Running Playlist

In no particular order, my current running playlist (to keep my mind on the trail and off the pain in my shin).  

Deep Purple - Perfect Strangers
Emerson Lake Palmer - The Enemy God Dances With The Black Spirits
Gerry Rafferty - Baker Street
The Doors - Strange Days
Greg Lake - Still. . . . You Turn Me On
The Eagles - One Of These Nights
Alan Parsons Project - The Tell-Tale Heart
Aerosmith - Dream On
Iron Maiden - The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner - Clips from the original 1962 movie with the Maiden score
Rush - Dreamline
Rush - YYZ
Black Sabbath - Neon Knights
Porcupine Tree - Stars Die
A-ha - Move To Memphis
Moody Blues - I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock n Roll Band) - #GraemeEdge #FTW
Yes - Changes
Anthrax - Antisocial
Metallica - Creeping Death - Live at Sofia Bulgaria. Lars Kills It!!
Metallica - Orion - Live in Korea 2006
Asia - Only Time Will Tell
Boston - Amanda
Pink Floyd - Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun - From the Live At Pompeii set
Porcupine Tree - And The Swallows Dance Above the Sun
Bob Marley - Iron Lion Zion
Camel - Never Let Go
Camel - Stationary Traveller - The muse that is Andrew Latimer
Journey - Message of Love
Infected Mushroom - Disco Mushroom
Jefferson Airplane - White Rabbit - Grace Slick, West Coast Scene Queen :)
Starship - Sara
Blondie - Call Me
Rush - Marathon - Every runner's song!
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - All Along The Watchtower
Steppenwolf - Born To Be Wild
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Freebird (Hipster chiquitas knock themselves out from 6:10 *winks*)
Deep Purple - Soldier Of Fortune
CSN - Wasted On The Way
Dave Matthews Band - Pantala Naga Pampa / Rapunzel
Porcupine Tree - Yellow Hedgerow Dreamscape


Happy listening
S

Evenings in Mumbai

Mumbai Race Course.

Evenings.

Fragrance Of Freshly Cut Grass.

Walkers

Joggers

My Tribes Folk

Dogs

Crows

Children Playing

A Setting Sun

Horses

Jockeys

Me And My Thoughts

15km

Happiness

Runner's High

I ran this morning. For 37k. In a little over 4h20m. 

Not unlike the long runs that I have been doing these last few months. With one difference though.

As I started running post warm up, I just kept going on... and on... and on... and on.  I felt no pain in my legs, no cramps in my belly, no breathlessness in my lungs and no accelerated heart rate.

It was a throwback to about 6 years ago, when I experienced a state of physical and mental being, as beautiful as this.  The mind was empty except for one thought - to run as much as I could; the body willingly assisted.

I am  resting now.  In complete sat-chit-ananda!  Or, as my tribe know it, the Runner's High.

What Feet Should Look Like

After a good run, this is what they should look like.

Happy and together.

Sometimes it is good not to . . .

. . . do the math. 

Freestyle workout in the gym the other day. Basic skipping and walking. Which lasted all of two plus hours. The new and improved "skip skip walk skip skip walk fast skip skip walk faster skip skip jog skip skip jog fast skip skip jog faster skip skip skip" routine. 

The idea is to skip longer (sets of 200 reps) twice followed by 10-12 minutes on the treadmill, regardless of pace. 

Keeps the HR in a 145-150 zone and gives you a HUGE endorphin bank to squander in the remainder of the day. 

I finished the routine with tadāsanā and vrkāsanā. 

I did not keep accurate track of how much I ran or skipped but would guesstimate I finished the sequence as I had planned it. 

Zone training: Heart rate

After a morning of intense meetings and conference calls, I managed to have a late, albeit light lunch comprising idlis soaked in sambhar. 

After a light snooze, I went to our community gym for some "zone training". 

My definition of zone training is maintaining heart rate (HR) during the exercise period at 80-85% of optimal HR. 

My optimal HR stacks at (220 - 43) or 177 and the desired zone HR would measure between c141-150. 

The exercise involves skipping and treadmill running alternatively. 

Skipping: Two sets of 150 skips each, with a 30 second interval between the sets. 

