Weekend 10 kms run in Sub 40 mins

Once a while, love to validate my capabilities to run a Sub 40mins 10k

Saturday evening, a thought came in to attempt the Sub 40mins 10k. Personally feel that the effort levels are very high and may not be worth attempting such a crazy pace. Done sub 40 mins 10 km finish, a couple of times, but too much at stake to run this pace.
Got up around 5.30 am, supported Susan in preparation of morning tea and basic kitchen activities. She and daughter went off to Church while I got ready for my challenge.

Left home at around 7.15 am for my Warm Up drills. There was a lot of debate and drama for me to not attempt this challenge. Looked like nothing would make this challenge successful.

• Feeling of breathlessness during the Warm-up drills
• Feeling of tiredness from yesterday's long run
• Pace is too intense for me attempt
• Distance 10 km almost feels like a 100 km run
• Traffic issues would not let me run fast
• Road work patches would reduce my pace
• Sun out a bit early and would make it difficult
• Feeling thirsty but did not carry a water bottle
• Why do I take ups such foolish challenges
• Nothing would make me finish the run today
• Body not in the best of state for the challenge
• Need to warm up a bit more

So many reasons to not attempt this craziness. But had no choice than to start the run at 8am.

By the grace of God, the initial 500 meters has a slight decline which lets me pick up the pace. The initial km was in 3mins 50secs which gave a reasonable confidence that I was on the right track. But continuing the pace for the next 9 kms looked to be a big challenge ahead. Subsequent km had a reasonable incline which was the next challenge. Kept focus on maintaining a good form and again finished in 3m 50s which was again a confidence booster. Now knew that a Sub 40 mins was reasonable and sub 39 mins looked a possibility if effort levels could be maintained. Continued with the strong pace till 5 kms for the U turn. Finished initial 5 kms in 19min 24sec, and now the next challenge was for a -ve split. Got myself in a better rhythm for a stronger performance. Picked up effort levels, improved mid-foot landing with good ankle lifts, improved arm movements and super strong mental conditioning for the final few kms to reach the finish. Overall confidence levels were higher and pace was getting stronger and stronger with the subsequent kms. The final km had a bit of an elevation gain but had energy levels to go stronger. Post finishing 10 kms, had enthusiasm to continue for 300 meters more and finish the strongest.

Initial 5 kms in 19m 24s, next 5 kms in 18m 45s

Super excited to have successfully finished the challenge and thanked everyone for giving me the opportunity.

Km splits below.
3.50, 3.50, 3.54, 3.54, 3.55
3.53, 3.47, 3.39, 3.42, 3.46, 1.03 (320 meters)

10kms @ 38m 09s, Avg Pace 3m 49s/km
Total 10.32kms @ 39m 13s, Avg Pace 3m48s/km, Avg Cad 176spm, Avg Std len 1.51meters, elevation gain of around 40 meters

