Struggle to get fit for TMM 2021

After consulting Dr P - head of sport ortho at Sparsh hospital on 13th May restarted cycling with a 50m/12K  ride on 15th May. After couple of weeks of ankle and hip mobilisation excercises restarted running on 3rd June after a long break of 10 weeks - the previous run was on 17th March.  Starting with a 32 min /4Km run  scaled up to 17Km over 4 weeks. While cycling even up to 30Kms did not stress the ankle much the running has been a real struggle. Though running slow (usually between 6 and 6:30/km pace) and despite weeks of ankle and hip related exercises the ankle hurt specially when running beyond 8-10Kms. It also seemed to swell quite a bit.

Desperate to try and address this I started focusing on improving cadence from about 159 strides/min to at least 166 strides using a metronome beat.  Along with this I also tried to  focus on the gait. However, it did not help at all. I felt I was not lifting my legs properly and was tending to shuffle at times.The cadence was also stuck mostly around 162 or so. It is as if I had forgotten the basics of running after doing it consistently for 20 years.  After a virtual strengthening and stretching session  with S the ankle feels better only to feel as bad during and post a run however short and slow it maybe. In order to minimise the variables I switched out of being a vegan to normal vegetarianism. Physically it has not yet made any difference though mentally I feel worse. 

To make matters worse dengue forced me to lay off from all exercise for  2 weeks + in the second half of September. On resuming running from 28th September the ankle discomfort  and swelling manifested itself even in a 3Km/21m run. With TMM 2021  just 3.5 m away it is going to be a real challenge to get fit enough to run the marathon virtually to keep my streak going. At this point in time running a full marathon distance looks dauntingly impossible. The only 20K+ since TMM was in March and have struggled through only one run greater than 15Km since then. 

Based on the advise of Dr P of Sparsh I plan to consult the sports ortho Dr H this week and see if any further investigation is needed to determine the cause of the ankle swelling. Though Dr P feels confident about his diagnsosis of Peroneal tendonitis, he suggested further consultation and investigation to rule out anything else before scaling up the training for the marathon in January.Whatever the outcome , I am determined to run/walk the distance come what may. 

Longest layoff from running

I had to stay off from running for a few months , due to problem in my knees, after completing my first full marathon in Jan 2003. Since completing a half marathon in the first edition of Mumbai marathon in February 2004 I have been fortunate to be able to run pretty much continuously for 16 years till February 2020. Of course, its not that I did not have my share of periodic breaks due to  injuries. But usually the down time has not been for more than few weeks at a time and has of late been more to take a break between two seasons. Never have I had to layoff running for 3 months - my last run was on 16th March 2020. And as of now I am not sure when I will be able to resume. Hopefully it will be soon after I meet a physio in the next week or two.  Being completely off any form of excercise for so long is a real bummer specially when one has more time available. The continuing dull pain in and around the right ankle, pain in both quads and right glutes after sitting in one place for more than 30-45m is worrying to say the least. Not being able to consult anyone about it due to the Covid19 lockdown is very frustrating. It is causing a tremendous psychological and mental stress and driving me insane . And on top of it despite trying to maintain a fairly controlled diet the weight has gone out of control. It has steadily gone up to touch 58Kg now and I can clearly sense the increased fat around my waist . The weight is as high as it has ever been in the last 10 years or so. Need to ensure that it does exceed 60Kgs at any cost. Else it will be a huge challenge to bring it back down to the optimum of around 55Kg. 

Need to be optimistic that this too will pass and I will get over the current injury woes in time to be able to run the Mumbai marathon in January 2021. 

Grounded Covid19 or not...

This is not about Covid19 that has grounded over half this planet's population in their homes and brought the global economy to a staggering halt. In fact one blessing of the current situation could have been to be able to go outside early morning and run or cycle in the empty roads and enjoy the fresh air(though a voilation of the quarantine rules , it could not really have harmed anyone or me to be outdoors alone between 5:45 and 6:45am in rural Bangalore). Unfortunately, even before the national lockdown I had to stop  running due to pain in the right ankle and swelling around it. A slow 8Km(47min) in the weed strewn 'track' of Malhar on 17th March was my last run. I also cut down on the strengthening and stretching regimen to a bare minimum sustenance level- to those those did not impact the ankle or calf.  Subsequently, due to the persistence of intermittent ankle pain, I stopped ALL excercise from April 1. The hope is that 10-15 days of complete rest will help overcome the issue. This has added to the challenges of staying sane and managing weight while being home bound 24 x 7.

The irony is that I stopped all cardio excercises barely ten days after putting down some tentative goals for the 2020-21 season. Depending on how the suppression of the virus proceeds over the next few weeks many of these events are likely to be rescheduled or cancelled. So this is probably not a bad season to focus on first recovering from the current ankle issue  and then building strength from glutes upwards (all the way till the upper shoulder). In any case as of now all bets are off for participating in events this season.  The plan now is to get a MRI done as soon as normalcy returns and then go from there. If the injury does get managed by the August/September timeframe then one can look at targeting a reasonable FM finish  at TMM in  January 2021 and then race for a sub 3:47 in Delhi in February 2021. Dream on!!!

