Upping pace is the focus for the next 3 months

Having regained self confidence after a few 30K+ runs  between November 2020 and May 2021, including a solo full marathon, the plan now is to focus on increasing the pace . Of course need to be careful and do this  slowly and steadily without going overboard. A 53 mins 10K on 16th July , fastest in over 18 months, gave me the confidence to plan for targeting a sub 4:10 full marathon pace  in the next few months. This will be an interim step to get back to a sub 3:55 FM. 

 As of now no physical marathon events are scheduled this year in India(in person racing has resumed in the US with  Marine Corps marathon, Chicago marathon and Boston marathon scheduled in the fall). The course of the pandemic and vaccination drive over the next few months will probably determine if physical FMs will happen in India in 2021.  Regardless, I am planning to get ready for one towards the end of the year say November . The immediate goal is for a sub 2 hr half marathon in August(possibly in the independence day virtual run on 15th). Post that I plan to work on a 10 weeks sub 4:10 marathon training plan. 

To help build pace,  tempo and fartlek/interval runs are necessary in addition to long runs. Though I have resumed tempo runs in July,  am wary of fartlek/intervals as they significantly increase the chances of injury. Will relook at this post the half marathon in August. Another consideration post the HM  is whether to switch to a 9 or 10 days training cycle which may give more time for recovery from workouts thereby reducing chance of injury. 

With focused and diligent training and supported by fabulous Bangalore weather I hope to be in a much better shape at year end than I was at the beginning!!

Boston : an impossible dream?

The announcement that the cut-off time for the 2021 Boston marathon, to be held in Oct 2021, was 7:37 made me realise that running Boston again may now be a fading dream .  The qualifying times are already quite tough (3:50 for my age group) - bettering it by nearly 8 minutes seems an impossibility at least for now. Given my current FM time of about 4:30 even getting to sub 4 hrs is going to take time. I should probably plan on qualifying in the next age group where the BQ time is 4:05. However, by 2023, when the qualifying window will open, it is very likely that the qualifying times are likely to be more stringent . The trend has been for it to get stricter every few years due to the growing number of aspirant runners and he fixed field size. The cut off times have also varied - below 2 minutes in 2012-2014 and 2020, between 2 and 5 minutes in 2016-2019 and now above 7 minutes in 2021! The spike in 2021 cut-off time can probably be attributed to the reduction in field size from 30K to 20K runners and the pent up increase in demand due to the 2020 race being cancelled. Hopefully from 2022 onwards the cut-off will go back to below 5 minutes. For now I am thankful that I was able to get in and run the 2014 race and will focus on progressively going sub 4 hrs and staying there at least till early 2023!!

Self-supported, solo, slow marathon

A year ago, between March and May 2020,  I was completely off exercise for a couple of months and again took a couple of weeks break in September 2020.  I resumed running short distances at very slow of 7 min Km in September end and slowly built up the distance between October 2020 and April 2021 doing a 30Km+ run every month starting Dec 2020. The goal was to run TMM 2021 at least virtually if not in person. All along I was apprehensive whether my legs would last the distance of the full marathon and how slow I may need to run in order to complete it.  When TMM 2021 ,which was  rescheduled from Feb 28th to May 30th , got postponed indefinitely  I decided to anyway  go ahead and run a solo FM before the end of May. Happy and satisfied that I managed to complete one in 4:44:42 on Saturday, 22nd May - my 53rd run of 42.2Kms or longer. Though one of my slowest FM finishes it was a great feeling to run the distance after a gap of 16 months  - the longest break between 2 marathons since my first in Jan 2003(Beating the 14 months gap between my 1st and the 2nd FM ). My goal was to run the first half in about 2:10 and the second half between 2:20 and 2:45 giving a best case time of under 4:30 or in the worst case stay sub 5 hrs. Though I possibly could have done it 5 minutes faster glad to have landed exactly in the middle of my goal range!! Also happy that from a peak of 59Kgs the weight is now down to around 56Kgs.

Had the usual anxieties in the  the lead up to the run even though it was not a real event. One big factor was to carve out the optimal route with minimal traffic and optimal gradients. The other was the weather. It rained quite a bit on the evening/night of Thursday and Friday and it looked like I might need to push my run to Sunday instead of Saturday. However, late Friday evening it stopped raining and I decided to go ahead. Overnight, I also pretty much decided on my run route.