A perfect 42.2 km training run

Plan was to attempt something different and strong. Was not clear on exactly what was to be done. Runners from our PaceMakers group had done a super strong run during the weekend, and was inspired for a strong performance.
The weekend was at the Infosys campus in Mysore with family and love the scenic beauty of the place and the overall environment. A loop known to me around the campus was around 4.65kms.
Would have loved a 40kms training run, but had never run over 35kms in a training run over the past years. Only twice did I run a 38kms training run and that was many years back. Hence practical target was for a 35 kms run which would mean around 7 loops around the campus. Had minimal confidence of surviving through the 7 loops.
Woke up at 4.15 and had around 300 to 400ml water, emptied my bowel, had a bath and got ready for my morning workout. Weather was cool which was a perfect start. Did the Body loosener drills for around 10 mins and got ready for my long run. Started at an easy pace with a focus on an easy run and nostril breathing. Pace was easier than I would have wanted but was least interested to push myself for a stronger pace.
During the past weekend long runs, was getting used to run without hydration, and plan was to continue the same during this time too. To make this practical, the run has to be efficient, with minimal effort levels and a relaxed breathing pattern.
Initial 10kms was at a reasonable pace and felt good. Continued with the same rhythm and pace was slowly building up through the good rhythm. By around the 3rd loop, the security personal around the campus started noticing my run and few of them opened up to cheer and smile. Could feel myself getting into a better rhythm, resulting in an efficient run. Kept reminding myself of the wonderful inspirations around and to go strong till the goal was achieved. Initial 4 loops went good and started looking at the possibility of increasing the distance to 38 or upto 40kms, but the challenge was to sustain myself with no hydration. Survived the 5th loop well and confidence for the additional distance started increasing. So targeted for 3 more loops and 4 loops would mean a mega bonus.
Susan and my daughter came out for a walk in the opposite direction so that they could see me run and cheer me as much as possible. Saw them for the 1st time before the completion of my 6th loop which was a super strong boost. Could slowly feel the exhaustion, and effort levels had to be increased to maintain the pace. Kept target for 3 more loops which would then help me complete the Full Marathon distance and that would be a major milestone for a life time memory.
Always kept reminding myself of the inspirations and that I had to achieve something strong. Pace was good and knew that if I continued with the strong pace, it would result in a sub 3h 25mins finish for the FM distance. Increased effort levels, but breathing was no longer easy. The fear now is about sustaining myself without hydration for the next 12 kms. Again saw my Sweethearts again in the 7th loop who continued to cheer. Post the finish of the 7 loops, knew that I had to survive for 2 more loops and was reasonably confident about it. Started the 8th loop and soon completed 35 kms and 7.2 kms more to go. Consciously kept up with the strong pace with additional effort levels. Saw my sweethearts again for the 3rd time and informed them that I had one more loop to complete and wanted to see them at around the finish. Also was a booster that I was getting closer to my target FM distance. Post the finish of the 8th loop, was super excited that my dream would soon get realized, but was quite exhausted by then. Breathing was quite a struggle with the increased pace, but was getting closer to the finish line. Even with increase in effort levels, pace was steady. Kept cheering myself that I was going super strong and would soon make my dreams of running the distance strong. Continued the strong run and kept focusing on the Finish line. Soon could see the finish line with just 700 meters to finish and could also see my sweethearts waiting to greet me post the finish. Kept increasing the pace and knew I was going the strongest in the final 2 kms. Further increased pace in the final 400meters and crossed the finish line successfully.
Created history for myself to complete the run with no hydration and could not thank my family enough for being my support and also my inspirations to make this a practical reality. Also thanked the almighty to provide me this opportunity.
Below are the 5 km splits
26m11s with avg pace of 5m14s
24m21s with avg pace of 4m52s
24m36s with avg pace of 4m55s
24m12s with avg pace of 4m50s
23m37s with avg pace of 4m43s
23m34s with avg pace of 4m43s
23m24s with avg pace of 4m41s
23m28s with avg pace of 4m42s
10m05s with avg pace of 4m27s (2.27kms)
Total 42.27kms @ 3h 23m 28s, avg pace 4m49s/km, avg Cadence 173spm, avg std len 1.21meters, elevation gain 350meters.

Thoughts during an event

What am I thinking off during a Race especially in the Full Marathon events, where the anxiety, challenges and insecurity feelings for amateur runners are far higher, and hence critical that every step is in the correct direction. Sequencing of  points is not based on any criteria, and most of them are equally important and pretty much related to each other. These are my personal thoughts and experiences.
Please be aware that the objective here is to perform to the best of personal capabilities and not to compete with other runners around you or to win a position in the Podium.

