There is still some gas in the tank or is there?

 The 4 months since my last post have been characterised by a lot of self doubt and consultations with orthos/physios.   The knee X-ray done as part of the health checkup at Sparsh showed nothing abnormal except for age related wear and tear - perhaps a tad more on the right knee compared to the left. The NCS and US tests too did not reveal anything except that there could some degradation in the nerve signals going down to the foot on the left side. the  physio B  suggested mouthguards to correct misalignment in the jaw which apparently can cause imbalances in other muscles such as the hip.  In a desperate attempt to get out of the slump or else just hang up the shoes , spent quite a bit on two visits to a recommended  dentist in JP Nagar and, got the mouthguards done. They did'nt really help with the issue. Gave up on consulting physio B  - as did not really vibe with him, his way of working and lack of responsiveness. . In paralell I kept bugging R for a session. After considerable chasing managed a few sessions with him in May including one in-person.  Focusing diligently on his excercises with minimal running in June I managed a decent 10K after a long time in mid July. Followed that up with a 15K in July end and a 18K in early August- the longest run since TMM 2026. The 18K made me hopeful that there is still some gas in teh tank and I can manage a slow FM in Janaury if I can get in a couple of 32K runs leading up to it. Meanwhile, TMM 27 registrations opened on 31st July and despite the price hike from Rs 3600 to Rs 5000 all the spots got filled by 6th August. Fortunately, I saw the messages saying places were filling up fast and registered on 2nd August night while on travel in Tiruneleveli.  If I had waiting till my customer time of mid/late August I would have missed the boat. 

Based on discussions with R the tighness in the right hip and the hamstrings and glutes not firing possibly seem to be the root cause of my problems. Due to the tight hip flexor my cadence is a pathetic 156-160 vias-a-vis 170+.   This is causing pain below the right knee. Hoping to put in some regular sessions with R and work on correcting the issue sufficiently to be able to do a 5-5:30 FM in TMM 27. The quality of the runs is very variable - the 15K last Saturday was a a real struggle even at a 6:40 pace. The legs did not get the rhythm and the mind kept asking me to quit.  Making me question whether I had done the right thing by soldiering on for another TMM FM finish.   Life would definitely be less stressful and more relaxed if I had decided to  make peace with the end of my long distance running instead of trying to limp on for a few more years. Now having decided to go forward at least for this year,  it is critical (both from physical and mental points of view) to get a couple of  20K+ runs in before the next travel break in 2nd week of Sept.  The monthly mileage since TMM 26 is : Feb - 34Km, March - 74Km, April -24Km, May -83Km, June -15Km, July 72Km, August 110Km(estimated) . This is very low for someone purporting to run a marathon in 6 months. Cannot recollect when I have had a such long gap between two 20K+ runs (2024 being an exception). Nevertheless, hoping to repeat the success of 2025  with just 2 months (Nov and Dec) of over 150Km of monthly mileage. 

Probable end to long distance running?

 My ability to run any distance has really gone south - raising self doubt like never before. The last decent run was in the 1st week of Feb before the trip to Gujarat. Came back from that trip feeling sick from what turned out to be fairly severe viral pneumonia - body ache, fever , cold and cough that lingered on for 11 days. Whether due to the illness or not runs,  have not been the same ever since. None of the 10 or so runs since the last week of Feb  have been easy or enjoyable either physically or mentally . Almost every run felt like a chore with the struggle to get the rhythm going. Both the quads get stressed with the slightest of gradients , there is a low to moderate pain in the right knee/shin area and then the numbness in the left toes leading to progressive heaviness. All of this has caused a severe dip in my motivation to go for a run. While the heart wants to continue running and do a few more marathons the physical and mental battle every time one goes out to run has made even the night before the run stressfull (aka before an event where one is targeting a specific time)  with negative thoughts occupying the mind . Setting out half heartedly in the morning has not helped. Last Saturday I just quit after run/walk of 7km - it did not make sense to continue with an activity when the joy and satisfaction from the activity has completely gone. Decided to take a few weeks off from running  to make an all out attempt to get to the bottom of the issue(s) and get them fixed over April and May . Failing which one just needs to come to terms that running long distance is no longer for me and  focus on overall health, strength  and fitness. 

