A passion called running

https://chirunning-asia.com/en/portfolio-items/avdhesh-kumar/

Avdhesh Kumar 国际认证教练 个人简历 I was always into running, ran few half and full marathons. After every long run I used to get some sort of pain in lower back, knees and was tired and worn out for the next 4/5 days. I then decided to have a

Chi Running....great way to ensure injury prevention and efficient running

I am sure many of you would have heard or read about Chi running either on the net or from someone who is learning/practicing it.
Well! i am one of those who is learning it and directly from the master himself...Danny Dreyer!...and that as his last batch of students before he officially retires from coaching!...that man is too good!!...he is so fit and runs like a song that you can feel the softness and effortless movement of his entire body...like Nirvana!!....really!!..i am sure runners can understand when i use such heavy and emotional Nirvana word!!..its a state we all want to be in wherein running seems so natural and effortless that we start enjoying it.
Well! i am still somewhere in the middle of this journey and trying to make the most of those chi running tips and incorporating them in my running technique.....and body sense each improvement.
Majority of us think there is nothing like learning running, its something that we already know.....ok! if that's the case then tell me why do you get knee pain, ankle pain, hi pains and all those funny pains which happen only when you start running??..is it because you are old?..or is it because of the way you are running?....if it doesn't happen while doing your routine activities but only while running..then where is the fault?....and also, we all learn swimming, yoga, tennis etc then why not running??..because we think we are naturals in that!!!!......if you are one of those who think there is nothing to learn in running, then either you are stupid or you are so fond of getting injured that you want to address the symptoms and not the cause!
Ok, i will ask you another question? Whats the Newtons's first law of motion?...it states and i quote " Every object will remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless compelled to change its state by the action of an external force"..and this is normally taken as the definition of inertia.
Now just correlate this question to your running. How should one run?...by following this rule of inertia?....but then by this rule you won't be able to run because if you stand straight, you can't run...and to make you run you have have to lift your leg...place it ahead and then lift your next leg and keep it ahead of first.....just imagine this motion for few seconds.....

....now what's happening is that you are lifting your legs and using muscles and energy to do this activity.......what if i told you that if you just lean a little bit, maybe just an inch from ankles all the way till the crown on your head like a straight column, then gravity will assist you in falling, you don't have to lift your legs to move and all you will be required to do is prevent your forward fall by taking a counter force action of kicking your legs rearwards and finding that balance in which you are just about maintaining your fall and center of gravity!!!
....i guess that's enough of thinking for the day!!....let me know if i was able to just tickle your mind and running muscles even a little bit...and i will come back soon to let you know more about it!

take care and happy running!

It's that time of the year when India's best Tata Mumbai Marathon takes place and runners from all across the world converge to the financial capital of India. It's also the culmination of their months of running training and hoping for their best performance..with the only likely spoiler being humid Mumbai weather in the back of the mind!
Well! i too landed in Mumbai after months of training and moving from places of extreme cold to normal cold and then to Mumbais surprising pleasant weather on the night of 17 Jan 20....and i saw Mumbaikers wearing sweaters & jackets!!...that was a blessing for me as i was again fearing humid conditions. Long and tiring journey demanded that i should take a good rest that night however that wasn't going to be the case and i woke up next day at my usual waking up time of 0530h after a troubling night and sleep of just few hours!
That day was spent on collecting bib from a senior of mine who had reached Mumbai few days back and his wife Mrs Angela Pant was getting acclimatised with the weather and route as she was attempting her first 42k this year. I met the couple and was really impressed by her determination and level of preparation in spite of being a full time mother of two daughters and a four leg member in the family. Just a year back only she had started serious running and attempted her maiden 21km. We discussed some running tips and deciding the place and time for next days RV for reaching starting point.

Thereafter i started off to meet an old school mate of mine in Juhu whom i hadn't met since school days!!..and it was worth the journey across the other end of the city. Being childhood friends i took the liberty of putting her in bit of uncomfortable situation by requesting her to only make pasta for me!!...well! she had no other choice but to serve me that only but she also managed to force her own hospitality designs by ending with an extremely tasty and sumptuous gajar ka halwa and who could resist that....and so i took good size servings...twice!!