1. Winning attitude – After months of training, the opportunity to perform is now. Give in best capable that’s physically and mentally possible to achieve plans and targets. Effort levels put into a race vary based on the event I am participating in, hence put in my 100% focus in around 2 races in a year

2. Always start by thanking the almighty for the opportunity to experience the miraculous event. Personally consider the entire route as a temple, where we are the blessed ones to get to participate in the event that challenges you to the best

3. Getting into a Rhythm - The initial couple of kms is a bit of a struggle to get warmed up and settle at a perfect rhythm almost similar to a meditation. Critical to get into an ideal pace based on past experience, current training and target pace. Effort levels gets to a minimal once in an ideal rhythm

4. Being relaxed & running effortless - This is one of the most critical aspect during every race. Personally find this easier in a Full Marathon event rather than a 10k or shorter distances where intensity is significantly higher. Effortless running is almost similar to be in a meditation state where there is a feeling of almost no fuel being burnt even while running in at a strong pace. Not sure how this state of mind comes, but assume with a combination of good endurance, happiness, running form, rhythm, confidence, etc.

5. All components of Chi Running - Every second of my run is very techincal. There is a constant body scan / body sence almost every second of my run. Take steps to ensure that every part of my body is synchronized and is moving forward in the most efficient form. Objective is to be as effortless as possible and continue to maintain the feel good factor. This ensures minimal strain and higher possibility to cross the finish line reasonably strong

6. Breathing pattern - One of the components were I struggle and hence requires a good attention. Try my best to maintain nostril breathing with 3 In 2 Out pattern through maximum distance. Consider this requires more of a mental focus rather than a natural effort

7. Being positive & smiling - Keep thanking the almighty, friends, family, well wishers for the positive energies and the fun times ahead. Focus is primarily on all thats going good and keep up with the feel good factor. With so much of cheer and celebration around, and with everything going good, its only getting better and better

8. Gather energy through every possible opportunity - Positivity and feel good factor is a good source of energy. Every cheer & smile by the viewers, volunteers and spectators is a source of energy. Strong runners ahead is also a source of energy and keeps us well focused

9. Focus - The primary Focus is on maintaining the strong pace as per target plans and keep going strong and relaxed. There would be many challenging factors to distract, but none to be a reason for change in focus. Self visualization point of view, running strong, maintaining great form, being relaxed keeps us in the nice zone

10. Body scan / Body sense – Similar to pt 5, continuous evaluation of the running form and comfort levels. Being efficient and relaxed from head to toes and maintaining the best possible form. Personally believe that relaxation (especially when drained out) let's us run easy and be in a reasonably comfortable zone

The pic below was clicked at Tata Mumbai Marathon 2018 at around the 38th km where I finished in sub 3hrs. Like the calm and focus.

38th Karnataka State Masters Athletic Championship 2017

Karnataka State Masters Athletic meet held at Hoskote, Karnataka.

Runners represent various districts and age 35 years and above participating, are the passionate sportsmen & women, from Services background like the Army, Airforce, Railways, Banks, or similar Government sectors, where sports is their primary skill. The salary increments and promotions are based on the success in sports. While few others come from good farming backgrounds. A lot of them would have been successful athletes during their heydays. Couple of them would have also won the National challenges and represented the country internationally at Asian or World meets.

Top 2 State winners in each event and category get to represent in the National championship that will be held in Bangalore from 21st to 25th Feb '18

I participated in 3kms race where they extrapolate the time to 5kms and the next day a 4kms race extrapolated to 10kms. Time constrains with over 50 events, across multiple age categories for Men and Women to be organized (20 categories for each event), was the reasoning to reduce the distance.

23rd Dec - 3kms race
A very interesting race. Our group had age categories 45 to 50, 50 to 55 and 55 to 60 years combined together. We would have been a total of around 20+ runners. I did not know anyone within the group, and was not aware on who would be the strongest. Back of my mind, I had the intention of attempting to be the winner across the 3 Categories, but then many of the runners in 45 to 50 looked pretty strong and had the nice athletic looks. As always, everyone smiled at each other, with the unknown factor on who is the strongest. In the age group of 55 to 60, there were a couple of known faces and knew them as the probable strongest within their category.
The race was scheduled at around 3pm and mentally was not in the best of moods to race at the odd time in the sunny afternoon. In the recent past, had not trained with evening runs. Had a good breakfast, but skipped lunch. Post a patient wait, the event for my age category finally started by around 4.30pm. The mud tracks were not hot, as I would have anticipated in the afternoon timing.

