Entries Tagged 'Running' ↓

I have had most of the exercise excuses that you can think of but when I see things like these, it makes me think again about not getting up tomorrow morning to work out!

It was nice to finish my first half marathon yesterday. It took an embarrassing 3 hours 26 minutes to complete it, but I am glad that I was able to complete it

I started running on 26th November 2008 just to get back in shape, but now I want to run as many marathons in my life as I can. I ran for around 15 days and then Knee Pain started. 12 days in the gym and I was back on my feet to run again…

I have been running with Varun (Gupta), Himanshu and Varun (Khurana) on Sundays at Lalbagh. We usually run as much as we can and then have a nice meal at MTR. The maximum that I had run before this was close to 5 Kms.

Stuff that helped me complete the 21 Km run:

1. Music: I have started listening to Trans music now a days, specially while running and working out. Oh, and iPod Shuffle, it is the best iPod to run with. I love the fact that it has a clip and I can clip-on the iPod to my shorts while running.
2. Clothes: Nike Dri Fit T-shirt and Adidas Running Shorts. I used to think that cotton is the best to run with until someone (sorry I forgot who it was) told me otherwise.
3. Shoes: I don’t have the light running day shoes, but I am happy with my Nike Zoom Structure Triax+ 11. They are Motion Control Shoes for over pronators like me.
4. Diet: Pretty much what LifeMojo suggested as Runner’s Diet.
5. Stretching Exercises: All the stretching routines that I had mentioned before and a new one for the shin that Dharmendra suggested.
6. Crowd cheering along the way: I can’t even express in words, the motivation that I got when strangers smiles and clapped as I passed the milestones. It is a great moral booster, especially for the first timer like me.
7. Water: I don’t remember how much water I drank while running, but it was a lot!

It is a great feeling to complete the Half, and I would try to improve my timing next time.

(I am not the right person to take marathon running advice from. I am just sharing what I did to complete my first Half Marathon.)

I was running fine for around 15 days, and then the Knee Pain started. The pain was concentrated on the left side of the right knee and a friend of mine who is a physiotherapist said it is because of the strain on the knees when I run. Here is what I was suggested:

1. I would need to get shoes that suit my feet type. (Motion Control Shoes for me because I over-pronate).
2. I could try doing a few exercises in a gym that would help me make my knees strong.
3. I would have to find a softer surface to run than running on the road.
4. I would need to lose some weight before I can run long distances.

I really want to take up running as a daily exercise so I went ahead and bought a pair of Nike shoes for motion control. I started hitting the gym and did doing the prescribed exercises. For running on a softer surface I would have to travel a few kilometers and would have to switch to running in the mornings which I can’t afford right now. And I am trying my best to lose weight; I would not switch to an unhealthy way to lose weight ever again. (Read about the last time I tried a shortcut to lose weight)

Finally after 12 days on 25th December, I could run again without any pain.

Despite all my efforts (stretching before and after the runs, 5 minutes of brisk walk before the run etc.), the knee pain is back. It has been 15 days since I started running, and I felt the pain for the first time on Day 13th. I thought it could be because I overdid myself on Day 12 (the 2 mile continues in Lalbagh), but I guess not.

I searched about the knee pain on the net and i guess it is called Jogger’s Knee. For me there are two solutions

1. Buy shoes which have more cushion than the shoes that I have.
2. Stop running on hard surfaces, and find a park nearby.

OR both.

Tomorrow I might not be able to run (not because of the pain, but because I would be busy most of the day). I would be happy if I can complete 2 miles in Lalbagh this Sunday.

I ran for 10 minutes today and walked for about 30 minutes.

Today was awesome !

I did 5-2 X 4 (i.e. 5 minutes Running + 2 minutes Brisk Walk; 4 times) which is 5-2 X 1 times more than the plan, and that wasn’t all I ran for 2.5 Kms after this (as I did on Day 9). It feels great to see the progress. The next milestone for me is to run 3 Miles the coming Sunday at Lalbagh.