Am hoping the US and NCS tests suggested by the ortho Dr G of Nandi hospital will point to a neural issue (runners nueropathy) and then I can figure out how to reverse or manage it. Have been putting off doing these tests till after a full health checkup ( did that last week - all the markers are normal though the X-ray showed some wear and tear in the inner right knee-  around the VMO area ). If the US and NCS tests dont give any pointers then  the other options are to consult Dr G of Attitude Prime  or Dr B of activity heals and perhaps  gait analysis at Run Mechanics.  Hopefully restart  sessions with R who has been very busy the last month or so  - we have not engaged since early Jan. 

In the meantime , will continue with non running cardio (cycling/rowing/elliptical) and strength workouts with weights and  core workouts.  Perhaps I need to bring in more variation in my workouts with the help of a personal trainer  though  I doubt one can finding someone who is willing to come to the community where I live(PG). 

 

18th TMM Finish

 

Happy and grateful to have crossed the finish line at Mumbai for the 18th time on 18th Jan 2026 . It marked my return to marathon running after a gap of 23 months something that I was very keen to do - many including A recommended pushing it by another year.. I missed my target A (4:45) by a long margin and also target B(4:57). Nevertheless, proud and elated to finish in just under 5:05. Specially considering that , as late as July/August 2025, the rhythm of my runs was terrible making them quite unenjoyable and a chore. Anything beyond 10K felt challenging.  Dr. G ,whom I consulted at the end of July in desperation, directed me to work with R (A's ex- yoga instructor). Started working with R in the 1st week of August and the impact on my running rhythm became visible by August end. The HM at Bangalore on 21st September plus the visibly improving single leg calf raise on the left side gave me the confidence to increase the long run distance and enabled me to clock four 30K+ runs in November and December.  

The anxiety and nervousness in the lead up to the event grew due to the news of sudden negative turn of B's health in Hyderabad. After dillydallying on thursday, we cancelled the holiday in Maharashtra and replanned the travel on Friday. When we left for the airport at 830am on Sat the news from Hyderabad was not very good. As always the airport was teeming with runners heading to Mumbai. Chatted quite a bit with N till he boarded his flight. Also spoke to a couple fo young runners from Whitefield while waiting to board the Indigo flight. 

Reached around 12:15 and took a cab to Cafe Mysore in Kings circle Sion. Enjoyed catching up  with DD(who had collected my bib thereby helping me avoid the mad crowds at the expo on a Saturday afternoon), DM, V and M over  a meals lunch though the food was a bit on the spicier side for me( The Kesri helped me here). 

Got dropped at Ramee Guestline, Dadar by V around 3:30. Turned out that the Whitefield running gang was staying in the same hotel. The TMM legends were given two bibs one for the front with the rfid tag and another at the back - so that they could recognise each other on the route and also be recognised by other runners as legends. However, as there were insufficient no of safety pins I decided not to wear the bib at the back. While getting set for the morning I realised I had forgotten to carry either a cap or a bandana - dont remember the last time I raced without either. 

