The Baraat of FreeRunners- 29 Jun 2014

A great milestone in the annals of 'FreeRunners' on 29 Jun 2014. The group had a night out running and many of us members participated. It was a sight to see and remember, a group of  people take off at 0100 hrs on the streets of Pune in different states of attire, most of the male members preferred to run topless, making it an even more colourful sight with a lot of packs {abs and other places ;)} being displayed. The Pune streets were rocking with the swishing footfalls of the FreeRunners who all believe in running in perfect form and therefore not much of footfall noise can be heard. What is amazing is that this group of runners comprised of legend runner Vishwanathan Jayaraman who graced his presence for this event as well as novice runners ( Rakesh Pandita) whose journey in the running world is as short as 2 months doing a 21K.  There were other young runners ( Trupti, Ankita, Balaji, Rahul, Sophia) who have been planning and training for this event to complete their maiden 21K after they got the approval of their Ustaad Coach Jeetendran Nair. There were 8 experienced runners ( Vishwanathan Jayaraman, Jeetendran Nair, Ntin Pandya, Muthukrishnan Jayaraman, Hitesh Mahajan, Neeraj pardikar, Parag Dongre, and self) out of which self was the least experienced with only a single FM down my belt and in the recent past the maximum distance clocked was only 26K. 

It was last Monday morning when I got this telephone call from Ustaad asking me if I would run 50K on Sunday. My first reaction was "I am not ready for this" as I know the rules of 10% increase in miles every week. My lack of confidence in self was put to dust by Ustaad who in his typical assertive tone told me that he considered me fit to run. Then he said that since the legend runner Vishwanathan Jayaraman was running with us, it was a golden opportunity to achieve a milestone and full support during the run was available. I hesitantly said "Yes" and then was wondering whether I did a mistake because I was worried whether I would be able to complete it or not. With less than a week to mentally and physically condition myself , I decided to take the plunge and experience this madness. 

We all assembled at Ustaad's residence at 0030 hrs on 29 Jun (Post Saturday midnight). The atmosphere was fully charged up with the runners and the support team assembled and were preparing themselves for the event. The route and plan for the run is indicated below:-

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/452948574

 

 The plan made by Captain (Nitin Pandya), there is a reason why he is called "Captain" which will be evident from the plan below:-

 

"Route for weekend 50K run is http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/452948574

Please go through it and memorize it.

We all (except Trupti and Ankita) will start together from Dorabji 

Enclave (Jeetu's house) @ 1:00 a.m. and finish it at Kedari ground (approximately #7.00 a.m.). 

Support and Camera teams...

* Sriram in his Scorpio will support faster group.

* Avinash and Shyamal will support second group in Muthu's XUV.

* Rupesh is our backup support in case anyone in above bails out. Avinash is down with fever and hence this precaution.

* Rahul, Balaji, Rakesh and Sophia after finishing their 21K will get into XUV @ #Pimpri Chowk

* Trupti and Ankita will join us at 29 KM mark (near Chinchwad station) @ #4 a.m..

* Balaji can then take Trupti's car and continue with the group for some time.

* Balaji will also have to alert the rest of the Free Runners @ Kedari/Racecourse for end game.

Sriram (9820076633), Avinash(9923500067) and Shyamal(9923608460) will be our command and control center.

Let's stick with each other as a group to motivate and cheer up - most importantly let's rock and enjoy the run. "

Captain ensured that the plan was known only to the concerned people and he sent it to their individual emails rather than post it on the Facebook page to avoid crowd and cheering on the roads at wee hours and invite unnecessary attention from authorities. This group is wild and full of energy.. anything is possible, they simply rock the place they go to. The running groups were balanced well to ensure that weak runners got support from the strong and the other group members supported the long runners at the end of the run. 

