FreeRunning- Transcend Pain and suffering- Run with peace and happiness

Marathon running events are a full-fledged craze now and India has more than 100 events registered online and new events are being created constantly every month.  When I started running marathons, and I look back at how and why I started running marathons, probably one of the main factors was to participate in an event. And then, it was kind of an addiction each year to participate in the same event and do better than last time. I was getting more and more addicted as each year my timing was improving and my “facebook likes” were only increasing and my self esteem was sky-high in the running domain. As the years passed by, and I felt that I was stagnating or had touched a flat  in my improvement, and whenever I tried to push myself, I was getting some injury, but being conservative and cautious by nature, I used to pull back and recover and then again start trying. In retrospect, I now realise that somewhere the bug of events had bitten me then and I was being carried by the “wild horse” rather than me riding the horse with control and caution. FreeRunners happened to me in 2014 and till SCMM 2015, the event bug was strong within me. But somewhere deep within, I was introspecting as to why am I running, what is the reason that I love to run, and was searching for answers. So in 2015, I decided to abstain from events as much as possible and continue running long distances on my own, and also if I do participate in events, do not mention about it too much on Facebook and restrain my desire to tell the whole world about the event. I have not been very successful in this as the mind is tempted very strongly to run events and write blogs, so is the reason I am writing this blog too. But the main reason why I am blogging now is that I realised something during running this last year and I feel like sharing it, maybe it would be help some runners out there.

There are two issues I learnt about, one is the concept of running properly which is related to “form” and “breathing” which I have talked about many times in my earlier blogs (click here to read about it), and for which I am ever grateful to Jeetendran Nair and FreeRunners group, where we swear by the manifesto of the group and train everyone to run properly.  The second and main issue in this blog is the “freeing” of the mind especially when we run in events.  I am only discussing recreational runners here and not elite runners/ competitive runners. In recreational running too, there are competitive recreational runners especially in the senior categories, who aspire to be on the podium and win prizes and trophies, and there are runners who want to qualify for international marathons like Boston etc.. and they may not be able to avoid the pain and suffering that comes along with pushing your bodies to the maximum in these events. However, when it comes to the other recreational runners, who are not competing for positions on the podium or specific international events selection timings, need not suffer and endure pain in each event to achieve their PBs. Timings are important to benchmark your performance and to act as an feedback to train properly and probably focus on learning to run properly, but obsession of timings while you are running, is it really necessary? The answer boils down to only one thing- Training. Have you been consistent in your training? Consistency and proper training throughout the year will always ensure that you grow stronger and stronger and are bound to improve. However, a cautionary note:- I strongly believe that each person is unique and different and coaches can only guide the trainee with respect to the correct style of running, and try and enforce some consistency and persistence in the training and nutrition patterns. The ability of the body of each individual to respond and perform will be absolutely different for each individual and that needs to be respected. Some learn very fast and yet take longer time to recover, some take long time to learn but have got excellent recovery and many such permutations and combinations exist.  Further, each day is different and no one can say what will happen on the final day of the event, even stalwart veteran marathoners have faltered and had DNFs in events. That does not in any way make them bad runners, just that the particular day was not a good day for them.  Hence it is always about human dynamics and it’s response to multiple factors being way too complex than we can imagine and articulate. It is however very important for every runner to train well to understand their own bodies and mind well, so that they can feel and realise the signs of thirst, heat, fatigue etc. and take timely corrective actions during any run. Also, runners tend to lose their form when they are tired and if they are alert, will be able to realise and feel the difference when they break their form. The pressure of timing cheats the mind and runners tend to push themselves unnecessarily, most of the times doing more harm than good. If you are in touch with yourself always, the probability of a strong finish during any run is the highest. Running is more like meditation where you are constantly looking at your mind and body and realising what is happening within you as you run. This of course comes with practice and has to be practiced during training also.

Another factor is social media where the craze of putting up pictures on Facebook and boasting of PBs etc. has become a routine. Yes, all of us go through this phase as we evolve as runners and there is nothing wrong in basking in this social glory to feel good about yourself, but I feel that running is an enjoyable sport by itself and attaching too much of importance to events and PBs etc. is kind of externalizing the aspect of running to an extent that running any event leads to anxiety and tension of performance. Recreational runners should enjoy running, whether in an event or otherwise, and if you have been training consistently throughout the year, every week and every month, then this one event of a Full marathon and maybe two events of half marathons in a year, should be treated as just another long Sunday run and run with ease. The chances are very bright that you will finish very strong and the timing may also be slightly better than what you do on a normal long Sunday run. But the icing on the cake really is the “strong finish” and the good feeling after the run because you are relaxed and there is no fatigue, other than slight soreness in the muscles and knees after a FM, which is normal.  Be realistic in setting targets for events and be happy with the results that you get. You train for one more year consistently and keep running in events without tensing yourself on timings and see the improvement. Running marathons recreationally is all about enjoying yourself and learning to run in a relaxed manner without tensing your mind or body.

Running in early mornings is a pleasure as you can always witness the rising Sun and absorb the warmth and the positive energy and minerals of the first rays of the Sun while witnessing the beauty and resplendence of the Sun changing shape and colours and getting diffused within minutes into the sky and lighting up the morning.  You get to hear and see a variety of birds chirping and playing around and wonder how much noise they make and try and identify the birds by the different sounds. The sound of the waves in the ocean for the coastal runners is another beautiful music to the ears. Nature provides us enough entertainment to keep our minds occupied and relaxed, yet we want to ignore all this and fill up our mind with unnecessary tension and anxiety, which only acts as poison to the body, as muscles stiffen and lead to cramping as soon as energy levels are depleted. 

