, my knee would be fine in time for tomorrow's early morning workout. Bye guys and happy running.

P.P.S Btw I almost forgot to mention - it was my first run in over a week and I really really enjoyed it minus the pain. Only when I run do I genuinely feel like myself.

Falling sick

I fell sick and remained sick for the whole week. Viral infection is going around the city and of course I had to catch it. I didn't even have energy to stretch or anything! Now I feel like a potato or something but much much weaker (although I don't know how a potato can feel weak but am sick so cut me some slack!).

Thankfully I feel much much much better today, so I have figured that I will spend some time at the gym in the evening. And then my mom is forcing me to watch Chennai Express, so I will be going for the 8.30pm show. Hopefully I am home by at least 11 and I get some sleep cause tomorrow I wake up at 5 to bike to Lalbhagh and then run for about 10-15k depending on how I feel. My legs feel relatively good despite my whole body aching, so I am very hopeful about tomorrow. Now from this coming week I am going to get serious about my training, my sleep schedule (I have to wake up by 6am from now on and hence should force myself to sleep by 10pm the previous night no matter what), and my stretching and eating habits.

No more falling sick and my legs are going to get strong whether they like it or not. Sure injury sucks but with training, strengthening and STRETCHING (I still hate it though), I think anyone can become a serious runner. Happy running you guys and eid mubarak! :D

Running costs big bucks!

So here's the thing - the last couple of weeks I have been on a massive spending spree because everything you hear about running before you are a runner is a total lie - it's not the cheapest workout ever. In fact it is very expensive if you want to maintain a running lifestyle!

For one thing, I went on another run in the Kanakpura road and ended up straining my IT band again (this time my left leg fell victim). And since I have never experienced any pain on my left leg, I felt pretty horrible for a couple of days when the knee felt heavy and useless....

So I splurged and bought a foam roller. Yup I finally succumbed to the lure of putting myself through even more pain so I can enjoy a pain free run. Left IT band has been screaming every time I have run a foam roller through it but I have seen loads of improvement in both my legs, so I am going to eschew the horror that is foam rolling yourself when your muscles are tight and just be grateful that I can run at all.

And then I also bought Nike Dri Fit socks which also cost a bomb. I mean a pair costs close to 500 bucks and I had to buy a bunch and I could not find cheaper alternatives to saving my toes as the only place that stocks cheaper Toe socks is Decathalon in Sajjapura road and they are apparently out of stock (total bummer!).

And my final splurge? I bought a cycle! Yup I am not officially an all around health nut. I got a relatively cheap Hercules Roadeo Turner and it's six speed with great balance and I got it all for under 8 grand (it helped that I flirted with a shopkeeper a bit so he gave me free carrier installed plus a free bottle holder...am completely shameless).

My baby is blue and aptly called Bergkamp because it flies!

But that's when I started noticing - you need to keep buying things in order to supplement your running life span. Foam rollers, physio therapy (because let's face it most runners run into injuries no matter what), yoga mats, the right gear and clothing even the right water bottles and belts!

And then I realised that I didn't care. Sure, when I look back to that time when someone told me about how cheap running is compared to a gym (I now go to a gym because you need to add cross training to supplement your running! LOL), I have to chuckle at the absurdity of the statement. That person is perhaps just a morning jogger who does not have to invest in their own health more than keeping themselves fit. But then that feeling I get at the end of a run when I have pushed myself beyond what I thought possible? It's priceless. I cannot explain it. So next time I worry about buying new shoes (which are also expensive), I am just going to remember that I love running at the end of the day.

Maybe this is why runners generally find it hard to talk about anything other than running - they invest so much of themselves in this "hobby" that it becomes part of their identity. And anyone who wakes up at 4.30am in the morning just to run 15 plus kilometres is definitely invested. And that's a great feeling. So keep spending as you get better and keep getting better. Once you run down this path (pun intended), you find yourself completely changed for the better and that's everything.

P.S The Premier League starts August 17th! Adding to my woes is now the fact I have to juggle running with staying up late watching Arsenal matches...on the other hand - yay!!!! Arsenal is back in my world again! 

