RunningandLiving.com

These last couple of weeks I have been running with a group called RunningandLiving.com(http://www.runningandliving.com ) Its been conceptualised by 3 runners who have participated in international marathons.
Rahul Verghese stays in Gurgaon & coordinates the runners in that region.
The group in Delhi is coordinated by Anita Bhargava. We are a group of some 4-5 regular turnouts who gather at Deer Park( DLTA Court Side ) and do 2-2.5 loops of Deer Park & Hauz Khas Lake district park ( a loop nearly 4.5 Kms). This is mostly on weekdays.
Sundays are at Jahpanah Forest track where we usually do 2 loops ( a loop 7 kms marked )..

Will try to run this Sunday with the Health & Fitness group and persuade these runners too also to join.
Hopefully, with the 2 groups combining , there shall be a big runners group this Sunday.

Dirt Trail Run

This Sunday was another of the long run. Around 12 runners gathered at Nehru Gardens at 6.30 am and aftera warm up lap around the park ( 3 km ) we started on a road run to Buddha Jayanti Park ( Beyond 11 Murthi crossing ).. I had some difficulty on the hay /dirt trail in the forest with some steep climbs ( maybe because i ran the road section at a higher pace than what i am used to ).
Interestingly we came across British embassy staff on the trail marking out a route /markers for a run of thier own , later in the day. We returned back to Nehru Gardens after completing the trail run ( a distance of 18 odd kms )
The group dispersed after a brief session of group stretching routines & pep up talk by Sunita Godara.

Off Season Runs

Its been 3 weeks of regular long weekend runs since i started running with a local runners club " Health & Fitness Trust managed by Sunita Godara ).Last sunday was another of the long run series with a total of 10 runners doing odd 15 kms.....4 runners from the delhirunners group also participated Nitin , Param, Hari & one other.

We started at around 6.45 am from Nehru Park parking lot (opp Pak High Commission ) - to Rastrapati Bhawan( beyond 11 Murti crossing ) and then did a 6 km loop run on a forest trail which is adjacent to Buddha Jayanti Gardens ( this is basically a Horse track where horse's of President Body Guard are taken for their daily routines )..the track was beautiful, with a major section of the run on cushioned straw , meant for the horses. We came across a couple of riders ....maginficient , tuned specimens.
Returned back via Chankyapuri to Nehru Park ....a total run of 15 kms.

I used to always observe riders coming out of this jungle track while driving down the main road, wondering what lay beyond on this forested path.

Now I know, having seen another of Delhi's hiddden trails.... thanks to running ( next time i wld post some snaps of the trail )

Extended Season

I am making an attempt to run regularly with a local running group . This weekend run was at nehru park (12 kms ) ..to build up endurance & strength in this season.. in some more time it wld be too hot to run in delhi.
next sunday we plan to run a distance of 18 kms with road running ..between nehru & buddha jayanti park.
lets see how many join up.

SCMM 2008

My first run outside home town was memorable. I participated in the Stanchart Mumbai Half Marathon in 2:02:17 (net time).
The crowd support in Mumbai was terrific with lots of friends/families camping out on the race route early in the morning to cheer up the runners. Route was from CST Azad Maidan via the scenic Marine Drive till Mahalakshmi and back to CST

Azad Maidan ..a huge green expanse had arrangements for mobile toilets/baggage point/refreshments counters and the certificate-timing chip counters.

The naval band played at the start of the Marine Drive stretch..lots of cheering mumbaikars offering water/nimbu besides the official kingfisher pts.

Overall a carnival atmosphere..will look forward to visit next year too.

4 days to the Mumbai Race

This weekend we had the last long run before mumbai...6.30 am a group of 8 runners of the Health & Fitness ( Sunita Godara's ) group met at Lodhi Gardens for the last long run before Mumbai.

We ran a distance of 15 kms.....via khan market, pandara road, india gate (children's park), sena bhawan, Rajpath,vijay chowk, claridges hotel and back to lodhi gardens ( 1 round inside the park).

After a round of stretching & then distribution of kits for the mumbai race, the group dispersed..there are some good veteran runners in the group amongst others.

Running in a group does tend to motivate one to perform better...we will now catch up on sunday at the "Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon ".

Mawana Sugars India Open Marathon, 23 Dec 2007

I participated in the Mawana Sugars Half Marathon on Sunday and finished with a PR timing of 1.56. The race has been an annual feature on Delhi's running circuit & this time the route was being tried out for 2010 Commonwealth Games marathon..the race was held under the aegis of Atheletics Federation (AFI).

The top winners were from the Indian Army & other paramilitary services (BSF,CRPF)..the categories were :
1) Full Marathon - Open mens, Open women, Veterans ( above 40 yrs ) - Men & Women
2) Half Marathon - Open mens, Open women, Veterans - Men & Women

Overall a good route ( 2 flyovers on the way)..nice cool weather(....the race started at 9.00 from Guru Harkishan Public School,India Gate) and some 4000 runners.