Walked across to Dadar station around 6 to checkout the train schedule to VT in the morning - there was some confusion whether it was ridiculously early at 2:40 or at 3:40. Went searching for bananas - surprisingly the market did not have veg and fruit seelers. Fortunately located a banana seller and bought 2 of the big bananas.  Bumped into Ramesh and Sneha of the Whitefield running group when walking back to the restaurant at the hotel and gatecrashed to join them for dinner. The dal kichdi was very tasty and not too spicy. It was nice to see so many young runners several of them debutting their HM or FM at Mumbai.  Was back in the room by 8:15. Talked to Ra and then to A, Ri and Su before lying down around 930 with an alarm for 215am (should have kept it for 230). Had an ok sleep. Got ready and left the hotel at 3:15 and was in the platform 5m later. The train arrived a little after 3:45am packed with runners so there was room for standing only. Several runers gawked at the '17 and running ' tagline on the bib specially a couple of debutants. Reached CST by 4:10 and after using the washroom walked across to Azad maidan and got in very smoothly ten minutes later. Moved towards the holding area around 4:40 after bit of warming up and using the port a potty. There was quite a bit of pushing and shoving at the entry which was common for Waves C and D. While waiting there too many negative thoughts went thru my mind probably driven by lesser sleep than usual and the situation in Hyderabad. I felt quite apprehensive of how it would go beyond 32K or so.  Unlike in the past years did not have to wait once we walked towards the start area. Waves A&B had taken off and we could start our race a little after 5:08. With possibly bulk of the runners in wave C&D and large no of finishers around the 5hr mark (see this analysis) I felt surrounded by crowds of runners throughout the race - more so in the 1st Km. Nevertheless, ran Km 1 in 6:30 which turned out to be among the fastest Km.

As per the official timing splits below I ran between 6:30 and 6:40 pace to reach 10Km in under 66 mins. Surprisingly, I did not feel like running up the Peddar road and walked a bit in Km 11 - I have never ever walked this early in a marathon. And then came the challenge of the gradual climb on the coastal road. Still managed to do the 1st half in 2:21 and get to Km 22 around 2:26 at an average of 6:42/Km. (I realised I should'nt have tinkered with the Garmin lap alert settings  - should have left it at lap pace rather than change it to average  pace).

Though the pace slowed considerably from Km 25 I hit 31K in a little after 3:30 - pretty much as per plan .  At this point something around 4:50 finish still looked feasible. However,  after that I expereinced cramps like never before. First the right quads and then the left quads and then the left hamstrings. Felt discomfort in one or more these for the remaining distance with the severe phases forcing me to walk . Consequently, the remaining Kms were slower than 6:55 pace with several over 7:30 and even going up to 9:11 on the Peddar road flyover. By now even a sub 5 looked challenging so I was in no state mentally to  push against the physical comfort and walked quite a bit even after the flyover - through  marine drive and  the home stretch to CST crossign the finish line in 5:04:10 (My Garmin showed the distance as 42.69Kms as did that of most runners). 

Total walk time of nearly 29 mins (almost 10% of the total time) was way higher than I had anticipated. Unable to pin point it to any single factor - weather was good, was hydrating constantly and had 3 energy gels (Km 11, 24 and 34) .  May need to rethink this and plan to consume a couple more in future races. Probably, I was not as mentally strong and positive as I should have been.  One of the handful of races that I ran with my phone but did not take any photos. Abandoned hearing 'The economist' podcast  as it was too noisy. Heard a few songs on Amazon music when it stopped abruptly. So I just removed the headphone and put it into my pocket. Overall, the race experience was great  with cheering and supportive spectators along most of the route. Always fun to observe other runners - the various T-shirts, brands of shoes,  causes they are running for etc. 

 At around 41st Km - PC NSP

The medals were handed out in the finish area itself rather than inside Azad maidan. By the time I entered the maidan it was hot and crowded. Collected the refreshments, stretched a bit, had the 3m MTR poha and then walked to CST.  Did not get to meet any known runner in the finish area . Nor did I see anyone enroute - I did chat with a few random runners though. Got a fast local and was back in the hotel room around noon tired but reasonably satisfied. Hope to continue to build strength and return with a sub 5 hr finish in 2027!!

Nervy countdown

 Seem to be as anxious and nervous as during the years when I had agressive time targets over 10 years ago. And this despite having run it 17 times and knowing the course quite well, the changes to the route this year notwithstanding. Both the mental and physical state has been swinging like a pendulum. With the main goal to finish and having run 4 30K+ runs I should be more confident and less worried  than I am. The last couple of runs have been below par. The niggles in the lower boady are . Slight burning along the left ITB/glutes (sciatic nerve pull?), discomfort in both quads, left sole sensation and pain around the right knee. The hip and quads area also feel tight. 

