It's been some time since I last wrote here.
Was waiting to see if the world would end if I failed to post every weekend.
To my incredulity and heartbreaking disappointment, it didn't.
However, moving on...I am inordinately excited about this particular blog post, people, because believe it or not, it is the result of an epiphany...
After being unable to think of a single word worth publishing for almost a month, I finally approached the whole blog-writing thing from a new angle.
Instead of trying to write something clever, and failing, I thought to myself today, why don't I try to write something tedious, and succeed! The end result will be the same, no?
Notice the bland, uninspired title... 'Training Report'. Yup, that's what this is. Why dress it up?
For a thumbnail illustration, I present to you, a grey square, with the words 'Training Report' unnecessarily emblazoned across it in that most boring of fonts- Comic Sans. That smiley face is the best I can do right now to spice it the hell up...
The month has been eventful, to say the least.
The Delhi Heritage Half Marathon.
Soon after my last post, I ran the Delhi Heritage Half-Marathon. It was the day of my first 20-miler for this training cycle. Starting at a smidgeon shy of half past four AM, I ran eleven kilometers to the race flag off at Qutab Minar, before joining in the race at half past five.
I wanted to run it out at an easy, non-competitive pace, but, thanks to some mid-run inspiration, finally ended up going faster than intended in the last ten kilometers or so. I do think that gave me some confidence in my ability to face my nemesis, the negative split, in a long run.
All said, it was a great race... ran through the spectrum of the capital, in sublime weather, with a splendid crowd of friends and fellow runners.
The only low point of the day was being forced to abandon my post-run breakfast after just nine parathas...just nine! Can you believe it?!
The Conquering of the Intervals.
The following Wednesday found me at Leisure Valley, resolved to overcome the ghost of intervals past.
Like the mule that I tend to be, I went about it with stubbornness rather than wisdom, despite all the big deal I made out of learning lessons from bad runs in my last post. Still started out faster than planned, and made it a prestige issue.
Inexplicably, this time, something clicked.
Maybe it was just that the body had now, a week later, adapted to the stresses that this would take. Whatever it was, I ended up running an immensely rewarding speedwork session. Four x 2ks at an average pace of around 4:07, with the slowest at 4:13 being at par with my fastest in my last speed workout!
Going Long.
Long runs are, to me, the cherry on top of the training pie. And the past month saw a couple of really good ones besides the Heritage race.
I was introduced, by a group of friends to whom I shall be eternally grateful, to a completely spectacular route that runs along the Najafgarh canal (it's depressingly called the Najafgarh 'drain' on Google Maps). I did a a brisk 26k there, once again practicing the feel of a negative split.
And the next weekend, I decided to do another 20-miler, preponed to allow me a two week taper into the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon, instead of the one week that I would have got had I stuck to my training plan.
That was, again, a memorable run that started in Gurgaon and ended in the exuberant environs of Connaught Place in the throes of the weekly Raahgiri Day, followed by a chocolate shake at Keventers, and a leisurely ride back home on the Metro.
Taper Tantrums.
Taper sucks. And no taper sucks like one you must do in the middle of a training cycle.
I'm in training for the Mumbai Marathon on the 18th of January next year, but the ADHM, for all its shortcomings when compared to that, is still a big event worthy of keeping as a target, and therefore worthy of tapering for.
While my stated target time remains a 1:35 Half Marathon this Sunday, a couple of really excellent runs at the beginning of this taper now have me thinking that maybe I should be breaking 1:30...
A moderate-to-easy effort 'Twilight Zone' 12k last week was something I did at a 4:38 pace. And then a 10k Tempo (my fastest 10k yet!) at 4:15! This was a pace I was doing speedwork at, barely two months ago! At the end of these runs, I felt that a 1:30 may be achievable, albeit with a substantial amount of effort on race day.
As has often been said, If it was easy...it wouldn't be worth it...
Following that, I was hoping to have a few uneventful, low mileage runs/walks leading upto the race. Until a strange hamstring tension after an easy 8k this last Tuesday stopped me in my tracks.
That was scary, while it lasted. I have resorted to some yoga over the past couple of days to chase it away, and today, on the eve of the event, it seems to be gone for good.
Week 7,8,9 and 10 of 18. A good month, in which the 5 AM weather went from pleasantly warm to pleasantly cool to 'I-cant-feel-my-ears', which is where it stands today. I feel primed for a good race at the ADHM tomorrow.
I sincerely wish everyone who is running tomorrow, a great, great race!