Goals for 2020-21 season

Plagued by injuries the last few years, the long term running goals have been sliding out further and further into the future. The last several years I have been starting the season with a break from long distance running and focus on strengthening and rehabilitation. This year also the plan is similar - to consult a physio to address the long festering issues of stress in the quads, numbness in the left sole and inflammation in the right ankle(bothering me since November 2019). The goal was to just maintain base fitness with slow runs not exceeding 21Km and no interval or tempo runs and a weekly mileage of 35-40Km.  Started sessions with with Aashish Kusswaha of IMSMTC in Nagarbhavi from 29th Feb. Unfortunately, post that there has been further setback with increased inflammation of the right ankle as well a catch in the lower back resulting in complete rest from all execrcise for some time.

Hoping that I recover from the injuries by April end or so,  following is a very tentative plan for this running season. 

2nd August 2020  - Airtel Hyderabad marathon

9th August 2020  - Bangalore 10K challenge

October 2020 - HM at Bangalore marathon or Airtel Delhi half marathon

17th Januar 2021 - Tata Mumbai marathon

February 2021  - IDBI Delhi marathon

3 FMs for the year is probably way too ambitious given how the past few years have been. The 10th edition of Hyderabad marathon is tempting as I have very fond memories of it and it has been a while. I am targeting to  race hard and try and BQ at the IDBI Delhi marathon in Feb 2021.  Have slotted the Airtel Delhi Half in October yet again to get familiar with the course. If I decide (again) not to travel all the way to Delhi  then the HM  at the Bangalore marathon is an alternate option.

Apart from injury free running another important factor is to  zoom in on a new pair of running shoes as the new Brooks Ghost 10 seems too heavy and does not seem to be working for me. And last but not least, all going well,  will work towards reduction of the extra weight of 2.5/3 Kgs to get closer to optimal performance weight of 55Kgs by June end.  

The Mumbai streak continues....

The annual visit to Mumbai to run the marathon on the 3rd Sunday of Jan was a good change from the hectic activities related to the wedding that was the focus of all energies since Dec 2019. The race itself was nothing to write home about. After the ankle injury in early November ,which further jeopardised my faltering training,I had reconciled myself to running TMM without any timing goal and just completing it in reasonable shape. With a per km pace mostly between 6:15 and 6:30 I completed my 15th consecutive FM in Mumbai in 4:33 - running the last 4 Kms quite strong. In hindsight, could have pushed a bit betwen 15 and 25Km  for a sub 4:30 finish.  However, glad to have made it to the start line despite injuries and happy to have finished in a reasonable shape.

As in 2019, again I drove to the airport on 18th Jan morning picking up Chandru and Pankaj enroute.  

As usual bumped into several runners at Bangalore airport as well as on the flight. After collecting the bib and taking photos with a few runners at the very crowded expo a bunch of us headed to Rajwada Thal for a Rajasthani thali lunch. (My 2nd consecutive year of lunching here).

After meeting a friend and her husband at Smokehouse Deli near by I reached Hotel Fortune around 7PM.  Met with another bunch of runners over (vegan pizza) dinner at Bezos in Colaba.

Slept from about 10PM to 3:30am Though the room was a bit small the hotel overall was better than New Bengal where we stayed in 2019. Bunch of us left the hotel for Azad maidan at about 4:35am.

This year I did not carry a bag with me for check-in at the baggage counter - probably for the first time ever in Mumbai. Usually I wear a windsheeter or full sleeve shirt which I keep in the check-in bag along with my phone and sandals to change into after the race.  I decided to run with the phone - again a first ever for Mumbai. After quick pictures with D and Monappa and Nitin(outside the TCS tent) I headed to the start line via the holding area around 5:10am.

With no specific race strategy in mind (except to get to half way point in about 2:10 or so) I started at a slow pace with the intention of running with Pankaj and Prateek. Ended up staying just ahead of them till about the sea link after which they slowed down further. So we never met on the course.  Ran with  Chandra Kumar for sometime betwen Km 8 and 14 till I decided to stop at a Sulabh to take a leak. Had Rishi and Amrita for company for a bit on the sea link. Post that I pretty much ran alone.

The first half at 2:18 was about 10 minutes slower than planned . This meant I had more energy for the second half which was 3 minutes faster. Felt reasonably comfortable while going over the Peddar road flyover and the return stretch on Marine drive despite the increasing temperature. Overall the weather was quite ok with moderate temperature and below par humidity level.

Happy to have completed  the racewithout stretching myself too much. The post race refereshment was quite pathetic. After a quick shower at the hotel and lunch at Pancharatna near by headed to the airport early.

It was close to 10PM by the time I got home after dropping Pankaj at UB city - fortunate enough to have made a successful trip for the seventeeth year in a row!!