Lessons Learnt After My First Marathon

On 26 August 2012, I ran the Airtel Hyderabad Marathon. Though in Army, we have covered distances more than 40 km on foot, but that was a long time ago. I thought it will not be so difficult. But I was badly mistaken. Running continuously takes a toll on the body, if not prepared well. So, while running, I realised few mistakes which I need to correct before my next marathon. Here goes the list :-

1. NUTRITION - I started fairly well with my first two splits telling me that I can manage to finish the run in just under 4 hours or just 5-10 minutes beyond 4 hours. But I bonked at around 24-25 km mark. I started having pathetic cramps in my right quad. I was dehydrating and losing energy to run. Though I tried to eat and drink after that but it was late by then. I really need to learn how to eat and drink on the run to maintain the energy levels.

2. REDUCE WEIGHT - As you can see in the pic, I am still heavy. I need to shed another around 10 kgs so that I need to exert less energy to pull my body weight. Losing excess weight will mean that I can run much faster.

3. ROUTE RECCE - The route for Hyderabad Marathon was tough because there were 3 flyovers and countless upslopes and downslopes. By 30 km, I was getting frustrated because I had not seen the route previously and was being surprised at every turn. From next time I will make it a point to see the route beforehand.

4. LONG RUNS - Because of my calf injury I was put off for nearly 2 months and was able to train properly for last one and half months. So, I was able to pull off only 2 long runs of 20 and 26 km. Next time, I need to do longer runs and atleast one run of more than marathon distance to get used to staying on feet for long and build endurance.

5. TEMPO - The longest tempo run I did was 5km. More and longer tempos required for better overall speed.

6. STRONGER CORE - I used to read a lot about strong core for stronger running but I realised it's importance after the run on 26th. I used to think that I have got a strong core but I was mistaken. Need to really work hard on the CORE issues!

I guess if I take care of these issues, then I will be able to run under 4 hours in my next marathon. Got to pull up my socks and kick myself harder.

Excuses For Not Working Out And Solution To It

I was trying to convince my wife yesterday to start running with me in the morning. Not that she is fat or something. She is extremely fit even after giving birth to a healthy baby and was a district level sprinter in her school days. I felt that it will a good thing to take in fresh morning air. And then came barrages of excuses to not to run. So, that is how I thought of writing this post, which also includes the excuses I used to make sometimes for not working out.

EXCUSE NO 1 - I will start tomorrow.

EXCUSE NO 2 - The alarm didn't go off.

EXCUSE NO 3 - I had a late night.

EXCUSE NO 4 - I don't have time.

EXCUSE NO 5 - I need to buy some workout clothes and gear.

EXCUSE NO 6 - I, as such, work a lot at home or office.

EXCUSE NO 7 - I am tired after day's work.

EXCUSE NO 8 - I need a training partner.

EXCUSE NO 9 - I am old to start exercising.

EXCUSE NO 10 - I am too thin to start exercising. People will think I am crazy.

EXCUSE NO 11 - Gyms are too darn costly.

EXCUSE NO 12 - I reach home late from office.

EXCUSE NO 13 - I need to educate myself to exercise before I start.

EXCUSE NO 14 - I have got kids to look after to.

EXCUSE NO 15 - I am mostly travelling for work.

EXCUSE NO 16 - I have grown fat beyond repair.

Well, these are some excuses which I have given at some point of time or people I know give. What are your excuses? I will appreciate if you can share them :). Let's now get down as to how to tackle these evil excuses forming up around us.

1. What's your motivation or aim? Identify or it will be very difficult to start.

2. Layout your gym or workout clothes before sleeping at night. It is found to have saved a lot of precious time and also strengthens the resolve to exercise.

3. Make exercising a part of your life like you eat to stay alive.

4. Inform your partner about your health goals. I am sure they will understand and do their best to help you achieve them.

5. Involve kids in the workout routine or take them along to gym. Lot of people are doing this nowadays.

6. It is never too late to start. Whether you are too old or fat, any time is a good time to start exercising. People will really appreciate your effort to get fit.

7. If gym membership is too costly, then there are lot of cheap alternatives like running, walking, cycling or yoga. It is important to just start.

8. Look for some running or cycling or yoga group to stay motivated.

9. Try and sneak in your workouts in your busy schedule. Over a period of time, you will find that you have become efficient and creative in managing work and exercise.

