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.

I didn’t run yesterday. I was a bit sad about something related to work. Anyways, today too wasn’t good as far as running is concerned

After the warm up, (I don’t know why but) I decided to measure my speed. I completed 1 Km in 5 minutes, so 12 Km/hr which is ok for me as a beginner, but after that I couldn’t run as per the usual 5-2 X 3 program. I ran for about 3 more minutes, and then knees started hurting. I walked for about 25 minutes and then stopped.

I guess I should just keep the Sundays for the experimentation and follow the program on weekdays