TMM 2023 - Targeting the slowest ever FM finish

Ending the year 2022 with mixed feelings and more than the usual share of anxiety leading upto TMM 2023. On the one hand,  looking forward to experiencing the buzz , energy and comraderie at India's largest marathon event in 3 weeks from now, after a break of 3 years. On the other hand ,for the first time in 20 years of long distance running,  I am apprehensive as to  whether I would be able to cross the FM finish line (for the 16th time  in Mumbai) or return with my 1st DNF at this event(2nd ever at a FM event).  The reason being  Neurogenic claudication (the loss of neural co-ordination between the brain,spine  and the leg ) that I have been diagnosed with , after 6 visits to the physio clinic , an MRI and a doppler test in consultation with an ortho and neurosurgeon. Due to these visits to Dr G, I am considerably under prepared for a marathon with just 2 runs of 32Km+ vis-a-vis the usual 4-5 in a training cycle. And neither of these runs went too well. One was a 3:36 min, 32K at the end of November and the other a 3:59 min, 34K yesterday. Both these runs went reasonably ok till about 25K (at average pace of 6:30/K). Post that the left glutes pain and the left foot heaviness resulted in significant drop in pace. Yesterday's run was compounded by severe cramps in the right quads  - something that rarely happens during my runs. 

I am hoping that the expereince of running so many marathons, the adrenaline of a big race and proper pacing (6:30/Km in the 1st half and around  7/Km thereafter ) should enable me to finish the race in about 5 hours - my slowest ever FM finish.

TMM 23 training in the doldrums

 A year ago this time I was training to run a sub 4:10 at Goa River marathon in Dec 2021. I ended up running it in a disappointing  4:27:43 though the training went reasonably well.  I ran a similar below par  time at the York marathon in May 2022 . Based on the way the training for TMM 23 is going ,  I would be super thrilled  to be able to run it in any  time close to 4:30 or even 5:00.  

The season did not start well.After start/stop training in August and September I managed my first 20K+ run in 3months on 8th Oct with a 2:17/21.1K at the end of which I felt quite good. This kindled hopes of being able to do 4 32K+ runs before Mumbai on 15th Jan 2023.  That looks impossible now -  the 20K+ runs of last weekend and today were unmitigated disasters - I had anyway given up on run pace and was focused only on increasing the distance of the long run. However, fell well short of the target distance(28K and 30K respectively  )  in both runs. Today's a 3:08/27.2Km  was a major struggle , physically with  pain in the left glutes, numbness/heaviness in the left foot and stress in both glutes while running up gradients  , and  mentally deflating (due to the  physical woes compounded by bad roads with puddles of water and traffic). So much so that for the first time ever  a self doubt has crept in as to whether I would be able to run/walk  the FM in Jan 2023 in the stipulated 6hrs time and that I may be better off downgrading to a HM or not going to Mumbai at all. 

Both these options would break my FM streak at Mumbai(15 and counting) and  are depressing. What baffles me is  the root cause of these issues despite my minimal running of not more than 40-50Km per week and significant investment in strength training . Rather than just a weak muscle or tendon I am beginning to suspect something deeper such as an issue with the spine(Dull pain and curvature in the lower back on getting up after sitting for a while could be a pointer to this). Despite the motivation being at the lowest ebb at the moment I hope to  soldier on after consultations with the Physio G and perhaps also a sports ortho. Keeping fingers crossed for the best case scenario of being able to get in two (quality?) 32K+ runs across November and December. 

Another dreadful start to the running season

 Some injury or the other has plagued me every year since 2013/2014 . Due to this there have been very few satisfactory full marathon runs in the last 8 years or so. In the 7 marathons since Jan 2017 I have managed only one sub 4(TMM 2019) , one sub 4:10 and all other being slower than 4:25 due to one injury or another . And the struggle to have an injury free running season continues. Rather have not even been able to start training this season . Ran the York marathon in May  with a right glutes issue(possibly piroformis) and right shoulder pain that have been hampering me since March 2022 . A hip/groin  strain got added soon after I started to re-build base mileage in June end .  Took all of July off from running and cycling and consulting G. With his exercises,  the right glutes got better . However, soon after I restarted running the left glutes started paining - varying between  acute pain when running and dull pain when not doing anything. Even brisk walking was not comfortable. Therefore based on G's advise I am off from running again and just focused on strength exercises.  Last year when I managed to run 63Km and cycle 126Km in a week I had decided to try and replicate something similar every year during the same period. Instead I ended up unable to do any cardio at all.

Hoping to resume in a week or so. With TMM 2023 now 4.5 months away I need to build some mileage and target a at least one  32K+ run every month starting Sept. Only after the first such long run I can decide what time goal to target in TMM 2023, if any. 

