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!

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. 

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.

A good day

Yesterday was a very good day. No...I did not run pain  free. In fact I did not run at all. But I cycled for close to 20kms and spent the whole day with runners and those adapting a healthy lifestyle and it was great. Morning I woke up late and biked about 7kms from Jayanagar to Koramangala for a special vegan buffet lunch that had been organised for runners by a runner. I spent hours there with my friend Radha (who has recently turned vegan) and tried everything from almond and cashew milk, to vegan cheese and even had some vegan pizza. Good think I had cycled my way to the lunch cause there is no way I would have worked out those calories otherwise :P

Then I biked another 10k right after lunch to IIM Bangalore where a movie was screened for runners called Unbreakable. It was the story of ultra runners and how they conquer the incredibly difficult Western States 100 where they have to run a 100 miles through a mountain terrain. Watching it I certainly felt a little dumb about complaining about my IT Band problems after only having run 20k! But then it was also terribly inspirtational. I biked home another 5km after that and I was really pooped. Did I mention it had also rained cats and dogs in Bangalore yesterday which meant I was very wet for a lot of the time?

But that said I had a brilliant day. My cardio was taken care of as well as my cross training. I stretched religious and today I went to the gym without complaining and finished the whole routine without any knee pain. Am going to test my leg left on Sunday. Which means more stretching today and tomorrow no matter what. As well as another round of gymming tomorrow. I can't wait for this weekend cause Arsenal plays its first game of the season! And next week I will be jetting off to Hyderabad for the Hyderabad Marathon. So am finishing this week in no pain and plenty of hope. Keep running and stay safe. 

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.

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! :)

Ran 9.5k!

Today was both a great day and a bad day for me. How you ask? I did not want to run and hence got bored of it after crossing 28 minutes. It was also the day when I had decided to run 9k. So you can imagine how terrible the next half hour was spent. I just kept mentally pushing myself until the run became as natural as sleeping.

The weird thing is that I started feeling some pain around 15th minute and that came and went throughout the run. My right knee when adjusted felt okay enough for me to keep running but from 35th minute to the 45th minute it felt like my knee was strapped to weights because it felt brittle and hard.

But the last 15 minutes was fine. This is the longest I have run since April and while that may not seem like much, my body and my muscles have gotten used to not running that distance and hence protested a bit. Rest of the day has been quite tiring and I have been sooooo hungry. I had snacks and biscuits to keep me going through the day. To be honest I want to curl up and sleep right now but I can't. I have to work. Tomorrow I get my ass to the gym and work on my core. Today I just have to resign myself to the fact I look and feel like death warmed over...(I am laughing right now cause I know I sound uber dramatic).

I need to figure out a more potent diet to keep me going maybe even look into supplements to keep the energy up because next week is me doing a couple of 11ks. This Sunday again I am going for another 10k run.

And  my knee? Well, the pain keeps coming and going but my right knee has taken it better than it ever has in a long long time. I am extremely optimistic because of just that. I am excited for July 7th when my body would have completely gotten used to running more than 10k and hence the 10k run itself will hopefully feel like a walk in the park. Alright guys. I am off now. I have work and that's not stopping for anyone.

Happy running and happy feet to you all!

Running a lot lately

Today was a good day. Actually it's been a good week. Even though I took a good two full days off and did zilch on Friday and Saturday, this week was really good. Because on Thursday I logged in 6.6k in 45 minutes. I started feeling pain at around 23 minute mark but it was really manageable. I was however in pain by the 35th minute. I however finished the run and never stopped to walk. I stretched in between but I could run.

But by the time I made it home, despite the stretching my right knee was in pain - manageable but very much existent. So I went to the gym where my physiotherapist stretched my right leg so badly that I was nearly crying at the end of it. But my leg felt so much lighter by the end of it! Not going to lie though that last stretch that he had me do (he lifted my leg up in the air and twisted my ankle outwards and pushed my leg further up), was pure agony and I actually screamed out loud.

But no pain no gain unfortunately and by the next day I was fine. But since I was living in the land of comic books and comic book movies, I ditched Friday AND Saturday. So this afternoon I felt really guilty. So I put on my running shoes and went out running. Here's this great thing I have recently discovered. There is a relatively straight road right outside my house and the road runs exactly 1.1km (actually it is little bit more but it's just a few extra metres). So when I do one round (which is running it back and forth) I complete 2.2kms. So I run 3 rounds today and came to 6.6km again. And the best part? My knee pain did not kick in until 30 minutes into the run and even then whenever I adjusted my feet, it went away! So I finished that run in 42.46 minutes and figured I might as well go for a run inside my apartment complex to round up to an even 7k. In the end I ended up doing 7.1km in 46.29 minutes. And I stretched and while I did experience that horrible pain shooting up my right knee, it was not excruciating like it usually is. And in about two hours it also went away!

