Runners' Manifesto

First, a very happy and belated festive season to all the readers and fellow runners. I hope most of you, like me, craved up and ended with many more calories than you could burn up.

I did my bit to wash off the festo-calories with limited success.

Gone to Run this week in Lutyens’ Delhi, the power center of India. Started around 630am from Raisana Road and witnessed the pristine charm of Delhi in twilight. I had intended to run right up to the presidential palace gate. No, not to serve referendum to President Mukherjee but to accomplish a long coveted dream of running straight as an arrow from India Gate to Rashtrapati Bhavan. Expectedly, though, Delhi Police played spoil sport barricading the way just before the road climbs up to the North and South blocks. The men in uniform did help as well by blocking a section of Rajpath till 8 in the morning. I wish they’d block the entire stretch and for a little longer.

In Delhi, politics is evergreen. With Delhi Assembly and pan-India General Elections coming up soon, political park is in full bloom. The air in Delhi is heavy with promises as political parties have literally taken over the air waves. Radio stations frequently boom with representatives of various parties peddling past deeds and future projections. Well, I think that probably explains the constant haze in the capital city!

Whatever the outcome, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) wins hands-down for innovative election campaign and events. AAP has even customized manifestos to focus on the specific challenges for each constituency.

As I ran across Lutyens’ Delhi, I wondered what sort of manifesto would appeal to runner community?

Here’s my basic list. Any political party willing to commit to these gets my vote.

1.     Running tracks. This should be simple. If cyclists can get dedicated tracks, I think it is only fair that runners are allowed to either use them or have a lane dedicated to them. After all, there is hardly any space left on the foot path besieged by hawkers, if the path is not already broken or under construction.

2.     Stop Poop. Imagine you are moving about in a steady rhythm and building up a nice tempo for long run, and all of a sudden – puchh! Your foot lands in a freshly minted animal poop. Traffic, strays, broken roads - as it is we runners have enough to worry about! Let’s make sure poop is not one of them. Penalize defaulters or setup a separate landfill for them to walk their pets.

3.     Weekend Liberty. As in some countries, declare a few roads in the city out of bounds for traffic for early part every Sunday. This should be easy at least in cities like Delhi and Bangalore where there are enough arterial roads (even if broken, I call them roads) to channelize / manage the light weekend traffic. Mumbai, due to restricted space, might be harder to implement, I get that.

4.     Pissoirs on Priority. Long distance running is not just about running but also about eating and drinking on the way. And let’s face it – runners, just like anyone else, can hold up only so much in their bladder. How about installing mobile urinals, also called Pissoirs in Europe, at strategic locations? Not just runners, but this initiative would be boon for community at large. Runners and non-runners will equally appreciate the direct impact this will have on improving air quality and paint longevity across the boundary walls. Also, a certain Mr. Modi would be elated with this proposal as it aligns with his vision of prioritizing toilets over temples.

I do have certain luxuries such as water stations, FDI in retail for better shoe options at reasonable price, etc, to add to this list but I shall put them up at an appropriate time.

For a start, just get us basics. Did I miss anything?

P.S: Thanks to you all - the readers - gonetorun has now registered over 1000 hits in about 100 days of launch. I am delighted and celebrating with a 21.1K on Nov. 9 (Saturday) in and around India Gate. Anyone in Delhi reading this and willing to join, just drop in your comment.

Dangerous Curves, Killer Slopes

I confess. There was a time I was attracted to curves. They were an amazing sight. Every long weekend was dedicated to them. I am talking about those curvaceous roads the people of Border Road Organization (BRO) painstakingly cut through the Himalayas. Driving through them was my passion and probably is, suspended temporarily since I moved away from Delhi. I have also moved on to find a new love - slopes. Let me explain.

When I moved to Bangalore in 2006, I had built up stamina for short distances up to 4-5km averaging 7-8 mins/km. With superior weather conditions in Bangalore I had hoped to gain further momentum in a short span of time. All those hopes dashed as soon as the rubber sole met the Bangalore road.

