Pushing My Limits: My Running Experience in 2022….

 

In this blog I will share my experience of running and related fitness activities that I undertook in 2022.

As I stepped in to the year 2022, I was well poised to take my running to the next level. There was a long list of so called running projects in my mind that I wanted to accomplish in this year. Each of these projects had its own uniqueness and purpose so as to keep me interested in it. These endeavours of mine factored my professional and personal commitments towards my organization and family respectively.

Multiple Runs in a day. There are some days, mostly Sundays and holidays when there is some extra appetite for running wherein one wants to log an exceptional run mileage however, sometimes due to various reasons one is not able to achieve this in a single outing. It is then when one can run more than once in a day to complete his/her desired mileage. Such runs could be spread over a day as per one’s convenience. Some combinations could be like Morning Run + Evening Run, Early Morning Run + Morning Run, Morning Run + Afternoon Run + Evening/Night Run etc. there can be any number of combinations as per one’s convenience and comfort level. I followed this format of running on few of the days and though I found the 2^nd or the 3^rd run (if doing more than two runs a day) extremely challenging however this helped to a large extent in my subsequent long runs. Typically, when wanting to clock long mileages, I would run two Half Marathons or do two 30 Km runs one each in morning and evening. On other days (mostly working days), I would run for shorter distances (between 5 km to 10 Km) 2 to 4 times a day thus logging an average mileage of 20 km. Running on tired legs and core is tough and I personally feel doing multiple runs in a day makes one mentally stronger besides building endurance level. I feel that all those fellow runners who want to increase their mileage or want to run for longer distances in one go must try out such multiple runs. This would also help runners in achieving desired mileage on working days by running for shorter distances 2 -3 times in a day by squeezing out a little time from their work schedule.

10 Half Marathons in 10 days.   After having done several long distance runs for over 6 months in first part of 2022, I was wanting to do something more challenging and different which would fuel my passion for running further. This was the time when our 75^th Independence day was around the corner and was thus an opportune time for me to execute this plan of mine. I resolved to run 10 Half Marathons(HM) back to back for 10 days dedicating my each run to a great son/daughter of our Motherland whose legends of bravery, courage and sacrifice have inspired me like many others. To a run addict like me this was possibly the best way to celebrate our 75 years of Independence, though I had never attempted more than 3 back to back HMs in as many days but the very purpose of this attempt and of course the inspiration drawn from our Bravehearts was enough to propel me towards this plan of mine. The first few HMs went off without breaking much sweat however midway into this journey, general fatigue and few niggles started to set in causing a bit of discomfort. Few extra sessions of foam rolling and some stretching did help me in overcoming these issues. Surprisingly towards the latter part of my HM series I began to feel much fresher before the runs and had strong finishes. I, in fact did the longest and the fastest run of the series on the final day i.e. 15th Aug 2022 preceded by a couple of 25km runs on 13th & 14th Aug. I was thus able to complete Independence Day HM series much stronger and without any injuries. Remaining focused, dedicated towards the cause and staying motivated coupled with some courage was my success mantra for this humble feat of mine. Though I am primarily a solo runner, I was encouraged and supported by my peers from running fraternity who at times ran alongside and kept me motivated. This was a very satisfying and morale boosting journey of mine wherein I breached several mental and physical barriers of mine and emerged as a much ‘better’ runner who could now dream of pushing the boundaries further…

   

Media coverage & screen shots of each day’s run…

        

 

https://www.punekarnews.in/pune-army-officer-dedicates-10-half-marathons-to-legends-to-mark-75th-independence-day/

Triathlons.  Though running is my first love, triathlon is a close second. I got to know about Ironman triathlons in 2012 during one of my long runs with Hyderabad Runners running group. The concept of a multi discipline event with back to back activities (Swim-Cycle-Run) immediately caught my attention and participating in it became a dream for me. Let me tell you that all dreams are not easy to realize and doing an Ironman or its equivalent is definitely not easy by any stretch of imagination. Being a multi-sport event, triathlon requires a lot of training and effort which demands squeezing out a sizeable chunk of one’s time from his/her daily routine. After having done a few solo/self-supported mini triathlons, I finally completed my first Triathlon (Deccan Triathlon, equivalent of Ironman 70.3) in 2018. I was now geared up for realizing my dream of doing an Official Ironman 70.3 event. I quickly registered for the inaugural edition of Ironman 70.3 Goa scheduled for Oct 2019 but as mentioned earlier not all dreams are easy to realize, I had to withdraw from the event due to personal reasons leaving me dejected. However, I didn’t lose hope and lived with this dream of mine for three more years. The year 2022 gave me an opportunity to participate in another Triathlon Bergman, conducted near Pune, (equivalent of Ironman 70.3) and soon with the announcement of 2022 edition of Ironman 70.3 Goa, I was determined to not let this opportunity go.