Therefore, I am writing this blog to evangelise what I define as “FreeRunning”, where we learn to run keeping our minds free and relaxed, body( muscles) relaxed, and we enjoy and appreciate the beauty of the surrounding environment while we run.  Of course, all this is possible only after we learn how to run properly and practice the running form and breathing consistently and persistently till we get to a point where it becomes part and parcel of ourselves, just like we eat food or brush our teeth, when we don’t have to think about how we are doing it.  So signing out with this food for thought to Run Free and enjoy the feeling of running where it transcends all pain and suffering, in fact, makes it blissful and peaceful. Yes, it is possible to run effortlessly and still get good results! 

Cheers to Happy and Peaceful FreeRunning! 

Basics of Running Form and Breathing for Beginners

FreeRunners group headed by Jeetu alias Cdr Jeetendran Nair( Retd)  also called as "Ustaad" by many is blessed with a huge group of highly energetic and enthusiastic members who are always willing to give their best to learn and improve their running. Today, I was listening to Jeetu advising the freshers of the group after the strength training session and I joined the discussion to just understand and emulate the way he coaches the freshers. While I listened to what he said, I realised that the aspect of "form" and "breathing" that we keep emphasizing on in the group is actually so basic and natural to our body, yet, we are ignorant about it most of the time. Running helps us to get back in touch with our basic nature and understand the functioning of the body and the mind and every new day is a new learning. As it is said, learning never ends and running is an evolutionary process which is taking us "back to the basics" as we are realising and experiencing a much stronger and resilient self which we all never knew existed in our own body and mind. Actually, the human body is designed to adapt itself to circumstances and as we push ourselves beyond our respective boundaries, of course, under guidance of a coach, to ensure that we don't overdo it,  the body keeps adapting and also tells us if we are going wrong. In fact, the pains and niggles we often get after a run indicate to us that there is something wrong somewhere in our kinematic chain and we need to focus on that part and correct it by persistent practice and endeavour. There are only two ,main aspects in running which we always focus on and so let us try and look at them in some detail:-

(a) Breathing:- Belly or diaphragm breathing has been talked about enough. How important is this? I personally feel it is the most important facet of a healthy life. Yes, it is not only about running, it is about how we breathe 24/7. Breathing is involuntary and we have to breathe to live. But the body being adaptable, adapts to our sedentary lifestyles and we start breathing in a manner that under utilizes our lung capacity and very soon, the unused lungs get weaker and weaker. Most of the times, beginners start panting very soon and feel out of breath, because their incorrect breathing style was catering for their sedentary lifestyle where the lung capacity was only partially utilised. Here is where the first change has to be initiated. So the trainee is asked to learn how to breathe using the belly/ diaphragm. While running, it is advised to exhale forcefully while contracting your belly simultaneously simulating the correct style of breathing. Inhalation happens involuntarily and the belly swells up during this phase. So the correct style is: "Inhale- the belly swells up, chest does not move at all." and "Exhale: the Belly contracts completely". Continuous practice of this sequence/ style of breathing is essential for a fresher who has just started running. Very soon, the body is going to adapt and with hours and hours of practice of this breathing technique, the runner will find breathing at faster paces or uphill climbs also very comfortable, simply because the body has adapted itself and the lungs are now being used to higher capacities.

(b) Form :  Form is something that seems to be overhyped and a lot of pictures and advice is available on the internet. We can see the elite runners and observe their running form to know how an ideal form should be. But how easy is it to correct one's form? It is an extremely difficult and time consuming task. Patience, determination and persistence is required, because, over a period of time, the body and mind have been conditioned to a particular way of walking, sitting, running etc. which as you notice different individuals, each one will have a different style/ gait. So is it right to say that one form is correct while the other is not? In my opinion, yes! Running has taught me that form is equally important for a healthy life. The skeleton is actually floating in our bodies and it is our muscles, tendons and ligaments that are holding the skeleton in position. How we hold it determines our form. So what is a correct form and how should a fresher start correcting form?  First thing I feel that needs to be taught to most Indians is that we all must try to always walk/sit/ run tall.  My experience has revealed that most Indians tend to slouch/ have a shortened form, I don't know if it is a legacy of being slaves for a long period of time, but this needs to be corrected. We all must walk tall and that way a lot of things get corrected on their own. For instance, the collar bone gets pushed up and the chest is out, and as soon as the chest is out, the core gets engaged, with the shoulders relaxed yet firm and not slouched. As soon as the core gets engaged, the effort required to walk or run shifts uniformly to all parts of the kinematic chain ( mainly the glutes and the abdomen), thereby effectively reducing the load on the legs.  Continuous practice of such posture correction at home, in office, while walking etc. will keep strengthening the muscles which have got weakened because of years of disuse due to sedentary lifestyle and habits. This has added benefits, as you will start looking more smarter and will effuse confidence as you walk as if you are walking a ramp. Yes, models are actually taught to walk tall and confident and that is the right form.

Another tip to practice running tall is to use your core to push the chest up and out and use shoulder/arms for propulsion while running. The arms must move more behind the body and very little ahead. Imagine someone has tied a rope to your waist and is pulling you from 5m ahead. This will take your hip slightly ahead and legs will follow the hip. Take small steps and try to keep the knees straight while running as if you are pushing off the ground. Leg muscles should be relaxed and one must feel comfortable while running.

Our predecessors who used to sit cross legged on the floor were much better off than us sitting on chairs, because that is a much better posture as it uses all core muscles and enriches the tissues, muscles and associated parts as they are getting exercised and stretched keeping those ligaments and tendons supple enough. Western toilets have spoilt our daily morning stretching exercise which was good for our calf muscles, hip flexors and glutes.  Automation in terms of pumps, mixies, grinder, washing machines etc. has ensured that we don't use our body for the excellent exercises that used to strengthen our arms, backs, upper bodies etc.

