Runner’s Log 23 May 2010
Woke up yesterday at 4:00 AM to get ready for the first of many long runs. The course I am training on is not high altitude – Hyderabad is situated a little under 1,800 feet above sea level – and is called the Kasu Brahmananda Reddy Park (you can google it) or KBR Park as the locals know it by. The park has two tracks, the first is the outer track runs along its circumference and the second “inner” track. The tracks have been created by breaking through rock. The inner track is for the early morning walkers and is relatively flat and almost mundane to run on. So. . .
I prefer the outer track for two reasons, first – its less crowded (especially at 4.30 AM!!!) and second and more importantly – it is almost like a mini trail that goes up and down, undulates and winds about quite a bit. The distance, measured end-to-end is 10.4 km (if one starts at the main entrance opposite the TDP office, goes all the way up to the Jubilee Hills end and back again, it’s roughly 8.2 km plus another 2.2 km on the other side). A run anywhere between 12-15 km on this course is great for improving endurance – I’ve been able to knock off 30-45 seconds per km on a 1/2 M, running on plain tarmac after running here.
The running kit comprised a light running tee and shorts made of moisture wicking fabric (essential as morning temperature gets to about 28-30 C by 5.30 AM and climbs rapidly thereafter to about 35C by 7 AM). Shoes were my trusty Reebok Premium Running DMX Shear – It’s everything Reebok has advertised. I have been using these for over five years now and find them to be the best for long distance road runs with a little bit of light trail running thrown in as well. Speed, distance, time, heart rate et al measured by another old faithful of many years – the Polar RS 400. And for company, an iPod nano with some rock tunes. Hydration comprised two bottles of water (one fortified with concentrated lemon juice) which I carried with me through the run and sipped off frequently.
There’s two places I dread crossing on the track – the first is sort of diagonally opposite the Puri Jagannath temple at Road 12 which is a series of 50-60 steps at a steep incline. This crossing takes my heart rate up from a stable 145-150 to nearly 180 in a span of 30-40 seconds, phew!!! The second is a cement stairwell that comes up a little ahead of Road No. 45 which has a similar effect on my heart rate. For those runners who are familiar with South Bombay, the uphill climb on Peddar Road near Jaslok Hospital and the closely following Kemps Corners flyover are a picnic – they start gradually and are not really in-your-face like the two I described here. That said, there’s a real sense of achievement completing these two sharp stretches and soldiering on.
The scenery is not much to brag about but includes some small stretches of frangipani and some lush greenery that I quite like, its the closest I come to running through a trail. I finished the first 10 km lap in 1 hr 6 minutes (including a warm up walk of about 1/2 km) and was feeling a little numb but thought I’d push myself for the next lap which I completed in 48 minutes flat taking overall time to less than 2 hours. Was surprised by a bonus – Iron Maiden’s “Loneliness of a Long Distance Runner” and Metallica’s “Orion” randomly looped twice on the run. Ha!
Dead beat after this run, so stretched for nearly 20-25 minutes before I headed back home. Feet held up well although the hamstring muscles were a little chaffed but recovered well overnight. My biggest fear was losing my toe nails again (they’ve chipped off and regrown over the years and there’s always that irritation when the nail’s busted and the underpart is exposed). Anyways, will start taping my feet soon on the longer runs.
Today was relatively simple – a 4 km run at 10 km/hr pace followed by 10 minutes of cycling at the gym followed by an hour of stretches and yoga for the back and core. Worked out indoors and was spared the heat and dust.
Plan to run another 16-18 km tomorrow to make the most of the early morning hot weather before the monsoons set in Hyderabad.
Cheers
S