Gone to run one fine November morning in 2006 at the famed Lalbagh Botanical Gardens which was walking distance from the place I rented initially. The setting was picturesque. Mr. Golden Sun, as Garv says, beating down in all glory, nice morning breeze and a tranquil pond – or Tank as Bangaloreans prefer calling them. I didn’t have a GPS device then but reckon, based on my speed, it would be a 1 ¾ Km loop around the pond. For the first 1 Km the trail remained flat. And then, the trail climbed up suddenly for the next 500 m. For effect they added some stairs as well enroute. My average speed came crashing down to ~ 9 mins/km. That’s when I realized that I needed to work further on my endurance.

As running into (and out of) slopes is unavoidable in Bangalore due to the rocky terrain, I have gradually built up the endurance. My legs took some time adapting to the rigor of steep gradients without relaxing on speed. Call it Hobson’s choice or habit, I have come to love slopes. I get an extra kick, no pun intended, going up slope.

Last weekend went running with a bunch of office colleagues at the eponymous Killer Kanakpura. I don’t know how it came to be known such but this track, off Kanakpura near the Art of Living ashram, is a great spot for runners (or even cyclist) trying to build endurance. Starting around a small lake, the track meanders past a number of sprawling houses echoing with the unending bark streams of guard dogs. Can't blame them given they rarely see a visitor or two running around their pastures. I was instantly reminded of Delhi’s Mahipalpur –the ‘farm house’ capital of India.

The track at Killer Kanakpura is a labyrinth with various paths available for runners. We stayed on the main road, eventually emerging on Kanakpura for a while before completing the loop on the lake, and then doing another loop in the opposite direction. By the time we finished, we had done a little over 21.1Km. The pace wasn’t scorching but it was fun nevertheless to run with colleagues.

Personally, I was extremely satisfied with the effort. I did this route sometime earlier in Jan/Feb this year. Having huffed and puffed to complete 18Km then, this time I finished strong with enough left to carry on for another few kilometers. The ultimate appreciation came from home - compliments my wife. She mentioned it wasn’t looking like I had to sack out the whole day to recover as I was indeed looking fresh returning from the run. It’s another matter that her unsaid, but an important expectation, was that I could run around to complete some household chores in quick time.

As I was finishing the run that day and reflecting on up and down slopes, RD’s composition from the movie Aandhi started playing in my head, particularly the opening verse:
“Is Mod Se Jaate Hain
                              Kuch Sust Kadam Raste
                                                              Kuchh Tezz Qadam Raahen”
(Take with equanimity the track of life, offered are some relaxed slopes and a few tough gradients)

 

Jakarta Diary

Whosoever said walking around a city is the best way to experience its soul wouldn’t have been particularly fond of running. For that’s what I do to soak in the place and the culture.

 

In recent memory I have gone running on the streets of Manila, Tokyo, Chicago, Frankfurt and Stockholm.  Two weeks back it was Jakarta.

 

I would not claim to have run on the streets of Jakarta for those who have been there know that cars have hijacked every available inch of the road.  Bangkok traffic might be a close second and for all you fellas who constantly complain of tough driving conditions in Mumbai, Bangalore or Delhi, you ain’t seen anything yet. One nice touch though by Jakarta traffic authorities. Some designated streets are put out of bounds for motorist every Sunday for runners to get their fill – something other cities could very well replicate.

 

So it wasn’t the streets of Jakarta but a stadium – Senayan Stadium - where I got to run. The local project team invited me to join them for a few rounds of squash. While they were warming up in the court, I sneaked out to the outer periphery of the stadium to give my legs some warm-up. At 900 m, the loop around the stadium isn’t much to give variety though wide enough to accommodate a sizeable group of runners wanting to go together.

 

I will admit that I wasn’t expecting what I saw in Jakarta. Being a Muslim country, I expected very few women in Indonesia to indulge in any sports, least of all running. I realize there are various ethnicities in Indonesia and hence generalization is not appropriate but even then I was surprised to see very significant portion of women runners. Clearly, men were outnumbered here.