Therefore, since we are living in a capitalistic growing economy and our life style is only going to get more sedentary with more automation and urbanisation, distance running serves as the correction mechanism to ensure that we remain strong physically and mentally by maintaining a good form and posture and ensuring that our lungs are used to their full capacities.  Patience persistence and determination are key attributes for improvement in running as well as for a healthy life.

Disclaimer: I am no medical professional nor am I a certified specialist in physical training. I have only expressed my personal learning  in order to share my experiences and help other beginners to run freely . Each body and mind is unique and each person has to discover, realise and experience the reality within their own minds and bodies to see how to adapt these corrections, if required. However,  form and breathing are universal to all human beings and is a basic fact which has to be given utmost focus and emphasis especially for distance running.

Training Run as well as Route Recconaisance run for Pune Ultra-50K

The First Pune Ultra is about to be launched by FreeRunners. Therefore, I decided to get a feel of the route. The Ultra-marathon event would be a niche event for trained ultra runners. As the discussion progressed on Facebook Ultramarathoners page, runners decided not to have any T-shirts, BIBs or timing chips. The numbers would be kept to a manageable size and therefore, individual attention could be given to the runners. Costs would be kept to a minimum, catering for the route management, organisation of stay and food for the participants at actual costs. Cost of medals, hydration and food would be the main components. As for the route and cut-off timings, it was decided to have a timing cut-off which would be challenging and make the event interesting. Route would be a mixture of tar roads, mud tracks, and trail, with a number of rolling hills through natural environments of villages and small hills and water bodies. The runner will definitely feel refreshed by the beauty of nature around him/ her. However, training will be essential to run this route in order to succeed in meeting the cut off timings. The date for this event has been decided as 22Nov 2015, a week after Diwali is over. In order to do the route reconnaissance, an impromptu plan was made and a group of FreeRunners also training for the Bengaluru Full Marathon decided to run this Ultra route as a practice long run of approx distance 33K. The Ultra route will have a loop of 12.5k and back done twice to complete 50K. So we decided to start at a point 7k away from the Start point and complete one loop of the Ultra route. The Ultra Start point is planned to be at “Innovera High School" which will partner FreeRunners in organising this event with the gracious hospitality of Mr Vinay Joshi, a FreeRunner and Founder Director of Innovera High School.The training run commenced at 0505 hrs with 8 runners and we started running from a point on the Pune-Solapur road with a lot of truck traffic and insufficient light on the road. All were scared of any injury as it was only three weeks left for the Bengaluru Marathon. Vinay Joshi accompanied the runners on his cycle and two ladies, Anupama and Sangeetha, wives of two FreeRunners were the angel supporters. I was not feeling very well this morning, as I was having a slight niggle in my glutes after a fast 12k yesterday at Magarpatta with Vivek Bhargava. My stomach was also feeling queasy as I had not de-ballasted completely in the morning and I was wondering how I would be able to manage this for the long run. I reaffirmed to myself that the body always adapts to the mind and focused on my run. The darkness on the roads made us run quietly and carefully watching the road like an amateur barefoot runner, especially with the blinding headlights of trucks coming from ahead. I was cursing myself to have decided to chose this as the starting point, but now that we had started, there was no looking back and all of us ran amidst all the darkness and pollution waiting eagerly for the turning tothe school ensuring better environmental conditions for the remaining run.So the first 7.8K approximately took us about 40/45 minutes as we entered the school from the back gate and Vinay was already there waiting for us. But since there was another group coming behind, he could not accompany us to show us the route, but Shyamal knew the route as he had run earlier on the same route. So we all took off on the first part of the route which was 8k of motorable roads, a mix of tar roads and mud roads through quaint villages and open grounds. So we started running, the time was about 05:45 hrs and it was dark but the signs of daylight were visible already.

As we ran, we could feel the change in environment from the pollution of the vehicles to the fresh air and the surrounding vegetable fields and we were running towards the hills at a distant backdrop. We reached a point where we took a left turn onto a mud track alongside a canal, which was not having much of water, indicative of the water shortage in this city, and we continued on this route for about 3-4K till we hit a main road and a bridge which this track joins, and then we ran on the road on the other side of the canal and this road meandered into a village and then a slow climb up a hill raising the elevation of the route. Since none of us were mentally prepared for this uphill, and we tried to maintain our pace, we were panting as we reached the top, but the angels (damsels (sic)) came to the rescue of the “knights in distress” and gave us enerzal and water. This was our first pit-stop, and we then continued on the route till we reached the end of the road at “Ram Garrha” a beautiful ancient temple with a water body. 