3 kms meant 7.5 loops on the first lane. Post the gun fire, at around 50 meters from the start around 7 runners took the lead and were going strong. To minimize the gap between the lead and myself, had to push myself and utilize my leg strength to force myself forward. By the completion of the 1st lap of 400 meters, there were 2 runners ahead of me and post completion of 2 laps only 1 runner ahead of me. He was going steady & strong and I was maintaining the same pace as him. With the focus on running fast, forgot my ChiRunning principles and continued to push myself with my legs and is not an effective method of endurance running. Pushing with legs results in heel landing ahead of knees / center of gravity, hence higher stride length and reduced Cadence. Infact Cadence in the first lap was around 151spm and unusually high stride length of 1.69meters, which proves the effort put in by the legs. This results in strain on the quads and calfs, and impact on the joints.
Post completion of 5 laps, took the lead ahead of my competitor and kept my ears open to understand the gap between us. Increased pace in the final 200meters, ensuring the gap is increased and for a strong finish. Completed 3kms in around 10mins 58secs, Avg Pace 3m39s/km, Avg Cad 172steps/min, Avg Stride length 1.62meters
Per lap in mins - 1.24, 1.29, 1.31, 1.28, 1.27, 1.27, 1.28, 0.44

24th Dec - 4kms race.
The advantage here was knowing the other runners and having the confidence that I could continue with the similar performance as the previous evening. Hence focus was more on the form, and other runners going ahead in the initial couple of laps was not a concern. All age groups of 50 years and above were combined together.
Run started at around 7.30am and body was feeling much more comfortable than the previous day. We were informed that we had to run 10 laps (4kms) only was a feel good factor.
Post the gun fire, only a couple of runners were ahead and my competitor did not take the lead ahead. His strategy would have been to maintain my pace and stride and take the lead in the final laps. By the finish of 2nd lap, I got the leading position and he continued at the same pace as mine. I gradually increased pace in the 4th lap and he also continued strong along with me. In the 7th lap, further increased my pace and realized that it was not easy for him to maintain that pace. By around the 9th lap, understood that the gap was over 20 meters but continued to go strong and went the strongest in the 10th lap. Overall a perfect run, at a strong pace with a strong finish. Best was to maintain a good running form.
Maintaining a good form resulted in a perfect Cadence of 178steps/min.
4kms @ 14mins 54sec, Avg Pace 3m43s/km, Avg Cad 178spm, Avg Std len 1.54meters
Per lap in mins - 1.34, 1.35, 1.34, 1.31, 1.32, 1.30, 1.27, 1.26, 1.26, 1.19

Running FAQs - Response to basic questionnaires

Listed down the questions I have been frequently inquired by runners. This is the 1st set and the 2nd set will be written later.

• How many days in a week should I run?

The no of runs during a week and the weekly mileage is dependent on the event you are training for and the training plan followed by you. Few training plans or coaches recommend 3 runs a week with cross training the other days of the week, while there are other plans which recommend 6 days of running. One should decide based on the comfort levels, endurance levels, present and past injuries (if any) and prior experiences. I normally recommend 3 days running and 2 to 3 days cross training for most of the runners.
Recovery time between 2 runs is also an important criteria for a positive experience. Recovery can be either Active where you cross train (Swim, Cycling, Walking, Easy run, Gym, Core & Strengthening workouts) or Passive where you take complete rest.
Recovery lets the body to get back to proper fitness before you start the next workout. There should be atleast 1 Passive recovery (Complete rest) day in a weekly cycle.

• What is the importance of the Warm-up and Cool-down exercises, and Strength training?

The start and end of a workout should always be with the warm up workouts and cool down stretches. This is often the least prioritized by most of the amateur runners.

