Preparing for the BNP Ultra 50 k

I started running sometime in 2014. After running 5 marathons (4 in Mumbai and 1 in Ladakh) and a couple of 25/32 kilometer events, I am now emboldened to participate in an Ultra. BNP Ultra 50 k in SGNP beckons February 2020. I have ran more than 50 kilometers only once. This was when I joined Vasant in 2017. Over the years I find myself getting fitter and becoming a more mature runner. Finding your rhythm while running and more importantly not competing with anyone, not even yourself, are important to successfully complete any run. By success I do not mean finishing in a reasonable time. Timing is secondary to me. I give paramount importance to having a cramp and injury free run. There are so many potential injuries one can have. The usual suspects are injuries to various parts of your legs but the really irritating ones are chaffing at the unmentionable spots, nipples and toes. One really needs to prepare for all eventualities. Vaseline has been the saviour for a person like me who is prone to chaffing. I slather my body with copious amounts of Vaseline before any major run. I may also carry a few strips of band aid and the ever dependable chikki for instant energy.

I have scoured the net for getting ready for my first ultra. The trick is to find what works for you from the abundant information available. I have taken a printout of the training schedule mentioned on the Tata Ultra Lonavala 50 k event and would try to train accordingly. I have realised that mileage is very important to improve performance. But having said this, one also has to be careful to avoid any injuries before race day. Tata Mumbai Marathon is now just 16 days away and we can ill afford any niggle or injury. Realistically speaking my training would begin post the Mumbai marathon. Do I have enough time to train? I am not too sure. My preparedness would be tested only on 22nd February. I will write a post after I finish this. Meanwhile I am trying to keep calm the butterflies in my stomach!

Somehow I am not thinking too much about the Mumbai Marathon. Here we would be running 42 k but the route is familiar. SGNP is a different ball game. The distance at the Ultra is just 8 kilometers more than the Mumbai run but would really test its participants because of the inclines. I read that the Kanheri and Gandhi tekdi inclines would have to be climbed 3 times!

I plan to religiously follow the Tata training schedule along with our bi-weekly stretching sessions. I will assiduously attend my yoga class in the evening too. This will help me in soothing my sore muscles. Just take one day at a time and do not think far too ahead. This is the plan for now.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

तोच चंद्रमा नभात

Image
25th August 2023 तोच चंद्रमा नभात  Of all the celestial bodies, humans have a strong affinity for the moon. Indian folklore and mythology are replete with references to our natural satellite.  A young prabhu Ram would not sleep until his mother showed him the reflection of the moon in a pot of water, placed next to his bed. Hence the melding of the two names gave us ‘Ramchandra’. There are many popular fables involving Lord Shiv, Lord Ganesh, and Hanuman and the moon.  On celluloid many men have serenaded fetching young women with songs which have the moon as their central theme.  Those with a fatalistic outlook towards life give tremendous importance to the position of the moon in their horoscope. Its placement determines character and personality. Or so it is believed! Indians have been following the lunar calendar for many centuries. This calendar depends on the waxing and waning of the moon and is deemed to be very accurate. Moon’s gravitational pull produces tidal effects on large
Read more

The Selfish Gene

Image
  The Selfish Gene (6/10/23) Gail Wynand, the powerful publisher in Ayn Rand’s ‘The Fountainhead’, was exposed to a variety of literature while growing up. Devoid of any method or guidance, a multitude of authors and subjects influenced the young man. Thus, Gail grew in a highly disorganised manner. I was like Gail Wynand in my younger days as my reading too was haphazard. I used to be engrossed in all kinds of non-academic books.  Growing up, me and my brother were members of a local library. This instilled the habit of reading in us. We had a voracious appetite for comic books (initially) which later progressed to novels from the likes of PG Wodehouse, Jeffrey Archer, Sidney Sheldon, Arthur Hailey, Tom Clancy, Frederick Forsyth, Alistair Maclean, and Michael Crichton. Harshad and I also read many Marathi books written by creative geniuses like PL Deshpande, VP Kale etc. Thrillers, sci-fi, war dramas, romance, and British understated humour kept us engaged. Reading widened our horizon
Read more

Gopal Ganesh Agarkar on Gender Equality

Image
I have translated one page of Gopal Ganesh Agarkar’s essay of 1880. Agarkar, a social reformer, was way ahead of his times. Just imagine writing this 130 years ago! Today gender equality and equal opportunity are buzz words but Agarkar was a true liberal and feminist much before such concepts were coined. -------------------------------------------------------------- This is a translated extract from Gopal Ganesh Agarkar’s path breaking essay written in 1880. The complete essay can be found in “Samagra Agarkar Vangmay Khanda 1”. Agarkar was one of the foremost social reformers Maharashtra has ever seen. ------------------------------------------------------------- Both genders should have access to education and that too in the same classroom! The title of today’s essay will confound and even cause turmoil in the minds of many readers. But I cannot help it. It is imperative that I write on issues about which I have utter conviction. If knowledge is imparted to students of both th
Read more