A long distance Runners Weblog [ Hari ]

Few more pics from Singapore marathon

Venkat and myself after the run with medals

A Run Dedicated to my Parents

Its almost a year since I blogged due to a personal loss. My running had been irregular as well. four months back I decided to get back and hit the tarmac and train to finish the Singapore Marathon, I also decided I'd blog only after completing the Singapore Marathon.

So here iam, back to blogging after completing the Singapore Marathon. Completed the 42.195 kms in 4hrs and 18 mins.

Dedicate this run to my parents who would've been very proud of this achievement. Last Feb, my dad came back from the US with a pair of Asics and i had a fantastic run with them. 

Yours truly after the finish line

Congratatulations and a special thanks to my running buddies at chennairunners to keep me motivated, especially Ram, Tiger, Senthil, Narayan, Ashwin, Venkat,Balaji, Mohan all of them completed the Singapore Marathon as well. A special thanks to Ram,Shumit and KK who had really inspired and motivated me all along

Next target is Auroville Marathon in Feb 09

Portland Marathon

My brother Lakshman just finished the Portland Marathon. This was his first marathon. He did it in 5 hrs 42 mins.
He ran till the 22 mile mark and then walked the rest of the distance.
Here's a guy who was just running 10k regularly not actually wanting to run a marathon, but then he signed up with a local club, and within 4 months finished a marathon.

Bib:	4355
Name:	LAKSHMAN KRISHNAMURTHY
Gender:	M
Age:	39
Hometown:	PORTLAND OR

Place Overall:	5625	out of 7724
Men:	3072	out of 3529
M 35-39:	568	out of 620

AgeGrade:

37.83%

Place: 6587

FINISH:

5:42:07

pace: 13:03

10k:	1:10:02	pace: 11:17
Turn-9.1Mi:	1:42:42	pace: 11:18
Half:	2:27:49	pace: 11:17
17.2 M:	3:32:36	pace: 12:22
20 Mile:	4:03:31	pace: 12:11
35K:	4:30:09	pace: 7:44

Chip Time:	5:42:07
Gun Time:	5:50:44

Congratulations Lakshman..

India's First Ultramarathon

Runners for Life, a running club in Bangalore is organizing the first Ultra marathon in India on Dec 16th.
I guess, everyone is just tired of waiting for the Bangalore Marathon this year, as it is already postponed twice. So I'm sure guys in RFL decided to do an Ultra marathon on their own and I'm sure this will be a great run.

Check out Bangalore Ultra ..  I like the line " Its tough, Are you?"
You can download the registration form here

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Categories for the Ultra
Race Category	Age Criteria
78 Kilometers
Senior Men's	45+ years
Senior Women's	45+ years
Men's	18+ years
Women's	18+ years
52 Kilometers
Senior Men's	45+ years
Senior Women's	45+ years
Men's	18+ years
Women's	18+ years
26 Kilometers
Senior Men's	45+ years
Senior Women's	45+ years
Men's	18+ years
Women's	18+ years

30 kms Run from Toll gate to Mahabalipuram

Sunday, July 15th Chennairunners will be running a 30 kms race from Tollgate on East coast Road to mahabalipuram. The run starts at 4.30 a.m from Toll gate. The last time we ran this route, there were 14 of us. But this time the runners have increased, plan to call this event as 30 x 30 as we expect 30 runners running the 30 kms.

Key points noted by Ram Viswanathan

This coming Sunday, July 15, 2007 we will do a 30x30 ECR to Mahapallipuram run.  The idea is to have 30 Chennai Runners participate in the approximately 30km trek to from ECR toll booth to Mahabs.

Pick up points: We will have two pick up points from the city.
1) From Khader Nawas Khan Road - Shahid can take up 4 more runners in his car.  For details, please contact Shahid @ skandrikar@gmail.com. (starting time 3:45 AM)
2) From Dimensions - Ram, Hari, Ashwini & Murugan put together can ferry up to 10 more runners to the starting point.  If you need a ride from here, pl. contact Hari @ harican@gmail.com (starting time 3:45 AM)

Meeting Point: Immediately after the ECR toll booth
Meeting Time : 4:15 AM (We realize, it is early but we must meet on time to ensure we get a head start against the onslaught of sun and the unrelenting traffic).