Next in the days agenda was meeting old course mates from training days of Pune. In the evening went to the picturesque US Club and met my great bum-chums of Navy...recollected good old training days of Pune, sleepless nights of walking in the jungles with good loads on back, rolling in concrete and sharing those laughter, sleeping in classes after gruelling morning drill and PT, trying to eat 5/6 slices of bread in one go and just to many other exciting adventures. Among these course mates, two of them were trying 42k and 21k for the best time. We wished luck to each other and broke off early at 08:30 pm hoping to get some good rest before next days run.

It's 19th Jan 2020 - alarm goes off at 02:30am and i am up after just 3 hours of sleep, walk to the other room to wake up a junior of mine who was also running today, had some lemon water, ate a banana, bread with jam and did routine things to get ready for the D-day. I was ready by 03:45 but having that nagging thought that maybe my stomach is still not fully clear and i should go again!!...well! thats one of the biggest fear we all runners have when waking up too early for our long runs especially on the day of such important event.
We all met our RV point, hopped on to a single vehicle and reached CST and wow!!!..what a sight it was!!..so many..i mean so many runners in all different and colourful dresses and shoes, walking up to the holding area with so much excitement, discussing their running and hydration strategies, tying up signals for going fast or slow, checking their gear for all the essentials required during the run and just about doing every check possible that is done before the launch of a satellite into deep unknown space! The energy is so contagious that you get goose bumps and are so refreshed and ready for the next few long and testing hours.

Run started at exactly 05:15am.I was in A corol and had the good luck of seeing and running with some of the best runners for the initial few hundred meters as i realised that its ok and advisable to run at my own pre-defined pace and not to become Kipchoge initially only otherwise by 5km only i will start walking! I controlled myself and reduced pace to my comfortable pace and heart rate level. My aim for this run was applying few techniques of Chi running like crown up, elbows behind and controlled heart rate and try to see if i can finish the run between 04:15-04:25 hours. At around 13 kms i met a senior of mine who was aiming for a timing of under 5 hours but at that time was running at a pace of under 6 min to a km which was unusually high for him. I told him so and requested him to check his heart rate which was also unusually high. Well! he continued to run at that pace as he was by that time focussing on his pre-defined cadence. I tried to run with him for few meters but decided that he was running fast for my set pace and let him go ahead....every runner has a strategy and he should stick with that plan and mine was to stick to my HR and comfortable pace of under 6 min. I reached the Worli sea link and it's always so beautiful to see it just before the sun rise, there were so many runners taking a break there and clicking selfies and requesting others to take snaps from all possible angles...i also clicked a selfie, it's so irresistible with Mumbais morning sky line in the background!

21k completed just after sea link and thereafter i noticed the difference between prepared and not-so prepared runners with their posture and pace! I tried to maintain my heart rate and pace and had decided that will try to increase the pace only after 34/35km mark and that too if i feel that my body has the reserves to do it. However controlling once excitement and pace becomes difficult at times in such an electrifying atmosphere and i realised its effect when i noticed my heart rate at 165 at 30km mark. I walked for few meters, got it down, ran but it was again back at 165 so i walked again and a little bit more this time and started only once it dropped below 145.

The distance to the much fearful Peddar road climb was done smoothly and i decided to climb it by using chi running technique of upswing arm like giving a upper cut, did that one km in 6:25km in a minute and thereafter could feel that my body has enough energy and form for the last 5 kms at a much better and faster pace. I again did a recheck of my form, checked my heart rate and headed off towards the finish line. This entire stretch was full of Mumbaikers who were all out for support in terms of loud cheering, cool sponges, ice packs,water, fresh juices, oranges, biscuits, chocolates etc and they just added up to my excitement of finishing strong. I completed the run in 4:15 hours, my personal best and felt great.