 

Even more surprising was to see the number of ladies on the squash court. I have played in a few Indian cities as well and very rarely, if at all, have come across a woman take to the court. At Senayan Stadium in Indonesia there were plenty, some even in headscarf. Perhaps Indonesia women are inspired by the girl next door, World No. 1 Nicol David of Malaysia.

 

Just before I landed in Jakarta I was reading a news report that hardliners had forced Miss World organizers to shift the event from Jakarta and other Indonesia cities entirely to the “Hindu Island” of Bali. When I saw the diverse community of runners and sports enthusiasts and reflected back on the news report, I realized that Republic of Indonesia – the most populous Muslim nation, and Republic of India – the most populous Hindu nation – both have a common culture of layers within layers in the society. Our perspective determines which one comes across as more prominent.

 

Gait it Right

Gone to Run…in Jakarta last week. Impression of that city coming up in next post. That, by the way, is also my lame excuse for not posting last week.

The post this week, in penance, is longer than usual and a bit technical. Hope you will enjoy.

Sometime back I had referred to various injuries that runners run into! I have been inflicted by a few of them ever since I started running regularly about 8-9 years back. Shinsplints was the most common for me. The dreaded Plantar Fasciitis made infrequent and mild occurrence. Thankfully, injuries have not yet threatened my running career but I am acutely aware that it is only one step, hop or a corner turn away.

I have however tried to minimize the probability of getting injured by making changes to what I call my running principles. As with everything else in life, my motto when it comes to running remains the same - to each his own. So take my principles with a pinch of salt, and Gatorade if you please.

It all started about 30 months ago when I increased my running frequency and mileage. Initially I noticed my legs giving up sooner than my mind. In other words, I felt I had enough stamina to keep pounding the road but a niggle here and there would end up distracting me off the course. Worse, I would lose my running rhythm which most runners would agree is like being “in the zone” and so very critical to covering long distances. I was searching for answers.

While I started strengthening my calf muscles in the gym, I knew that would not be sufficient. I had not given much thought to the mechanics of running till I read the book Born to Run. The book touched upon a number of biomechanical elements that impacts a runner. What stayed with me long after I finished reading the book was the overall posture or the gait while running. This turned out to be the answer I was looking for.

Make no mistake. Changing your running gait will not come naturally and initial few months would be painful as muscles that till date had little role to play work up into action. It took me 4 months to get it right. However, ever since I made the switch I’ve not had any after-effects typically associated with long distance running.

 

So, what are my running principles?

1.       Stay perpendicular to the road

If you are plagued with lower back problems while running, try keeping your upper body - above the hips to be precise - perpendicular to the road at all times. For instance, while running uphill lean forward and while going down slope lean further back. This keeps you positioned upright relative to the road which in turn ensures that the pressure on your lower back remains on the lighter side. Bangalore roads typically have lots of elevations and drops. This technique not only keeps injuries off my back literally, but also helps mitigate another injury.

While going downhill your feet endures a lot more pressure than going uphill. During this time runners are susceptible to twisting the ankle or just hurting their knees due to excessive pressure. Try leaning back when downhill, and you will notice how the pressure eases on your foot and knees.

 

2.       Use front and mid feet

Landing on front and mid feet as against the heel has been widely publicized since Born to Run was published. I can vouch. Doing so cushions the feet – to the extent possible - while landing, and virtually takes Achilles Tendonitis out of the injury list. The biggest benefit of adopting this technique however is drastic reduction in odds of getting hit by Plantar Fasciitis. Having said that, making a switch is not easy. As you start landing on front and mid feet, calf and thigh muscles crave for more strength and flexibility. I particularly recall how stiff my thigh muscles remained for the first couple of weeks when I adopted this approach. Looking back though this was worth every single step I took then and the best investment I’ve made in my ‘running futures’.

 

3.       Maintain low CG

Caution. While you consciously try to maintain a straight posture and land front and mid feet, curb the tendency to over stride. As you make change to the running gait, you will naturally find yourself having some room to take longer strides. This is great except unless unlike me if you are really tall, doing so will end up putting pressure on your upper back and shoulders. Instead try to maintain shorter and faster strides and keep the body’s center of gravity low.  This ensures your shoulders and back don’t give up even though the legs have enough juice left in them.

