Airtel Hyderabad Marathon (AHM) – Are you ready for it? (Part 2)

When it comes to hill running, most runners tend to focus on training for up-hills. After all, it is on the up-hills that one faces significant fatigue and slowdown in pace. Downhill running is perceived to be easy as it doesn’t leave the runner gasping for breath and in many cases actually helps gain pace. However, understanding the right ways to run down-hill is equally important as it can be a source of injury. In continuation of the last month’s article, this article continues to explore key elements of hill running – focusing specifically on down-hill running this time.

When running down-hill there are variations with respect to the correct running form depending on the slope of the downhill. For instance, there are downhills of gradual gradient where one can gain pace and then there are steep down-hills where one may actually need to slow down to be able to maintain balance. The following section describes the essential form focuses for down-hill (while also highlighting adjustments needed depending on the slope of the downhill).

1. Adjust the roles of upper and lower body

In the last month’s article, we had observed that while running up-hill the focus shifts to upper body (with upper body accounting for 60 – 70 percent share of the overall work-load). It is just the opposite for down-hill running with the focus more on the lower body. 

When one runs down a hill there is a greater impact generated at the time of foot-strike (due to added thrust generated by gravity). This force is significantly more than on the flat surface and can reach up-to ten times the body weight. Also, it puts additional load on the knees and quads. To combat this additional impact, lower body needs to almost act as body’s shock absorbers. For this, it is important to relax the lower body (especially quads and calves) by letting them loose and swing freely. Notice the relaxed and free swinging lower body movement of the runner in the figure below.

While the focus while running downhill is to relax lower body, the role of the upper body is help the body maintain balance. This is especially true when running steep down-hills. One should try to keep the shoulders relaxed and not tuck the arms too close to the chest. This allows the runner to use the arm movement for balancing act.

2. Adjust the lean

When one runs down a hill, the natural tendency of the body is pull the shoulders backwards (thereby causing a backward lean). However, this probably is not the right way to lean on a downhill. The challenge is that the tendency to pull the shoulders backwards shifts the weight behind and puts a curvature in the lower back putting additional pressure on the spine. Moreover, it also results in the feet landing ahead of the body causing the body to land hard on heels (which can cause injury). 

According to Chi running technique, when running over a gradual downhill, the runner should focus on keeping the upper body ahead of the foot-strike by maintaining a very slight forward lean. According to another source (www.running.competitor.com), one should avoid the urge to lean back and focus on keeping the body perpendicular to the ground. It’s also important to not lean too forward as it can make the body lose its balance.

The exception to the rule of urging the need to pull back shoulders (i.e. backward lean) happens on downhills with steep slope. 

Notice how the runner maintains the body perpendicular to the ground on a gradual downhill (in the left hand pic) and how Danny gets into a vertical stance in the steep slope (pic on the right hand side).

  

3. Vary your stride length

According to Chi Running technique, when running on a gradual downhill, the runner should try to maintain the same cadence but lengthen the stride length. However, the key question is how should one strive for a longer stride? It should certainly not be achieved by landing the foot far forward. It should be achieved by letting the hip be pulled back every time the leg swings backward. This allows the stride to open behind the runner thereby reducing the impact on knees and quads. (In technical terms, this form focus related to letting the hip be pulled back is referred to as pelvic rotation).

The figure below highlights how a small pelvic rotation can help lengthen the stride without the need to land the front foot far forward.

4. Look down the hill and not at your feet

When one runs on a downhill, there is a natural tendency to look to look down (towards the feet). Looking down can inhibit the action of hip extensor muscles (glutes, hamstrings, back muscles) which help in keeping the body upright and neutral. This can increase the risk of falling down. There are research studies that indicate that gazing few meters ahead results in a better running form.

I hope you find the principles of downhill running captured here helpful in improving your running form over hills. 

Sundeep Singh

+91 - 98181 19794

About the Author: By background, Sundeep Singh is a Mechanical Engineer from IIT Delhi and holds an MBA from IIM Kozhikode. Given his flair for mechanics and passion for running, he loves to analyze and write about the finer nuances of running techniques / strategies. Sundeep’s best run till date is ADHM 2015, which he completed in 1:31:20.

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Sources:

ChiRunning Book by Danny Dreyer and Catherine Dreyer (Page 180 – 185)

http://running.competitor.com/2014/07/training/perfect-your-downhill-running-form_52804

http://www.rockcreekrunner.com/2015/08/27/downhill-trail-running-technique/

http://running.competitor.com/2014/07/training/perfect-your-downhill-running-form_52804#4ROeObWUESQ4hfYY.99

One year down - a life-time to go!