I registered for the event and trained for it on my own with my limited yet rich experience of earlier triathlons. The D-day, 13 Nov 2022 arrived and I was all set to attempt my maiden Ironman event. Despite a few odds and event day shockers I managed to successfully complete my maiden Ironman in a strong fashion thus realizing my long cherished dream. Though this was not my best timing for a triathlon however it would always remain special to me as it got me a title of an Ironman Finisher, something I had longed for so long. I now aim to do the next and the topmost level on the Ironman event, Ironman 140.6 commonly called as Full Ironman which with the support of my family and my peers from running fraternity and elsewhere, I shall be able to achieve someday

Bergman,Triathlon,Pune:  https://youtu.be/kB0PAa7wZc8

               Ironman 70.3 Goa

          

               

 NDA Silver Jubilee Celebration Runs.   I passed out from the National Defence Academy, Khadakvasla,Pune, my Alma Mater on 06 Dec 1997 and thus completed 25 years of my passing out from NDA on 06 Dec 2022, a big moment for me and all my NDA course mates. As I was approaching the D day (06 Dec 2022), the runner in me got me thinking once again on taking up another run challenge. This time I resolved to run 25 km every day for 15 days consecutively (during our NDA days we had 15 squadrons, Alfa squadron to Oscar squadron) dedicating each of my runs to a particular squadron and course mates. I wanted to finish this challenge on or before 06 Dec 2022, I therefore started my 25km runs in 3^rd week of November. It was quite a challenge to run the given distance back to back for 15 days consecutively as I had to perform my official duties and also had to fulfill my responsibilities towards my family. There were days when I had to run at odd places at odd hours to achieve my target. I would run around the grocery stores when out for shopping essentials, run around my children’s school after dropping and before picking them up, run around my office complex during lunch hours and late evening after the office hours. With the support of my well-wishers and God’s grace I was able to accomplish my challenge without any injury. I in fact ran on 2 additional days which I did specially for my squadron course mates (Oscar squadron,Orloks) , thus taking my tally to 17 days of 25 Km running.

This unique running journey of 17 days taught me a lot on time-work-run management as I had to juggle between office work and home work while undertaking this 15 Day 25 Km run challenge. I received immense support and encouragement from my NDA course mates and running communities (MAMILS, FRunners, Recreational Triathletes) that I am part of and kept me motivated all along.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

 As I look back at 2022, it has been an enriching and satisfying running experience wherein I tried pushing my limits to achieve my goals. This reaffirmed my faith in myself to undertake bigger & bolder challenges in coming years.

 

      WORKOUT STATISTICS @ Adi_Run: 2022

 

Workout Type	Distance Covered	Garmin   Data
	3932 Km
	910 Km
	51 Km

 

                                                                                      

                            50 Km +                 = 03

                           Full Marathons    = 04

                           30 KM +                   = 11

                           Half Marathons   = 51

                                                                        

                                                                      ACCOMPLISHMENTS

                                 

 
 

            

  Some takeaways from this experience of mine...

Always believe in yourself. You may be slow or you may not be able to run long but if you have faith in your abilities, be rest assured you will breach all barriers one day and rise up to your expectations. Nothing can stop you except for yourself….

Be Consistent.  Remain regular and consistent in your runs/workouts no matter how easy, slow or boring they may appear at times. One needs to realize that even a small, easy and not so appealing run can do wonders to your running. So be consistent… no cheat days….

Set realistic goals. It’s very natural to get influenced by achievements of others but set your goals based on your ability. With time and consistency, you would definitely raise the bar for yourself and would go much beyond…be conservative in your approach initially, build a strong base and go bolder thereafter….i.e Push your limits…

                                                                                                                         Keep Running...

                                                                                                                        Keep Inspiring…