In the end, running is not just about strong legs. It is about the whole body moving in a rhythm.
Keep it moving!
 

Remember the Time

I like to run without music piping into my ears. This frees up some mental capacity to visual the way forward on topics that need my attention. At times, I also afford the luxury of a flashback.

 

Gone to run earlier this week, and hit flashback mode on two unrelated topics, though both in news currently - Krishna Janmashtami  and Indian Badminton Week (IBL).

 

Down south in Bangalore I have not seen Janmashtami celebrated with the same fervor as the North of India. Though admittedly my data point is archaic having been out of north now for 8 years. However, while running last week I came across some school children dressed up in finery as Krishna and Radha. Back in time as well participating in Janmasthami celebrations was a big deal. I wasn’t particularly charged about it but my sister was always up for it. Sounds laughable now but I recall getting into an argument with a neighbor who was positioning her daughter against my sister to play the part of Radha at a local Janmasthami event. I don’t remember though finally where we landed on this issue.

 

IBL has hit my mileage. I did not watch all the matches but whenever I did the day stretched beyond midnight. This meant not been able to start early enough to go 10K and beyond. IBL hangover also spilled into my everyday exercise regime. In order to fit a couple of games of badminton I had to forego a few kilometers of running. Not that I am complaining. It is always good to give some variety to body and mind!

 

IBL did take me back many years in time. Time when summer vacations meant finding a vacant piece of plot in and around our locality. The only requirement being it should be a bit broader than 20 feet by 44 feet to accomodate a full length badminton court, and an option to grab electricity from the closest possible friendly acquaintance.

Though not a long list of requirements but it was not always easy to find such a space. The effort did not stop at that. A vacant plot was not really vacant. It attracted all kinds of unwarranted elements - some by forces of nature and some by mindless acts of humans, and scavengers. It would take a group of us anywhere between 3 to 5 days to plough the plot into a level field before the chalk powder could be used to mark the borders and poles dug up either side to hold the net. Flashlights, to enable play during the cooler night hours during summers, was the last one to come up. I remember having "dirtied my hands" in setting up at least 3 such courts. Once we had to even engage external laborers as the pile-up was beyond our ‘handling capacity'. It took a lot of manual labor before we could start playing, but then we had enough time to spare in a 2-month summer break.

 

Anyone out there with similar memories?
 

Run, at your own risk

Runners as it is are prone to injuries. Hamstring, Achilles Tendinitis, Shinsplints, Plantar Fasciitis– the list is endless and the names fanciful – like Patello Femoral pain syndrome (PFPS), simply put “runner’s knee” - as you get more specialized. These injuries belong to the occupational hazards category, just like any other sport or occupation.

However, runners deal with more than occupational hazards, especially if you live in cites and more so in Indian cities. Cramped for space, most large dedicated running spaces are all but gone. Having lived in three Indian cities till date I can count only a handful of places to run to your hearts’ content without having to drive down to city outskirts. Within the city, running in solitude is as impossible as getting to see our prime minister speak. Many other vie for the same space that runners use.

Motorists are a big irritants, though I am sure they would consider me as much. I don’t blame them either. It is hard to find space to drive as it is and circumventing a runner lost in his own thoughts is not a pleasing encounter on a hurried morning. I hope my friends in cars and on bikes appreciate that my only refuge on the road – the pavement – is already choc-o-block with flea market, mobile breakfast vans and construction material. That is if the pavement exists at all. I have limited choices as far as running course goes, my friends I hope you can see.

Animals are another aberration for runners on Indian roads. Cows, of course, rodents – alive or pulped flat on the road, monkeys and dogs make for most of my daily sightings. They might be man’s best friends but dogs worry me the most.

Due to space constraints, I am forced to venture to city outskirts for long runs of 21K and beyond. But since that happens only on weekends, I haven’t had much luck making friends with dogs on some sections of that route. Invariably a pack of strays or some times even a brave heart loner gives me chase, testing my already tired legs. So far I have been able to ignore, avoid and at times outran them. I would like to keep it that way.