10. Imbibing healthy eating habits and avoiding junk food will help you sticking to your exercise plan.

These are few steps by which you can counter these excuses.  It is important to remember is that being lazy or a couch potato is detrimental to our health. If we don't respect our body, then we will sooner or later start looking for oversized clothes. We can achieve anything in this world and achieving a superb body is not impossible. Resolve to love yourself from today and people will reciprocate.

Running Is A Form Of Meditation

What is meditation? To my understanding it is to focus the mind on something, be it own breathing or sound of chirping of birds or flowing water or forgetting all the worries or anything on which one can concentrate. It is a very powerful tool to increase mental strength and concentration. Meditation helps in reducing stress and calms the mind. To me, since the time I have started preparing for Hyderabad Marathon, running has become my form of meditation.

I have been reading a few books on Ultramarathon running like The Ultramarathon Man by Dean Karnazes, Eat and Run by Scott Jurek and currently reading Running Through the Wall by Neil Jamison. What these books highlighted was that long runs can be a form of meditation. How do I focus while running? Let's see :-

1. BREATHING - When I am running, I am focusing on a number of things. One of them is breathing. It is very important to focus on breathing to get into a nice rhythm or finding the "sweet spot".  After finding that "sweet spot", I can then concentrate on other things. Generally on long runs, finding the rhythm takes time i.e after around 5 km or so. After that I am very calm and start enjoying the run.

2. FORM - Another thing on which I concentrate is my running form. I keep this aspect in mind throughout my run. Is my stride length okay or am I landing on my fore foot or am I slouching and other things. It helps me a lot to maintain an efficient running posture and thus, avoiding any injuries.

3. NATURE - Apart from the vehicular traffic, garbage and stray cows and dogs, scene on a morning run is beautiful. On a long run day, when I am at the outskirts of the city, the overall surroundings is mesmerizing i.e with cool morning breeze, breaking of dawn, small lakes enroute etc. It really opens up and soothes the senses.

4. WRITING - More often than not, I get ideas on writing blogs on my run. Infact, I utilise the run time to even compose what I want to write. It is absolutely amazing as to how the brain gets creative and think a hundred things while running.

5. RELIEVE STRESS - I leave all my problems at home when I am out of the front door. By the time I am back, most of the problems are gone or I find a solution while on the run.

I guess the above factors are what meditation is all about. I find solace, calm and peace on runs. That's what we all look for all life or I think we wish for it. I find it in running. What do you find peace in? Try running and  you will come to know.

The Weekend Long Run

Today is Saturday and the day for my weekend long run. Because of my calf injury, my whole training schedule for Hyderabad Marathon has gone for a six! So, it's more in a fast forward mode now. This week I did two long runs i.e including today's run. Tuesday did a 10 km and today did a 20 km. Let me run you through the details of today's run.

1. Got up real early i.e at 0400 hrs. Got ready by 0430 hrs. Didn't find much in the fridge ( from next time I going to keep something to gorge on in the morning before a long run ), so ate a few Parle-G biscuits ( these are glucose based biscuits and gives instant energy ). Pocketed few because today's run was going to last for about 2 hours.

2. WARM UP - Did 6 Surya namaskars, walking lunges and high kicks. Picked a 500 ml bottle of water and pushed out of the door.

3. What I had planned for today was that I was going to cover each 5 km in 30 minutes, so that my goal of 20 km slow is achieved. At 0500 hrs, the roads were deserted except for few trucks and buses moving at a speed which will put Michael Schumaker in shame. Overall, there was less pollution, disturbance and cool breeze was blowing. I thanked my stars for such a lovely day and started pumping in kilometers.

4. In an hour of run i.e by 0600 hrs, I covered 10 km and started to hit back. I was feeling good and was running in a nice rhythm. I was thoroughly enjoying my run. I remembered then that I had few Parle-G biscuits in my shorts pockets( I have to buy a hydration pack or belt in which I can stash some food, water, money and cell phone ). I ate and drank on the run, well actually was practicing. It is, certainly, not easy to eat and drink, while on the move. While coming back back, few Army cross - country teams crossed me. Boy, they were running fast at 15 km mark.

5. Luckily, today I didn't feel any blister building up because I had applied Vaseline on blister prone areas before putting on my shoes in the morning. Route on which I was running today has a wonderful stretch beyond 5 km from the start. It's all green and almost no traffic with smooth road and also no stray dogs( I don't know why they like to chase me) and cows( means no minefields to cross ).