Post run i did lot of walking around in the finish area, stretching, drank lot of water and ate post run snacks given by the organisers. I feel great and happy to see a successful culmination of months of training. Now I plan to focus on learning chi running seriously with no planned event marathon for the year as of now!

Here are the few DOs and DONTs that i learned from the run and would want to share them with other interested/seasoned runners for their benefit.
DOs
-running on hills is a must for improvement.
-stick to your running training programme ane never miss the long and slow distance runs on sundays.
-have a mix of intervals,tempos,hills,long and recovery runs.

-during the event run, maint slow pace initially and didn't rush into the pace with fellow runners.
-started drinking one mouthfull of water from the first hydration point only.
-started eating dates with salt inside after every 4/5 kms.
-took half of gel after every 8 kms.
-ate lots of cut bananas and orange slices, especially after 21k
-slowed down considerably only twice when my HR went above 160.
-maint form of crown up with no slouchness and good rear ealbow swing plus proper breathing technique inbetween.
-ran slow and decreased my step length once i felt some sort of pain in the knee or shins
-used proper technique of running uphill and as learnt in Chi running with upper cut.
-pour water on shoulders and head once crossed 10k to cool down the body.
-met a senior enroute but didn't overtake him because my HR was bit high and he was faster for my set pace
-ran the entire route at an almost constant pace.

DONTs
-sleep late or less the previous 2/3 nights.
-follow others.
-inadequate rest for the next 2/3 days.
-less time between flights or trains while travelling / connecting.
-forget eating quality food versus junk food.

I would like to end this long article by saying that enjoy your run...and enjoy even more post run with your loved ones and people who inspired you. Every runners run is planned and executed differently but the aim has to be enjoy and celebrate health and life. Happy running to everytone.
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A beautiful and very motivating article written by dear friend Sharique....

Running is not my cup of tea.

· I have never been a good long distance runner.

· I have heavy bones.

· How do I burn my muscles (It’s all muscles..).

· I have a perpetual knee problem.

· Weight catches up with age.

· This weighing machine is faulty.

· Please reduce 3-4 kilos for my shoes & clothes.

· It is hereditary.

· My metabolism is slow.

· Sportsmen do tend to gain weight.

When my weight went beyond these excuses, I decided that now it is time to do something. And that ‘something’ took another year to be decided. Finally, enlightenment dawned upon me and I decided to seek professional help. My first professional help came from my boss, who had undergone a weight reduction program. He had sought help from a dietician, who was highly touted in the obesity groups for ‘quick fixes’ before the company yearly medicals. Every morning, after cracking a joke on my shirt button, which was ever eager to pop out, he asked me “Did you go to the dietician?”. And after digesting the humiliation, my answer used to be “No sir, will go today”, and that was the end of it. One fine day, just to please my boss, I went and met the dietician.

A lady with a no nonsense attitude, she told me point blank that lot of persons come to her for “miracles” before their medicals are due. ‘Was I one of them?’…’No Ma’am, I certainly want to reduce’. ‘Can you religiously follow what will be told to you?’ I replied “Yes Ma’am”. She gave me a hard look and finally the “mantra” was out.. ‘You will have to change your lifestyle’.

Number of tests were done and voila!, I was ready for a new lifestyle. The initial day (…will I ever forget them), the diet, the timings and the workouts were excruciatingly painful..more so for my wife, who had to endure my irrational behavior, cook odd meals at odd times and wake me up every morning for my workouts. She stood like Dravid “The Wall” between me and the frustration.

I found another motivation in the form of my friend, now popularly known as the “Pied Piper”, who had been like me, underwent a knee surgery, and is now running full marathons, both in India and abroad. He introduced me to a Whatsapp group of avid runners and cyclists. I was obese, I was slow and I was ashamed to post any of my activities in the group. Slowly and sheepishly, I started posting my stats. Encouragement received was phenomenal. Buoyed by the encouragement, I decided to participate in a marathon, and enrolled for a 10 Km run. I puffed and panted, walked half of the route and somehow completed the run. That was the turning point of my life, and I have never looked back since then. With my diet plan, changed lifestyle and new found love for running, I have been able to burn a considerable amount of fat, and continue to do so…. (Did I mention that my wife completed that run 15 mins ahead of me.. by the way, she still does).