York Marathon

 Three weeks ago, on 15th May, I crossed the finish line of an FM or Ultra for the 55th(*) time at the York, marathon and half marathon ,PA in 4:27:33. It was in line with my expectations based on the struggle of the 34K run in Bangalore 3 weeks prior to the event.  I started the training cycle in January with a target of 4:10 and quite stupidly switched to a plan for 4:00 in Feb and struggled to hit the goal in all 3 runs in any of the weeks. April was even worse probably caused by a sciatic nerve after the solo drive from Tirunelveli on 30th March. Due to this and the plans for travel and sightseeing in the 2 weeks prior to the event I abandoned any timing goal and decided to enjoy the race and complete it between 4:15 and 4:30.  I managed to get in some training runs during the week of 2nd May and 9th May in Arizona and NY respectively. Also did quite a bit of walking/hiking  in Bryce canyon national park, Grand Canyon , Sedona, and Flagstaff.   Fell a couple of times during these runs - tripping on the uneven footpath of Tempe, Arizona, and gathering some skin scrapes on the legs and hands, slipping on the pathway in  Bushmaster Park in Arizona. Did some of these runs without my Garmin 310XT device as it started taking an enormous amount of time to catch the GPS satellite. And just before the race the Garmin strap broke - so I hardly looked at it during the race. (normally during a long run or race I try and adjust my pace based on the cumulative average pace ). Though I turned on the Garmin and ran with it in my pocket the race data did not get recorded in the device(or maybe I inadvertently deleted it when fiddling with it to fix the data upload issue post the race). So I was glad that I carried my phone in the race and turned on the Racejoy application suggested by the race organiser . This is the first event that I ran with a headphone listening to the audio of an edition of The Economist magazine.

(* the 55 finishes include 6 RFL-supported runs during the 12 marathons in 12 months spree in 2008-09 and a solo self-supported marathon during Covid-19 in May 2021.  )

The 350Km drive from Brooklyn to York on Friday 14th, May took about 8 hours with a couple of breaks including  3 hours in Jim Thorpe enroute.  We checked into our Airbnb around 6PM. On 15th morning walked down to the YMCA building close by and collected the bib. There was hardly any buzz about the race in the area - just a handful of runners who had come to collect their bibs. 

Walked to the beginning of the Heritage railroad trail after collecting the bib. While the route was very green it did not look as flat as I had expected.  

After walking around downtown York and taking in the various plaques with nuggets of American history ,ate pizza on a bench along the trail and returned to the Airbnb. Decided not to do any sightseeing that afternoon and relaxed in the room. Had early'ish dinner at Hamir's Indian fusion restaurant. 

Went to bed around 10:15 and woke up at 5am after a reasonably restful night. After imbibing the usual banana(large one) , almonds, and pumpkin seeds left for the start point at 5:55am. The first of the runners were to start at 6am and my slot to start was 6:30. It was a partly cloudy morning with a  temperature of around 15c The start area was low-key with a bunch of runners warming up, few spectators, and not much other activity - the dullest I have experienced in an official event. After warming up and using the porto loo , turned on the racejoy app and started the race a little after 6:20am. 

Ran the first mile quite fast in less than 9 minutes - the half-mile road part was all downhill. The trail had several gradual gradients especially when crossing the railway track. I ran at a pace of between 6 and 6:15 per Km completing the first half in about 2:09 at a pace of 9:49/mile(6:05 per km). The trail was lush green, slushy in parts due to overnight rain. Encountered light drizzle on and off.   One or more runners were in sight most of the time though I ran alone throughout(again a first that I hardly chatted with any runner before, during or after the race) . There was a mile marker every mile and an aid station every 2 miles. Though there were volunteers at most turns/vantage points I did get baffled with the route at one point and almost made a wrong turn. The Racejoy application called out my mile splits , cumulative pace and expected finished time which started with 3:54 at the end of the first mile and then moved from  4:05 to  4:15 for the first half and then upwards of 4:20 on the last 10Km. The kudos sent thru the app by various family members and the 3 songs were welcome motivators.  As usual, the pace dropped quite steadily between 6:20 and 6:40  after 25Km. Managed the 2nd half in about 2:20 at an average pace of 10:36 per mile or 6:35/Km to finish at an overall pace of 6:20 per Km. Pretty much the same pace as the Goa river marathon in Dec 2021 which had a much tougher route and higher  humid conditions. 

The post-race snacks were nothing to write home about - chocolate milk, potato chips, pretzels, apple etc. Foam rolled and stretched on an exercise mat in the finish area for a few minutes before walking back to the room. Overall happy to have completed my 10th international full marathon - 8th one in the US (others: New Jersey marathon twice, Richmond marathon, Suntrust Washington marathon, Hartford marathon, Boston marathon, Western pacific marathon)  in spite of injury woes, below par training, and the travel/sightseeing before the race.  Based on the recovery runs so far, including the slow 21K on 4rth June will need to get my right hip/sciatic issue fixed before getting into the next training cycle to target a sub 4:15! 

