Body & Mind, Running, Workout

LITTLE by LITTLE, a LITTLE becomes a LOT

I like who Iโ€™m becoming. A lot.

I was able to clock a sub 1:50 Half Marathon in 2016 and that was after running 8 Half-Marathons in 12 years since 2004. The difference between sub 1:50 HM attempt vs all those years from 2004-2015 is that I only trained for it in 2015.

I never really ran as much as I run today, and it was a couple of short runs prior to race day. My yearly mileage was less than 30 kms per year back then and it was the Mumbai Half-Marathon where I covered the maximum distance.

Running a Mumbai Marathon was a ritual, but then in mid 2014 after not being able to register for Mumbai Marathon 2015 (I did not have a timing certificate), I realised that I am spending too much time in the gym with all the weight training and stuff, I was Strong and Fit (for sure) but I was not seeing any improvement in my running speed and endurance. I always knew that progression beats perfection, and after doing some speed drills and running tests, I had to have a plan to improve my overall running performance. You can say, thatโ€™s when I actually got into running.

I am super thankful to my wife , I got disciplined only after I got married. ๐Ÿค—๐Ÿ˜˜

It all started with Goal-Setting and I promised to myself that Iโ€™ll attempt a Full Marathon only when I can clock a sub 1:50 Half Marathon (my last best being 2:05). I worked on an Annual Running plan in 2015 with a goal of achieving a sub 1:50 HM in Jan, 2016. I was sincere and focused on my goals. I clocked a 1:48:21 in Mumbai Marathon, 2016 and thatโ€™s how I crushed my first ever running goal. ๐Ÿ˜ƒ๐Ÿ˜ƒ๐Ÿ˜ƒ

Later that year in June I registered for my first Full Marathon in 2017. Since then I have been consistent, taking small steps each day, striving for progress and celebrating every time I cross a checkpoint. It could be a tiny step, a sub-goal or a Marathon.

Raah has been Running ever since. ๐Ÿƒ๐Ÿปโ€โ™‚๏ธ

So, just pull your shit together and go for a run.

P.S. Donโ€™t forget to celebrate every tiny victory. ๐Ÿค—
#RunwithRaah ๐Ÿƒ๐Ÿปโ€โ™‚๏ธ

Body & Mind, Running

2018 you were FANTASTIC!

A DREAM written down with a date becomes a GOAL. A goal broken down into steps becomes a PLAN. A plan backed by ACTION becomes a REALITY. ๐Ÿค—

Running 2018 kms in the year 2018 – it did scare me a little at first, but when I was successfully putting my plan into action, it seemed rather easy.

They say โ€œAll things are difficult before they are easyโ€ and itโ€™s so true. All you need is Patience + Consistency and everything works just fine.

In 2018, I was actively running for 208 out of 365 days in the calendar, on the roads in Pune and Mumbai covering a distance of 2106 kms in around 189 hours and 32 minutes. ๐Ÿƒ๐Ÿปโ€โ™‚๏ธ

I burnt a total of 133157 calories by just running. Thatโ€™s an average of 640 calories per run for 208 days of running, and an average of 365 calories per day in the calendar year. ๐Ÿคญ๐Ÿ˜…

My year was FANTASTIC. I hope you had a great year too and are as excited as Iโ€™m now for setting โ€œNew Goalsโ€ for 2019.

Letโ€™s DREAM and set our GOALS on fire.

๐Ÿ”ฅ๐Ÿ”ฅ

Happy Running

#RunwithRaah ๐Ÿƒ๐Ÿปโ€โ™‚๏ธ

โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €

P.S. Goals always get accomplished when they MATTER to you.

Running, Workout

Train slower, Run faster!

You should Train Slower, if your ultimate goal is to Run Faster.

When you Race or set a PB you may not realize this but youโ€™re putting tremendous stress on your bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments. (This is one of the reasons why you tend to feel more tired after a Race then a Long Distance Slow Run). Also, there is a high risk factor involved if you are racing too often.

It is advisable to limit the number of times you run hard if your long-term goal is to run for years without any pain or injury.

Advantages of Training Slow,

1) You can run more often and cover more mileage per week.

2) You are allowing your muscles to get enough oxygen thereby reducing the risks of injury.