Last year, on 12^th Oct 2014, I had participated in my first running event (CRPF HM). As such, I am on the verge of completing my first year in the world of running. Given this context, the current edition of my Running Reflections holds a special significance for me. In this edition, I intend to look back at the year that just went by and share the learnings / experiences which I value the most.


During the course of last one year, my outlook towards running has assumed different shapes and forms – at different times during this short timeframe, I have viewed running as recreation, crazy passion, potential long-term profession, compulsive obsession...the list goes on. After all these fluctuating perspectives, I seem to be finally happy at just trying to be an ardent student of this sport for now. Like a typical student, I am starting this blog with three most important learnings I have had with respect to running. I am sharing these as I believe these are the areas that most beginners tend to get wrong.

My learnings from the first year of running

Learning 1: Technique matters!

By nature, running is simple – all it requires is moving quickly on the feet, something that most of us have done at some point in life. However, for someone who aspires to evolve as a runner and stay injury-free, this is slightly more nuanced. There are several finer elements that one needs to be aware of. For instance, there is so much to be learned about aspects such as stride length, cadence, arm swing, foot strike, body poster, pelvic rotation etc. Getting these finer nuances right is critical to running efficiently and expending minimal possible energy, which is important for running long distances.

This is one area where I have made maximum progress over the past year. Not because I have mastered the technicalities (in fact far from that), but only because I have started identifying these inefficiencies which is probably the most important step to start improving. For instance, as it stands today there are three areas that I am working on:

1. Instead of back and forth arm swing, my arm swing tends to be all over the place.
2. Shoulders should be kept steady (like headlights of an automobile) - for me shoulders tend to swing as I run.
3. Lastly, my foot-landing tends to be a heel-strike as opposed to a mid-foot strike. This is a common cause of knee injuries for runners.

A simple visual comparison with an accomplished runner can help elucidate these points. For example, compare the position of shoulders, elbow and foot-strike between me and Shshank Sir in the visual below (thanks to Coach Jatin for this analysis). Interestingly, both Shshank Sir and I are running at just about the same pace in these pics. It’s a different matter that I seem to be exhausted as if sprinting and Shshank Sir seems to be relaxed as if just brisk walking – that’s what proper running technique can do!

Learning 2: ‘One size fits all’ approach doesn’t work

Many of us have at some point entered search strings like – ‘sub-2:00 training plan’, ‘sub 1:45 training plan’ etc. in Google search bar. It certainly helps to understand what these typical training plans look like. However, over a period of time I have realized that these standard plans should not be adopted without appropriate customization.

The reality is that each body is unique and has its own training needs. Personally, I realized that there was sufficient ‘homework’ that I had to do even before something like a standard plan might be useful for me. This homework was required in the form of building the basic capabilities required for running (strength, cardio etc.). Even today, almost 70 - 75 percent of my training comprises of strength workouts and my average weekly mileage is relatively low compared to other runners (it tends to be around 25Kms per week).

The other important thing to note here is that training needs would differ by the type of race. For instance, the training focus prior to a race such a Hyderabad Half-Marathon (hilly terrain, high humidity) could be on building strength, endurance workouts etc. On the other hand, an event such as ADHM (flat course, cool weather) may require more of cardio workouts, interval runs etc.

Over the past few months I have tried hard to build different elements of workouts (other than running, of course) in my training regime.

Learning 3: If you have a race-day plan, stick to it!

The only mistake I consider bigger than ‘not having a plan’ is to ‘have one and not stick to it’. This is something I still find difficult to execute and till date AHM has been the only event in which I managed to stick to my race-day plan. On most other occasions, I have been guilty of deviating from my plan and eventually ending up with an inferior timing (compared to what I had planned for).

Moreover, it is interesting to note the factors that can lead to deviation from the race-day plan. On some days it tends to be the race day adrenalin which prompts me to run faster in the beginning. On other days it would be over-ambition or probably just lack of focus. Worst of all, there have also been instances when all it would take is an ‘unknown’ runner overtaking me and my petty ego prompting me to run faster, thereby screwing up the overall plan!

My most treasured moments from the first year of running

The journey over the past year has been full of magical moments / experiences. As I look back at the year and recollect the most treasured moments, can’t help think of the following moments.