Life is a bit easier though during my daily runs. Typically, I take a 2km loop in a residential layout just outside my apartment complex. Clearly, repetitions around the loop on daily basis have helped. I have a   peaceful equation with the local canine community.  I do not pay much attention to them and till date they have reciprocated by ignoring my presence in their territory. If there exists a power map equivalent in the dog world I think they view me as a “neutral party”, with little to no decision-making influence regarding their habitat. 

So far, I have not been chased around. I am comfortable with my position on their power map.

Milkha 1 Papa 0

I started fitness regime very late in my life. During school days I remember playing hockey for a short while but perhaps that was only a passing phase. For most part I remember queuing up to ride a horse, yes they had horses back then in our school, during the P.T (physical training) period.

I recall our school organizing yearly sports meets. It was a BIG day and ‘Track and Field’ was a marquee event category. A number of my mates would participate in races which included 200M Hurdles and even a 1000M race. I was mostly happy not to show up in school on the sports day. I thought it crazy sitting through the pandemonium in searing heat, especially if one had no stake in the game. Ravi Sir, our P.T instructor, however ruled with an iron hand and made sure that everybody was in attendance and on the grounds, even if only cheering the participants. Forced to attend, I was content sitting on the sidelines, sometimes appreciating and at times jealous of all the adulation flowing to my friends from pretty girls. That for sure wasn’t enough to spur me into action. I finally took to field not until after I started my professional career.

Thinking of those years I personally missed I hoped that my 4 year old son, Garv, will turn out to be active in sports from early on. Not just to soak in adulation from girls, but to maintain a healthy body and a healthy mind. I, as an aspirational father, was hoping that one of these days Garv would try to emulate me and start following my footsteps. But Milkhaji, you have beaten me to the finish line.

Ever since he watched Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (BMB), Garv has been completely taken up by Milkha Singh. He insists on running every evening and emulates Flying Sikh's strenuous workout by running in a sand pit. The other day he got hold my skipping rope, tied it behind his shorts and started running – enacting the scene from BMB where Milkha drags a tire behind him through scenic Ladakh. Some other ancillary benefits have also accrued from the investment in BMB. Garv’s milk and veggies intake has gone up significantly and his Punjabi dancing genes have kicked in big time - Maston Ka Jhund is his current favorite. Most importantly, getting him to do something just needs a tiny nudge that he is junior Milkha who would do no wrong.

I am glad my son has found his hero in Milkha Singh though I wonder how long this would stay with him. But Milkhaji, I do have a question for Garv when he grows up and reads this post. Did he not see his dad ‘tirelessly’ pounding the streets, much before you showed up on the screens?

 

I'm Lovin' It!

“Let your home be your mast and not your anchor.”

- Khalil Gibran

 
I don’t have a firm running routine, except one - I must run some every day. It is particularly hard on the body to maintain this target. I do admit to faltering once or twice a week on the target for various reasons. Family and friend support is not one of them.

I am lucky to have a family that has overlooked my craze to punish my body on daily basis. My mum, forever with her CFO hat on, was not very happy initially. She once told me that it was nothing short of craziness to spend money flying across cities, and some even across the globe, to just run on the road. “What’s wrong with the road outside our house?” she once asked me. She has come to grip now and accepted that running fanatics have little value for such logic.

Straddling the routines of two young boys, one of them barely 7 months, is as good a test of endurance as they come. If it was not for my wife, who herself is a working professional, I would be changing diapers through the night and catching up on sleep in the morning. Since she manages the younger one through the night and leaves the easier task, though sometime hairsplitting, of getting elder one ready for school to me, I’ve been able to run regularly. Lately, and this worries me, she has gone a step ahead. She now regularly keeps a check on my food intake and has taken it upon herself to give me a diet worthy of professional long distance runner. I reckon I will need to increase my mileage in order to survive this extra love and care. I am loving it, though.

A word for my friends – my running mates - who have encouraged me. It takes a lot of character to keep pace with slower runners and I salute those who sacrificed their pace to push me along. I hope I pay some of it forward. Special thanks to my good friend Nafay Kumail for being my unflinching proxy at Airtel Pre-race Expo year on year to collect my running bib and goodie bag. All this for a very reasonable charge of a couple of hours of my time and a double shot of Americano.