Training woes continue

 There has barely been a week, in the last 6 weeks of training, when all 3 runs have gone as per plan. Intervals have always been a challenge. However, in the past I have usually comfortably met the timing goals of the tempo and long runs. However, now I am having trouble with all three runs . Probably the body is taking much longer to recover whether from a lower back strain(due to which I lost a week of training in March) or a run workout.  A 32Km run was planned for today at MP+9 pace. However by Km 10 my pace started slowing considerably and I just did not feel comfortable in the run and abandoned it after 25K at 6:31/km pace.  I have not done a 32Km run since 19th Feb - the longest such gap when training for a marathon. I managed a 30K on 6th March and 31K on 26th March. It looks like the long (550Km) drive back from Tirunelveli on 30th March has adversely affected my right glutes and right sciatic nerve.  My self confidence for the race on 15th May is very low - apprehensive  whether I would have the physical and mental energy to  be able to complete it . I need to ensure a reasonable 32-35K run on 24th April to build back the confidence . And bank on cooler weather and flat course to finish in a reasonable time!

Feb training struggles

 Lot of eating and drinking and several late nights , due to the visits of R and U and celebrations galore, derailed my marathon training quite a bit last month. While the weekly mileage was more or less ok, there was hardly any week in which all 3 training runs(interval, tempo and long run) went to plan. Switching from a goal of  4:10  to a more aggressive sub 4 , periodic GI issues and the couple of added kilos also contributed to this. The long runs went as per plan but the intervals and tempos were below par. Have always found intervals to be tough but the tempo runs have usually not been a problem.  My legs were just not moving fast enough resulting in mental weakness as well at times. Planning to make a couple of changes for the next few weeks:

- take  two days off between the run workouts - this may require converting some of the long runs to shorter easy runs

- do the intervals in the Ramohalli layout or the tracks in Bangalore university

The other option I considered is to do one of either intervals or tempo runs in a week, that is , alternate between these two. However,  the long runs being fairly on track with focus being to improve pace  decided on the above approach. If the above changes do not help then I may consider doing fartleks instead of intervals .  These and the tempo run all are supposed to help with speed and endurance.

Though training with  the 4 hr plan  for the York Marathon in York, PA on 15th May would be happy if I can finish in 4:10 or even 4:15. 

Meanwhile the Delhi marathon that was postponed from 27th February is now scheduled for 27th March. As it is supposed to be a flat, fast course where I am hoping to do a sub 4 in Feb 2023 I am tempted to run this year to get familiar with the route.  Will need to decide in the next couple of weeks.

2022 plan

 2022 has started badly for physical races due to ongoing 3rd wave(omicron) of the pandemic. For the 2nd consecutive year Tata Mumbai Marathon is not being held on the usual 3rd Sunday of January. The 2021 edition did not happen. Hopefully the event will happen later this year. I am planning to target my BQ in 2023 at Delhi and towards this was keen to run the event this year to get a feel for the flat course and the weather. However the event has been postponed from its scheduled date of 27th February. I am now training to run in the US in May as part of a 4-5 weeks holiday there(pandemic situation allowing). The two marathons that I am looking at are the Potomac River Marathon in Washington DC on 1st May and York YMCA marathon and half marathon in York, PA. Both of them are small marathons with less than 1000 runs and both are mostly trail. Of the two York seems slightly better  - however it will be in the middle of the trip and so the legs wont be as fresh. Still I am leaning towards and will target a sub 4:15 time. Other than this the year is pretty much open ended. Assuming races restart  I will target a sub 4:05 in one  towards the end of the year. 

2021 : Come back year

After lowest ever mileage of 870Km last year , 2021 was a good come back year with approximate running and cycling mileage of over 1500Km each. My TomTom GPS watch went belly up in early November and the Garmin 310XT that I have been using since then is not uploading my workout data as the Ant+ stick is not being recognized by the PC. Given that I restarted longer distances in November 2020 and was still in base building phase, I was happy that TMM 2021 got rescheduled to May 30th and began training for it. Due to the 2nd wave of the covid pandemic Procam announced the postponement of the race in the 2nd half of April and given the situation they could not give a concrete date.  Since I was anyway on a training schedule for May end I ran a slow self supported marathon on 23rd May. After this the focus shifted to increasing pace with the first goal being a sub 2 hr half marathon and then eventually a sub 4 hr marathon. I achieved the former on 14th August. (Sub 4 hr marathon got pushed to 2022). In the following week I achieved my highest ever mileage of cycling and running combined clocking about 200Km over 7 days(63K running and 128K cycling). Was happy to end the year with a full marathon at Goa on 12th Dec though falling far short of target time . Was fairly consistent with strength training 5-6 days a week - 3 days of virtual training with personal trainer S, 2 days in the gym for UB and LB strengthening and a day of resistance training with therabands. Body weight wise started the year at about 59Kg and ended at around 56.5Kg with quite a bit of fluctuation between 55 and 57.5 on a day to day basis. 

Overall a satisfying year with the peroneal tendonitis issue  hopefully put to rest on which to build on in 2022 towards a possible BQ  in 2023!!