Hope to leave the hotel in Dadar around 345 and get to the start point between 430 and 445. With a wave C start at 5:10 hope to do the 1st half between 2:20 and 2:25. The elevation in the coastal road is a new factor. My quads just dont seem to be able to handle the elevation. If I can get to 31K in under 3:30 then a sub 5 is a possibility. Best case would be  around 4:45, Plan B is below my slowest ever of 4:57 in 2023. If neither happens then I will take anything aroudn 5:15.

3 weeks to TMM 2026

Running has got significantly better in the 2 months since the last post - thanks to R. His diagnosis of the issue seems to be bang on and the exercises to activate/strengthen the hamstrings and glutes medius seems to be working. Not withstanding the below par 10K run last wednesday(attributable mainly due to slow recovery from the 36K done 3 days prior) and irrespective of how the 2-2:30 hr run goes tomorrow(unless it is a complete disaster) I am confident of completing the full in TMM in around 5hrs +- 15 mins. 

Applied for change of category from half to full on 27th November . Have got the mail on cancellation of the HM registration and acceptance of the FM registration. Yet to get the bib no though - hoping to get '1111' back or one of the other two options that I have given. 

Focusing on R's exercises 4-5 days a week, 3 days of strength , 2 runs, and 2-3 workouts between cycling and the elliptical trainer seems to be working - both mentally and physically. While in Sept and Oct running beyond 15K felt like a chore and challenging now that has shifted to 25K+. Hopefully it can be pushed further to 32/K in 2026.

The scaling of my long runs has been as follows: 

2/11/2025       26.05   Km     3:04:06    7:04/Km

16/11/2025      30.41  Km    3:29:01    6:53/Km

30/11/2025      32.23  Km    3:40:09    6:50/Km

14/12/2025      30.60  Km     3.24:16    6:40/Km

21/12/2025       36.16 Km     4:15:03    7:03/Km

Based on the above I hope to be able to do TMM in about 5 hrs at say 7(4:55) to 7:15 (5:05) .

Regardless , looking forward to getting back to  a FM after a break of 22m - 2025 is the first year since 2003 that I have not done a 42.2+ run . 

TMM 2026 - FM or HM again?

 Restarted training on Oct 17th after 3.5 weeks break and it has been a mixed bag. No 2 consecutive runs have gone well. The hamstrings and glutes medius seem to have gone back to the state they were in late August before i started doing R's excercises to help activate them. As a result, am unable to hit a rhythm in my runs and the quads are getting stressed again. Still hoping that by running slower or doing a run/walk combination I can motivate myself to do a 25K and then a 30K run by Nov 23rd. If I succeed in this then I will change my TMM 2026 race category to a FM(the last date for this is 28th November) and try and get in couple of more 30K+  runs in Dec. Else will have to reconcile myself to another HM at Mumbai.  Based on the recent training runs,  a FM will probably take 5:30-5:45.  Whether that is really worthwhile is something I need to answer to myself in the next 3 weeks.  Also being on one's feet for that long has its own risks and challenges - mental as well as physical. The worst outcome would be to change to FM category and then end up with a DNF. 

Wipro Bangalore marathon details

 As in 2023, the last time I ran this event, M and I stayed in Woodlands hotel close to Kanteerva stadium on 20th September. M came from Chennai in the morning by train, collected the bibs and checked into the hotel. I drove from home post lunch and got there around 4PM. The Woodlands room that M changed to was spacious and relatively new. It was a fairly relaxed evening - after  spending a couple of hours visiting a cousin in MG road we had early dinner(the choice of food was limited in the restaurant) and went to bed by 9:45. 

Though I heard some crackers (it being Ganesha week) I dozed off soon. Woke up at 4 - M had woken up at 3:30 and used the bathroom. We got ready and walked across to Kanteerva stadium around 5:15am after a quick pre-race selfie.