This was approx 8 kms from the school. None of us knew the route ahead of this point and Vinay was not in sight, so we decided to take our chance and continue, so we guessed the route and took a right turn and the route was a trail with stones and slush patches in between where we had to do some gymnastics to cross puddles. There were rolling hills and then we just started following our instincts and kept running into the villages and kept a constant direction. Soon we hit a Tar road and could see the ghats from there on the left, and also the building of Hadapsar and Handewadi, hinting that if we continued running on this road, we could reach back to Hadapsar/ Kedari. The Garmin worn by Muthukrishnan, Vivek and Shyamal was registering that we needed to run another 700m to complete the distance of 12.5K from the school, and so we continued on the tar road till the Garmin registered 12.5k and then we retraced our way back. There was a bit of confusion on the way back, but we were finally able to trace our way back. I forgot to mention that in our tryst with this unknown route, as we were crossing one village, two dogs( bitches to be specific) tagged along with us and kept us company for the entire route till we reached back the temple. We were appreciating their fitness and ease with which they were tackling all the up-slopes and down-slopes and they were running across us into the fields and then again joining us as if they were making fun of our running ability.On our way back, we soon saw Vinay standing near a field and we realised that we had taken a slight detour from the original planned route and he showed us the path next to a field which lead to the main road. Then we reached the temple and found our angels waiting to re-energize us for the balance 8k back to the school. The Sun was up by now and as we ran back, I was reenergized after having enerzal and water, and increased my pace along with Shyamal, and both of us surged ahead as this part was mostly downhill and soon we reached the turning point into the mud road alongside the canal. Here, Shyamal was feeling dried up, and he wanted to hydrate himself, but there was nothing in sight, and the Garmin showed that we had another 4k to do, so we decide to just run and complete it. This stretch was difficult as there was absolutely no shade and sun was directly up and the road seemed never-ending. Finally the turn came and then the tar road through the village/ township also seemed very long. I finished the run at about 08:20 am(3hrs:15min) from our starting time of 05:05 am. The distance covered was 33k.Vinay was there at the school and an awesome treat of boiled eggs and hot tea with bread was waiting for us. This was a totally unexpected surprise treat from Vinay and we landed up gobbling up the eggs at a pretty rapid pace as we were all famished and hungry. The icing on top of the cake was the “refreshing” pipe shower rather a pressurized “body wash” provided by Vinay by running a water pump from the well in the school. All of us were completely fresh and charged up again at the end of the run. Thus a memorable run came to an end with absolutely endearing and great memories that will be embedded in our minds for eternity. A zillion thanks to Vinay Joshi and the angel supporters Sangeetha and Anupama for the brilliant support provided by them. Vinay actually cycled about 40-45k today for providing us this support. So watch out for this special event for trained runners- “Pune Ultra-50K” to be launched very soon..