Dreams coming true and more cheesy lines

I know I have been radio-silence for almost two weeks now but I have good reason for it - I was terribly lazy. Yes. The lazy-bug caught me good. I actually did not work out or run for four days after the race cause I was "too busy with work." But then my friend did the best thing for me - he hooked me with an awesome running group.

We are called the BeeGeeRunBugs and most are from my own locality and they are mid-serious runners who for the most part run half marathons. And they are so much fun. And guess what? I ran 19k on Saturday! I was in pain after the run but I completed in two and half hours and it was the most exhilarating moment yet and next weekend I am running 20k again. Which means I am off to physiotherapy/gym this evening. What's great is that with continuous stretching my right knee was fine by Monday morning (oh I ran another 7.5k on Sunday!).

I can now officially boast of being a semi-serous runner who is ready to take on half marathons! I can run that distance! I am so happy I could burst. My dream when I started the blog has actually come true. I don't know if I want to run down streets yelling in joy or completely break down in tears knowing that I was able to overcome this injury and keep running.

I think this is my lesson from my whole short running career. There are more mountains to climb. Actual half marathons to run....full marathons to run but for now I am happy reveling in the fact that I have officially in my own way become a runner.

Keep running you guys...there is no greater feeling that accomplishing your goals in life.

P.S I have brand new socks which I will blog about soon enough and I have a new running wardrobe consisting of dri-fit t-shirts! AND I might be buying a new cycle. It's an all around great month for me :)

I made it to top 10!

Yesterday I ran in the 10k category of the Chennai Half Marathon and I finished 8th in women! I mean my timing was not great (just about 60 minutes) but the city boasts such terriblly humid conditions that we were all struggling to push past that heaviness that envelopes you through the run.

I was out of breath at the 3.7k mark and had no idea what my timing was but the marathon itself was so brilliantly organised and the atmosphere was so amazing that I genuinely wanted to give my best. Honestly it was one of the most organised runs I have been to so far. Everything from collection of the bibs to the goody bag was so brilliant that I was simply impressed right from the get go.

But then the night before the run, the city saw heavy heavy rains with thundershowers! I was really worried that it may not stop raining but thankfully it stopped around 11.30pm and I got a few good hours of sleep. I woke up at 3.45am and ate a banana. Then stretched really really well for a good 20 minutes. I wore my socks, my shoes and I wore my running belt too because I wanted to carry my cellphone during the run. My MP3 player was charged and I was as ready as I could be. Reached the venue at around 4.30pm and the atmosphere was electric.

The organisers had thought of everything and while they were showing the crowd to do the Zumba (I HATE Zumba), I went off with other regular runners where we did our own set of warms up and stretches...no matter what kind of warm up these events boast, most runners I know prefer their own routine and generally chuck these Zumba warmups. Stretched again and that's when I noticed that I was already sweating and thirsty.

The problem is that I run in Bangalore, where the temperatures are low and boasts almost no humid conditions. The only problems I have faced are my knees as the roads go up and down quite often and I am already recovering from a knee injury. But when I started running, I knew that my knees were going to be just fine and I just had to run the best I can but the humidity (which was really high thanks to the previous night's thunder showers), made it so hard. At around the 6k mark I felt like I was wearing another human suit that was hugging me around my chest. But I knew that half the battle was won and the sights were beautiful. Besant Nagar beach is one of the most beautiful beaches ever especially in the morning and Chennai looked so beautiful that day.

I was simply determined that no matter what, I would have fun because there is no way you can run long distances without enjoying the experience. I cracked jokes and ran at a good pace and kept up with the runners but it was at the half way point when I realised I was actually passing people by and that I was running ahead of most. And thanks to my training so far, I did not stop really until I reached the 8k point. Now I regret having stopped at all because otherwise I would have cracked 60 minutes. I smiled and made funny faces every time a photographer was nearby. But in the last 2k I was all business. I kept with the fastest runners in my near vicinity and they were all men. I was the only girl for a long time (I knew there had been more than a few that had already surpassed me but behind me I did not spot too many). In the last 1,000 metres I honestly just wanted to give up when this guy behind me shouted - "come on now! keep going". I took that as a sign and kept putting one leg in front of the other at a good pace despite the fact my chest felt constricted.