Was waiting to see if the world would end if I failed to post every weekend.
To my incredulity and heartbreaking disappointment, it didn't.
However, moving on...I am inordinately excited about this particular blog post, people, because believe it or not, it is the result of an epiphany...
After being unable to think of a single word worth publishing for almost a month, I finally approached the whole blog-writing thing from a new angle.
Instead of trying to write something clever, and failing, I thought to myself today, why don't I try to write something tedious, and succeed! The end result will be the same, no?
Notice the bland, uninspired title... 'Training Report'. Yup, that's what this is. Why dress it up?
For a thumbnail illustration, I present to you, a grey square, with the words 'Training Report' unnecessarily emblazoned across it in that most boring of fonts- Comic Sans. That smiley face is the best I can do right now to spice it the hell up...
The month has been eventful, to say the least.
The Delhi Heritage Half Marathon.
Soon after my last post, I ran the Delhi Heritage Half-Marathon. It was the day of my first 20-miler for this training cycle. Starting at a smidgeon shy of half past four AM, I ran eleven kilometers to the race flag off at Qutab Minar, before joining in the race at half past five.
I wanted to run it out at an easy, non-competitive pace, but, thanks to some mid-run inspiration, finally ended up going faster than intended in the last ten kilometers or so. I do think that gave me some confidence in my ability to face my nemesis, the negative split, in a long run.
All said, it was a great race... ran through the spectrum of the capital, in sublime weather, with a splendid crowd of friends and fellow runners.
The only low point of the day was being forced to abandon my post-run breakfast after just nine parathas...just nine! Can you believe it?!
The Conquering of the Intervals.
The following Wednesday found me at Leisure Valley, resolved to overcome the ghost of intervals past.
Like the mule that I tend to be, I went about it with stubbornness rather than wisdom, despite all the big deal I made out of learning lessons from bad runs in my last post. Still started out faster than planned, and made it a prestige issue.
Inexplicably, this time, something clicked.
Maybe it was just that the body had now, a week later, adapted to the stresses that this would take. Whatever it was, I ended up running an immensely rewarding speedwork session. Four x 2ks at an average pace of around 4:07, with the slowest at 4:13 being at par with my fastest in my last speed workout!
Going Long.
Long runs are, to me, the cherry on top of the training pie. And the past month saw a couple of really good ones besides the Heritage race.
I was introduced, by a group of friends to whom I shall be eternally grateful, to a completely spectacular route that runs along the Najafgarh canal (it's depressingly called the Najafgarh 'drain' on Google Maps). I did a a brisk 26k there, once again practicing the feel of a negative split.
And the next weekend, I decided to do another 20-miler, preponed to allow me a two week taper into the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon, instead of the one week that I would have got had I stuck to my training plan.
That was, again, a memorable run that started in Gurgaon and ended in the exuberant environs of Connaught Place in the throes of the weekly Raahgiri Day, followed by a chocolate shake at Keventers, and a leisurely ride back home on the Metro.
Taper Tantrums.
Taper sucks. And no taper sucks like one you must do in the middle of a training cycle.
I'm in training for the Mumbai Marathon on the 18th of January next year, but the ADHM, for all its shortcomings when compared to that, is still a big event worthy of keeping as a target, and therefore worthy of tapering for.
While my stated target time remains a 1:35 Half Marathon this Sunday, a couple of really excellent runs at the beginning of this taper now have me thinking that maybe I should be breaking 1:30...
A moderate-to-easy effort 'Twilight Zone' 12k last week was something I did at a 4:38 pace. And then a 10k Tempo (my fastest 10k yet!) at 4:15! This was a pace I was doing speedwork at, barely two months ago! At the end of these runs, I felt that a 1:30 may be achievable, albeit with a substantial amount of effort on race day.
As has often been said, If it was easy...it wouldn't be worth it...
Following that, I was hoping to have a few uneventful, low mileage runs/walks leading upto the race. Until a strange hamstring tension after an easy 8k this last Tuesday stopped me in my tracks.
That was scary, while it lasted. I have resorted to some yoga over the past couple of days to chase it away, and today, on the eve of the event, it seems to be gone for good.
Week 7,8,9 and 10 of 18. A good month, in which the 5 AM weather went from pleasantly warm to pleasantly cool to 'I-cant-feel-my-ears', which is where it stands today. I feel primed for a good race at the ADHM tomorrow.
I sincerely wish everyone who is running tomorrow, a great, great race!
May the road rise to meet you, may the wind be always at your back...
