January 22, 2008

Running the Auroville Marathon



I'm a proud Pondicherrian and when a marathon takes place near my hometown, I just have to be part of it. The event takes place on February 16th and it marks 40 years of founding of Auroville.

For those not in the know, Auroville is an international township located about 10 kms from Pondicherry. The place is home to residents from more than 50 nations and that's as international as you can get.

It's also my favorite place. Another reason why I'm going there.

I'm joining up with the wonderful Chennai Runners gang for the marathon and targetting running a half marathon. A big ask considering I've wilted down to near zero physical activity.

About 30 runners from Chennai have signed up for the run and on Friday, Feb 15th, we're chartering a bus and will be staying at the Youth Centre. We'll have to take our own sleeping bags, pillows and sleep on the floor of the two sports halls. It should be a welcome change from staying at hotels and definitely a lot more fun. It'll also be good for all runners to be together before the run and the enthusiasm typically rubs on each other.

Now, to dust out my running shoes!

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October 26, 2007

The 30 km Mahabalipuram Run on Nov 4th. Call For Help.



For the Chennai Runners Gang, every quarter there's a very sacrosanct outing that most look forward to... either in anticipation or trepidation (depends on the level of your training).

And, that is the 30 kilometer run on the picturesque East Coast Road. The race starts at 4:30 early morning near the Toll Gate and ends at Mahabalipuram.

Here's a shout out to all runners who love running. It's an awesome opportunity to run with some really passionate folks. There's a special energy about this group that always gets the best out of you.

We also need volunteers to help the runners. Would you be able to help out by providing water to the runners. All you need is a vehicle ( 2 wheeler or 4 wheeler), an extremely loud alarm clock to wake you up early in the morning, and a very big kind heart to help the toiling runners.

If you would like to chip in, please call Karthikeyan at 98842 17276 or me at 98415 97744. Thanks in advance.

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July 23, 2007

A Movie That Captures The Spirit of Marathons



I loved watching the trailer. Now, I can't wait for the movie to be released.

'Spirit of the Marathon' is the first ever feature-length film to capture the essence, drama and unique spectacle of the marathon. Featuring five runners - three amateurs and two elites - as they train for and ultimately run the Chicago Marathon, the tremendous challenge of the 42.2 kilometers race is brought to life by many of the most remarkable athletes in the history of sport.

More than a sports movie, it is an inspirational journey of perseverance and personal triumph; a glimpse into the world of ultimate human potential.


(Photo by Arnold Pouteau)

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July 19, 2007

Participating in This Year's Rowing Regatta Championship



Last evening, I went to the Madras Boat Club to look at how people are training for the forthcoming Merchants & Bankers Regatta. I got sucked into a vortex of nostalgic thoughts.

After all, for four years, I have been living and breathing this sport. When I was with Sify, I helped captain the team to three championship titles. The team ultimately went on undefeated for six straight years, a record in the 140 years of Boat Club history. After Sify, the companies I joined didn't show any interest in rowing and hence was out of the rowing circuit. Now that I've started my own, it's a lot easier to make decisions! :)

I've been close to a lot of officials, especially the captains of the boat. And even more closer to the laskars, the caretakers of the boats. They all insisted that I should come and participate in the championship this year. I called up my colleague, an oarsman himself, and it took us two seconds to come to the decision to participate. The rowing spirit grabs you and there's no escaping it.

And so, here we are. Back in one of most prestigious corporate regattas in the country.

Me and my green horn team will start our training from Monday onwards. The championship races will be held mid September. So, this gives us about two months of practice time. A little short. The other teams already have a months head start.

I know we will get thrashed this year. Our team strength will be one fifth of the other teams. But the joy is in giving the teams a run for their money.

Personally for me, the next two months is going to be awesome from an exercise perspective. From Monday till Friday, it'll be rowing practice. On Saturday, it will be Ultimate Frisbee. On Sunday, it'll be the marathon practice. Life is good.

Here are some of the photos from the Boat Club. More photos here.



