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. 

"As strong as my legs are, it is my mind that has made me a champion" – Michael Duane Johnson



 23^rd Nov 2014: I was running in my first major running event (ADHM 2014) and was within a couple of kms of completing the run. The event had been a thoroughly enriching one and I was vividly observing runners of all ages, colors and backgrounds running the last lap around me – many of them overtaking me, few of them being overtaken by me. The music bands, cheer leaders and supporters were adding to the intensity. Amidst all that euphoria, I had one eye on my wrist watch as time was flying by quickly and I was almost certain to miss my target of sub-100 minutes completion. Just then a lean and rather frail looking runner zipped past me. Of course, it was not the first or last time someone overtook me; however, the contemptuous ease with which he fled past me had me thinking. I wondered what really sets apart great runners like him from decent runners like me.

The run eventually came to an end and I managed to complete the 21.1 km stretch in a little over 103 minutes. While many of my fellow runners continued clicking photographs and exchanged congratulatory notes, I was still in my own zone. I was happy to have experienced the grand event; however, a part of me was disappointed to have missed the 100 mins target.
 
As I walked through the crowd of jubilant finishers, I kept overhearing the general banter beyond the finish line. There was a runner who felt that he made a tactical mistake by running in Nike shoes as he found them a bit heavier than the Reebok shoes that he usually runs in. There was another gentleman who complained that his Garmin watch showed that the entire stretch was around 21.8 km, though it should have been 21.1 km as per Half-Marathon norms. There was yet another runner who was happy with the extra boost of energy he got by consuming Red Bull prior to the run. I continued to assimilate these discrete pieces of information for a while. I could easily relate to most of it as I had myself taken care of these things while preparing for the run. I recalled how few months ago I had structured different elements of my training:
 

Another part of me continued to think about that anonymous runner who had fled past me. I wondered how he would have fared on some of these essential training elements. From the looks of it, that anonymous runner did not belong to the privileged runners like us (and I am deliberately using the word ‘us’ – if you are reading this, chances are you are privileged). He seemed to hail from economically humble background and seemed oblivious to various sophistications in the field of running - Running nutrition / Carb-loading - He looked frail and would have most likely struggled to meet the ends; Metronome beats / running music - He did not wear a basic watch, forget about the high-end gadgets; Latest running gear - the guy was running barefoot and would have certainly not been able to afford high-end running shoes; Strength work-outs - Certainly he wouldn’t have been able to afford a gym.

Yet, so often we find that some of the strongest and fastest runners hail from humble backgrounds lacking access to basic amenities.

…So, what’s the point?

• Is there anything wrong in the way some of the privileged runners train? – Probably not.
• Should the so-called privileged runners give-up on their ‘sophisticated running luxuries’ and practice ‘frugality’ to become better runners? – Certainly not.

Every time I watch a ‘not-so-privileged runner’ run by or for that matter every time I read about the running exploits of some of the Kenyan elites (who typically hail from economically humble backgrounds), there are few things that stand out for me - While all the latest technologies and sophistications in running are certainly helpful in improving one’s abilities, one has to bear in mind that these are all just ‘means-to-an-end’, and not the end in themselves. At times people tend to get so carried away with these enablers that running takes a back-seat. What follows is a garbled mish-mash of running gadgets, concepts etc. and a somewhat diluted focus on ‘genuine running’. It is also important to note that these sophistications are not the only means to the end, i.e. there are ways to become a better runner (an elite runner if you will) even without many of these latest sophistications.

While all these enablers are good, there is something else that overpowers all of this. There is something far more sacrosanct that can mentally elevate you into a zone where everything else becomes secondary. It is essentially the power of will and one’s attitude. It is about how badly you want something and how desperate you are to get something. Think about this famous quote from Christopher McDougall:

It is essentially the same spirit of the gazelle and lion captured in the quote above that usually is the differentiating factor. Both lion and gazelle put in a highly focused and a deeply committed effort because it is a matter of survival. Their choice is simple - either they run hard (and succeed) or they perish.

So back to my original question – what really differentiates good runners from great runners? Surely, it can be a lot of things spanning across physical abilities, genetic back grounds, access to training etc. But most importantly, I think it’s the mindset. Chances are that the one who is more desperate to win will find a way to win regardless of circumstances.

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Sundeep Singh: +91 - 98181 19794