P.S: Last weekend was yet another reminder that my Punjabi genes are losing their intensity. I dined at Punjabi by Nature with some office colleagues. Based on prior experience of the calorific food preparation at this restaurant I kept my servings extra extra small. However, to no avail. My stomach caved in, leaving me with 2 days of running down time.

 

The Final Frontier

“Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before.”

Runners are likely cut from the same cloth as explorers who are seldom satisfied with status quo and want to boldly go, to quote Captain Archer, where no one has gone before. Last weekend, I finally pushed into a territory unknown to me – the 30K+ milestone.

I had first attempted to run this distance sometime in January or February of 2013 – cannot recollect exactly, but petered out between the 27K-28K mark. Simply didn’t have any juice left in the legs for that one final push.

Flash back. Early 2007 when I first ran 5K I thought that was it. It wasn’t that I wasn’t passionate about running then but felt 5K was a good score for someone who invariably has a 14 hour workday. However, later that year I crossed 10K at the Bangalore World 10K.

It took me another 18 months from thereon to move into the 21K league. I was certain then that 21K was the final destination. Not many people I knew were doing 21K and I certainly felt like a celebrity in my little social circle. Bragging rights aside, half marathon was not a norm but an exception for me. So clearly I couldn’t see myself going further than that.

Since then focus has been on improving the 21K timing. Having started out initially with 2h16m effort, I’ve managed to bring down the time to 2h4m on the same course. Barring last year that is. Organizer at Airtel thought it better to run the 2012 event in searing September heat of Delhi. I wish they had distributed chilled beer across the finish line – most runners would have forgiven them instantly.

Anyway, late in 2012, I started seriously looking at life beyond 21K. I had by then running anywhere between 15K to 20K once every 6 to 8 weeks. And that gave me the belief that 21 PLUS was doable. So it started one fine morning with Gagan, my frequent partner in crime. We were able to complete 25K that day with some huff and puff in the final stages. It wasn’t a strong finish, as they say in running parlance, but neither did it retire us to bed for the rest of the day.

And as clichés go, rest is history.

So what after 30K? Only time will tell, though at this very moment I am very tempted to register and run the Bangalore Ultra in November. To boldly go where I have not 'gone to run' before. 50K.

Keep the faith

I can’t think of any other outdoor sport other than long distance running that is as much bereft of glamour. Forget glamour, barring a few events such as Olympics, it is hard to even find sustained audience and spectators for running events. Even if they do, spectators don’t stay the full course unless they are running with you. J

Long-distance runners are also not the highest paid athletes. In a survey done by ESPN, Soccer, Basketball and Baseball are the top 3 money-spinners globally. Cricket is the fourth highest. Running ranks low in the ranks. If any consolation, runners earn a little better than road cyclists and sumo wrestlers.

So, if it ain’t glamorous or money-spinner why would anyone want to take up running ? The only reason, I conclude, anyone would put themselves through so much pain is probably akin to devotion – spiritual, religious, whatever you call it. There is no logic or reason. And, once you get indoctrinated into this religion it is hard to give up.

Personally, the day I don’t run I feel utterly miserable and groggy at least till midday, my coffee in-take quadruples for that is the only way I kick my system into action. Even then, and probably because of caffeine in the system, sleep that night does not feel as tight.

A number of fellow runners share similar stories. “Gives me personal satisfaction” is the most common answer when asked why must they run every day. The other phrase I’ve heard frequently and personally subscribe to is that “running is meditative”.

The following couplet from Sufi Saint Hazrat Shah Niaz probably sums up the relationship between a runner and his faith:

Ishq mein tere koh e gham, sar per liya jo ho so ho

Aish on nishat e zindagi chor diya jo ho so ho

A boulder of pain I lift in love with glee

Come what may, may what comes

Life of pleasures, luxuries, I forsake

Come what may, may what comes

As with anything else running grows on you over time. So if you are a wannabe runner, or just starting, or even a running veteran - Keep the faith!