Starting point: Shahid's farm house which is close by ECR toll booth.  (we will move from our meeting point by 4:15 & park our vehicles at Shahid's place.)

Starting Time: 4:45 AM (This will give time for runners to do some stretch and get ready)

Route: South on ECR all the way

Finish Line: Coral Surf Restaurant ( This restaurant is right at the entrance of Mahabs, just across from GRT Temple Bay. This place has a Jesus statue at the entrance and should be easy to spot.  We have arranged for South Indian Vegetarian buffet consisting of Pongal / Vada & Idly costing INR 100 per person, which will served starting @ 8:15 AM).

Water Points: Couple of friends have volunteered to help us on this front.  They would be cruising in their cars and would be carrying some water / energy drinks / snacks and first aid.  They would be carrying their mobiles and can be reached via phone as well. (phone # to be updated soon)

Safety First:  Please note that we do not have any safety net in terms of roads, ambulance & insurance.  All of us running at our own volition and it is important to adhere to some safety norms at all occasions.

1. Always run on 'right side of the Road' facing the traffic.  In doubt, slow down, let the traffic pass. 
2. Runners on Chennai roads is relatively a new phenomenon and Chennai drivers haven't  gotten used  to that yet.
3. Do NOT run if you are not medically fit.  Stop running at anytime you feel uncomfortable.Here's the map by KK

Upcoming Marathons in India

Time To Race !!!!

Bangalore Marathon - September 16th 2007
Chennai Marathon - December 1st week or 2nd week
Singapore Marathon - December 2nd 2007

Though the title says "Upcoming marathons in India", I would like to add Singapore as it one event a few of the Chennairunners have been particpating for the last few years.   Ram Viswanathan  is one runner who has been doing the Singapore marathon and his experience is to go for it. Most of us if time / budget permits will be doing the Singapore Marathon rather than the Chennai marathon. Personally, I've had a bad experience in 2006 Chennai Marathon. Ram Viswanathan and myself had completed around 31kms at 3:00 hrs and the officials stopped us from running. They let the traffic in.. That was the end of our Chennai Marathon. The officials seem to be only concerned about the few professional athletes who RACE. What about the rest. No wonder most people here in India think Marathons are for professional athletes.
In the recent Flora London Marathon, out of around 33,000 participants, some 600 odd did not complete the marathon !!!! I doubt if Chennai marathon would even have 600 participants for the Full marathon.

Yes, media will claim 5000 participants ran the Chennai marathon. Fact is,  most of them run the 7kms Dream run / Celebrity run, probably 200 to 300 participate in the full marathon.

Can anyone enlighten me why ? What can we do for awareness and have it like the "Flora London marathon" with so many people participating?

TNEB "Mini Marathon"

TNEB is conducting a "mini marathon" tomorrow - June 24th in Chennai. This is to celebrate the Golden year , 50th year of TNEB
This will be a 12 kms Race from Elliots Beach to Monroe Statue via Adyar, Marina, LIC building. Most of the regulars from Chennai Runners  will be participating.
June 24th being a sunday is actually a Long run for Chennairunners. Some of us are planning to run to the start point covering around 6 to 7 kms, some of us will continue to run after the finish line !!! Dont know if I will do that
So what's a good time for a 12 kms Race?

Your First Marathon- Words from the Wise from Runners World

The week before...  

• Prepare yourself mentally by rehearsing the last four or five miles in your head. If you can do this on the actual marathon course, so much the better. The advantage is that it becomes so familiar that once you reach this section you will feel that you're home and dry. – Australopitcheus

 

• Cut your toenails a good few days prior to the event. That way if you cut them too short and your toes are painful, they have time to heal. – Roobarb

 

• Get a good night's sleep two days before marathon day because it's quite usual to worry the night before. It's OK to have a glass of wine or two to settle the nerves without any adverse effects. – Selfish Git!!!