Woke up at about 4:40 and left home at 5:25 or so. Parked the car in the area betweeen Ramohalli market and Balaji Srinivas temple and started running at 5:37am or so. After a couple of loops on Doddalamara road took my first fuel break after 23Km in about 2:20 at an average pace of 6:07/Km. For the 2nd and 3rd loops I stayed off the main road. It became progressively warmer and challenging to keep pace. By the time I ended the second loop covering a total of 37Km I was at the 4 hr mark and my average pace had dropped to about 6:30 per Km. The last 5Km was a real struggle with the  fastest Km being 7:15 and the 38th Km(when I walked a bit) being 8:10 pace. Overall I ended up doing 42.5Km in an elapsed time of just under 4:45 (include 6 minutes of inactive time for the two fueling breaks) at an average pace of 6:37.

After completing the run 

Though I have run quite a few unofficial marathons in 2008-09 as part of 12 marathons in 12 months this is the first ever solo run of this distance. The previous longest solo(non event) run was about 40K way back in 2002 when I was training for my first ever marathon. 

I thought this was my slowest ever full marathon. However, later realised that following are my FM times slower than 4:40 in descending order:

22/04/2007       Flora London marathon                4:47:56

30/04/2006       New Jersey marathon                    4:47:03

22/05/2021       Solo Ramohalli run                       4:44:42

19/05/2007      Bangalore midnight marathon       4:44:36

28/06/2009      RFL Bellandur run                         4:43

15/01/2006      SCMM                                           4:42:28

19/10/2008      Kaveri Trail Marathon                   4:42:19

Still, nothing to complain about. As barring injuries I should be able to, over a period of time, get the FM time to around 4hrs. Only after I get there can I start thinking about a potential BQ again - even thinking about that right now sounds like castles in the air!!

TMM 2021 rescheduled again

With the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic ripping through the country it was no surprise that TMM 2021 will NOT happen on 30th May 2021 as had been announced couple of months ago. After the first edition in 2004(then call SCMM due to SCB  being the title sponsor), all subsequent years the event has been held on the 3rd Sunday of January. Therefore  this year the race should have happened on 17th January which ,ofcourse, was not feasible. Procam announced the May 30th date for the event in late Feb after the first wave of the pandemic was subdued.  It will probably be another 2-3 months before a new date is announced for TMM 21. Personally, I think it is likely that the 2021 edition won't happen and the next TMM will (hopefully) be in Jan 2022.

This leaves me with a dilemma. Should I further prolong the already longest ever gap between running two full marathons till  I can run TMM21 or some other FM race? Or should I run a self supported FM on my own? Since running my second FM in April 2004 I have run more than a marathon or an ultra marathon every year between 2005 and 2018(except 2015). Since Malnad ultra in Oct 2018 I have been able to run only 2 FMs - TMM in January 2019 and January 2020.  After restarting  running in November 2018, post recovering from peroneal tendonitis in the right ankle, I have managed to do a 30K+ run every month since Dec 2020 as training for TMM. Depending on how it goes over the next few weeks(the pandemic and the second vaccination shot) I hope to run a 4:30-4:45 FM on 16th or 23rd May.

Getting back into the groove albeit slowly

There is no update on TMM 2021 after the announcement that it is scheduled for 30th May - whether there will be a physical event for limited number amateur runners and if so the criteria for the same is not known. Taking the rescheduling of TMM 2021  from Feb end to May end as a godsend I am focused on gradually getting into shape to run a marathon. 

Glad to be making decent progress towards that with consistent running  and cycling mileage of about 40-50Km each  and 3 strength training sessions per week with personal trainer Sfor the last 8-10 weeks. Am now able to clock few sub 6m Kms specially in the shorter week day runs. Hopefully in the next few weeks I can take it to below 5:45/Km pace  - I do not intend to push beyond that for now. The right ankle seems to be holding up OK though there is still occassional  discomfort and swelling.  The weight while continuing to yo-yo is slowly moving downwards. Hope to continue on this trajectory over the next 8 weeks with 3 more 30K+ runs before TMM -  in the March end, 3rd week of April and mid May timeframes.  