Warm up is required before the start of any workout. Body has to be prepared for an intense session, which is possible through a good Warm Up. It increases the blood movement through the tissues, Increases delivery of oxygen to the muscles and eliminates muscle stiffness. It also helps build in body mobility and the range of motion in the joints. This together helps to improve performance and reduce the possibility of injuries.

Cooling down workout helps to flush out the lactic acid from the muscles and from the body. It brings the breathing pattern to normal, cools down the body temperature and stabilizes the heart rate back to normal.  It speed-ens up the recovery process.
A sudden stop to a workout leads to a drop in blood pressure and can cause dizziness. Cooling down workout helps pump the blood back to the heart and improve the flow of blood across the body.
Stretching helps to improve the flexibility and lowers the possible risk of injuries. Do hold on to each stretch for a min of 30 seconds.

Strong and fit body is a foundation for every runner. Strong muscles especially the Core, is one of the key factors, to maintain a good form of running, and is the secret to be injury free. Strength training also strengthens the tendons, ligaments and muscles, which supports a good running form, hence being,efficient and reduces fatigue. All this together helps build up endurance, which is critical for every long distance runner.
Developing the Core muscles helps proper body coordination, which in turn helps to run strong and reduce possibility of injuries. Also a booster for self confidence.
Few of the popular body weight strength training workouts are Squats, Lunges, Planks, Dips, Pull ups, Abs workouts. This can be done alternate days, when not training for runs, start with around 30 mins and gradually extend to around an hour. Also Yoga and Stretches are good as cross fitness, but is not a substitute for proper Strength training.
Strength training is equally important for recreational runners, as for the serious fast paced runners.
Many say they run to be fit, while I say you need to be fit to run strong.

• How important is to maintain a Running form. Do I need to learn the technical details?

Maintaining a good form, helps you to be injury free. You get to learn the details slowly over time, or read them through various books, Forums in the net, Read through expert blogs, discuss with your Coach / Mentor or join for these workshops. But do focus on maintaining a reasonably good running form, that will help the overall experience to be pleasant & efficient.

• Can I participate in a 10 Km or HM or a FM run. What criteria should be used to decide the distance?

This is based on your endurance level, the prior max distance you have run in an event during the past 3 to 6 months and the distance you will be capable to train for in the next 3 to 4 months for the event. It’s preferable to take matured decisions in increasing the distance. Do ensure that you have trained well for around 3 months, before running the first 10Kms event. Similarly, you need around 3 to 4 months consistent training to upgrade the distance from a 10 Km run to a Half Marathon. And before running the first FM, you need to ensure that you have participated in a couple of HM events and have around 2 years of running experience. Running a Full Marathon distance is extremely demanding, physically and mentally. There is always strong desire to experience the Full Marathon distance run, but should be done only with proper training. Though a Full Marathon (42.2kms) is double the distance of a HM (21.1kms), the effort to train for the distance is far more than double. Hence the anxiety and uncertainty of the unexpected is far higher, but equally the excitement post finishing the event. A Full marathon gives one the bragging right to have actually experienced a Marathon, hence a high enthusiasm to tick it off.
You need to be aware that training for an initial couple of Full Marathon events is quite grueling and demanding in terms of effort and time. The stronger you train, the better your run experience will be.
For a Half Marathon run, it’s important to train for a couple of 18 kms, a couple 21 Kms upto around 26kms, before the event.
Similarly, for a FM run, you should have trained with a couple of 30 km and 32 km runs upto a 35km run, before the event.

• What is a good target time to finish a 10km, Half Marathon and Full Marathon run, knowing the busy lifestyle of a working professional 

Goals are a personal preference and capabilities. Few run 10Kms in around 40 mins, while there are many who take around 90mins. Similarly for Half Marathon, the speed varies between 1h 30mins to around 3 hrs and Full Marathon between 3hrs 30mins to around 6 hrs.
A first run should be to enjoy the event, and not to fall into the trap of reaching the finish line at an unrealistic target pace. The success of this event can set the target for your next race.
Recommended method is based on the time taken for the closest distance during an event or training. The target pace for Half Marathon can be based on the timing of a 10Km run, around 4 to 6 months before the start of the training. Similarly, the target pace for a Full Marathon run, can be based on the timing of a Half Marathon run.