As is usual on a city race day in , the area was buzzing with runners converging to the holding area. Bumped into several friends in the holding area including Ra &Ru -  2:15  and 2:30 pacers for the race.

With over 11 thousand registrations, the HM start was in 3 waves. I started at 6:10 am about 10 mins after the first wave. Despite the staggered start it was very crowded getting out o the stadium and in the Cubbon park area. In fact, there were runners at close proximity all through the race except perhaps the last 4Kms or so.  After Km 1 in moderate time of 6:21, ran the fastest Km split - doing the 2nd Km in 6mins. Thereafter, kept a steady pace of between 6:05 and 6:20 till Km 15.  The first half took just under 1:07 - perhaps a minute too slow to hit a sub 2:15 finish. Slowed down to 6:25 to 6:30 pace in the last 6 kms-  With Km 18 being the slowest at 7:13 when my right toes cramped and I walked a bit after stopping at the aid station for water. It was at this point that Ra - the 2:15 pacer crossed me. I did not push myself to keep up with her and finished about 30s behind her - more or less achieving my goal of 2:15. 

The official timing splits were as below :

Did not meet many runners at the finish (most of my BHUKMP runners were doing the FM). Waited for M for about half an hour in the finish area - but missed seeing him in the crowds. So had breakfast by myself and walked back to Woodlands around 10am. 

As M's train got delayed we decided to have lunch at PG. Left Woodlands around 11:45 and reached home around 1 - satisfied with the way the race went specially since several of the training runs in July and August were below par creating self doubt on whether I would be able to do a decent HM. Both the quads held up as did the right ankle. Credit to R for this turnaround - he seems to have assessed the core issue correctly as the excercises prescribed by him seemed to be making a difference. 

Good run at Wipro Bangalore half marathon

 The run on sunday, 21st September went pretty much to plan . Without pushing to the hilt I finished in 2:15:24  - about half a minute behind the 2:15 pacer and good friend R.  Was comfortably on target for a sub 2:15 till Km 15. Slowed down considerably after that and then the right toes cramped at Km 18 . Considering the long travel and trip in less than 36 hrs it was not worth pushing through that.  Very satisfied with the outcome and the recovery has also been good. Hopefully 3 weeks break from running will help me get back with renewed vigour in the 2nd half of October. And the break from strength and other trainign will not set me back too much. Have greater confidence now  of getting in a couple of 25-30Kruns by mid November which will enable me to target  530 FM at Mumbai in January 2026.

More details on Sunday's run later. 

Bangalore marathon in two weeks and thereafter ..

Did not enjoy most of the runs in June and July  - in fact they felt like  drudgery both physically and mentally - a feeling I have never had before in 24Y of distance running . So much so that the nervousness and tension the night before and the morning of every single run was palpable . With this state of affairs it was clear that a FM in Sept was impossible to pull off. Therefore, switched  race category at the Wipro Bangalore marathon coming up on 21st Sept  from FM to HM in mid July. A consultation with  Dr G (his positive attitude was very impressive- that , a good treating doctor and his strong faith should hopefully cure him )again in July end led me to get in touch with R who I knew of as a yoga teacher from my Ranka days. Dr G surmised that there was imbalance in my muscles and the glutes and hamstrings were not firing causing lack of rhythm and putting higher  load on the quads and  lower legs . And as this needed focused attention to correct he advised I consult R who was now doing such  work with a number of people(mostly in Dubai and Singapore) . As per R the left hamstrings and gluteus medius were the culprits though these muscles on both legs needed to be worked upon. 

After two weeks or so of consistently doing the excercises suggested by R (to help the hamstrings and medius fire ) and also to correct the right shoulder warp towards the left hip,  I sense  a turrnaround in the quality of my  runs - albeit all slow and interspersed with some walking. Could be the physical or mental affect of R's exercises. Either way it does not matter.  I am once again looking forward to the runs. The quads are getting strained much later in the run and not as much specially when running up gradients and the numbness in the left foot has not been as bothersome.  The left ankle/calf strength has also improved (this may have nothing to do with R's exercises and may be due to the elapsed time since the surgery and the calf raises that I have been doing regularly) as the range of motion in the single leg calf raise is slowly but surely getting better. As a consequence, the last 3 weekend runs of  17K, 21.2K and 14K ( 85% run and 15% walk) went well and have boosted my  confidence of doing a sub 2:30 half on 21st Sept. If I manage the first half  in under n 67m and the quads and the left foot sole  hold up then I will try and get as close to 2:15 as possible. Regardless, I am looking forward to the run - only my 2nd event since the aborted one in May 2024. 

