Last week was very dull, in terms of running!! I did the 18 miler on last sunday (09/18/05) so the whole of last week was rest+consolidation. However, I had to travel for wrok from Tuesday to Friday, so cudnt get much running done. I had to run 4 miles on Tuesday, and 6 on Friday. I could manage the 4 miles, but didnt find time to complete the 6 miles. For sunday, it was 12 miles. I was a little afraid of the 12 miler, since I had not run much during the week. But managed it without much trouble!!
2 hours 10 mins!!
Next sunday is the Jersey Shore Half Marathon. My first race....looking forward to it!!
Monday, September 26, 2005
Monday, September 19, 2005
Turned 18..cant wait for 26!!!!
Yesterday, I turned 18 in my running life!!! Yes....I finished my 18 miler.....without much trouble!!!:D It was a gorgeous day to run......not too cold, not too hot.........absolutely not humid!!
The whole of last week, I had maintained a 10min/mile pace....thats 5 miles in 50 mins, 6 miles in an hour etc.....I wanted to finish the 18 miler under 3 hours 30 mins!
The start was as usual, slow and steady as I always start out....but this time I picked up the pace after just a mile, rather than after the 2 mile water stop. I was running with my running buddy Vivek as usual. We tend to run at approximately the same pace, so it is nice running with him. Also, he shares common interests such as sports, movies etc....so lots of small talk, as well as heavy discussions( like the Ganguly-Chappell issue) on the way!!!
We decided to run 9 miles up, and 9 miles back rather than breaking up the run into 6 to and fro, and 3 to and fro!! It was surprisingly easy to keep up the pace yesterday! I guess it was the weather. We took every water stop....but drank just a glass or so of gatorade every time! We had water stops at 2-5-7.5 mile marks....so plenty of water!!
The coach met us at the 7.5 mile mark.....and he never fails to put in a few words of encouragement. Tom is probably one of the most influencing factors of the success of this Asha marathon team. Taking non-runners from a laborious 1-2 miles to nice and easy 16-18 miles is no mean task!!
After the 7.5, we went further up to the 9 mile mark, and turned back. Back to the 7.5 mile water stop, I had the "Goo" again!! That stuff really works for me!!! I also had 2 glasses of water, and 1 glass of gatorade!!
That was enough to take me back to the 5 mile mark and beyond....though i did have another gatorade for the sake of safety!! The last 5 miles were really good.....and I did not have to push myself to maintain the pace! At the 2 mile mark, I met the Asha guys again, with a helping of Gatorade!! The volunteers are doing a tremendous job, and things would be very difficult without their constant encouragement and great help providing water and gatorade and Goo!!
During the last mile, the strain was beginning to show, but I could keep on going, it wasnt too bad.....the finish line was a welcome sight, and the feeling of completing the run under 3 hours 15 mins was something else......I cant describe it!! I ended up completing it in about 3 hours and 5 mins.....just slightly over 10 mins a mile!!
I was the 4th person to complete the 18 miler.....and I am feeling really good about it!!
I felt some really bad tension in my calves, but lots of stretching and total 7 glasses of water and gatorade took care of that!! And then the Asha guys came up with lotsa bagels.....2 bagels lost their way into my stomach....and i didnt even notice them!!!:D:D:D:D
All and all, it was a great run, and a great personal achievement for me!!! I actually think I did not feel as good even after the 15 miler 3 weeks back!!
The rest of the day was also awesome.....a nice afternoon nap, and I was all fixed up!!
18 miles is a great milestone....and I cant wait for the 20 miler!! and of course the 26.2 miler!!:D
The whole of last week, I had maintained a 10min/mile pace....thats 5 miles in 50 mins, 6 miles in an hour etc.....I wanted to finish the 18 miler under 3 hours 30 mins!
The start was as usual, slow and steady as I always start out....but this time I picked up the pace after just a mile, rather than after the 2 mile water stop. I was running with my running buddy Vivek as usual. We tend to run at approximately the same pace, so it is nice running with him. Also, he shares common interests such as sports, movies etc....so lots of small talk, as well as heavy discussions( like the Ganguly-Chappell issue) on the way!!!
We decided to run 9 miles up, and 9 miles back rather than breaking up the run into 6 to and fro, and 3 to and fro!! It was surprisingly easy to keep up the pace yesterday! I guess it was the weather. We took every water stop....but drank just a glass or so of gatorade every time! We had water stops at 2-5-7.5 mile marks....so plenty of water!!
The coach met us at the 7.5 mile mark.....and he never fails to put in a few words of encouragement. Tom is probably one of the most influencing factors of the success of this Asha marathon team. Taking non-runners from a laborious 1-2 miles to nice and easy 16-18 miles is no mean task!!
After the 7.5, we went further up to the 9 mile mark, and turned back. Back to the 7.5 mile water stop, I had the "Goo" again!! That stuff really works for me!!! I also had 2 glasses of water, and 1 glass of gatorade!!