There couldn’t have been a more auspicious start to my running journey than to meet my all-time idol Sachin Tendulkar minutes before my first run (CRPF HM). I recall how tears continued to trickle down and I kept staring blankly at the great man even after the race had started.

The journey was made special as I met some inspirational coaches, mentors and buddies along the way. Special thanks to Jatin Sir, Shshank Sir, Coach Ravinder Singh, Ash Nath and Aby Dee.

Finishing every race (big or small) was special, but none more so than finishing first Full Marathon at SCMM, completing Airtel Hyderabad HM and winning Rookie Runner of the Year Award in 2015.

…a big thanks to all who have been a part of my first year of running journey and I hope to have many such fun-filled running years ahead!

Sundeep Singh 

+91 - 98181 19794

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About the Author: By background, Sundeep Singh is a Mechanical Engineer from IIT Delhi. Given his flair for mechanics and passion for running, he loves to deeply analyze the  finer nuances of running techniques / strategies. Sundeep ran his first half-Marathon on 12th Oct. 2014 and within less than a year of running, he has achieved a personal best HM timing of 97 minutes. 

AHM 2015 - All it takes is ALL you got.

First things first – In the August edition I had shared a humbling experience at day-breaker half marathon (19^th July) where I registered my personal worst time. Here is an excerpt from the concluding section of that blog: “…Next month I am travelling to Hyderabad to participate in Airtel Hyderabad Marathon (AHM). I have heard a lot of nasty stories about the hilly terrain and weather conditions at AHM. Personally, I would have wanted to achieve anything but my PW in the last event before going into AHM next month. However, that was not to be and the only next step from here is to prepare stronger and harder…”. This edition of my ‘Running Reflections’ describes the journey from the time I wrote the above quote to the experience of running in AHM 2015.

Given that this year’s AHM was going to be my first experience of running in the testing conditions of Hyderabad, the first step for me was to understand the conditions better and customize the preparations accordingly. To achieve this, I started reaching out to all my fellow runners at Boot-Camp Yellow (BCY) who had earlier participated in AHM. Based on the inputs I gathered, it emerged that to do well at AHM I needed to overcome three challenges:

• Hills
• Heat
• Humidity

Typically, strategy consultants love to compress complicated ideas and thoughts into (apparently) neat looking frameworks. Some of you may have heard about concepts like 4P (product, price, place and promotion) framework, 7S framework etc. So, all I had to do as a strategy consultant (and of course as a runner!) was to overcome Hyderabad’s 3H obstacles. And, that’s where the preparation started.

Hills Challenge

I knew that for me to plan my run I needed to understand the terrain better. I needed to know the exact terrain (including steepness, points of uphill, downhill, plain stretch, lengths of different segments and what not). A little bit of online research and I seemed to have found a jack-pot – I came across a video of AHM’s half-marathon route with exact elevation listed at different points on the route. I used that information to build a granular profile of the 21.1km stretch with exact elevations at every 500 meters interval (shown below).

The next step was to understand what would be the ‘limiting factor’ that would determine my eventual timing at AHM - lung capacity, leg strength, cramps, hydration, body weight, pacing strategy? I realized it would be a bit of everything, but given the hilly terrain I realized that two things were more critical than others:

1. Legs would get sore sooner than usual (compared to a plain terrain).
2. Given the never-ending hills, I realized it would be important to pace the run intelligently. I didn’t want to commit the mistake of running too fast in the initial uphill segment and running out of ammunition midway.

To address the first challenge, I decided to focus deeply on building leg strength. Thanks to BCY coach Jatin in helping me identify different variants of squats and lunges which helped me build reasonable leg strength to combat the hills. In fact, 60 - 70 percent of my work-outs prior to the two months leading to AHM event (before I started tapering down) focused on legs.

To address the second challenge, I decided to pace my run based on the elevation profile. The idea was simple – given the rolling hills, there was no point trying to maintain the same pace through-out. It was more prudent to maintain the same effort through the run. This essentially meant  that I needed to run faster on down-hills and plain sections and run slower (or perhaps jog) on the up-hills. With a little bit of thought and consideration, I developed a pacing strategy for myself that would help me achieve my target timing of 1:50 for this rolling hill terrain.

Heat and Humidity challenge

To address this challenge, I started with a bit of research to understand the historic weather conditions in Hyderabad during August end mornings. It emerged that this is the period of high heat and humidity in Hyderabad. Specifically, I found that temperature could possibly be as high as 32 degree Celsius (i.e. around 90 degree Fahrenheit) and humidity could be as high as 90 percent. This is very close to what AHM runners witnessed last year (thankfully, it was very pleasant this year).