Whole point of telling the story is that, nothing comes for free. You have to sweat it out. The age old dictum is so true, “The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war”. However, there is a catch. Overdoing a thing, or doing it unscientifically will keep you busy in nursing your injuries and the result will be a big zero. Your diet and your activities will have to be planned very meticulously. Few words of advice are :-

For morbidly obese people, professional help is a must. One must have to accept that he/she is overweight or obese. And, for God’s sake, do not become a google dietician.

Correct and timely diet with a good amount of water intake, and a strict fitness regime should do the trick.

Must have a pair of good running shoes. We tend to wear any shoes, including unfit ones, and shoes are the last priority in our yearly shopping list. Go in for a gait analysis, if possible, and start wearing the right kind of shoes.

Should have a good fitness tracker smart watch. Most of us have it these days, but mostly use it to count the steps. It should be exploited and used as a major motivating factor.

Sell off your treadmill to a person who requires it to hang his clothes. At least you won’t. Go out, go to a park, on the road or to a gym. You will feel awesome.

Must give adequate rest to the body before two workouts.

If injured, and I mean injured (not tired), do not push yourself, or else that will be the end of it.

Move out of the glycogen zone to the lactic acid zone (too high funda..). Basically, your workouts should include combination of both aerobic and anaerobic activities.

Encourage your entire family for some physical activity. This will help you spending time with your family too.

Do join a fitness group. It is a big motivator.

Your efforts will plateau sometimes. Do not stop. Fight it out. Remember…consistency is the only key.

Your life should not revolve around only fitness. As you start losing weight, your conversation with others will tend to be only on fitness. Avoid this. Let your stats do the talking.

Choose your blend of motivators. I had a few in the form of my wife, my boss, the Pied Piper, running group, my shrinking waistline and the body weight.

I firmly believe that if I can do it, you too can. You just have to understand the opportunity cost of your excuses. The thoughts penned down are applicable to all, specially to the corporate professionals. Sedentary life, coupled with long working hours and high stress levels is taking the toll. Alarm bells should ring. It has been statistically proved that a healthy lifestyle and the concept of wellness increases productivity, reduces absenteeism and promotes gross organizational happiness.

Do not procrastinate. There is no tomorrow. Start feeling good about yourself. Motivate three people with your resolve and actions, and the world will be lot fitter and happier. Happy Running and Weight Loss……

Avoiding Injury

The repetitive nature of running, and the huge impact of the forces placed upon the body, means that the runners are prone to a range of injuries. Most result from lack of preparation, poor technique or over training. You can reduce your risk significantly by looking after your body.

Strength Training

Running does a great job of developing certain muscles – calves, hamstrings and quads for example. But others – including glutes, hips and core don’t see a lot of action yet are super important to stability. Then there’s your upper body which is mostly just along for the ride, but your arm swing balances your leg swing and your upper back and shoulder muscles help out with stability. So you might have five-star quads, three-star glutes and one star shoulders.

Running is great but it can create muscle imbalances or accentuate ones you already have. If you have a weak left hip abductor, for example, your left knee may come under extra strain when you run and over time may get injured. Muscular imbalance is one of the big reasons runners get injured but it is easily corrected by building your whole body with strength training and also using a foam roller every day over your whole body to loosen up tight spots and keeping all your muscles supple.
Running involves feet, lower legs, knees, thighs, hips, lower back, core, arms and shoulders and when one of them isn’t working properly, the repercussions can be felt all the way in the body. One weak part forces all the others to work harder and under too much stress bad things happen. Weakness isn’t just defined by physical strength; flaws in flexibility causes trouble too. When you strengthen all the body parts and maintain good flexibility from top to bottom, you’ll run stronger and stay injury-free. As your running becomes more advanced, your strength is increasingly important for getting the best out of your training and your performance.
I recommend at least one and preferably two dedicated strength sessions per week.