Satara Hill Run 2015

The FreeRunners group decided to go as a group for this run a second time and  probably the last time, and just to prove that "hills" are not something to be feared, but to be just run freely, about 9 members were trained to do their first Half marathon in this event.  Well, I had not decided earlier to join this run event due to some personal commitments and therefore did not register, but just  a couple of days before the event, I was tempted to join up and go with the group, because the last year's memories were fresh and were seducing me to run the hills. I was not too happy about having to pay the large registration fee, and doing all the registration formalities at the expo, and I had earlier suggested to the group, that the entire group could plan a Satara Hill run on it's own, and we can plan it ourselves. It would have been fun. But, since the group had runners who needed the  feeling of having completed an event successfully, it was decided that the group would participate in this event.  My attraction was the hill route which is mesmerizing and beautiful. I simply love the hills and nature and get fully charged up.
          I decided on Friday, that I would go for this event, and announced it on Facebook and within minutes, I got a call from Jeetu Sir about accommodation already being arranged, another call from Dinesh Heda, a Goa runner friend about accommodation and bib being available, and even the transportation to Satara was arranged as I got a call from Sangeeta ( another FreeRunner) asking me to join up with her as she was leaving early to set up a stall at the expo and I felt blessed. So it was decided and I was going to Satara to participate in this event.
          The expo was at a different venue, and it was organised in a big hall and there was a queue standing there for the "Spot" registrations at 0900 hrs. The organisers were against changing names of the last minute drop-outs to accomodate the spot entrants and asked us to do fresh registrations. So I stood in the queue. Here is where things went absolutely awry as I got a feeling that the organisers were ill-prepared for such registration and they had no clue how to tackle the problem of the "influential locals" who would try to get their names registered. There were a lot of outstation runners standing in the queue and getting frustrated as the spot registrations for these "local influential" people had started even before the scheduled time of 1000hrs and when my turn came, I was told that the slot for my age group was over. Naturally, since we were the first people in the queue and there was a promise for the first 100 entries, it was not understood how within a few minutes, the entire 100 entries had got over. It seemed that they had blocked certain BIB numbers for each age category and the age category of 35-44 had finished very soon, owing to the "local influence" entries being in that category and the volunteers were non-plussed as how to manage the genuine runners standing in the queue. The race director and event organiser had to intervene and after a "full-marathon" wait of about three and a half hours in the "non-ventilated" expo zone, we were given an assurance that a BIB would be arranged by evening after they consolidate the total number of participants. So I went back tired and feeling cheated to my room without a BIB. I went back to the expo late afternoon and finally I was given a BIB number which, to my horror, was not available at the BIB collection counter. Then I was directed to another lady, next to the BIB verification counter, who issued a Manual BIB with the number marked by a permanent marker and the RFID sticker was stuck on it. No ID proof was sought from me, probably because by this time, everyone seemed to know me very well because of my irritation and frustration. Finally, another participant of my age group and me teamed up, as I collected the manual BIBS and he collected the Goodie bags from the other counter. Phew! We congratulated each other as we had finshed a "Full Marathon" collecting our BIBS and Goodie Bags after 8 hrs of having reached the Expo. The organiser of the event was courteous enough to inform us that he was doing a favour to us by having spot registrations as this was a "Guiness Book of World record event" and he did not want any genuine runner to miss out. Well, I was wondering how any runner would benefit from this record, Isnt the runner doing a favour to the organiser by ensuring that his event gets the so called record of conducting a hill run with maximum number of participants. The number is being achieved only because of participants, so doesn't the organiser owe it to us runners? How is he doing a favour to the runners when the runners are paying through their nose to participate in this event and more than the money, the time and effort that each runner had to put in just for collecting their "paid BIBS" was obnoxious. I may sound extremely negative here, but I want to make a point that in any event, the "runner" is the customer, and not a slave, and the organiser needs to treat the runner, especially an outstation runner with that spirit. This event was definitely not in that spirit. You can blame the volunteers or the heat, but the onus or responsibility always lies with the Organiser and he should accept the blame and improve.
        So having finished a Full Marathon of collecting a paid BIB from the expo by evening, I joined my group of FreeRunners for a tour of the route and from here on, the mood changed as we mentally prepared ourselves for the lovely route in the Satara. I slept well that night after a sumptuous meal in our host's ( Navjeet and Shalaka) bungalow. They did an awesome job of hosting about 25-30 people from our group in few bungalows and organised the lavish meals. It was like a wedding party with shamiana and superb arrangements. I got up early at 0400 hrs and stretched myself , did some Yoga and was ready to go at 0510 hrs. Since the start point was close to the place where I stayed, I left at about 0515 hrs and joined up with the Bangalore group running to the venue. So it was good warming up for me as I jogged to the venue about 1km away. I reached the venue and met up with a lot of friends from Chennai, Goa & Mumbai. I was not able to spot my group anywhere, so I slowly looked for the holding area and slinked my way to the front. Though I was having a "C" line up written manually on my BIB,( because they did not bother to even ask me my estimated timing or my previous timing), I managed to move up to the front or "A" line up. I had decided to run my best  and therefore justified the "cheating" to myself saying that I was not going to block any faster runner, as I could recognise most of these faster runners. I was there at the forefront, and then as the time came closer to the start, I found Shyamal and Sonali (FreeRunners)alongside at the front. We wished each other and got ready to take off. The timing was perfect and well organised, and the race started dot on time as we all took off. I was soon alone on the road with few runners alongside and I had worked the strategy in my mind, which I wanted to follow. Basically, the first 3-3.5K was a slight rolling hill till the base of the main climb, which I had decided to do at a faster pace and then slow down in the main climb of 3.5 to 8 k, and then again increase pace till the turn-around point. So as I paced ahead, I felt my breathing quite hard and slowly shifted my focus on my form and breathing to stabilize. In a race, there is a tendency to compete and a runner tends to push more than normal running pace in the initial part and later gets tired faster, so I controlled myself and built in a rhythm of breathing and kept my form as correct as possible. I was trying hard not to pronate and have a regular foot strike by ensuring correct form and running using my core. So every run is  a practice to do that perfectly, and I just about keep trying this in every run.
         Soon, I was at the base of the hill, and I had this runner in front of me, who was stopping, holding his waist and then again running, and he was doing this constantly. Surprisingly he had a determination of steel and maintained his pace for the entire climb, with the same start-stop sequence. My practice runs at Bopdev Ghat at Pune were paying dividends as I was not panting at all, and was breathing comfortably all along the climb. Breathing happens to be the most important part during the climb and one must learn to build a rhythm of strong exhalation after every few steps to ensure sufficient supply of oxygen.  I was very comfortable and whenever I felt that my quads were tightening, I relaxed my muscles and focussed on my core and straightened up and felt better immediately. The run was beautiful as ever, with one waterfall( very less water though), and beautiful scenery on the other side and I was enjoying myself thoroughly seeping in all nature's beauty.
        Last year , I has suffered from a bad stitch during the return leg and hence I was wary and controlling my breathing by shifting my exhalation occasionally from the right leg to the left leg strike. I was quite comfortable at the turn around point and then  I decided to increase the pace and tried to use gravity to my benefit,as I tried to let go and use my core to balance the body. I was very comfortable till I reached the base of the hill, but as I started the last 4 k, i could feel that my foot strike was too loud suggesting that my mind was working towards a better timing and I was losing my form. I corrected myself and I was fighting against my mind which was telling to me to run faster and my brain which was telling me to maintain my form. I just continued to run and soon the left turn came where I saw Kamal (a freeRunner) who cheered me on and then I decided to up the ante and increased my pace. I had sighted one person wearing an "INDIA" vest running ahead, and I made up my mind to catch up with him, though he was quite ahead. I finally was behind him when we turned into the finish run of 50m and I sprinted with all my energy and I think I finished either with him or just after him, only the official timings will say which is correct.  The clock read 07:47:--? when I crossed over. So I assume, my timing is about 1:47: something. I was strong when I finished and feeling relaxed, meaning I could have pushed a bit more and achieved a better timing. Overall, i was satisfied with my performance as it is the finish of a run which decides if the run was good or not. I was strong in the finish and felt good and that is what matters. So "Satara Hill Marathon" done and dusted. I have to decide now which all events to participate in or maybe create own events and get people together and just run to prove to these great run organisers that you don't need too much money from runners to organise runs. I will do that, BY GOD! This is a challenge that I am going to take up for the great cause of running that FreeRUnners believes in and I will organise an event soon. So watch out , Runners! for a lovely run only for trained runners which will be an absolutely "no-frills" run with the only enjoyment being "Running in Nature".
                       Last but not the least, Thank You very much to the organizers for these lovely moments in the beautiful Sahyadri ranges which I enjoyed thoroughly. Looking forward to create a  "Run" for trained runners with the focus totally on the runners.

Javadhu Hill Ultra 2015- An awesome experience

 12 July 2015 will be etched in my memory as another milestone has been achieved. I ran the JHU 50K on this day. Well, this milestone was an impromptu decision to participate in this event since I was in Chennai and having made few friends in the Chennai Running group called “Pillar Pacers”, was motivated to join them.

So I had initially registered for the Chennai trail Marathon which is scheduled in Sep 2015, but then, I was not sure whether I would be able to come to Chennai that time, so I decided to transfer my registration from the Chennai Trail marathon to Javadhu Hill Ultra. This is a great thing about Chennai trekking Club that they are a no frills club, and are very accommodating to all these changes. So the registration happened and I decided to run a 25K. Why, because I had not practiced much, the longest distance I had done last Sunday was 22.5K and was regularly doing a 10/11K only. But I had done a three hour run in Chennai‘s hot and humid weather. I also was sceptical that doing an Ultra now could cause an injury that would not allow me to run for more time. I also had this fear that it could be a DNF and that would be a blow to my morale. The mind is always playing these games and trying to dissuade from taking the plunge. But on the day I boarded the bus and met many people who were participating in the run, I decided that I am taking the plunge because, it was an opportunity and CTC is well known for its support organisation, so it would be a perfect way to complete an Ultra and the name of the race was Javadhu Hill Ultra, so what was the point in doing a 25K here anyways. So the decision was made and I decided to get my registration upgraded from 25K to 50K.

