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?