3) You are โ€œActivelyโ€ Recovering from those Hard Runs and you may not have to take a day off from running. ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ

So, it is OKAY to Run Slow – especially when you are training for a Long Distance Race (Half or Full Marathon). In fact 80% of my training Runs are designed to be at Slow/Easy Pace and remaining 20% include the Intervals, Fartleks or Tempo Runs (i.e. not more than one Hard Run per week).

You donโ€™t have to compete with any one else. If your goal is to stay FIT then you must build yourself slow and steady. ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿผ Make sure you plan your training runs accordingly – to include a lot of โ€œSlowโ€ running and register for Races only if they are evenly spaced out.

Happy โ€œinjury-freeโ€ Running ๐Ÿ˜ƒ

#RunwithRaah ๐Ÿƒ๐Ÿปโ€โ™‚๏ธ

Body & Mind, Running

Start Running Today

Running has taught me that Iโ€™m capable of so much more than I ever imagined.

Trust me, running can work wonders for you and your body.

Imagine that day when you can finally say โ€œI did itโ€, when you can say โ€œI never gave up, I never quitโ€, where these moments of pain turn into memories and your dreams become reality.

It may take long to reach that moment, but as soon as you get there youโ€™ll thank yourself for the rest of your life.

All you got to do is Start, Today.

#RunwithRaah ๐Ÿƒ๐Ÿปโ€โ™‚๏ธ

Body & Mind, Running, Workout

The only FAILURE is when you say โ€œI Give Upโ€

I set a goal, put out a strategy to keep me on track and I gave it my best shot.

Result: I did not succeed in setting a PR and I have NO EXCUSES for that. I believe it is okay to fail sometimes. ๐Ÿ˜

One thing I did not anticipate in my run today is that the 10K Runners would occupy the entire road for the last 3-4 kms and then it is not so easy to run past them at a FAST pace OR to find your way to the finish line.

To fix this, I would remove a couple of minutes from second half of my Negative Split strategy and run the first half slightly quicker. That should compensate for the loss in time towards the end of the race.

โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €โ €

It was my last Half Marathon โ€œRaceโ€ attempt this year and in the next two months now I will concentrate on my training plan for TMM 2019. ๐Ÿƒ๐Ÿปโ€โ™‚๏ธ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ

So what to do when you donโ€™t reach your goals? Keep calm and stay relaxed, recover and get back stronger. ๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿผ

PRs will come. If not today, some other day. Donโ€™t ever give up. ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿผ Okay?

#RunwithRaah

Body & Mind, Running, Workout

Hustle. Be the change.

Are you an efficient runner? ๐Ÿค”

Letโ€™s formulate,

Running + Strength Training = Stronger Muscles + Faster Runs – Injuries

If you want to be an efficient runner you have to work on your core & leg muscles and be less prone to injuries. (especially if you are a Full or Half Marathoner) ๐Ÿƒ๐Ÿปโ€โ™‚๏ธ๐Ÿƒ๐Ÿปโ€โ™€๏ธ

Consider supplementing running with strength training exercises. Your training plan must include specific set of exercises that enhances your running skills. ๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿผ

It will help prevent injuries, and make you stronger, faster, and more efficient runner.

My strength training includes mostly Bodyweight Exercises. I donโ€™t need a Gym nor any specific equipment to do these. I prefer doing them at Home or in any open area surrounded by greens โ˜˜๏ธ

Letโ€™s HUSTLE. Be the change.

#RunwithRaah

Running, Workout

Tempo Runs are FUN!

Tempo Run: A secret ingredient in a Half or a Full Marathon training plan.

You want to go FAST? Go Tempo!

By including these workouts in your training plan, youโ€™ll gain both Speed and Strength overtime. Tempo Runs have an excellent training effect and should be included in any Half or Full Marathon training plan.

If you cannot sustain a FAST pace for a long period of time then start with 15-20 minutes of Tempo Run and progressively increase the mileage as and when you know you can go longer.

Tempo Runs are not Hard Runs, these are FUN! So, keep calm and stay relaxed, and with the right training youโ€™ll be mentally ready to finish a successful Tempo run.