I can definitely feel my leg getting better and stronger. By the end of this week, I am going in for 9k and now I know I can do it without causing myself too much pain. I really feel like I am going to do 21k come September. I am happy. We need to treasure the good days when they come along and really really appreciate them. I am off to stretch now again before sleeping and tomorrow is gym. Back to the grind and I would not have it any other way. Happy running!

Surya Namaskara

If anyone knows how to execute the Surya Namaskar (and there are so many good instructional videos out there on Youtube), then I would say that it is the perfect warm up and stretch before running (that is if you don't have any injuries. I have to stretch quite substantially because of my knee problem).

I have always noticed that doing Surya Namaskar more than once actually gets my heart rate up and not just that, it's one quick fix to stretching your calves, your thigh muscles, your arms, your back and your core.

So basically it goes without saying it's my favourite form of workout on days I just don't feel like working out too much. And you don't use any other weights except for your body weight. Once I did the Surya Namaskar just four times but I was actually not only sweating but also sore everywhere (especially my arms).

Here is a great photo I found online that perfectly describes all the poses. My favourite one? You guessed it - the groundhog pose (number 5 on the photograph). It is so amazing on your calves. But honestly if you do this a couple of times before your run, you have stretched most of your core muscles and you end up burning calories and you are warm too. Win win as far as I am concerned. It may not be a traditional form of stretching but depending on how long you hold each pose, you can either elevate your heart rate (by transitioning really fast from one pose to the next) or you can give yourself a nice relaxing stretch by going slowly and feeling each and every one of your muscles truly stretch. Yoga rocks B-)

 

Some great stretches (video)

Great stretches before running (Livestrong instructional video on stretching. Click on this link!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcda3dlOd5U



Here is a video that I absolutely love. Although the last couple of years have made me really hate Lance Armstrong, no one can deny the great work done by the Livestrong website. I am on it pretty much whenever I am free and online. It provides great advice and keeps you motivated on the tough days (yesterday was particularly bad for me because knee pain came back with a force. This muscle is starting to piss me off officially). Anyway this is a great Youtube video that all you beginners can latch onto. These are some great and yet basic stretches you can do before running.

My favourite? Well, it's the groundhog. It stretches your calf so well, that you won't be in the danger of twisting your knee muscles any time soon. Here's hoping I am perfectly fine before July and happy running you guys :)

Running without pain is heavenly

Today was the first day in months I was able to run over 30 minutes and boast no pain at the end of it. Am not saying I am cured or that my knee pain will never be an issue ever again (oh how I wish that were true) because obviously this is a long road but it felt amazing to run 31 minutes on the treadmill and clock just over 4km.

I could have run more but then I didn't want to tempt the running gods. But I keep thinking what a difference a week in my life has made. Last week before the therapy had begun I was running but was in such pain that if I ran 25 minutes, the rest of the day and a half would have been a nightmare. This week I felt like I could keep on running. So what's different?

Warming up!
I warmed up well in advance. Before my actual run I walked from my home to the gym at a brisk pace for about 7 minutes. This meant that when I stretched before the run, my muscles were warm and ready to listen to my commands.

Be in the moment
I was very aware of the rhythm of my legs. While I was still hooked onto my music system, I also knew that I was putting more or less equal pressure on my right leg and my left leg. The thumping sound was even and I was not dragging one over the other. My right knee was very thankful today that I didn't ask the poor thing to take all the weight.

Core action
Here's something you can all do if you aren't doing it anyway. Make sure your arms and your stomach also come for the run. What do I mean when I say that? Well I have learnt that posture is everything, so I pull my core and straighten my back when I go for a run these days. And as for my arms, I keep them bent and close to my stomach and I move my arms side to side.

So these are the things I have learnt so far. My next goal is to push for 40 minutes and see where it takes me. Happy running :)

Getting impatient

Today I don't care I am going to run for 30 minutes at least. Will do it in my gym later tonight (been working from early morning!) and I am going to make sure I don't "drag" my right foot while running. It's such a pain to teach yourself to run all over again but annoyingly I keep putting more pressure on my right leg than my left which is why I have gotten into trouble now. But today am just going to focus on the beat on my own running and going to make sure that when I am running, I am going to be equal weight on both my feet and knees. Will update later on whether or not my pain reared its ugly head. Ta!

Why I HATE Turbo Fire and still try it sometimes

I have no qualms in admitting that in my journey to finding a fit and healthy lifestyle, I have always sought the help of workout videos. While I am a fan of workout videos by Jillian Michaels (who isn't?), I regret the day I tried out TurboFire by Chalene Johnson. It's one of the most annoying and irritating programmes ever and if you are not careful, you will like me throw out your back!