Having understood this, I was keen to understand how exactly these conditions impact running performance. A little bit of research and I seemed to have found just the kind of information I was looking for. See figure below – it provides a great view of what heat and humidity can do to running performance. Based on historic Hyderabad weather, the conditions were likely to be somewhere in the Danger zone.

Source: http://frayedlacesracing.com/how-heat-and-humidity-affect-running-performance/

I was concerned to see this and then the next question was to identify the actions to address these harsh conditions. Following are the two deviations I made from my regular running habits, specifically to combat the conditions at AHM:

1. I realized that sweating was going to be a serious challenge. To combat that I decided to cut short my running attire and minimize the skin contact with clothing.
2. I usually rely on hydration available on the route. However, for AHM I decided to carry two small bottles. I had heard that ‘thirst’ is the final warning call that the body is getting dehydrated. I wanted to ensure that I don’t reach that stage and planned to keep sipping through-out the run (especially, on the hilly parts where I planned to jog and it was easier to sip due to relatively slow motion). 

Event Day (30th Aug)

So, with this basic preparation spanning across 6 weeks came the big day (30^th August) and I was certainly anxious on the day of the run. In fact, I was so anxious that I couldn’t sleep after 1:30 am on the night before the run. After a little bit of futile effort to sleep, I decided to give up and get to the starting point. For the 6:00 am start, I was at the start line a little before 4:00 am. There was hardly anyone in the ground when I reached the venue.

A little later, my fellow runners from BCY arrived at the race venue. Their arrival did help to settle the nerves a bit. At around 5:45 am, all runners assembled in the holding area behind the start line. That’s the time when my coach Jatin walked up to me. I was certain that Jatin would share some running tip (just the way he did before the day-breaker half marathon about a month ago). However, on this occasion he did not share any coaching tip.

This is what he said – “…I know you have been working hard for this race. I don’t want to share anything specific. Just do what you have planned and things would be fine…”.

The tip may sound a little generic, but I guess that’s exactly what I wanted to hear before the start and it did help me a lot.

Shortly, thereafter the run started. Like always there was a temptation to run faster in the initial few kilometers. I guess no matter how much mental planning one does, this initial temptation does creep in. It has something to do with the ambience, adrenalin rush, loud music, and a sudden release of pent-up energy (which is desperate to be released after an hour long wait). However, on this occasion, I kept telling myself the only chance of getting close to 1:50 on this hilly terrain is to conserve energy and finish strong. So, I kept conserving energy and running as per the pacing plan I had made for myself. The other thing that I kept telling myself was to take the game into the last 4 kilometers (hopefully into a situation where I needed to strike a pace of about 5 mins per kilometer for the final 4 kilometers to get to overall 1 hour 50 minutes time).

By the time I reached the finish line, I had surprised myself by finishing good 8 minutes faster than the timing I was targeting (finished it off in 1:42). All in all, it was a very satisfying day and a very well organized event. Kudos to all the organizers for such nicely organized event - I look forward to come back to AHM next year. 

Sundeep Singh: +91 - 98181 19794

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About the Author: By background, Sundeep Singh is a Mechanical Engineer from IIT Delhi. Given his flair for mechanics and passion for running, he loves to deeply analyze the  finer nuances of running techniques / strategies. Sundeep ran his first half-Marathon on 12th Oct. 2014 and within less than a year of running, he has achieved a personal best HM timing of 97 minutes. 

Day Breaker HM...from PB to PW, all in 12 weeks!

19^th July: Day Breaker Half Marathon

Due to incessant rains over the past few weeks, I had been anxious over the days leading up to the event. Every few hours I would check the weather forecast for Sunday morning. I had been silently praying that the forecast of rain and high humidity would not come true. After all, this was going to be my last event before the Airtel Hyderabad Marathon (AHM) scheduled for next month and I was keen to get a good uninterrupted run before AHM. Well, part of the prayer did get answered – thankfully it did not rain, but the unanswered part (i.e. the part related to humidity) was about to offer me the toughest weather conditions that I have ever run in!

Just like in any other event, I was in my own zone prior to the race kick-off. I was warming up in a corner and silently hoping to improve my PB (personal best) timing of 97 minutes, which I had achieved about three months back at Nehru Park HM. Just then my coach Jatin Arora walked up to me and offered a coaching tip:  

“Today is not the day for timings and records. It is very humid – don’t push very hard and focus more on completing the run safe and strong” – whispered Jatin softly in my ears. It was almost as if he had read my mind.