6. The last 5 km were bad in the sense that at 0630 hrs, Hyderabad traffic erupted out on the roads like an angry volcano. I shuffled back in a slower pace, occasionally racing some lone cyclist. By the time I reached home, it was 0700 hrs. The joint where quads meet the glutes and the calf muscles were hurting but still, surprisingly, I felt good and strong.

7. COOL DOWN - Not much energy was left to cool down properly, but I thought to run again on Monday, I need to cool down and stretch my muscles. Moved and walked around a bit, shaking my muscles. Did yoga to stretch hamstrings, glutes, quads and calf for 15 minutes. Thereafter, started thinking of breakfast. I was famished. Fixed myself a couple of sandwich of bread, cheese and chicken nuggets.

I guess that's it for today. My next long run will be a 30 km but on a weekday because I want to have a gap of at least 10 days before the marathon. One last thing. One long run is absolutely essential in a week to develop endurance i.e time spent on legs and to cut down weight. Till then, CIAO.

How I Am Celebrating My 30th Birthday

Only 43 days left for my birthday. Generally all birthdays are same and celebrated as usual. But this is my 30th. It is special, isn't it? In the Army, as we say it that on turning 30, you will get extra 2 minutes to run a 5 km test. What is 5 km? Nothing. This is how I have planned to celebrate and probably stick to it in times to come.

1. PRE  BIRTHDAY BASH - I am running the Hyderabad Marathon on 26 Aug. It was not a planned pre  birthday celebration but now I think that it can be one. Though I have run distances which were more than 42 km in Army but this will be my first participation in an organised civilian event. I am quite excited.

2. BIRTHDAY PARTY - It will be in Havloc Island in Andaman. Again, not planned for it to coincide with my birth date but somehow just happened. You know what I will be doing on that day? I will scuba diving in the crystal clear, blue waters( I am a PADI Advance Open Water Diver). Wow! I, myself, am feeling good about it.

3. POST BIRTHDAY BASH - I am still contemplating on this one. Bangalore Ultra Marathon is scheduled on 10th and 11th Nov 2012. I am thinking of participating in the 100 km event.It's a tough call but I want to progress from being a marathoner to an ultra marathoner. Actually, I am greatly inspired and motivated by Dean Karnazes, an ultra marathoner and author of Ultramarathon Man. He ran 30 miles on the night of his 30th birthday.



I have decided that from now on that my life will be different. I will lead an more active life and will be challenging myself continuously. Hope I stick my resolution. Dear Readers, have you thought of something interesting as you cross a milestone in your life? Please share with others. Some people might get motivated.

Benefits of Obesity

Visitor tracking app have shown me that I have attracted maximum people to my weight loss blog post. So today I thought why not write about the benefits of being FAT! It's really bizarre thought as to why anyone wants to put on weight. Everybody secretly wishes that if only one can eat everything without checking the calorie and ingredients.

NOTE : This post should not be taken seriously. Obese people should still try to loose weight and be healthy.

I have thinking hard as to what can be the benefits of being overweight. So, here are few  :-

1. Overweight people are happy people. They truly enjoy all the kinds of foods ranging from pastries, cakes, pizzas, high calorie snacks etc. They don't refrain from any kind of food. They are a boon to junk food industry.

2. Obese people have got a natural padding on their body to counter minor falls as compared to thin people. 

3. Obese people have multiple usage of their blown up stomach like can keep food plates , can play with kids on their tummy and do not require any table to keep things.

4. Other people take overweight people seriously as they look much older and mature.

5. If an overweight person works out, he/ she can build serious muscles like Arnold because they have got lot of fat to convert into muscles.

Well, these are the few advantages of being obese but in a funny way. I had also researched on medical benefits of being obese and found that being obese actually helps when a person is ill as the excess fat helps in fighting diseases and in recovery. Also, these benefits are mostly for old people.

In the end, I will say that there is no actual benefit of being overweight. Eat healthy and exercise regularly to maintain optimum body weight to enjoy the fruits of life. Also, a little bit of self control, sacrifice and restrain will keep the body in good state.

Non Smoker's Diary, Part - 2

Non Smoker's Diary, Part -1

It's now close to 2 months that I have kicked the dirty habit of smoking. I am feeling fantabulous now. Let's move on to new updates of being a non smoker since my last post.