#RunwithRaah ๐Ÿƒ๐Ÿป

Running

Start strong, finish stronger

Half Marathon in 1:43:42 on a bad weather day when humidity makes hot days feel more miserable. โ €

Your body completely depends on water to survive. Good hydration is always a key in a 10k, Half or Full Marathon race, especially on days like these. ๐ŸŒž ๐Ÿ’ฆ ๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿผ

โ €

Stay hydrated. Keep moving.

#RunwithRaah

Running, Workout

Sub 2 hours – Half Marathon (21.097 kms) with a negative split racing strategy.

Firstly: You must set your Half Marathon goal time 2-3 minutes faster in case the course is a bit longer (it usually is) or if you have to beat the crowd at the start of your race. Donโ€™t worry. These extra minutes will also come in handy when things get really tough towards the end.

Secondly: AT THE BEGINNING OF YOUR RACE SLOW DOWN!โ €โ €โ €โ €

Now, coming back to the negative split racing strategy. It is a strategy that involves completing the second half of the race faster than the first half.

For a 21K, things may not seem as easy as it did for a negative split 11K strategy I shared last week. However, it follows the same disciplined technique to progressively increase speed, to conserve energy for the 2nd half of your race and to finish strong.

As I said earlier, YOU MUST start slow.

Go for a 06:20-06:10 mins / km in the first 3-4 kms and allow your body to warm up.

Towards the end of the 4th km you should be running at 06:00 mins / km. From there on in the next 3-4 kms progressively move from 06:00 to 05:45 mins / km, and then go steady at around 05:45 mins / km for the next 3 kms i.e. until the end of 10th km.โ €

  • 1-2-3 kms @ 06:20 -> 06:00 mins / km
  • 4-5-6-7 kms @ 06:00 -> 05:45 mins / km
  • 8-9-10 kms @ 05:45 mins / km

You should be able to manage a 10k in less than an hour.

Now that you have conserved good amount of energy by going slow in the first half, you should be feeling good about it.

Itโ€™s time now to move closer to your race pace of ~ 05:35 mins / km in the 11th km.

Letโ€™s go for it !โ €

In the 11th km shift gears from 05:45 to 05:30 mins / km and then go steady for the next 3 kms. You have now covered 14 kms in less than 1 hour 22 mins.

  • 11th km @ 05:45 -> 05:30 mins / km
  • 12-13-14 kms @ 05:30 mins / km

In the 15th km again shift gears from 05:30 to 05:15 mins / km and then go steady for the next 3 kms.

  • 15th km @ 05:30 -> 05:15 mins / km
  • 16-17-18 kms @ 05:15 mins / km

Go FAST in the last 3 kms @ 05:00 mins / kms or the best that you can (I usually sprint the last 2-3 kms). ๐Ÿƒ๐Ÿป

  • 19-20-21.1 kms @ 05:15 -> 05:00 mins / km

Yay ๐Ÿ‘Š๐Ÿผ and you have NAILED IT !

Stay hydrated through out your run (and have 100ml of water at every water station 3-4 kms away). This can avoid injury or cramps towards the end.

Good luck. ๐Ÿ˜€๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผโ €

#RunwithRaah ๐Ÿƒ๐Ÿปโ€โ™‚

Running

Ups and Downs: Half Marathon under 1 hour 50 minutes

1929401_9718797645_9558_nIt was back in January, 2013 when I timed myย 8th Half Marathon (21.097 kms) at the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon (SCMM) in 2 hours and 17 minutes. The timing was not bad, knowing the fact thatย I had notย prepared for it, but, I wasn’t really happyย about it. My dream was to run a Full Marathon only IF I was able to successfully finish a Half Marathon in or under 2 hours. I was unhappy, as I would not want to transition from a Half to a Full Marathon otherwise. But dejectedly, I fizzled out in 2013 and then again the next year.

In 2014, I clockedย another Half-Marathon inย 2 hours and 24 minutes. It was a depressing finish, toย loseย 7 minutesย that year as compared toย my last run in 2013, and I had shown no signs of improvement.ย Unfortunately, I had had a mid-race injury,ย and in spite of thatย I over-burdened my legs just to cross the finish line. (and then, I could not run again for the next 3 months – injury is bad !!).