“Yes Sir – I understand that. Today is not the day for timings and records” – I replied, without meaning a single word of it!

Shortly thereafter, the run started and I started chasing the target time of 97 minutes. The run seemed to have started well for me. I was not running very hard so that I had sufficient energy left for a strong finish. At the same time, I was not running slow either, lest it becomes difficult to catch-up towards the end. I seemed to be moving at just the right pace.

Out of habit, I kept glancing at my stop-watch at all major milestones:

• 1 km – 4:30
• 2 km – 8:52
• 5 km – 22:49
• 10 km – 46:38  

I made a quick mental calculation and realized that I was pacing well. With a mild negative split (which I usually manage), I would have been around 97 mins mark and with a little bit of luck probably a little under 97 minutes. What I didn’t realize was that it was the adrenalin rush of the event day which had me going well till that time, but that couldn’t have been sustained for another 11 km in that atrocious humidity.

By around 13 km mark, I was badly drenched with sweat. The effect of humidity had started showing up and it felt like the engine was running out of ammunition very fast. It was around that time that the wisdom of Jatin’s advice started dawning upon me. The spirit had started dropping, but somewhere I was still hopeful of completing strong.

By around 15 km mark, the hope had also started dropping and it felt like I would have to run really well from there on to not hit my PW timing (personal worst, if there is something like that)!

By around 17 km mark, I was so drenched with sweat that it felt like I had taken a shower. Each step gave a sensation as if the shoe had been soaked with water by landing in a water pit. By now, I knew I had to do something different to even complete the run. Amidst dropping spirit and dropping hopes, I decided to drop-off my T-shirt too. I realized that with the amount of sweat it had soaked, just taking it off and squeezing out the sweat would probably make me carry half a kg lesser.

Shortly thereafter, the run came to an end and I did manage to achieve my PW by clocking 1:49 beating my previous PW of 1:47. The time I took for the run was about 2 minutes slower than my previous slowest run and a good 12 minutes slower than my PB of 97 minutes. All in all it was a good humbling experience with some great learnings, the most important one being – follow your coach’s advice.

On the positive side of things - despite the atrocious weather, the euphoria and the enthusiasm at the finish line was there for all to see. For me, the highlights of the day were:

1.       Coach Ravinder Singh did it again!
Rain or no rain, humidity or no humidity, route permit or no route permit (remember Nehru Park HM instance), Coach has developed a knack of organizing great events one after another. Here again, observing the celebrations and sumptuous meal at the finish line was a grand experience. It is no wonder that on the same day Coach was honored by TomTom (Global leader in navigation, sports watches etc.) for his contributions in the field of running and promoting running as a way of life.

2.       All running groups rocked!

It was great to watch my fellow runners from Boot Camp Yellow (BCY) and other running groups running hard under testing weather conditions. Everyone was a winner and could hold his / her head high for taking on a challenging run head-on. And may I dare say, none more so than the youngest member of BCY group (Rahul) – who completed his first half-marathon yesterday at a young age of 14. I heard one of the fellow runners commenting - 5 km before 5 years, 10 km before 10 years and 21 km before 21 years are all great accomplishments and I couldn’t agree more.

I have to admit that before reaching home, I was feeling a bit embarrassed to share the result of my slowest half-marathon with my wife. She made the job easier by saying that in such an unforgiving weather even standing still for 1:49 is commendable, running for that long certainly is a huge achievement. I am not sure how true that is – given a choice, I would rather run for that duration than stand still. Nonetheless, it did help me overcome the disappointment of my slowest HM.

...So, What next?

Next month I am travelling to Hyderabad to participate in AHM. I have heard a lot of nasty stories about the difficult terrain and weather conditions at AHM. Personally, I would have wanted to achieve anything but my PW in the last event before going into AHM next month. However, that was not to be and the only next step from here on is to prepare stronger and harder. As I earnestly start preparing for the next event, I so much hope that I get to label my next blog in September as - “AHM 2015...from PW to PB, all in 6 weeks!”

…but I know it’s easier hoped than accomplished!

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Sundeep Singh: +91 - 98181 19794

PS: I am releasing the August edition of my blog ahead of time because I want people to read it while the experience of Day Breaker Half Marathon is fresh in their memories!