That was enough to take me back to the 5 mile mark and beyond....though i did have another gatorade for the sake of safety!! The last 5 miles were really good.....and I did not have to push myself to maintain the pace! At the 2 mile mark, I met the Asha guys again, with a helping of Gatorade!! The volunteers are doing a tremendous job, and things would be very difficult without their constant encouragement and great help providing water and gatorade and Goo!!
During the last mile, the strain was beginning to show, but I could keep on going, it wasnt too bad.....the finish line was a welcome sight, and the feeling of completing the run under 3 hours 15 mins was something else......I cant describe it!! I ended up completing it in about 3 hours and 5 mins.....just slightly over 10 mins a mile!!
I was the 4th person to complete the 18 miler.....and I am feeling really good about it!!
I felt some really bad tension in my calves, but lots of stretching and total 7 glasses of water and gatorade took care of that!! And then the Asha guys came up with lotsa bagels.....2 bagels lost their way into my stomach....and i didnt even notice them!!!:D:D:D:D
All and all, it was a great run, and a great personal achievement for me!!! I actually think I did not feel as good even after the 15 miler 3 weeks back!!
The rest of the day was also awesome.....a nice afternoon nap, and I was all fixed up!!
18 miles is a great milestone....and I cant wait for the 20 miler!! and of course the 26.2 miler!!:D
Monday, September 12, 2005
Good week - gearing up for 18 miles!
Last week was good.....running felt really good! The weather had been excellent all week...very cool, and slightly breezy sometimes!! SO running felt really comfortable!
Wednesday, I ran 6 miles...started at 6:30 a.m.,....was actually pretty cold when I started.......took me arnd 2 miles to get warmed up.......after that it felt really nice!! I could run a brisk pace, and pick it up during the last mile!!
Thursday, I ran in the evening....in Holmdel.....not on the track or in the park, but on the road.....Holmdel is full of small hills...so the roads are essentially up and down throughout......so it was a good workout to run on inclines and declines.....ran 6.3 miles in around 1 hour and 5 minutes...so was very pleased with my pace! close to 10 mins a mile is what I am aiming at!!
Saturday was a shorter run.....4 miles...around my home......the usual stuff!:D
Sunday's 12 mile run was really good. I never felt out of breath...didnt need much water either!! I tried another brand of power-gels this time at the 10 mile mark.......called "Goo"/"Gu" however its spelt....(For marathi people.....literally "Goo" khalli!!:P:P:P) The power-gel seemed to help this time...I could pick up my pace during the last 2 miles, and complete them in 20-21 mins!! So I am going to try that next time.....
Which brings me to next sunday's run - 18 miles!! Wish me luck!!!
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Rough week!
I had a rough week last week.........the 15 miler seemed to have an effect! I could not run last Tuesday, due to some pressing issues at work.........so skipped that.
Wednesday, and Thursday, I ran at the Holmdel High Track, 5 miles each day. I really had to put in the effort to run.....it was not as smooth and easy as it usually is. Every lap was taxing....and the speed-work was tremendously exhausting. I was supposed to do 5x800m each under 3min55sec, separated by 1 slow lap after each 800m.....I managed to do just 2x800m, and they werent easy. My quads/thighs felt as if they had no strength. There was absolute fatigue all week, and I felt low on energy. But I did manage 10 miles anyways!
Coach told me to take it easy on Friday and Saturday, and skip the runs. He said the phenomenon is called "delayed onset muscle soreness", something that generally creeps in 1-2 days after long runs. He said some people may require a little more recovery time than others, and that there was no point in over-training. This really is the difference between training on your own, and being trained by a pro.
After the 2-day rest, Sunday was a breeze!! I decided to keep it easy, and run only 10miles, instead of 12. But I felt I could have run 12 after all!! 10 now seems like quite an easy task, and I am looking forward to the 18 miler 2 weeks from now!!
Wednesday, and Thursday, I ran at the Holmdel High Track, 5 miles each day. I really had to put in the effort to run.....it was not as smooth and easy as it usually is. Every lap was taxing....and the speed-work was tremendously exhausting. I was supposed to do 5x800m each under 3min55sec, separated by 1 slow lap after each 800m.....I managed to do just 2x800m, and they werent easy. My quads/thighs felt as if they had no strength. There was absolute fatigue all week, and I felt low on energy. But I did manage 10 miles anyways!
Coach told me to take it easy on Friday and Saturday, and skip the runs. He said the phenomenon is called "delayed onset muscle soreness", something that generally creeps in 1-2 days after long runs. He said some people may require a little more recovery time than others, and that there was no point in over-training. This really is the difference between training on your own, and being trained by a pro.
After the 2-day rest, Sunday was a breeze!! I decided to keep it easy, and run only 10miles, instead of 12. But I felt I could have run 12 after all!! 10 now seems like quite an easy task, and I am looking forward to the 18 miler 2 weeks from now!!
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