Mawana Half Marathon - Dec 23, 2007

Shriram Group.. owners of Mawana Sugars are organising a half marathon on Dec,23. The course would start from Guru Harkishan Public school near India Gate.
The event itself was not promoted enough with only a edit writeup in Hindustan Times sports section some days back.
Will sure be a good way to test my preparation for the upcoming Mumbai Half marathon on Jan 20,2008.

Stanchart Mumbai Marathon

Have done my travel & stay bookings for SCMM 2008 on Jan20... I had registerd earlier.

My weekday runs are on a 400 mt round track at the neighborhood club...i run some 15-20 laps ( 6-8 kms ), 3 days a week.. Weekend long runs are on a 2 km round track @ Hauz Khas Rose Garden..a really nice green patch close to where i stay.

New Running Shoes

Last week was spent in shoe hunting for a new running pair. My faithful Nike runners had just about given up. Well the search took me to various running sites and I returned back totally confused with the models & techniques available.

I have now decided to follow the basics -light weight , lots of cushioning ...with the DMX technology, particularly to the heel area which probably bears the most impact while road running.

I finally decided on the Reebok DMX Road Runner series which is light , well cushioned & looks good to0...Don't you think so?

SCMM 2008

Yesterday I registered online for the Stanchart Mumbai marathon ( I wld be running the half there ) to be held on Jan 20, 2008. This shall be my first race outside the home town..hv run all my 3 half runs here at Delhi.

The Day After - VDHM 2007

This was my third half marathon race. I ran a slow race with a couple of walking breaks..still managed to complete the course in 2:10:44. I have a feeling that the late start did impact my run..would like to know how it was for others.

The course was much better than last year..quite a bit of it was on the shaded wide central Delhi roads. The response was awesome with lots of foreign participants, corporate teams from the NDA, Jindal, Genpact, Times .The race was flagged off by Rahul Dravid.....caught a brief glimpse of him at the start line.

The Post race management left a lot of bad vibes..runners complained about the lack of enough outlets to distribute certificates and then the printers conked off. Still managed to receive my temporary certificate & medal after almost 2 hrs in the queue. On my way back saw the rush at the only refreshment counter but was in no mood to stand in queue again.

Would like to travel to Hyderabad (Nov 25th ) for the next Half Marathon.....lets see how the training goes from here.

Get Active Expo ( Vodaphone Half Marathon )

Visited the Expo for collecting my running bib ( # 3171 )and the timing chip against a security deposit of Rs.1000....the VDHM also has an official photography partner in Marathon Photos.com... who on registration will post your finishing snap with timings & also a personalised completition certificate (with photo)..these shall be uploaded on the VDHM official website and would be available for download.

With a new route this year running would be exciting... only apprehension is the late start ( 7.45 )

All the Best for 28th.

Build Up for VDHM

Mon & Tues completed 4 & 7 kms on mud /clay tracks at a nearby forested park ( Rose Gardens ). I find running on road easier due to a planer surface & also some amount of bounciness... but i guess road running over a longer period impacts the knee joints.

Running in Hot Conditions

Sometime during a run the skin gets dry and salty deposits get accumulated ......this cld be due to sweat evaporating from skin surface .....But it helps to know how to cope with hazards of running in hot/humid conditions.
(Article below is from NYT)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/12/opinion/12shorter.html?ex=1350187200&en=fbe69480d78ec94b&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

VDHM Practice Run

I ran the for 15km long run on Sunday. The run was a 5 rounds (3 km each ) road affair circumventing Nehru Gardens, Chanakyapuri.
Started out at 6.45 am and finshed in 1.21 hrs. Thereafter a short running clinic was organised by Sunita Godara (The Asian marathon Champ) whose Health Fitness Trust had organised the run.
Some 45 runners participated both of the Open & Veterans category. Most of them belonged to the runners group Team Jindal.... I now realise the importance of running with a group. The learning & motivational levels are much higher with each runner sharing experiences and pushing others to newer goals

Another Chak De..story waiting....

The story of a Indian Running coach who has produced numerous champions & propagated a running culture at a time when it was not the " in thing".... Truly Babar Sahib deserves a huge ovation.

..why can't we have an Indian running story be told in a compelling fashion
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020810/spr-trib.htm#2

Otto Peltzer Races

" The running culture in the Capital, which seemed on the wane of late, is seeing a revival. One of the oldest road races in the country — the Otto Peltzer race — that was a weekly affair and used to be run at the National Stadium, would be making its re-entry.When it does this time, it will have a new nomenclature — the Otto Peltzer Cross Country race — and will be a monthly competition, the event taking place every second Saturday of each month. The first one will be run on Saturday Sep 8 "
http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=254696#

Adidas is the sponsor for this Run but have not really promoted it too well...just saw a small item in today's Delhi Times Engagements listings( and the Run is today at 4.30 PM Nehru Gardens )

Siri Fort Marg-Moolchand - Ansal Plaza Route