 

• If you are staying in a hotel away from home - take your pillow with you. It might sound daft and you might feel silly, but you need all the help you can get to sleep the night before the race. – Minnie Two Bikes aka MTB

 

• The day before the marathon, do nothing. Sit on your bum and watch TV with your feet up eating pasta (preferably cooked by your loved one). Think back over your training and visualise everything going perfectly the next day. – Acoustic Soda

 

• Don't try to remember anything that's written in the pre-race information. If it's important to you, write it down and take it with you. Your brain will cease to function normally (or maybe that's just me). – CumbriAndy

 

Kit Essentials  

• Put your name on your vest - I couldn't work out why everybody else had loads of support in the crowds who knew their name and I didn't! – FINgers

 

• Take a loo roll in your kit bag to the Greenwich/Blackheath start area. There is little worse than queuing for the loo for 30 minutes then discovering there is no loo roll to help out with the pre-race nerves! – Pacha

 

• If it's raining take a bum-bag. Fill it with the usual goodies, sweets, chocolate, pills etc but also some of those mini-ankle socks. Should you have to stop at 16 miles with blisters, you'll have some dry socks to put on, rather than wringing out the wet ones. – Iccle Jim

 

• Pack a blister-plaster pack in your bum-bag, and a hat or bandana. The weather can change a lot in two to six hours and you'll want to avoid getting a sunburnt/windburnt head. – RFJ

 

• Don't wear new shoes. I bought new trainers and 'saved' them especially for my big race. Ouch! Blisters and then some. – The one at the back

 

• SPF cream is my main piece of advice. I wasn't expecting to get sunburnt on a not-particularly-sunny April day. – Beckylou

 

• Put Vaseline on anything that might rub against anything else - there are a surprising number of moving parts when you start thinking about it. Good also for exposed flesh if it's wet and cold - you don't want chapped lips and raw skin. – Eva Midsole

 

• Apply a thin layer of Vaseline around your whole foot and between the toes. I didn't get a single blister. – Tmap

 

• A couple of plasters over your nipples works heaps better than Vaseline (as long as you are not especially hairy!) – Nick L

 

At the Start...  

• Be prepared for the mental 'rush' of the crowds, the noise, the colour and the excitement. Some runners find it vastly encouraging - first time round it just stunned me. – OuchOuch

 

• When you get to the start zone, go to the loo. While queuing, get changed, warm up, eat breakfast etc. When you've been, join the queue again! You can never go to the loo too many times before the race! – Iccle Jim

 

• Think about your legs. Keep off your feet as much as possible. Take an old shirt, jacket or bin bag, anything to sit on wherever you can. – Gatton 225

 

• If you can 'buddy up' with someone at your pace it makes a big difference. I've now done four marathons and the two where I chattered happily away to someone for the bulk of the race seemed more comfortable. – amadeus

 

Ready, steady… go  

• Start slow. You will feel lousy before the marathon because of tapering, then when you start you'll suddenly feel wonderful. Your body hasn't really changed so don't revise your target pace because you feel good at mile five, or 10 or 15. You can only make a sensible assessment from mile 18 onwards. – Skip

 

• If you are doing run/walk, do it from the beginning (crowds permitting). – Nessie

 

• Don't let the adrenaline take over, even if you're running at a speed that is slower than you trained at. Overtaking people who have gone out too fast feels fantastic in the last few miles and can give you an energy boost if it starts getting painful towards the end. – Gavo

 

• Break the race up into manageable chunks. For example, a five-mile run to a Lucozade station, a four-mile run to where your mates are spectating, another mile to a Lucozade station, and so on. When things got really tough I never had more than five miles to run before getting a boost. – 3Legs

 

• I name each mile after someone I admire. No way am I going to give up in their patch... – Stickless

 

• If it really starts to fall apart count your footsteps until you have recovered your rhythm. When it gets even tougher pick a landmark ahead and ensure that you run to it. As you get close, choose another target ahead. – Dubai Dave

 

• If you're starting to struggle from mile 20 onwards, focusing on catching up or staying with the people in front of you can help keep your mind occupied and maintain your pace. – Newbie 1

 

• Don't get too hung up on time. By all means have a time plan, but also have plan B, C to Z for any odd surprises. – Plodding Hippo

 

Eating and drinking  

• If you're travelling to stay locally overnight before the race, check the hotel you are staying in does early breakfasts, or go prepared by taking your own breakfast with you. – Happycat

 

• Eat your last food two to three hours before the start of the race. Have your last drink one hour before the race and then go to the loo a couple of times in that last hour. This certainly stops me from needing to make a loo stop during the 26.2 miles. – ICRA