Caution: While I took this decision, I had been running consistently with small breaks here and there and have enough experience of distance running. So if and when I ever feel uncomfortable, in the sense that my body gives me the signals to STOP, I will definitely stop and pull out. Runs will end, running never ends, so that is the spirit with which I take up any run. Running has to be for enjoyment and I love nature trails, so that was my biggest motivation to take the plunge for the 50K. I also had confidence since I have done a 50K earlier at Pune albeit it was on a flat stretch of road.

I was facing a peculiar problem at Chennai, one day, I felt the recurrence of pain in my left butt( gluteus maximus) and was bit worried, the other day, I woke up with a stiff left neck and it was a bit painful. It became alright in a day or two and I ran with this pain. I was warned by some people not to neglect my neck pain and when this pain recurred after a couple of days, I got it examined by a doctor who told me that my muscles were in contracted state and needed to be relaxed. Probably I was spending too much time in front of the computer doing my blogs or social network and causing strain to the neck. Anyways, I went on to Youtube, and did exercises shown there to get my neck back in shape, and I was feeling much better after 2 days of exercises. Decision making in such situations is very tough as a lot of pros and cons have to be played out and weighed, and if you are having a history of injury, it becomes even more difficult. Here, I took a chance because somewhere deep down, I had this feeling that I was being too over-cautious and I was actually all right with only a minor niggle here and there because of some imbalance in the kinematic chain, which has to be corrected. So running slowly and peacefully in correct form will actually help me, is what I felt at this point in time.

So as I reached Javadhu, and met up with some running friends with whom I had run the TCS World 10k in Bangalore, I was again told that I was doing a stupid thing by running an Ultra, as I had just come out of an injury. My mind was again disturbed, but I had decided, and there were two of my partners in crime from the Chennai Pillar pacers group who were instrumental in my decision to take part in this event, and both of them had registered for the 50K , so there was no way I was backing out. The event was a no frills event with all participants staying in classrooms of a school with their own bedrolls etc. Some people had got their tents and pitched it in the school grounds. The food was served in the school itself. Everything was organised perfectly and yet there was no fancy stuff anywhere, no bollywood celebrities, no Zumba dance, no VIP for flag-off etc. etc..

My partners had come with full preparation, one of them had got peanut butter, sandwiches, dry fruits, salt tablets and energy gels. The other partner, an ex- army personnel, had got a mosquito net, double bed sheets, and two large bottles for water. I was kind of travelling light with only a bedsheet and an extra T shirt. Yes I managed to carry an Odomos for the mosquitoes. So I slept on a bedsheet on the floor and my bones were paining after some time, and I was changing position every few minutes. I woke up at about 0200 hrs to find my partner heavily exercising with both his legs up on the wall and then doing body parallel pushups, and when I asked him, he said that he normally does that to get his bowels moving. This man is 53 years of age, but full of josh and a fiery spirit. I was awestruck at his energy levels. So we finished our stomach cleansing routine by 0230 and it was good that we finished early because we were sleeping in a classroom and using the school toilets. By 0330 hrs, there was a long queue for the toilets. Many people were sleeping in the open as well as in tents. The weather was nice and breezy, not cold, but a bit chill in the morning. The sky was starlit and no sign of clouds, so we were in for some Sun running for sure.

So by 0430 hrs, we all reported to the starting point as the 50 & 75K races were to commence at 0500 hrs and the 25K at 0600 hrs. Met a lot of interesting people there, and we all did a warm-up session organised by one of the runners. We did some nice dynamic stretches to open out all the essential running muscles and associated parts. Then the race director made this announcement that there is an option available for all 50K and 75 K runners at the milestone of 25K and 50K, in case they don’t want to continue, they should state so and they would get their finishers medal for 25K or 50K, but if they decide to turn around and continue and then they are not able to complete the distance, they would be declared DNF. I guess this is the way to get more people to take up challenges and try themselves out. And we did have many participants for 50 & 75K.

Run began in darkness and there were volunteers including Peter van Geit (Race Director) who were positioned at all dangerous spots to avoid anyone stumbling/ injuring in the beginning of the run. The run started from a ground opposite the school and we ran on the ground mud road till we reached the tar road, and then, it was road running for 4.2k. The weather was awesome with a slight breeze blowing and I consciously kept my pace very slow, because I have a habit of speeding up and I know very well that ultra running is not about speed but about smart pacing. So the run started very smoothly and we were about four or five in a bunch who were pretty much together for the first 8/10K, as we crossed the tar road and started the trail run into the hills of Javadhu. The scene all around was of an untouched forest with few villages in between and early morning and in nights, the sky was resplendent with the glory of the stars and planets visible very clearly to the naked eye. I believe that this is an attraction of this place and there is an observatory nearby which is frequented by tourists to do astronomical gazing. I had planned to run with my partners Babu and Arun jain, and all of us had decided to run slowly and pace ourselves comfortably for the entire race, and we did that for about 10/12k, after which I do not know how it happened, but I was not able to run that slow, so I just did whatever my body was feeling comfortable with. Now there is a catch 22 situation here: You can run very slow and in effect, you will have to run for much longer time, if you run at HM pace, by 30k there is a high probability of muscle cramps and spasms, so it is very important to adjust your pace to an optimum one, so that you don’t spend too much of time because the return leg will have the sun blazing which will only increase. So it is important to understand one’s capacity and accordingly pace for the run. The lesson I learnt here is never to force your body to speed up or slow down, it is critical to keep the muscles relaxed while running. While it is the case in the beginning of the run, but as we start running on hill routes, the body tends to get stiffened and leads to cramps. So I focussed my energy on my form and relaxed all my muscles as I ran and eventually as I was doing this meditative exercise with myself, when I looked around me, I was all alone, and my group was left behind. I reached an aid station and waited for them to reappear, and as they appeared in sight, I slowly started jogging thinking that they will catch up soon, but again as I got into my meditation and enjoying the pristine environment while running, I was all alone, but I must confess I was enjoying the solo running at those heavenly stretches ( believe me solo running in such environments is an absolute pleasure).