In the last 500 metres something wonderful happened. I was nearly at the end when this woman who had already finished her run, yelled at me - "Beat them all....just keep running!" Something about the way she said it and how she said it, spurred me on. I suddenly increased my pace and beat two other guys in front of me. And then, the finish line. I had done it in 60 minutes. The same girl who could not run 17 minutes because of a knee injury a few months ago had finished 8th in women and 120 overall out of 1,000 runners.

Me with my fancy medal right after the run!

It's not much but it's a high you get from knowing that you ran a race quite well. I know I can improve my timing now and do better and now I am all the more looking forward to my first half marathon in September because with training and enough sacrifices, anything is possible. And for some reason even now when I remember that moment when that woman cheered me on, I almost well up. I guess that's the kind of spirit and human connection you find at these events. People are willing to push you and push themselves and I have not found that in any other facet of my life. Anyway, I am off now. I have to get to my gym tonight and then a 15k run either on Wednesday or Thursday and my friend has promised me to hook me up with a running group near my house, so I can train for good time for my half marathon. I am just really happy.

Oh and I stretched really well right after my run and got to meet loads of dedicated and wonderful runners. It really was a wonderful experience and I can't wait till my next run. Happy running because if it's not happy, then it's not worth it.

Ran my farthest distance today!

Well from now on I guess nearly every run I run will be the "farthest" I have run yet but I still can't help being proud of having run 13.2km (8.2 miles) and I am very very happy! For one even though my right knee felt a bit off in the beginning, it never actually troubled me until I was well into one hour of running and nearly 9k into the run. My body didn't feel like it ran out of fuel (although I was very very tired after 11k) even after running 13k. And here's the best part- apart from one moment when my knee suddenly shot up after I stretched, I am currently without any pain.

I had drunk chocolate milk before going for the run. I cycled for five minutes and then stretched for a good twenty minutes before going. I still felt that I would end up in extreme pain by the end of it as I have literally never run anything more than 11km and that was last week! But those last 2.2km were not as bad as I thought they would be. I took breaks this time around. I finished my run in 1 hour and 27 minutes. And through it all I had taken about 15 minutes worth of break. Honestly this was better than I was hoping for this week and in fact in that last lap I actually accelerated. I came home had a glass of banana milkshake immediately after drinking water. I have noticed that when I don't eat immediately after a long run, I get massive painful headaches a couple of hours after the run and I really don't want to deal with the headache today and I just want to recover as soon as I can possibly.

I also had another banana. By 12 noon I plan on having my lunch along with a cup of curd. Protein is incredibly important for runners and as a vegetarian I have to rely on things like cheese, curd and milk to get my requisite protein and calcium intake . I know there are those who believe that vegetarians don't have enough energy to run because they don't eat meat and I call bullshit for that. With enough veggies and carbs introduced to the diet, you will have more than enough fuel not only to run long hours in the day but also go about the rest of your day like nothing happened.

Also, please let this be some source of inspiration to anyone who just happens upon this blog and thinks they can't really run - I could not run 17 minutes a month ago without experiencing extreme pain and now I ran for an hour and a half and I am fine. You just need to be inspired. You need to work hard and you need to be dedicated. I find that runners are often the most determined people I meet and that's because when the rest of the world is still sleeping or is feeling "too tired", runners are out of the house and pushing their bodies beyond what can be expected of it. They inspire me and I honestly can't wait till September when I run my first half marathon! Next week is 15km. Wish me luck and happy running. 

Time for some great news

I ran for 75 minutes straight yesterday and no knee pain! It slightly hurt for a bit at the 31 minute mark but for the most part my right leg acted like there was no problem! I know this is just a start and probably when I do my first 13k run on Thursday I might end up with some pain but I am relishing my wins. I have no pain to report today and apart from the fact, I always seem to be hungry these days, I am fit as a fiddle.

This Sunday is the chennai half marathon and I have logged in several 10k runs so far this month and will be running 13 this Thursday. So I am ready. Hopefully. Not jinxing this. Happy running and let's make it to the half marathon mark already!

Why be so negative??????

I had a very odd experience yesterday. I was sitting at work when one of my colleagues asked me if I enjoyed doing "risky" things like running and trekking. I didn't quite understand him at first cause I never thought of running as ever being risky and trekking is a fun activity that pushes you to face fear and enjoy nature. I never thought that I was going out of my way to put myself in danger, just that I was enjoying my life the way I want to enjoy it.