Support was organised immaculately. I have no words to describe the perfection of this planning. What is more important is that the supporters themselves are all good runners and they sacrificed their run to take care of us. They seemed to know exactly when we needed more support and were always there with sufficient amount of water and enerzal and biscuits/ bananas etc.. Moreover, they never let you run towards them, they ran towards you and helped you , it was an amazing support crew. I have never experienced this kind of professionalism ever. Each one of them deserves a standing ovation for their dedication and sensitivitity to the runners needs. Professional Marathon organisers need to take a cue from here as to how support is to be organised. 

My Experience of the Run

 

The run started out smoothly exactly as the clock struck 0100hrs. I felt that the pace was a bit fast for a 50K but when you have a legend running in front, you can only follow. So I decided to tag at the back of the pack as I was keen on finishing the run. The initial plan had us 50K runners in two groups "the speed demons" comprising of the legend runner 'Vishy', his brother 'Muthu' and 'Ustaad Jeetu'. The balance 5 runners were supposed to be running slightly slower. But we had the young dynamic 21K runners with us who were keen on getting a good timing so they were actually leading the pack and that was the reason for a slightly faster pace, at least that is what I felt. As the distance progressed, I noticed that the gap had increased quite a bit and we were four of us who were in the "back-pack", two first time 21Kers,Balaji and Rakesh,  Captain Nitin and self. Nitin had actually slowed down to push these guys. The run was very comfortable for me as the pace was slower than my normal pace and I was enjoying myself taking the view of the night and feeling the cool breeze on my bare body. Nitin mentioned that it was hot weather, and I felt that it was heaven compared to Mumbai where I normally stay. We finally reached the 21K point after approximately 2hrs and 15minutes of running and congratulated the first time 21Kers. Then Nitin just took off at a very fast pace, I just followed his pace and did feel that it was a wee bit too fast, but he was concerned about catching up with the ahead gang. We finally reached the turn about point and found out that the ahead gang was just about 500-750m ahead of us. So we started running at normal pace to catch up with them later as the distance progresses. Nitin and self ran together till the 29K point where we met another 50K runner, Parag Dongre who had slowed down.  We three started running together,  and continued. Nitin started slowing down to match pace with Parag and this is the place where I just continued at my previous pace. For a good distance of about 5-7K, they were right behind me but after that  I realised that the gap had increased, but  I continued running all alone.

Well, running alone has it's own kicks and highs, because it is like meditation and you are in full connection with your mind and body. I was practicing my breathing and I learnt a new thing, I was chanting "OM" while running and it was helping me in my belly breathing. I also felt more energised, maybe it has something to do with the sound and vibrations. But, how does it matter? As long as I was feeling good doing it, I must do it. So I continued chanting long OMs and steadied my pace.  I was actually enjoying the solitude when I found a familiar form running ahead, it was Muthu Sir who had slowed down and left the speed demons. I overtook him also, I was feeling on top of the world and lot of energy was still there so I did not want to slow down now. So I continued alone, of course with the support crew always leading me in the Mahindra Scorpio and offering me water, enerzal etc. every 2 kms or maybe 1km at certain stretches. By this time, I felt I must have run a lot but when I enquired from the supporters, I was dismayed to hear that there was yet 16K to go. I couldn't believe that I had covered only 5K till now from the 29K point. This is the game of the mind in long distance running, as the distance increases, each 1k looks and feels much longer than what it was at the beginning of the run. Then Muthu Sir caught up with me and we started running together. Actually I find it very comfortable to run with him because somehow our pace and steps match very well, though he is a much faster and better runner than me, I still am able to match my pace to his. So we continued at whatever possible pace, because by this time, the body was beginning to protest. This part of the run was really long and I started wishing for it to end soon, so I set mental targets like Bridge on the river, Koregaon park, RSI, Racecourse etc. and looked forward to reaching the target. Once we reached the turning into Southern Command area, we were on a home run and now the confidence level was really high. 