Do be realistic to set up a target pace. Running is also a very long term goal, and we should not target to achieve a 2 or 3 year target in a year. 

• How can I select a good running shoes

There are multiple brands in the market and each offers a lot of varieties e.g. Well Cushioned soles, Minimals, Barefoot shoes, wider forefoot, light shoes, moderate weight shoes, Zero drop shoes, Tight fit, Comfort fit, Perfect fit,  Narrow width, Wide width, etc. These are usually personal experiences. Sometimes, it’s also that the feet have to get used to the kind of shoes you are wearing. Most of the runners keep a couple of these, and change them based on the events they are training for.
Few runners are comfortable in switching between multiple types of shoes, while few restrict between 2 to 4 shoes. Brands innovate with new varieties every couple of months and few launch mega brands once a year. A lot of it is also to do with your individual liking. Some like the well cushioned soles, while few are comfortable with minimalistic and few others are barefoot. And many are comfortable to switch between thinner soles and medium weight shoes.
Shoes are the most expensive gear, hence quite a challenge to experiment with it. But do be aware that economical varieties are also available in some of the stores. Alternatively wait till they get offered in discount sales.

• Are there benefits or advantages of running in groups or under a Coach? 

Many start by running solo, and later join a group once they gain the confidence and also develop a basic level of endurance.
Many will swear on running with groups is better than the pressure of a GPS watch. There is a lot of fun, mutual support, competition, empathy, etc, when running in a group. The challenges or pain gets diverted, with the motivation and inspiration one can get from each other. One gets to learn from the experts on multiple aspects of Endurance, Diet & Nutrition, Stretching, Strengthening / Core / Fitness workouts, Yoga, Training plans etc. Commitment of running in groups or under a Coach also brings in discipline.
A new runner, as well as experienced runners require support / guidance with an external perspective.
But then it’s not easy to find a running group or Coach to match to your requirements in terms of accessibility, approach-ability, matching beliefs, running objective, group dynamics, etc.
While for few, being alone gives flexibility of running at their own pace, as per their convenience and personal objectives. For few, it’s the pleasure of being spiritual and entering into a meditative zone.

There are lot more queries that I have received, more regarding improving pace, diet, etc, which will be shared in my next blog. Thanks for your time in reading through my thoughts.

Standard Charted Mumbai Marathon 2017

Never considered age to be a bar on performance. Also will iterate that, I have never had any Performance Enhancing drugs J. It’s the determination and discipline that has given results.

Grace of God and Blessing from Friends and Well wishes is the driver for the required motivation. Proper training plan from Coach Kothandapani , Regular massage from Yash Pandey, Strengthening workouts and proper nutrition ensured an injury free year. Love and support from my wife Susan gave me time and freedom for my workouts and other related commitments. Had taken 3 weeks off in Dec, for the additional focus on fitness.

Since the completion of SCMM 2016 in 3hrs 6min 34secs, had the plan for a Sub 3 hrs attempt at SCMM ’17. Target for an improvement of 7 mins was practical, but then could not afford any secs more than 2hrs 59m 59s. 

Post the cycle accident on 14th Oct, had a dream performance at #ADHM on 20th Nov, which build up the confidence to repeat the same at #SCMM. A lot of effort was put in at ADHM ’16, and was not confident if I had the strength and enthusiasm to repeat the same at SCMM.

  

Had done 3hrs 6mins 34 secs at SCMM ’16 and Avg pace was 4m25s/km. Target for SCMM ’17 was 2h 59m 59s and Avg pace of 4m15s/km. This required an improvement of 10secs/km and was extremely challenging.