I then took a decision that I will not slow down and just continue running at my pace. I found myself overtaking many people at this juncture. I caught up with two mallu runners from Kochi (Soles of Kochi), who were running an ultra for the first time and that too 75K, hats off to them. Their group leader too was running the 50K and he was too fast for all of us. Amazing runner, Ramesh is aged 46, does a FM in 3 hrs 05 min, did this Ultra 50K in 4hrs 45 min and was strong as ever and as cool as a cucumber at the finish point. I was awestruck by his fitness. 

Somewhere deep in my mind,I had this time of 2: 40/2:50 for the half way mark, and I knew that the first 10K was very slow, so I thought some amount of time could be made up in the balance 15k. But as I approached the 15K point and then on, there was a steep climb and it continued for about 2K and I religiously followed the rule of climbing up the steepest slope by walking, and started running as soon as I hit the peak. While walking, I ensured that my pace was fast but minimum effort with muscles relaxed, and of course, correct form. As I crossed the 21K point, I saw the first guy cross me( a foreigner) running very fast and strong and soon I saw Vipul ( 75K) behind him and then Ramesh and so on. I made it a point to count each runner and announce their position as they passed me and I counted upto 16 before I reached the turn around point.

There were aid stations every 4.2 K, and very well organised with electoral, water, fruits, salads, chocolate and chikki pieces cut into small bits making it easy for runners to have, even the fruits were kept chopped and easy to have, minimum effort for any runner. The trail part was really beautiful but the path was uneven and stony. The trail got over at about 23K and I hit the tar road which was again a steep downhill run which meant that in the return leg, this was going to be a tough one, and then again entered a mud track and finally reached the 25K point just about 8 min short of 3 hrs. I took a water break, had some chocolate pieces and then took off on the return leg. The climb started almost immediately and all sorts of thoughts started playing in my mind asking me if it was OK to have turned back, Can I just turn back again and cancel this 50K and take away the finisher for 25K etc. etc. I silenced my mind and just trudged along, and the moment I felt my quadriceps tightening in the stress of the climb, I started walking uphill and as soon as I reached the peak, started running again. This continued throughout the return leg. Now, interestingly, when one crosses the 35K mark, the first thoughts of fear of DNF start hitting you, past memories of muscle breakdown at 33/32K also torment you. I shoved them aside by saying that it is only 15K from here, so if required, just stop do a complete stretching and then again begin a 15K run and be over with it. But the mind plays truant always, and as the sun picked up, I was feeling very thirsty and hot and wanted to wet my throat continuously. But aid stations were spaced about 4.5k from each other, so I had to count my steps for each KM and do that four times before I could get water/ hydration.

There is another feeling that I always get when I run a longish distance, which is :- As the distance increases, every 1k distance feels very much longer and takes more time to show up. So the distance kept reducing very slowly and soon, it was just 10K left, and I had absolutely no problems whatsoever, be it muscle cramps, or leg pain or anything at all, but still the mind was playing truant, at times, scaring me that anything can happen at anytime, and every 1k distance also is a big deal at this juncture. I told my mind to shut up and told myself sternly that there were only two options: a shameful DNF or a glorious completion of my second Ultra of 50K. Then I visualised the finish point and continued positively. I met fellow runners at the aid stations where we got ice sponges and ice cubes , chocolates, sweet lime, salt, lime etc. etc..  Finally I hit the tar road for the last 4.2 K stretch and now the race completion was imminent. But again this was a longish journey because it had many uphill routes and I did walk up those slopes. I knew I was in the less than 6 hrs category when I saw the 49K mark and decided to speed up because it was just about 8 minutes left for the 6 hr duration as per my watch, so I increased my pace a bit, but immediately felt the starting of a cramp, and slowed down but maintained a faster pace and soon enough, I was in the “last 200m” which I ran as fast I could and finished the run with a strong punch up in the air. So finally “Javadhu Hills Ultra” was done and dusted and confidence is up for the home ultra at Pune in November.

DOMS - Dreaded by Runners- The why, how and what of it....

Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness ( DOMS)

The dreaded thing for a runner, especially when coming back  after an injury. Let us try and understand what this is and how can this be avoided, and if already suffering, then how to overcome it.  Delayed Onset of Muscle soreness happens generally 24-48 hrs after a strenuous exercise/ workout. Most marathoners face it on completion of a race day, where you have given more than your best and achieved a PB. In case of runners, this is also highly probable after a tough strength training session or a tough hill training session. What are the symptoms? Well, you may feel a very slight soreness on the day of exercise after finishing the session and all would seem to be OK. However after 24 hrs, the same pain would have increased two-three fold and you will feel the pain only when you move and not while seated or standing. The most prone areas are the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes for runners, which are jammed after 24 hrs/ 48 hrs and any movement of those muscles causes great pain.  

Why does it happen?

Earlier, it was believed that this is due to lactic acid formation and the inability of the body to remove the acid faster than its formation which caused stiffness and jamming of the muscles. However, this has been proved wrong as the lactic acid is flushed out within one hour of the exercise session/ run  getting over. It is believed that DOMS primarily occurs due to the microscopic tears in the muscles, similar to what body builders face in the gym, when they exercise to build and grow their muscle groups. The muscle actually tears microscopically and repairs and re-builds and grows this way. During this process, there is a bit of  a swelling and pain and it is difficult to continue running. But the question is whether to run or not? For that let us understand the "why does it happen" first:- Contractions ( downhill running) when we do hill repetitions can cause this. Eccentric contraction exercises during strength training can also cause this. 