I had read somewhere that you must be smart in ultras and walk up slopes, so that you can save energy. I did that and it worked well because the last 2K , I was actually running fast and when I sprinted to the Kedari ground where the rest of the guys were welcoming me, I was told that to complete 50K I have to take another lap of the ground. I just continued at the fast pace and finished strong. I couldn't believe that I had done my first 50K in such a beautiful manner. All factors were favourable, the route, climate , group and support system. How could someone not achieve his/her PB here? 

Last but not the least, the training and tips provided by Ustaad Jeetendran Nair are amazing and ensures that every person will become a FreeRunner and learn to run any distance freely without any baggage on the mind or body. 

JAI HO, FREERUNNERS! Looking forward to the next amazing event soon!

Running Diary- 06 Jun 14: Run on a humid day

 Dark pre monsoon clouds were hovering in the sky and the air was thick. I had reached NCPA and was already feeling sweaty. I had decided to run to Haji Ali and back clocking about 15k. So I started running at about 0525 am after a little bit of warming up. As I started I was feeling good and was trying hard to maintain my "form", my recently acquired knowledge from a guru of the " Free Runners" group at Pune. As he says, I started trying to feel my form, now I was focusing on my hips as the hips are to lead the legs as  if there is a rope tied around the hips and someone ahead is pulling you. This consciousness does help in keeping your back straight and lessens the strain on the legs as it ensures equitable distribution of strain on entire body. But since the old running style is still there as a memory of the muscles and skeletal structure, as the fatigue sets in, there is a tendency for the body to go back to the old form. So, this is a battle where perseverance and consistent efforts are the only key to achieving victory. It was important for me to keep my consciousness alive even when fatigue sets in, so as I ran, I tried to focus on my form and run tall. After a few moments I would feel that I am slouching or looking down and then try to correct my form and this continued throughout the run. As I was chugging up Peddar Road, I felt strangely tired and was wondering that I had not even run 07k and this was my state. Terrible state of affairs.  Then I remembered another mantra of the guru: "breathing": body needs oxygen, so breathing has to be efficient and this is achieved by breathing through the stomach using the diaphragm. Breathing through stomach does help and I was telling better. Ahh.... Finally the down slope of Mahalakshmi began and I cruised to the Haji Ali fruit juice shop. Now I had reached my planned point but I was fully drenched in sweat and feeling dead tired. I realised that I was dehydrated and needed to take a swig of water. Now, this is an experience that the taxi drivers near Haji Ali are thorough gentlemen and very considerate towards runners. Twice I have asked them for some water and both times, they obliged me with a chilled bottle of water. I have tried this near cuffe parade and I have not been so successful. The swig of chilled water rejuvenated me quite well, and I started my return leg. The return leg was not at all difficult and I guess by now the body had got used to its state and I was gliding smoothly. This is the best part of a long run when you are just gliding and your body has started responding to your demands. As I turned into marine drive, and reached near "Choupatti", I saw a fit guy just starting to warm up and take off on a fast run towards NCPA. I again brought my focus onto my form and decided to run smoothly but correctly. After sometime, I noticed this guy running almost same speed but ahead of me. I was on the main road and he was on the pavement. Near 'Hotel Marine Plaza', I went onto the pavement and started running with him. I realised that I was actually competing with him, and to my amazement, I found that as I increased my pace, he also did and tried to go ahead of me. Now, this was a challenge and we were only less than 1k away from the end, so we raced and near Trident, I was totally drained of energy and about to give up when I heard and saw this guy slowing down. Sudden boost of energy came from somewhere and I focused on my breathing and sprinted from there till the end of  marine drive. What a feeling of victory!  I asked someone the time and it was 0650am. Not bad at all, I had clocked 15k in 85 minutes in this weather. I was dripping wet but was feeling good. Every day that I run and meet my target, the day begins with a lot of positive energy and vibrancy. Running also releases hormones that make you feel on top of the world especially immediately after the run. 