 

• Familiarise yourself with where the energy drinks stations will be so you won't need to go further without a drink than expected. – CumbriAndy

 

• Drink before you start, then be especially wary after 14 miles or so. People get really obsessed about hydration and energy, wrongly believing that 'the wall' is essentially a failure to eat enough. Eat if you're hungry, drink if you're thirsty. – Tmap

 

• Stick to what you normally do in training with regards to taking fluids during the race. Just because the FLM give water/energy drinks every mile does not mean you need it every mile. I was very sick at the end of my first FLM from taking on too much liquid. – Pacha

 

• Work out your refuelling plan and stick to it. For my first marathon I had planned what I would eat and when, then trained to that. On the day, I was past halfway before I remembered my plan. Surprise surprise, by mile 20 I was shot... – amadeus

 

• I took a drink at every single water station because I'd heard how easy it was to get dehydrated. Consequently, having a bladder the size of a pea, I was desperate for the toilet for the last five miles and being the shy wallflower that I am, wasn't going to go by the roadside! – Cath.

 

• Only partially unscrew the lids on the Lucozade - it stops spillages and slows the flow, making it easier to drink. – SMD

 

• Put your favourite post long-run snack in your bag and eat/drink it as soon as you pick your bag up. You may feel like something savoury after all the energy drinks. The sooner you can replace fluids and refuel the better. – Newbie 1

 

Cooling down...  

• When you are approach the finishing line check who is around you - they are also going to be in your finishing picture that you'll show your family and friends, so best it doesn't show you being beaten by someone twice your age or dressed as a Teletubby. – Skip

 

• Arrange to meet a friend at the end. It can be a nightmare trying to get your stuff. I was eternally grateful to my dad for meeting me at the finish, carrying my stuff, praising me, and driving me home! – The one at the back

 

• Don't rely on being able to contact your nearest and dearest by mobile phone after the finish as you might have trouble getting a signal. Arrange to meet at one of the labelled trees in Horseguards Parade instead. Oh, and keep moving, however painful it feels. If you can hobble about a bit, rather than collapse in a heap (even if you go backwards down the stairs to the Underground) you'll feel much better the next day. – Running Rodent

 

• If you can, have a cold bath afterwards, it feels horrible but definitely helps with the stiffness. – Newbie 1

 

• Wear your medal until it annoys people. You've earnt it! – Iccle Jim

 

• It's OK to cry afterwards, even if you are a bloke. It just means you've tried really hard and suffered great mental and physical stress in trying to achieve your target – Poacher

 

Got your own marathon tip to share? Then either post a message on the forum thread below or email us with your advice.

Bangalore Midnight Marathon photos

Bangalore midnight marathon was a different experience. I took rest the entire saturday , had an early dinner around 6.30 p.m. Packed 2 energy bars which i had at 9.30 p.m and at 11.30 p.m

The race was scheduled at 12.30 a.m, but started only around 1.30 a.m. The route was a 5.88 kms loop which we were supposed to do 4 laps.

 

The route had no traffic ( it was midnight) it was gruelling as there were a couple of uphills and other places a gradual gradient which I found more difficult than an uphill. I guess my timing was affected because of this. Threre were waterpoints at regular intervals ( it disappeared after the half marathon guys completed. Wonder how the full marathon participants managed) I had my fuel belt though.

 

My target was 1 hr and 45 mins, but i completed it in 1 hr and 55 mins. My pre-marathon planning was just perfect, but I didnt care to eat something after the marathon, by the time I reached my place, had a bath it was 6.00 a.m. Slept immediately and when I woke up at 9.00 a.m , I had a severe headache. that's when I realised I should've eaten something as it was almost 14 hrs since I had anything to eat except for an energy bar..

 

Shumit gave me company during the run. Happy to announce that all the ChennaiRunners  completed the run, a few of them were running the half marathon for the first time !!!! Here are a few snaps taken , shared by KK

Bangalore Midnight Marathon

Bangalore Midnight marathon is on May 19th. Chennai Runners would be participating, no doubt.  I guess 6 or 7 of us would be running the half marathon, which starts at 12.30 a.m. Wonder if there are any other marathons starting at midnight.

You could register at Bangalore Midnight marathon