What should be done when you are suffering from DOMS?

I am writing this out of personal experience and no scientific/ medical evidence whatsoever. When I did a strenuous strength training and developed DOMS in my quadricepses,  I decided to give it rest and did no exercise the second and third day. The third day was extremely painful and I suffered for 5 days before I could begin to jog again. In another event of DOMS, I went for a strenuous hill run and got DOMS in my glutes and hamstrings. This time, I decided to keep massaging and exercising the affected area, I went for a swim the next day, applied relaxant ointment, and iced it three to four times, did specific exercises for that area in the evening of the next day after a proper warming up and I was ready for Slow Long distance run next morning. No trouble at all, just a slight pain in the beginning of the run and as I continued, the pain vanished. I feel it is because of the increase in blood circulation to the affected area due to the activity, which probably clears the histamine and free radicals thus reducing inflammation and giving relief from DOMS. Inactivity and total rest will also heal but will take more time and it is definitely more painful, so the choice is clear for a runner. 

Caution: The exercise should be aerobic and non-strenuous to avoid further damage to the muscle fibres. Always  start the exercise after a proper warming up and stretching both pre and post run.  

Note: I am writing this blog for the benefit of runners like me who searched for a long time in the internet and tried to understand DOMS when I was facing this problem. It would be nice to get feedback from other runners on DOMS and other injuries they faced and how they overcame it. 

Chiku Buku Run at Chennai with Chennai Runners Pillar pacers group

Yesterday, chatted with Praveen Giriya, a comrades finisher this year and planned to catch up today for the "Chiku Buku" ( forgive me for the wrong spelling) route run. Praveen told me that he designed this route for the group and is called this because it runs along the Mambalam station railway tracks( 'Chiku Buku Raile' song in Tamil -- does it ring any bells?). It is a very nice route covered by greenery at most places especially on Bazullah road.

So, today morning, I woke up and decided to run till Ashok Pillar and meet up with this celebrity runner of Chennai and of course my newly found friends Arun Jain and Ramachander Babu Radha. I left home at about 0445 and reached Ashok Pillar about 2 kms away by 0455 hrs and could find no one there. It was quite dark there and then suddenly as if to provide me with light, the Saravana Bhawan restaurant there switched on all lights and opened their shop. I waited for about five to ten minutes and finally saw one person arrive at about 0505 hrs on scooter. I introduced myself and we both waited and slowly people started trickling in. They waited for one of their veteran runners to take stretching and warming up, and soon Praveen Giriya, Arun Jain and Babu also were there and we started our run after a customary group snap. 

Four of us ran together and as the roads started becoming narrower on Lake-view road, we had to break into a formation of twos. Interestingly, one cyclist burst his ire on us as we were blocking his path and he was getting late for milk packet distribution and his lady was perched on his back seat. When I said "Sorry", he burst back in anger " What Sorry" and five to ten metres ahead, he reached his destination and stopped. We were highly amused by his behaviour, but that is how a "mind in hurry" works. I sincerely expressed my apologies to him in Tamil and moved on, his wife smiled and justified that they were late for milk packet distribution.

It was a beautiful morning, weather was good, and I was enjoying the pace, and suddenly I realised that myself and Babu had actually paced up much ahead as we got off the flyover and entered Bazullah road, when Praveen called out and told us to slow down, as Babu had to run a race on Sunday. So we waited for Praveen and Arun and then continued at a normal pace. Hereafter, Praveen Giriya was always ahead of us and his pace was fantastic, and though I kept pace with him till we crossed Panagal park, I realised that I was pushing myself more than my capacity and I reduced my pace and let him go ahead, and self and Babu paced together and continued to run. Praveen in his best form, was itching to do 16k and asked us, and we refused as we were happy with 12k for today, being the fourth consecutive day for me after a long injury break. So self and Babu maintained our pace comfortably and continued as we watched Praveen glide past us comfortably and he was about 100-150 m ahead of us constantly, and twice he came running back and asked us to pace up with him as only 2.5k was remaining. Now Praveen was very comfortable at his pace which was probably a bit more than our pace, but the mind is a devil and in such situations, I normally switch into "race" mode and most of the times, this is the cause for injury because you push yourself more than your capacity. On a particular race day, it is OK if you have been targeting a PB and it is the D-day, but on a normal training day, unless you are fully in form and up to it, it is not worth pushing yourself more than necessary. So I curbed my instincts and thanks to Babu who also maintains a similar cadence as me, we paced comfortably and we finished the 12k in about 1 hr and 04 min. Perceived effort was about 8.5/ 10 today, because somewhere in my mind, I was trying to compete with Praveen Giriya, but I was no match for him as he runs like a deer and in extremely good form. He is an accomplished Chennai Ultra runner who has just finished Comrades successfully and is an inspiration for all runners here. It was a pleasure to run with him today. Thank you so much ,Praveen Giriya, for the awesome run today, which I enjoyed immensely.

So if you read this post, you will understand that while maintaining a pace is important, pushing a "little bit" more is also important, because that is what leads to improvement. Only the "little bit" is difficult to quantify as there are many factors like, how you are feeling on that day, weather conditions, etc. etc. But being in touch with your own body and mind while running is of utmost importance and you will know where to draw the line, because sub-consciously, when we cross the line, our form deteriorates and becomes the cause for injury and set back. I still have to learn a lot, because I do cross the line many times, without realizing it, because I have got used to running faster than what my body can take. So as I write this, I am telling myself that I need to slow down and control my instincts while running to avoid injuries. Learning never ends.. running also hopefully will never end for me till the very end... Thank you "Chennai Runners Pillar Pacers" group for the lovely run today. I believe there are about 34 groups in Chennai and the total strength is greater than 5000. Way to go, Chennai! Keep Running!