Another point to note is that how thoughts can actually dissuade you from achieving a set target, but consciousness can overcome those thoughts and with perseverance and consistent efforts, you can definitely achieve any goal that you have set in your mind. So running is a form of meditation where you come in touch with your body and mind in totality and become conscious of your mind's strength and weaknesses and using your consciousness and observation, achieve victory.

AN ODE TO "FREE RUNNERS" COACH & GURU - "JEETU" SIR

Motto of "Free Runners" says Jeetu Sir : "One should have the following virtues for being a free runner: Consistency of a mule, Courage of a Lion and Spirit of a Stallion". I had a lovely Sunday long run and had the privilege of running about 10-11K with this great man who ran like a mirror with me and kept the conversation on to ensure my mind was focussed only on running and not on anything else. This blog is dedicated to him and some tips which I got during this run from him, which I am definitely going to work on. I think these tips are wonderful and would help all runners. So here it goes:-

Running has three basic requirements: Form, Pace, and Breathing. Of these three things, the most important is the "Form" because if the form is not OK, fatigue and muscle breakdown due to imbalance is bound to happen as the body is not aerodynamic and is inefficient. So there has to be a total focus on the form while running: How does one notice whether the form is OK or not? All of us marathon runners feel that we are veterans and have done so many marathons, so our form has got to be OK. That is where we need a mirror to run with us to observe where the form starts to fail and slowly results in total breakdown: "hitting the wall, cramps, pain are all a result of the form breaking down". A good mirror is when you run in the day time with the sun over your head, you can observe your shadow. The most important parts of a runner's body is the hip/ lower back, neck/collarbone, and one should ensure that the neck is not going ahead, back is straight and running position should be as if you are 3/4 getting up from a chair and about to walk with the form of the body as described above. This ensures that the body is slightly bent forward as if you are going to fall and the gravity is helping you to move efficiently. Another good tip: the elbows pumping should be more in the back of the body than in the front, it gives more propulsion.To keep your neck straight , keep looking straight ahead on the road, about 15-20 feet in front of you. As soon as your form is correct, you will feel a distinct feel on your abs/core( same feeling you get when you do planks), that means the core is working now. See the form of the athletes below, back and neck straight, arms pumping backward, slight bending to the front, this is really a perfect form:-

Breathing is an extremely vital component which works along with the form. So how should a runner breathe? Every runner should practice "diaphragm breathing" i.e, long sustained breaths with deep exhalations. Each time you exhale deeply from the mouth, the stomach/abs should crunch inwards, its almost like an "abs" exercise. The correct breathing style can be demonstrated by closing the nostrils and breathing through the mouth. As you inhale the stomach inflates and as you exhale the stomach deflates. Chest does not move at all, only stomach moves in and out and long sustained breathing continues. Notice the breathing style of a sleeping baby, only the stomach seems to move. If we practice this 24/7, the lungs capacity is bound to increase and will support the form. As soon as the form is correct, you will feel the load shifting from the legs to the core and the correct breathing style will ensure that the core supports the pace achieved in the correct form. Caution: never compromise on the form to increase the pace. Form, if good, will enable you to increase the pace without much stress on muscles. While running the mind should be focussed on the form and the breathing, especially after 18 K when the mind starts playing games. If you focus on the form, you will suddenly find the muscles of legs/ shoulders etc. easing out and running becomes effortless. Continue to run with the correct form and with consistent practice, the pace is bound to increase. Some runners are blessed and naturally get the correct posture, but all runners are also capable of achieving the best form and this will change the body shape and will ensure maximum efficiency in the day to day activities, because the breathing style will ensure strengthening of the core. Yes, for attaining this from, strengthening of the glutes, lower back and mid back is necessary, which needs to be done in the gym on the non-running days.

I ran about 20K today along with Jeetu Sir and he kept telling me whenever I used to break my form, and I can feel the difference, the normal soreness of the quads/hamstrings is absent. I realised that my form was not OK and will work on it consistently to get the best form and enjoy my running even more.