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July 17, 2007

28 Kilometers of Pain, Camaraderie, Agony & Ecstasy

Last Sunday, the Chennai Runners went on the much awaited long distance run from Toll Gate (in the outskirts of Chennai) to Mahabalipuram. 28 kilometers distance. 27 members turned up for the run at 4:30 in the morning. That means, guys like me, who live on the other side of the city, had to wake up as early as 3:15 am to make it to the starting point on time.


We all met up inside the city at two locations (Alwarpet & Anna Nagar) at 3:45 am to carpool our way to Toll Gate which is about 15 kms away from the city. The reason why we chose the far away location is to avoid the congested city roads. The East Coast Road, where we made the full run, is a fantastic picturesque route which runs right along the ocean all the way to Mahabalipuram.


We spent some time warming up and working on our stretches. We've trained long enough to know that slacking on the warm up can lead to injuries during the long run. Vidyuth, who is our 'drill master', made sure that we did the stretches well.

Do you see those small strips glowing the runners' dress? Those are small reflective stickers that Ramesh, one of our fellow runners had the foresight to bring along for all of us. At 5:00 in the morning, it is still quite dark and its not exactly safe to run on the highway. Such small details greatly enhance the safety of the runners.

We had another member of the team, who owns a mineal water plan, sponsor cartons of drinking water bottles for the entire team. He could not join us for the run but the water greatly helped the entire team.


KK, who is the main organizer of the run, is seen here writing the emergency phone number on the stickers. Should someone need help, all they need to do is call this number. We had four wonderful volunteers helping us with all support tasks. It was dark and hence you see a guy holding a cell phone to throw some light for KK to write those numbers.


We made sure that we ran on the right side of the road, facing the traffic. Here you see Shumit, one of the runners running on the Muttukadu bridge.


Runners in action. You can also see two volunteers handing out water to the runners.


The team of Abhi, Sathish, Aravind and Jay did a stupendous job of supporting the runners. All four of them are runners and have participated in marathons. But they chose to sacrifice the run to help out the team. Amazing team spirit. Without them, half of us would not have finished the full race.


Some of the runners were way better than the rest of us. Seen here are the early finishers who are relaxing and tending to the pains on the lawns of Surf restaurant. The hotel staff were kind enough to provide cold towels and lots of ice to soothe the pain.


That's my peloton. The smile on our faces say it all. We finished the distance and it was a personal best for all of us. The four of us stuck with each other in the second half of the race, the tougher part.

There were amazing personal stories. Rajesh, the guy in the grey tshirt and shorts, is 100 kilos heavy. Its not easy to run the distance butRajesh had the sheer grit to want to come back to being fit and lean again. Supratik (red& white tshirt) and Sundar (in blue) have never run past 10kms before. This is the longest distance they have covered in their entire life.

Our gang was the last to finish, but we were absolutely determined. Each one of us kept egging on the others to continue in spite of all of us experiencing a lot of pain.

Honestly, if we had run separately on our own, none of us would have finished the race. Its because of the team spirit that we clung on. Each of us would fix a small distance for us to finish and we took turns fixing our targets. We would walk a little and then continue running again. Towards the end, the pain was unbearable and none of us could run. We finished the race by walking.

As we entered the hotel, everyone gave a rapturous applause and that was a touching gesture. Sure, we finished last, but the support and encouragement from the team symbolises the amazing spirit of the Chennai Runners.


After a sumptuous breakfast, where we gobbled up Idlis, Masala dosas, Pongal, Upma and Vada, we got together for a group photo.


The special equipment on Hari's shoes calculated the exact distance. 28.2 kilometers. It also calcurates the speed of the run.


We all headed back in Shahid's van back to Toll gate where our cars were parked in his palatial beach house.

I was on a 'high' the whole day. I started the race knowing that I won't be able to cross the 10 kms mark. I even brought along money to hire a auto or take a bus to Mahabalipuram. I beat my own expectation. I broke that glass ceiling. I'm now more determined to train for the marathons.

The next big run is going to be in October. Next time, longer distance. This will happen once every quarter. However, we will continue to train for shorter distances (15 kms) every Sunday and even shorter runs (10kms) during mid weeks.

Ram Vishwananthan and KK have interesting writeups about their experience in the run. Recommended reading.