After 80-85 days of restoration, I was back to running in March,ย 2015,ย I left my past behind me (failed not once, butย twice). I had to learn from the mistakes and would have to figure outย a way to overcome it. Well, after all that intense thinking and thorough analysis, theย only thing that was a daunting hurdle and was possibly missing from all these years was “TRAINING”.

I got my answer. It was a clean slate then. Let’s get to work.
I had 9 months to get trained for a Half Marathonย at SCMM, 2016, is that enough? or is that wayย too much?

We plan rigorously, we startย over-enthusiastically, weย follow it occasionally, and then we forget about it. That’s life. Nothing is permanent.

Keeping that in mind, I figured out (from my past record @ the GYM) that it may take me 4-5 months to transition from an enthusiastic phase to a lethargic phase. I chose to get trained for a 10K instead and keep SCMM, 2016 next on my list. Friends, you may have faced a similar situation many-a-time in your life, wherein you split a long-term goal into multiple short-term goals, because you understand that it would get easier to achieve it that way.

So yeah, I had a plan (starting in May, 2015). My short-termย goal was to finish a 10K in 50 minutes at 5 mins/kmย (considering that the remaining 11 kms would take less than 1 hour and 10 minutes to get to the finish line).

My trainings would include assorted runs from Warm-ups, to Short runs for 30-40 minutes, to Tempo runs for 40-50 minutes, most importantly Interval and Fartlek runs for 60-90 minutes, and theย obvious Long runs that would last for an hour or two.ย I had a plan, and I willย say that itย was not so easy to follow it rigorously and to take time out from a “busy” schedule.ย So toย be honest, I was neitherย 100% regularย nor didย I follow every session in my training plan, but I had to ensure that I didn’t miss out on any of the mid-week Interval runs or the weekend Long Runs, and at the same time I had to allow a cool-down period for my body to recover from between the runs.

On 10th October, 2015ย after 5 months and 225 kms, I was already going steady between 5 – 5:10 mins/km.. and to my realization,ย I had run just 45 kms a month or a mere 10-11 kms a week and I was yet able to pace up. By then, I hadย completed a couple of mock 10K runs in and around 50 minutes (IMPORTANT – weekend long runs), soย I was confident and ready for the Race Day.

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It was Sunday 11th October, 2015 at the Pune Running Beyond Myself where I realized my Short-term goal by clocking in the 10K in 49 minutes and 31 seconds without any hindrance. There were no failures this time around, and the next step was to move onto another short-termย goal which was by thenย on top of my list.

My confidence level was high, and my performance was booming, so instead of finishing a half-marathon under 2 hours, I thought, why not try for a 1 hour 50 minutes finish. Afterย a successfulย 10K, I had patiently gathered theย confidence of maintaining a constant pace through out my run. I had to go for it.

In the next 75 days, another 180 kms and by maintaining a constant pace of 5 mins/km onย most occasions, I had the last 3ย sessions of 6 kms in 30 mins on 7th January, 2016, 12 kms inย an hourย on 9thย January, 2016ย and again 6 kms in 30 mins on 12thย January, 2016,ย I so knewย that I was ready for the Race Day.

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There are those weird days when you are nervous and you really don’t know what would happen, and then there are some good days when you already know the outcome.

The 3rd Sunday of 2016 was one of those “good days” for me.ย Iย finished a Half-Marathon at SCMMย inย 1 hour 48 minutes and 21 seconds.

Iย made itย happen !

What’s next on my list? Full Marathon in 2017, yes, I’m on it.

11412245_1578739959057795_225058974112599071_n252812529You may be strong or you may be highly active, but it is definitely not a cake-walk if you have to finish a Half Marathon under 1 hour 50 minutes or even a 10K under 50 minutes. Even if you manage to do so without any kind of training, you may end up having a bad injury.

So, better get TRAINED and then, there is no stopping you.

A friend asked, “I want to run a Half Marathon this year, can I lose some weight on that day?”

The answer is “No you cannot lose weight by just running ON THAT DAY”, butย if you undergo a training plan depending onย yourย food habits (i.e. diet) and that suits best with your bodyย type, you can very well achieve yourย targeted weight loss within a short span of timeย i.e.ย whether or not you run on that race day, you will definitely feel lighter after a successful training session.

More questions? Feel free to ping me.

Thanks much !