1. REDUCED EXPOSURE TO SMOKE - I realized that I do not miss smoking cigarettes when I go out in Indian traffic. Because as such I am already inhaling a lot of smoke from the buses, auto rickshaws, old cars and two wheeler. After an hour of commute in the traffic especially in the Hyderabad traffic, I feel a burning sensation in the back of my throat as I used to feel when I used to smoke. Thank god that I have eliminated the extra cigarette smoke out of my life.

2. IMPROVED STAMINA - I realized that since the time I have left smoking, my stamina has improved greatly. I am able to do more and tougher exercises after my run, which earlier I used to sham it out. Also, I am recovering faster from my workouts and returning quickly to my resting heart rate. I am feeling damn good and extremely strong.

3. BETTER CONCENTRATION - As now I am not thinking about having a smoke during work, I am able to concentrate better and devote my complete energy to the task at hand. It is said by scientist that smoking destroys brain cells, so it is a good idea to drop this habit before you become a LIVING CABBAGE.

4. SKIN GLOW - I have started getting compliments, especially from females that my skin tone has improved a lot and there is a glow and life around me. And my lips are coming back to their original colour i.e pink :). Frankly speaking, I don't know about the glow or life but certainly I don't look tired anymore.

5. HAND SHIVER - Earlier when I used to smoke, my hand used to shake, if I held it in air. Now, it is back to normal. And the yellow nail has got it's original colour back.

6.SLEEPY HEAD - Now after 2 fabulous months of not smoking, I have realized that I am more sleepier than before. Maybe because my body is more relaxed now or still recovering from years of onslaught by cigarette smoking. Whatever it is, I feel good and strong.

7. NO HEADACHES - Since childhood, I have been suffering from migraine. Smoking used to aggravate this problem exponentially especially during long hours of travel. Few days back I had a long journey with no headaches, simply because I have stopped smoking.

8. FEELING PITY - Nowadays, I feel pity and sympathize with people whom I see smoking. I feel sorry for them that they are throwing away the goodness of life in smoke and not enjoying it.

I think and believe that if there are so many benefits of stopping to smoke, then why do we still smoke, even if it is occasionally. Nobody becomes strong and healthy by smoking. And saying that one should atleast have a vice in life, is actually fooling ourselves! All smokers get a hold of your life and stop smoking.

The techniques I suggested in my previous post are really useful as till now neither I have felt any major smoking pangs and nor I relied on any alternates to stop smoking. Stop smoking for your own good if not for your family's good.

4 Best Lower Body Exercises

Lower body is the most ignored part of the body while working out. Why? Because it's hard work, that's why. You will see many people having bulging muscles in the upper body but chicken legs below. Look's funny, right? Lack of lower body workout also leads to muscle imbalance and increased chances of injuries. A true athlete will always want overall body development.




Lower body comprises of the following major muscle groups:-

- Hamstring - Back of thighs.

- Quadraceps - Front of thighs.

- Hip flexors or Glutes.

- Calf.





Many people say that I run or play some sport, so I need not exercise lower body. But the truth is that, even then you should exercise those hamstrings and quads to prevent injury and improve performance. So, let's me tell you the best exercises which you can do to build solid pillars of strength. These are the most basic exercises which any one should do to tone up and injury proof the lower half of the body.

1. SQUATS - With or without weights. Perform 2-3 sets of 10-15 squats. Important things to REMEMBER while performing squats, which most of us ignore is that keep the back straight at all times, look straight and knees should not go ahead of toes at any point of time. Squats target your glutes, hamstrings and quads. Do body weight or light weight squats with more reps, to lose the flab and tone down thighs and lift heavy with few reps to build muscle mass.

2. GLUTE BRIDGE - It is one the best exercises for lower body, mainly glutes and hamstrings. I generally perform them  after my run. Hold the pose as long as possible and gradually increase time. REMEMBER to keep the spine straight and knees together for maximum benefit. There are also a number of variations, with improved strength, to make this exercise harder.

3. LUNGES - This exercise does it all. Means that it activates all the muscle groups of the lower body. I perform this exercise in both my warm up and cool down routine.










4. CALF RAISE - I love this exercise, especially after my calf muscle strain. This exercise had also got featured in previous blog post. This exercise will make solid, rock hard calves. I perform them in bathroom, when I am shaving in the morning before my run.





These exercises are a must for any athlete to build a solid foundation. Also, people having sedentary jobs can perform these exercises to relieve muscle tightness in the legs.