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July 02, 2007

Running : Pyramid Speed Training Tomorrow

The Chennai Runners will be meeting tomorrow morning for a training with a difference.

First 5 minutes: Casual Jog
1 min: Fast run
1 min: Rest
2 minutes: Fast run
1 min: Rest
4 minuets: Fast run
1 min: Rest
2 min: Fast run
1 min: Rest
1 min: Fast run
1 min: Rest

Repeat whole cycle one more time.

It may look easy but that 4 minute fast run will be a killer. Its tougher than it looks. This is a training to improve both speed and stamina. The beauty of training with Chennai Runners is the variety and the team work.

If you are interested, join up. Here are the details

Date: Tuesday, July 3rd
Assemble at : 5.30 a.m
Start by: 5.45 a.m
Start point: Marina Beach , Near lighthouse - Inner road

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June 02, 2007

Map of Our Sunday Morning Running Route



KK and Ram, our running mates, have helped put this together.

For those who are familiar with Madras, here's the route: C.P.Ramaswamy Road (Alwarpet), Greenways Road, Adyar Bridge, Theosophical Society, Besant Nagar Beach, Tidel Park, Madhya Kailash, Anna University, Kotturpuram Bridge, Madras Boat Club, Park Sheraton Hotel, Back to C.P.Ramaswamy Road.

It's a 16 kms route. We run tomorrow morning at 5:00 AM...and all Sunday mornings. If you want to join in, call me at 98415 97744.

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May 24, 2007

The Tenacity of a 75 year old Runner

Rajesh Vetcha, a fellow marathon runner, sent this very inspiring email from a 75 year old gentlemen.

Here is the quick synopsis of the story. Dinesh Kumar took his family out for a cruise and hence he could not participate in the Bangalore Midnight Marathon. He was torn between the marathon and his family. He found a solution. He ran the marathon on the ship itself.

Read his email to the runners group.

Hi Runners,

When the midnight run was announced, I knew I wont be able to attend it and believe me that I was going to miss it began to bother me. And when I mentioned this to my wife, she gave me a wifely answer and that was: If the midnight run is more important than a cruise with your family , you can cancel the trip or cut short it.

In matters like these, the LOH has the last word but I made up my mind to do a half on the sailing ship which had a track of 400 meters. I got up on the top deck and did the half at 3:30 in the morning, stopped to hyderate and carried on to complete 30 KM.

The experience was awesome. Doing it on the sailing ship may have been done before but I don't know. The timing was better ( may be the sea level effect) and no water was needed ( may be humid air)

A day after that was no anchoring day and the ship was sailing, I repeated the attempt by walking and did another half.

A small detail. My legs are still paining as I walk on the Bangalore soil on return.
I thought I will share my experience with you.

If some of you are thinking that I am showing off. Yes, I am.

Dinesh Kumar

It put me to shame. I did not go to the midnight marathon because of some pending business work. I wish I had the 75 year old man's spirit.

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May 18, 2007

Interested in Training for Marathon?

....or just want to run regularly to keep fit? Joining the Chennai Runners Group is a good idea. The group is an informal team of fitness enthusiasts who get together a few times a week to train together. I have been part of this group since the inception and have thoroughly enjoyed the company. The group's positive energy easily rubs on you. It helped me get back into the running groove after a long sabbatical.

There are no fees to pay. No forms to fill. All you need is enthusiasm...and a good alarm clock. The team runs every Sunday morning at 5:00 am. You even get help with wake up calls.

After Nike, FitnessOne has come in support of the group. They are helping spread the word amongst its members. I like the poster they have designed.



What I particularly like is they didn't fuss about mentioning one of their competitors as the starting point of our run. We have traditionally had Dimensions Gym as the landmark.

Joining the group helps make you a better runner. I have seen many folks, who have since become good friends, improve remarkably over the months.

If you have been thinking of running but wanted a good enough reason, you now have it. If you need help with directions, call me at 98415 97744. Also, join the mailing list.

We run Sunday morning at 5:00 am. Join in. Whether you can run 1 km or 20 kms doesn't matter. All you need is the spirit of running to join the group.

