Week 6 - Finding time still remains of the essence...
Week 6 - Finding time still remains of the essence...
Another hectic week, this one more than any other!
Short Runs
My three runs during the week again proved hard to squeeze in. Fortunately, I managed to squeeze in three runs. However, I 'only' managed to squeeze in 3 miles into each run. Two were on the treadmill and I was in such a rush, I really pushed myself! I now feel good running at an 8.0-8.5 on the treadmill, which means I can finish 3 miles in around 22 or 23 minutes. Nice one. I ran my third run around da streets of Clapham again. Managed it in around 25 minutes. Steady as she goes... but the problem really is, this was a week, according to my book, that I was meant to run 15 miles in my three runs. Falling behind.
But that was nothing compared to what my long run was going to entail...
Date: Sunday, 12th February 2006
Distance covered: 8.5 miles
Time taken: 1h 25mins
Venue: Juhu Beach, Mumbai, India!
Where to begin... with my first steps taken on my road to being a property magnate (sic.), I found myself, accompanied by my parents, in Mumbai. It was a fantastic long weekend but one of the key things we knew I was going to have to find time - and a place - for was my 'long run'. After all, with the Sussex Beacon Half Marathon exactly a week away, I need to get the practice in.
And what an unforgettable experience it was! I dragged myself out of bed at around 7am and after a quick bowl of cereal, my Dad showed me the beach and suggested a route. We both underestimated just how long 11 miles was.. I reckon the beach strip that I had at my disposal was about 2.5 to 3 miles long. So the plan was to run it a couple of times and be completed before the sun really hit.
There were so many unique aspects to the run it’s hard to know where to begin. Running on sand was tough – I don’t know how the Marathon de Sablers do it.. I tried to find the firmer parts of each part of the beach, given running with your foot sinking on each step wasn’t exactly ideal! Running with the sun rising over water was pretty special. The sights, sounds and smells were phenomenal. I must have been some (poncy) sight, running in my shorts and shoes and baseball cap, water bottle in hand. At a couple of stages, a couple of street children, whose families had shacks along parts of the beach ran along with me. They may have been looking for money at first but then probably ran along for the novelty of running with, let’s be honest, a bit of a freak!! :) I had to combat a few dogs as well… my first experience of having to fend them off. Not fun. I saw meditators, walkers, kids playing cricket and football (one with a Man Utd. jersey – get in!), martial artists… you name it, the beach was a happenng place. And all this before 8am!
The run itself was pretty hard work. As is customary for me now, the first two or three miles were a struggle. But the distractions proved a welcome relief; after the initial strain, I was too busy soaking it all in. I was aiming for twelve miles and the six mile mark came and went without too much stress. But then a bit of a problem struck. The sun was emerging and it was starting to get hot. Really hot. I underestimated this and, given I started consuming more water, I ran out after about 8 miles. Given I didn’t know any of the locals (and have virtually no Hindi!), I couldn’t work out how to say “please give me a bottle of water and I’ll pay you back later” so I decided to call it quits about half a mile after that. I got back to the flat, did my stretches and recounted my tales to my folks, which they found as fascinating as I did.
From the outside looking in, Week 6 may appear bit of a disaster – I didn’t run enough for my three shorter runs, and I was 2.5miles short for my long run. However, I am actually pleased with how it went. Given how busy I was, I am pleased I got out for three short runs. The long run was a mystery of whether I would find the place and time to run in India. But that I managed to run as much as 8.5miles and gain such an unforgettable experience, meant that I end Week 6 feeling positive.
Well, I did, until I realised that Week 7’s Long Run is the Sussex Beacon Half Marathon on Sunday morning………
Another hectic week, this one more than any other!
Short Runs
My three runs during the week again proved hard to squeeze in. Fortunately, I managed to squeeze in three runs. However, I 'only' managed to squeeze in 3 miles into each run. Two were on the treadmill and I was in such a rush, I really pushed myself! I now feel good running at an 8.0-8.5 on the treadmill, which means I can finish 3 miles in around 22 or 23 minutes. Nice one. I ran my third run around da streets of Clapham again. Managed it in around 25 minutes. Steady as she goes... but the problem really is, this was a week, according to my book, that I was meant to run 15 miles in my three runs. Falling behind.
But that was nothing compared to what my long run was going to entail...
Date: Sunday, 12th February 2006
Distance covered: 8.5 miles
Time taken: 1h 25mins
Venue: Juhu Beach, Mumbai, India!
Where to begin... with my first steps taken on my road to being a property magnate (sic.), I found myself, accompanied by my parents, in Mumbai. It was a fantastic long weekend but one of the key things we knew I was going to have to find time - and a place - for was my 'long run'. After all, with the Sussex Beacon Half Marathon exactly a week away, I need to get the practice in.
And what an unforgettable experience it was! I dragged myself out of bed at around 7am and after a quick bowl of cereal, my Dad showed me the beach and suggested a route. We both underestimated just how long 11 miles was.. I reckon the beach strip that I had at my disposal was about 2.5 to 3 miles long. So the plan was to run it a couple of times and be completed before the sun really hit.
There were so many unique aspects to the run it’s hard to know where to begin. Running on sand was tough – I don’t know how the Marathon de Sablers do it.. I tried to find the firmer parts of each part of the beach, given running with your foot sinking on each step wasn’t exactly ideal! Running with the sun rising over water was pretty special. The sights, sounds and smells were phenomenal. I must have been some (poncy) sight, running in my shorts and shoes and baseball cap, water bottle in hand. At a couple of stages, a couple of street children, whose families had shacks along parts of the beach ran along with me. They may have been looking for money at first but then probably ran along for the novelty of running with, let’s be honest, a bit of a freak!! :) I had to combat a few dogs as well… my first experience of having to fend them off. Not fun. I saw meditators, walkers, kids playing cricket and football (one with a Man Utd. jersey – get in!), martial artists… you name it, the beach was a happenng place. And all this before 8am!
The run itself was pretty hard work. As is customary for me now, the first two or three miles were a struggle. But the distractions proved a welcome relief; after the initial strain, I was too busy soaking it all in. I was aiming for twelve miles and the six mile mark came and went without too much stress. But then a bit of a problem struck. The sun was emerging and it was starting to get hot. Really hot. I underestimated this and, given I started consuming more water, I ran out after about 8 miles. Given I didn’t know any of the locals (and have virtually no Hindi!), I couldn’t work out how to say “please give me a bottle of water and I’ll pay you back later” so I decided to call it quits about half a mile after that. I got back to the flat, did my stretches and recounted my tales to my folks, which they found as fascinating as I did.
From the outside looking in, Week 6 may appear bit of a disaster – I didn’t run enough for my three shorter runs, and I was 2.5miles short for my long run. However, I am actually pleased with how it went. Given how busy I was, I am pleased I got out for three short runs. The long run was a mystery of whether I would find the place and time to run in India. But that I managed to run as much as 8.5miles and gain such an unforgettable experience, meant that I end Week 6 feeling positive.
Well, I did, until I realised that Week 7’s Long Run is the Sussex Beacon Half Marathon on Sunday morning………
posted by Vinay at 3:01 PM
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