Running Form

Most of us are never taught how to run; we just do it. So why is running form / technique important?
The biggest reason why you should pay attention to running form and technique is a simple one: so you can be a runner for many more years.
If you run in a way that hurts your body, you won’t be able to keep running very long. Focusing on form and technique can help you stay injury-free. Also, improving your form can help you become a more efficient runner, which allows you to go farther and faster with less effort.
Good form is important for runners. Bad form can lead to poor running technique and a major cause of injury as it places increased stress on your back, hips, knees, ankles and feet.
One of the best articles that I read on running injury free was about Chi running. Chi running is designed to address the two vital reasons for focusing on form: injury prevention and energy efficiency. It works because it reduces the impact on your joints and allows your leg muscles to work less when you run. It focuses on posture, leg swing, the position of the pelvis and a forward lean. It’s not an out-of-the-world theory–it’s based on the physics of body mechanics.

And here are the basics of Chi running :-
Run tall – Assume the tall posture. Use the image of a column – always straight. Connect the dots: shoulders, hips, ankles.
Lean forward – Lean from your ankles, with your whole body as one tall column. Feel yourself falling forward. Be sure your feet strike below your knees.
Land on the mid foot – Swing your legs to the rear. Bend your knees and let your heels float up behind you. Remember, soft foot strike, loose ankles, don’t push off with your toes. Run quietly and lightly.
Run from your core – Loosen your hips and instead use your core muscles. Keep your cadence around 170 spm (180 for short runners).
Relax – Swing your elbows to the rear, keeping them bent at a constant right angle. Don’t cross your centerline with your hands. Relax your hands, as if you’re holding a butterfly. Keep your shoulders low and relaxed. Use your arm swing to set your cadence.
And that’s it….you are on way to become a better and an efficient runner!

Adequate warm up and stretching

The idea or thought of warming up before a run is well known but how many of us actually do it? Majority of us simply get out from our homes, shake a little bit here-and-there…and we are on the road!… we actually do lip service to warm up!
Warming up means preparing our body with dynamic stretches that will help reduce muscle friction, while static stretches will allow muscles to transit back to their normal state after a run.
A proper warm up should start gently and increase in intensity over a 10-15 minute period. Spend a few minutes walking or jogging slowly, mimicking the type of arm and leg movements that you will perform during your run but with a decreased range of motion. Gradually increase your pace during this exercise until you reach typical running speed.
It is a good idea to perform dynamic stretches before you start your race – they have proven to increase muscle power output more than static stretches. Once you have increased your heart rate and muscle temperature with the warm up jog, perform some running specific dynamic stretches.
Cooling down at the end of every run is a must, just like warming up. When you finished your run, just keep moving and gradually reduce the speed of your movements, ending up with a slow jog or walk, rather than suddenly coming to a stop. Best way is to grab a bottle of water and just walk / run backwards and side ways and keep hydrating yourself.
Also add some static stretches into your cool down routine. During your run, specifically hard runs, muscles get tightened up due to the build up of lactic acid caused by an increase in intensity and load static stretches help muscles return to their pre-run state.

Rest days and Cross training

Making adequate time for rest in your training programme is as important as the running itself but sadly majority of us are unable to do it because of the fear of losing out on our training rhythm and high preparedness levels. I have seen runners running 6 or 7 times a week with all runs at high intensity levels but sadly enough majority of them end up with injuries and are then bed ridden and away from their most loved activity of running for few weeks/months.
You should never run every day, as the repetitive motion of running places physical stress upon the body which leads to minor tissue damages. Run as per your physical fitness levels and build up gradually.
Rest days allow your body to recover and repair itself; without them the risk of injury is increased. Non-running activities such as cycling, swimming, walking and yoga also allow your body to recover from the stress of running. Muscles that become tight or imbalanced through insufficient recovery time will not function as well as required on a run which puts extra stress on your body. Regular stretching and mobility exercises help maintain flexibility. Massage will also reduce muscle tightness and can even identify and correct areas of imbalance before they lead to injury