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May 14, 2007

Marathon Practice Run Tonight

Tonight? Yup, there's a run scheduled tonight at 10:00 pm at Marina Beach. It's a practice run towards preparations for the Bangalore Midnight Marathon.

Even though I'm not going for the Bangalore event, it will be a different experience running at night. Besides, its more fun training with the running mates.

I know its late to post this but if you want to join up for the run, here are the details.

Starting Point: Gandhi Statue, Marina Beach.
Meeting Time : 9:45 PM (for stretches & warm up)
Start Time : 10 PM
Practice Distance : 10 kms

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May 07, 2007

How an Auto Driver Helped My Marathon Practice

Sunday early mornings are for marathon practice. I quit running for a long time and I recently rejoined the awesome Chennai Runners Group. Thanks due to nice cajoling by friends out there. Last Sunday however, things weren't good.

At 4:30 on Sunday morning, I was at the Central Railway Station having just finished an overnight journey from Erode. The Sunday morning practice run starts at 5:00 AM. That half hour is too short for me to head home, change and head back for the run.

I was feeling a bit miserable for missing practice. Just then an auto guy approached me. I asked him how much from Central to Virugambakkam (a journey of around 13 kms). He mentioned an astounding Rs.200. The usual rate is around Rs.85. I said Rs.100.

The guy gave a sneering laugh and asked me to take a walk. (the rough equivalent of it in crude tamil) .

I had a bulb glow over my head.

Heck, why not walk home? That way, I can catch up on my practice. I couldn't have run. Was in my formal shoes and had luggage. But I can definitely walk. It's not the same as running but its definitely way better than lazing it out in an auto.

And so, I had one of the most refreshing early morning walks. And more importantly, feeling good.

Thank you, auto driver.

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March 13, 2007

Back on the Running Circuit

Last Sunday, a bunch of 13 Chennai runners got together to run a 30 kms route. It saw the highest turnout in quite a while. The change in route seemed to have done the trick. Instead of running inside the city, the highway along the sea coast from Toll Gate at Uthandi till Mahabalipuram was chosen.

I'm joining the running circuit after more than a year' hiatus. I do short runs near my home but that's really few and far in between.

I woke up at an ungodly 3:15 am, backed by a reminder call from Ram Vishwanathan, the man responsible for keeping the running spirit on in the group.



At 4:15, a bunch of us car-pooled together to reach the start destination. We met up at the Toll booth and proceeded onto Shahid's sprawling beach house where we parked our vehicles, stretched, warmed up and started the run.

Most of the folks in the group are regular runners and clearly in better shape than a few of us getting into the groove. We all chose our own pace. We decided that we will regroup at the German Bakery at Mahabalipuram at around.

Hari, CEO of AddedV (in the picture above) is one of the better runners in the group but he slowed down and gave me company all along the route. Running is more of a mental game than a physical one and encouragement goes a long way.


We ran for about 12 kms before fatigue started to hit me. My legs were fine but I started to feel the strain on my lungs. Didn't want to push it, especially since I'm running after a long break. 12 kms isn't great but it felt good to get back into the groove. We took a auto till about 4 kilometers before Mahabs. From there on, we half ran, half walked to the venue.


So near, yet so far. The last few kilometers is the most gruesome. You are drained out, muscles and joints aching, the sun has started to hit you.... clearly not the best part of the run. Even though we entered Mahabalipuram, finding the German Bakery inside the small town proved to be more adventurous.


After asking a dozen folks and visiting many Iyengar bakeries, we finally home in on our rendezvous and find the better runners relaxing and snacking on sandwiches and hash browns. It's a real fun group and the team spirit greatly alleviates the boredom usually associated with running. We spent the next one hour eating some more and having more fun at each other's expense before catching a van and heading back to base.

The trouble with running after a long time is the body ache that persists the next few days. And oh, not to mention the appetite. I develop this huge craving for rice and invariably end up having at least four to five meals that day.

I've been inspired to get on a daily running schedule. I realised I'm not cut out for very long distance running. No 30 km runs for me. I enjoy best when its about 10 kms. Starting this week, I'm starting a daily running schedule of 5 kms and slowly building it to 10 kms. Will also maintain a log to keep track on progress. Feels good to get back.

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