Meanwhile, have registered for the HM at TMM 2026 with the goal that,  after returning from the travel,  a decent 27-28K run can be managed  between Oct 20th and Nov 20th, then I can upgrade to a FM . The last date for doing that is 28th November. That is of course, looking too far ahead . The focus for now is on a good run on 21st Sept!

FM training ruled out for now

Have not been enjoying what ever little running I have been doing the last 3 months or so. The persistent issues in the right ankle is affecting the runs both mentally and physically. Took  3 weeks break from running(and all cardio) in May and consulted Dr G and Dr HK. X-ray showed no stress fracture. Dr HK diagnosed a possible nerve issue. While the wax therapy provided some relief , the discomfort in the ankle area came back once I restarted running. The intensity of pain and the are of pain is quite variable. Starting from the lateral area around the ankle bone and spreading to the mid foot on top. Sometimes the shin area also hurts. At times it does feel like a nerve issue. Not sure what to do about it.Trying out combinations of run/walk and also the compression socks to see if it helps in managing the discomfort.  However,  it is clear that FM in Bangalore in September is out. Have done just one 21K and a couple of 15K+ runs since Mumbai 2025. Hopefully by giving it time the right ankle/calf will get strong enough to train for a FM in Mumbai 2026. Or else it will be curtains on marathon running. 

Another FM left in the ankle and calf ?

 Post the half marathon in Mumbai in January 2025  I have been focused on increasing the amount of running per Km and also strengthening the right ankle/calf. It is dosconcerting and disappointing that nearly 10m after the achilles tendon repair surgery I am still unable to do proper single leg calf raises on the right leg . As per many of the articles on TA rupture surgery and rehab being able to do a single leg calf raise is a prerequisite to running and one should be able to achieve it by about 6m post surgery. This is something that I should have paid more attention to in Sept/Oct 2024 when I restarted run/walk training. Unfortunately I did not research this properly and neither Dr HK(surgeon) or Dr G(sports ) emphasised this sufficiently as part of the rehab protocol. Without achieving single leg calf raise I managed to do the TMM HM fairly comfortable mainly due to the 55%run/45% walk regimen.  But as I restarted running in Feb 2025I realised that the single leg calf raise is very critical to scale the distance towards FM training and also towards 100% running. As a consequence I have not run beyond 17K since Jan 2025 . And I have been struggling with pain in the quads/knee area even on shorter runs. As per Dr G (whom I consulted last week) this is because the ankle and calf are week and so the shin, knee and quads are being overloaded. .  The only solution is to strengthen the ankle and calf.  So I am diligently working on this while limiting my runs to under two hours. The good news is that Dr G has cleared me to run continupusly without walk breaks. Was happy to do my first such 10K run on  6th April.  However, I am now beginning to doubt whether my ankle /calf/quads can take the load of a 5hr FM. Will find out soon as I start training  for a FM in Bangalore on 21st September 2025.  This will require me to start doing 20-35K runs latest from June. By that time I am hoping the range of the single leg calf raise improves and so the load on the shin and quads is reduced. Else one will have to downgrade to a HM and bring the curtain down on FM running. While I can and will need to reconcile with that if needed I hope I have a few more years of running FMs left in my legs. The next 3m will determine the future of my long distance (>21Km) running career!!

One good news in all this gloom is that the shoulder and arms have definitely becoming stronger with consistent gym workouts. After over 6m of consistent training am now able to do about 4 pull ups and 5 chin ups on a good day!!