One-two minute break

Running: Start at a pace of 6.5kmph and walk one kilometre

Repeat skipping 2 x 150 with break

Running: One kilometre at 7.5 kmph speed

Repeat skipping 2 x 150 with break

Running: One kilometre at 8.5 kmph speed

Repeat skipping 2 x 150 with break

Running: One kilometre at 9.5 kmph speed

Repeat skipping 2 x 150 with break

Running: One kilometre at 10.5 kmph speed

Cool down: 3-4 km easy speed (6-6.5 kmph) across our community walkways.

Summary: 10 sets x 150 of skipping and c9km of walking/running. 

Measured HR in zone varied between 135 (initial running) to 182 (during skipping HR rose from 120 levels to peak at c180 levels)

Of a total 1h40m of training, was in zone about 80% of the time. Good progress for today.

I will drink a dram or two of Laphroaig tonight to celebrate. 

A familar routine . . .

That I need to break quickly. The usual Sunday long run this AM. 

Ran the same route as the fortnight ago, except I made a U-turn at Mantri mall and went back to Cubbon Park where I hung out for a while. 

Need to start running in less populated areas soon. Just to see more of Bangalore in the early waking hours of a Sunday. 

Wished ten odd complete strangers who were also running (against my direction though) this AM. There's a kindred spirit amongst runners that few other sports engender. Imagine showing camaraderie towards a stranger on the street. If you are not a runner, you'll probably not get it.

Breakfast now and a well deserved rest today

On 6 September

Woke up at 3.15 AM. Did not want to run on the streets. Opted for the easy way out. 12.8km on the clubhouse treadmill. 

By the way, I bought myself a skipping rope yesterday. And broke it in. 

Skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip trip skip skip trip skip skip skip skip slip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip trip slip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip skip . . . ZEN!

Rinse and repeat.  Easy enough once you get the hang of it. 

I have a feeling it is going to be a frabjous day today. 

The Runner's Prayer

"Dear lord, thank you for helping me achieve a huge calorie deficit in today's morning run; so that I may enjoy the carb overload in my breakfast"

I left home at 4:45 AM with a route that traced out as:

KTPO - Big Bazaar - Hope Farm Jn. - ITPL - Hoodi - KR Puram - Byapanahalli - Indira Nagar - Ulsoor Lake - Manipal Centre - Cubbon Road - Vidhana Soudha - Raj Bhavan - Golf Course - CKP - Seshadripuram - Mantri Square - Central Tiffin Room

All told, c28.5km in 3.5 hours. It started drizzling at Ulsoor Lake and turned into a light shower on Cubbon Road, all the way through CKP. Thoroughly refreshing, as I have not run in the rain in a long while. 

The objective of the run is to eat a benne masala dosa at CTR for breakfast and wash it down with lots of coffee, which I shall now do. 

Homeward bound now. Happy feet

On a Saturday.... Morning

Saturday AM. 18 km run.

Had Deep Purple, Camel, King Crimson, Gentle Giant, Blue Oyster Cult and Dream Theater for company. 

I am made up of all the finish lines that I said would be my last. 

Feeling a deep sense of exhilaration. 

Back in the Game. . . and then some

I weighed myself recently and found that I had added 3 kilos in the last 2 months.  Plus the fact that my favourite pair of trousers were quite tight was enough motivation for me to get back out there and run.

So after a gap of slightly over two months, I got out this AM.  This sort of kicks off my training for a few upcoming marathons. The run itself was for 14 km with a warm up of 2km and a taper of 2km.  I managed to complete this in a 2h10m.

My gear was the Patagonia running tee from the AC2011, Reebok shorts and the Roclite 318 GTX shoes.  I was planning to a pair of  Adidas' but decided to stick with the Inov-8s for the run (last minute, spur of the moment).  I was also wearing my new Garmin 305 Forerunner, which I bought recently.  It performed nicely and I am quite happy with the caibration and the watch itself.

So there's bad news and good news.

The bad news was that the Roclites needed to be retired today :-(.  There was a bit of a hard spot on the right front toe that did not go down and kept knocking against the thumb.  It lead to a pretty bad blister in almost no time, as I painfully discovered once I finished the run and took them off.  My feet are also a bit sore, regardless of the stretch exercises I completed.  So, with a tear in my eye, I bid adieu to the 318 GTXs.  A great pair of shoes that saw me through the AC2011 without a single tear or trouble.  I am quite loath to scrap these, nevertheless, onward and upward, till I buy a new pair.

The good news:  I get to do this again tomorrow morning, with a new pair of shoes of course.

Happy feet ;-)
S