 

Iconic TMM is scheduled for 30th May, 2021

 The Tata Mumbai Marathon (formerly Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon) , by far the largest road race in India, has been held on the 3rd sunday of January since 2005(the 1st edition in 2004  was held in February). Of course races around the world have got disrupted in the last 12m and so has TMM. The 2021 edition , that should have taken place on 17th January, has now been scheduled for the 30th of May as per the press release of the organsiers Procam International made on 9th Feb 2021. While the Mumbai weather is likely to be warm and humid at the end of May personally this gives me more time to train and try and run a decent marathon. It is not yet clear how many amateur runners , if at all, will be allowed to run in Mumbai itself. Whether in Mumbai or virtually in Bangalore I am looking forward to the event.  And breaking my haitus of running a marathon. Since 2005 this is the first time there will be a gap of 16m between two marathons!

On the training front the preneal tendonitis seems to be easing off with perceptebly less swelling and pain around the ankle area during the run. I am now able to pick up the pace in shorter runs managing a couple of 60m 10Ks in January. The 33K run in January also went better than the one in December. The goal is to sustain a weekly running and cycling mileage of 40-50K for the next 3m with at least one run of 32K+ and a cycle ride of 2.5hrs every month. The pace of the long runs is still at least 1m/Km slower than my usual pace. For now I am not looking at increasing this pace. Want to run the FM in May, take it easy in June and then maybe work towards increasing intensity assuming the ankle injury does not recur and one stays otherwise injury free! 

Another forgettable year !

From the time  I took to long distance running in the early 2000s,  the year  2019 (  and the 2019-2020 season) was by far the worst year running wise except for 2003-04 when I had knee issues after completing my first Full marathon. After the nadir of  2019 one thought things could only better from there.  As it turned out 2021 was a complete disaster.  I hit a personal low in terms of  running mileage clocked  (approximately 1200), no of cardio workout days(185) , no. of runs over 25Km(just one apart from TMM 2020) , period of no exercise(6 weeks from mid March to early May) and duration without runniong (10 weeks from mid March to early June). And a record weight gain of 4Kgs to top it. 

Of course, 2020 was a terrible, forgettable year globally affecting millions of people through displacement, job losses, sickness and death of dear and near ones. In those terms I have certainly been among the privileged and must count my blessings - no one except R has lost his job among my family and friends and except for the  change in lifestle due to WFH, lack of travel and socialising the pandemic has'nt adversely impacted most people I know pesonally. Outside of running 2020 has actually been good for me - R's wedding in Feb followed by a wonderful holiday in Gujarat were the highs before the pandemic struck in India. Working full time for Mentor Together enabled me to fullfill my goal of working at a NGO and provided an enriching and satisfying albeit very hectic experience. 

Getting back to the running  - the perenneal tendonitis that hit me in November 2019 (due to which I had the 2nd DNS of my running career by skipping the Spice Coast marathon) continued to trouble me throughout 2020. The 6 weeks following TMM in Janaury were anyway lowkey in terms of running due to the wedding and the holiday. As I started picking up the training in the last week of Feb the swelling and pain around the right ankle grew. Physio sessions at IMSMTC (which in my personal opinion were useless and ineffective) got disrupted by the lockdown. Post the easing of the same I consulted Dr. P at Sparsh. When the paid and swelling did not reduce despite the hip and ankle mobilisation/strengthening exercises I consulted Dr HK of Ossicare. Based on the MRI that revealed fluid accumulation around the pereneal tendon he prescribed some medication and ultrasound physiotherapy and complete rest from running or any impactful exercise for 3 weeks. Though the pain and swelling subsided by about 60/70% it did not go away. The Dr suggested surgery as an option. However I decided to give it time instead. After the break in the second half of September I restarted running with much lower intensity : distances shorter than 10K at 30% slower than usual pace. Over a 8 weeks period I gradually increased the distance while keeping the pace between 6:20 and 7 per Km(compared to 5:20 and 6 before this injury). Was delighted to end the year with a 30K/3:30 hr run though the last 5 Kms was quite a struggle. 

With no phyiscal running events being held post Feb and several weeks of lockdown imposed restrictions, 2020 was not a bad year to recuperate from injury.  With the continued uncertainty of the dates and format of physical races in 2021, the focus is to build on the current momentum to run a sub 5:15 FM in TMM 2021 (tentatively scheduled for late Feb)- which is probably likely to be a virtual race.  The other goals for the year, at this point in time, are to build strength, reduce weight below 56Kgs and run a sub 4hr marathon in the Oct/Nov time frame. 

 

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.