Post improvement of 3m 30s at Airtel Delhi Half Marathon '16 from ADHM 15, a 6 mins improvement for FM looked practical. Training for Full Marathons demands runs of distances over 30kms, which has always been painful. Gradually build up endurance by putting in more weekly mileage. My time trial run of 35kms showed the improvement of exactly 10secs/km, but would have been extremely risky with this zero secs margin of anything going wrong on the event day.

For me personally, a FM event is a 75% mind game, post the rigorous training put in. Strategy was to maintain a consistent pace, a couple of secs faster than the average pace. I had planned a loss of around a min at Peddar Road at around the 35^th Km.

On the event day, completed warmup drills, and was at the start line well ahead of the Gun time. Post the flag off, gave an additional push to be ahead of the rush. Most part of the route was pretty familiar and always reminded myself to restrict going very fast. Had a plan of maintaining around 4m11s/km average pace, which was not very challenging to maintain. Surprisingly got slower than planned, at the incline before the Peddar Road (9^th km), but did not drastically impact my average pace. Found myself extremely comfortable at Worli Sea Link and pace increased substantially. I knew that this would not tire me and hence continued the pace for a couple of kms. Overall average pace of 4m12sec continued till the 32^nd km, and this build up my confidence of attaining my Sub 3hrs target. Always maintained my form, kept myself relaxed and was thinking of my family and well-wishers for the positive energy. Major fear was the impact of Peddar Road incline post 35^th km, where my pace initially dropped to around 5m30s/km, but later increased intensity to achieve an avg pace of 4m44s/km which has been my fastest ever in the past years. The crowd of Half Marathon walkers increased and was extremely difficult to run through them. Strategically moved to the right side of the road which had no traffic and no runners. Ran comfortably till Marine drive and again was a much bigger group of HM walkers. Almost had to push a lady when she suddenly stopped walking, just in front of me. Post a km through this crowd, the FM’ers were given a freeway. By then had to put more effort to maintain the pace, but was not much concerned about the impact on my target. Post some distance the freeway disappeared and had to again run through the crowd till Flora Fountain. Pushed myself to the best in the final km and could see the 2.58.xx in the clock around 75 meters ahead. Thought of the Almighty, Family, Friends and Well-wishers and thanked GOD for giving me the opportunity to crossing the finish line, in less than 3 hrs.

Personally find it difficult to believe my Garmin Forerunner 920XT stats. It’s in a race that I go far faster, than any of my training runs.

4:00, 4:12, 4:19, 4:07, 4:07, 4:08, 4:12, 4:07, 4:33, 4:15 – 42.00 mins

4:05, 4:15, 4:09, 4:09, 4:13, 4:10, 4:11, 4:10, 3:52, 4:00 – 41.13 mins

4:00, 3:55, 4:06, 4:05, 4:11, 4:15, 4:17, 4:13, 4:18, 4:14 – 41.34 mins

4:18, 4:15, 4:18, 4:21, 4:30, 4:44, 4:10, 4:21, 4:20, 4:20 – 43.37 mins

4:22, 4:16, 1:46 (450 meters) – 10.22

42.2Kms @ 2h 58m 46s, Average Pace 4min 14sec/km, Average Speed 14.16 kmph, Avg Cadence 175spm, Avg Std len 1.36meters

Winner in my Category and 12^th position overall from 4299 finishers.

The route was far more Barefoot friendly than any of the previous years. Sea Link was well tarred and Marine drive was equally great.

As part of my training, maintained an average weekly mileage of 90kms for 4 weeks from the last week of Nov ’16. Knew that Sub 3hrs would be extremely challenging without the additional mileage. An improvement of 3m30secs at ADHM, meant a possible improvement of 6mins at SCMM. But this was a bit risky, hence put in the additional mileage for 4 weeks, which further gave me the 1 min buffer. So confidence levels were high and was in the best of moods during the training and tapering periods.