I was very excited when I first got hold of the series and thought it would be great. Chalene Johnson is a smart and very peppy instructor and you instantly like her. But the problem is that she is not a very good instructor. I made one of the biggest mistakes when I tried out one of her videos called Fire 45. It's supposed to be a straight up cardio workout where you end up burning a ton of calories. But I found it plain annoying and it ended up seriously hurting my back that months later am still struggling.



Cons:

Johnson's instructions are just not good enough and while she is very upbeat, what's good about a great attitude when your cues are terrible? There were just times when she would just start a whole new routine and I would have no way of knowing how to do it. Why is this a problem? Because when you don't know how to position yourself and how to properly execute a routine, you end up hurting your body. Simple.

There were just times when I was really bored with the workout. I mean sure you spend a lot of time continuously on your feet and you are active but most of the time I was gaping around wondering what in the hell's name I was doing and how that could possibly help me.

The worst is how there are SO MANY exercises that have you hitting the ground. It's annoying and it's how I ended up hurting my back.

But if it works out for someone, I am happy for them but honestly I don't see any good reason why anyone would want to spend two to three months following a programme where the instructor does not take the time to instruct.

But even though I hate the Fire programmes, there are a few videos I really like about this workout and which is why I have not deleted it from my hard-drive forever.

What I like:
It has an amazing 10 minute stretch routine and an even better 40 minute stretch routine. So if you are in the mood to do long and soothing yoga poses and stretches, then this is heaven. But you must take time to review the video much before you attempt it, so you know what you are getting into.

Another set of videos I quite like are the HIIT videos (High Intensity Interval Training).
You get to choose from 15 minute HIIT video, 20 minutes, 25 and 30 minute HIIT videos. These are fun, heart pumping, cardio exercises. What I like about them apart from the fact you are done in no time is the fact you spend one minute learning the routine. Then you blast that routine in high speed and high intensity for a minute or more. Then you take a break for 45 seconds to one minute. So you are constantly getting breaks, getting good cues and you are still burning calories. I still would much rather do an Insanity video rather than TurboFire but if you have to do it, then I recommend just sticking to stretching and the HIIT videos. They are fun.

Happy running (btw no workout is ever going to be as fun for me as a good healthy run).

Gymming!

So my physiotherapy has started and oh my god I did not know how completely out of shape I was until my first day of gym/physiotherapy. I mean yeah I can run for as long as I want (I cap out at 76 minutes when there is no knee pain but that's relatively good right?) but I have never paid attention to my shoulders, my core and my hands.

BIG MISTAKE!

Turns out runners in general tend to tighten their muscles because of all that running and because of that it's imperative that we "service" our entire bodies the way we service say our cars. My physiotherapist/trainer said that when you go running, it's not just your legs that are invited to party but also your hands, your arms and most importantly your core.

So in the last couple of days I have been made to do a TON of stretches (the ones focussing on my right thigh just about kill me) and doing a lot of exercises that focus on the arms and back and of course my stomach.

What's weird is that I have lost weight. Hear me out. It's not like I am a supermodel but my body has sorta settled down to its weight recently.

(Diverging but need to give my history - I put on a lot of weight early last year and in June 2012 I decided to take matters into my own hands and take up running again the way I used to when I was a teenager. Lost weight but hurt my knee and we are where we are right now).

In the last seven months I have gone from 132 pounds to 123 (last week) on my frame of 5'4. I have lost about four kilograms which is not bad. I have what you would call a totally average body shape. It's not skinny but am not fat either. And lately (although it does goes down when the stress goes up), my weight has settled between 125-123 pounds totally and I am fine with it. As long as I am fit and running, I am fine with my weight and I refuse to lose starve myself to fit someone else's ideal weight. (Also, how stupid is it to starve yourself when you should be adding up on the nutrients and the carbs to have enough energy to run? )

But in the past couple of days I have noticed that despite everything my weight has gone down by a bit and is threatening to do more than that in the weeks to come. But what's got my really happy is that my arms are slowly toning up and my core is getting streamlined. Once again I am not skinny but I can feel myself getting stronger and what I love about my gym is that no time during this week did any of the trainers say - "hey let's check your weight and see how much you have to lose". I would have lost it had it happened. My BMI is fine and I am fine the way I am. I want to get more fit and my goal is not weight loss and my doctor and the gym understand that. Which is why I am even more hopeful than ever that my dreams of running a marathon are not too far away!

P.S I know my last post was terribly depressing but I think one has to be honest about their own doubts and pitfalls and accept that life is not always about overcoming adversity but also admitting that  yeah...sometimes, shit happens. Happy running everyone and remember cross training is so important if you want to be a serious runner!