I smiled at him and told him that I enjoy what I do and running is one of my passions and I love pushing my body to its limits. He further probed about what would happen if I broke my leg. I was once again nice and told him I would let it heal...he didn't stop! He kept on asking me if I thought it will still be worth it if I spent  my life limping after a terrible tragic accident wrought on by my running. And the whole time he had this smile on his face like - "oh I am so superior for playing it so safe...you definitely are going to injure yourself."

I just wanted to wipe that smug grin off his face with a swift punch but I controlled my anger and told him that even if I could never run for the rest of my life, I would still find a way to be active and would never regret taking up running because it has given me some of the best moments of my life and has made me a stronger person mentally at least.

But I spent the whole night feeling irritated. I don't know about you guys but when someone says something negative before a run and I am generally in a bad mood, I have TERRIBLE runs. I either injure myself or something or the other goes wrong and I hated this man for smiling about it and it made me even more irritated. My parents know not to say anything bad before a run because when you are running for over an hour, you have nothing to do but replay that bad moment over and over again and running for me is my zen. I find happiness here. I just don't understand why people have to pull others down in life. I mean, if you can't run or you think you will injure yourself, then don't run! Why spread your shadow of negativity on someone who is just trying to do something that's important to them? Anyway, today I could not run (my knee is locked from yesterday's run). So I spent an hour stretching with the therapist and my IT band feels terrible (hence the knee pain). But am doing much better this evening. I even biked for 40 minutes straight. There was a time when I could not even do 10 minutes on my exercise bike without my legs absolutely caving and I did 40 minutes! I think I will hold onto to that today rather than a petty man's petty words. We push ourselves because if we don't, no one will. And if we are not doing what we love in life in fear of what might happen, then we might as well not live. So I am off this Sunday running another 11-12k. (STRETCHING religiously this time!) and I am going to love my life.

Happy running! :)

Running on a 11k budget

This morning I woke up at 6.30am with minimum fuss and decided that it was time to scale up beyond 10k. The reasoning behind this is the fact I am running 10k on July 7th and have done that distance or similar distances quite a few times but I have never gone beyond it. So I thought if I logged in a couple of 11 and 13 ks before the run, my body would get acclimatised to not only running 10k easily but also prepare itself half marathon in September.

Side note: The registrations for Kaveri Trail Marathon are up! http://www.kaveritrailmarathon.com/. It's happening on September 14th (10k) and 15th (half and full marathons). I will be running the half marathon depending on my knee sitch. Either way I am running it :P You can register till mid August so there is some time left!

Anyway I was determined to avoid the mistakes I made during my 9k run earlier last week. This morning I woke up and ate an entire banana a good half hour before my run. I took my water bottle with me and it looked rather ideal.

To be honest it rather was for the first half hour but around the 7k mark my knee started aching. Like shooting pain. So I stopped and stretched my leg out for a bit and I realised I could easily keep going. My wall hit me the second I crossed the 8.8k mark. I immediately felt drained but I figured I had already completed so much might as well go the distance. That last 1k was weird. Because I stopped for a few minutes after 10k and stretched a bit but when I started running again both my knees and my legs felt like they were on fire for about 15 seconds and then it became alright again. This muscle strain is definitely making my life miserable.

I stretched the moment I got back home (about four to five minutes after the run) and had a bowl of rice and curd and a glass of banana milkshake. To be honest, the rest of my body is just fine. A bit battered but perfectly fine because I took in proteins and carbs and immediately fueled my body. But my knee? Well I was in pain for at least 3 hours after the run and right now my right knee feels brittle. I am off to physiotherapy when I am done with work and hopefully it sorts out.

I need a foam roller this very second! But other than that I am excited. I am going to cross train tomorrow and either Saturday or Sunday I am repeating another 11k. My goal for next Wednesday/Thursday is 13k and then the Chennai Half marathon. I want to log in at least two weeks of 15k next month before scaling up again. I want to do a couple of 19/20k runs before Kaveri and I sincerely hope my knee does not let me down.

Happy running! And there is no greater feeling than finishing a run and knowing you did your best.