To ensure good health towards the event, had frequent Fast&Up Reloads the previous days, Recover & Recharge regularly & 7 Malto Gels at an interval of 6kms, during the run.

Every run is a learning experience

Past couple of days, been playing around in improving Cadence.
Did an impromptu morning 11.5 Kms run on 11th Sept '16.

My average cadence normally has been around 172 steps per min (spm), while my stride length has been around 1.35meters, for a medium pace 10Km run. Focus during the past couple of runs was to get it stabilized to 176 or 178spm, atleast during the easy runs.

The run today, has been a great workout, by looking at the result.

Stats regarding the run from my Garmin Forerunner 920XT is listed below.
Ran 11.5Kms @ 53m26s, Average Pace 4m 41s/Km, Avg Cad 180spm, Avg Std len 1.19meters

1.  5:19mins/km with Avg Cad 181 steps per min & Stride len 1.04 meters
2.  5:07mins/km with Avg Cad 181 steps per min & Stride len 1.09 meters
3.  4:55mins/km with Avg Cad 181 steps per min & Stride len 1.12 meters
4.  4:56mins/km with Avg Cad 180 steps per min & Stride len 1.12 meters
5.  4:48mins/km with Avg Cad 180 steps per min & Stride len 1.16 meters
6.  4:40mins/km with Avg Cad 179 steps per min & Stride len 1.2 meters
7.  4:35mins/km with Avg Cad 178 steps per min & Stride len 1.23 meters
8.  4:30mins/km with Avg Cad 179 steps per min & Stride len 1.26 meters
9.  4:30mins/km with Avg Cad 178 steps per min & Stride len 1.25 meters
10. 4:29mins/km with Avg Cad 179 steps per min & Stride len 1.25 meters
11. 4:14mins/km with Avg Cad 185 steps per min & Stride len 1.29 meters
12. 3:38mins/km (500meters) with Avg Cad 188 steps per min & Stride len 1.49 meters

My form of running gives me a strong stride length, a forward push, but struggle with Cadence. Past couple of days have been attempting to improve on it.

Had planned it as an easy run, hence started with no Warmup drills. Withour a proper warmup, its usually a struggle to get body to a proper rhythm, hence the initial few kms are a bit of an exertion. Breathing pattern takes time to get stabilized. I would normally expect breathing to be relaxed during easy runs, but was struggling today. Probably an unplanned run, hence was not willing to support it.

Struggled during the initial 5 kms and consciously restricted myself from going fast. Cadence is usually high during my initial few kms,  By the 6th km, body was well warmed up and got into a better rhythm. The warmed-up body, leads to better form, which in turn leads to faster runs, with longer stride length, but reduced stride rate. This continued till the 10th km.

At the start of the 11th Km, consciously changed my form a bit to improve on my Cadence without keeping a concern about the Stride length. My foot movement increased, and was pretty sure that my pace was also increasing. Cadence improved from 179 spm in 10th km to 185 spm in the 11th km. Also the stride length increased from an avg of 1.25 meters to 1.29 meters. This is a significant increase to maintain for a Km. And at the final 500 meters, did something which I normally feel is extremely difficult for me. I increased Cadence, without a compromise on the Stride length. So was consciously maintaining a very good stride length and rate and this combination was extremely challenging. This is clearly visible in the stats of the final 500 meters. But could not survive over 500 meters, with the combination of high stride rate and stride length. Avg Cadence increased further to 188 spm and Stride length to 1.49 meters.

Now the next query will be on how did I increase the stride rate or cadence. The recommended method is with a proper body alignment of a slight forward lean from the ankle which gives an automatic forward propulsion and helps to run efficiently. Also ensuring that the foot lands behind the hip, i.e. away from the center of body mass. This is as per Chi running recommendation. A change in the natural form requires additional focus, and does not come easy.

Its a real pleasure to learn multiple forms of running, which leads to usage of different parts of the body, different muscles and thus leading to varying results.

Its the desire to learn, that leads us to understand our-self better, and identify areas and methods to improve.