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  • Hill training – Percy Warner Park

    Hill training – Percy Warner Park



    Diane and I decided to do some hill training on Sunday while returning from “Trail of Tears”. We started a bit late though but we were glad we could make it. Reached Percy Warner Park at around 3:35. Kim joined us too. We started from the stone gate entrance at around 4:00PM. 
    I was excited about putting my VFF to test in the mud and stream. Took our water bottles and we headed towards the hills. I have very good memories here. My first US marathon, Flying Monkey Marathon, was in this park. You’ll call yourself a monkey and people will call you ‘Monkey’, if you complete this marathon and yet you will not get offended but feel proud. “He is a monkey too”, Diane told Kim, and she was telling about the mail I sent to the message board saying “Can anyone give a ride to an Indian monkey”. Good times. Here we are once again running in Percy Warner Park, but just that we’ll be running on dirt and hills.
    After about a mile in the run, we encountered some serious dirt and mud. My VFF offered some good grip though. KSO – Keeping Stuff Out, stood up to the test though. It didn’t offer any waterproof but it did keep stuff out. Size 48 on mud was making foot prints like that of a ‘Big foot’. Several steep climbs, tiny waterfalls, serious dirt, roots, it was one good hill training.
    (This is how it looked like)
    We rested at couple of places and I loved the “Quiet Point” ridge. It offered a nice view of the park. It’s one of those moments which you would want to freeze and live in it for a long time. Trail running is just amazing and very different. It makes you feel primal and being one with nature. At one point there were pack of deer heading towards my trail and they got scared and got scattered. They just climbed the opposite steep hill like it’s a flat course. I have never seen so many deer out in the wild. Lucky me! (Wish I had a camera with me)
    We were running at conversation pace discussing about our upcoming races and then Diane and Kim had their Gossip time. Then the conversation switched back to running and food. It was fun! We completed the white trail and then the Red trail loop. My leg was looking so dirty, but again my VFF offered very good grip especially while running down hill. My legs and thighs were completely covered with mud. One helluva trail running. We completed the whole course in about an hour and fifty minutes covering a distance about 7 miles.


    We then went for short walk to warm up a bit before heading home. My Vibram’s were so dirty that I wore a plastic bag on top of them. I didn’t want Diane’s car to get dirty. It looked pretty funny though.

    I was walking with my Vibram’s wearing those plastic bags and my neighbors gave me weird looks. Glad I wore them, my carpet is safe too. Cleaning them was no big deal. Just stand under the shower with those shoes and the dirt just got washed away. Sweet. Thanks Diane, John, Kim and Keith. You made my weekend.
    Now heading to watch Super bowl with friends. Pizza time! Go Saints gooooo…
  • Trail of Tears!

    Trail of Tears!



    7 mile race on ‘Trail of Tears’ trail.
    It was supposed to rain a bit today morning but the weather appeared just fine. Diane was right on time, 6:00 am at my apartment. We met John and Keith on the way by Target. Subha was on her way but later decided to meet us at I-24. John and Keith hopped into Diane’s car and we headed straight to “Tears of Trail”.
    The weather was around 36, but it wasn’t snowing or raining though. We could see lot of waterfalls on the way which looked like it was raining somewhere. We started talking about the number of marathons and ultras each of us have run. What to say about John and Keith, two awesome people. Great runners. Keith has been running and winning a lot of races and scoring lots of points. John has run 20 some marathon and ultras. I could just sit and listen to their stories all day. We had some insightful conversation about lot of things. I was amazed at how knowledgeable and yet humble John and Keith were. I’ve got a lot to learn from all of them.
    Took a couple of stops at rest area and also caught Subha on our way.  After about three hours of drive we reached the race spot. There was lot of runners already running around, stretching and warming up. While the others went to pick up their T-Shirt, I was roaming around looking at the ‘Trail of Tears’ visitor center (The history behind the name was very painful). After  getting out of the visitor center I stepped out to warm-up and there were lots of folks giving weird looks at my VFF. I don’t blame them though. I was acting like I was the ambassador for VFF explaining about the shoe. Just hoping that it doesn’t hurt during the race. While everyone took off at the start line I decided to run slow along with Subha and Harish.
    Mile 1 was rough. A steep climb with an elevation change of 800m-1100mts. We pretty much walked until 1.5 miles. After a while, I went ahead with the race. 
    The weather was kinda cold with occasional snowflakes but otherwise it was fine. Picked up a bit of pace at mile 3. I was literally sweating by this time and the occasional chill wind was feeling Heaven! My VFF was feeling great too. I could see an evident change in my posture. Since it had no thick soles, it was making loud noise while running on asphalt which got the attention of other runners but it felt great though.
    Crossed the finish line at 1:05:48 and as usual I didn’t reset my Garmin! Didn’t feel any pain or shin splint which is a good thing. We were so glad when Subha and Harish crossed the finish line. They both finished their first race. Yay! Hogged some hot dogs, Oreos, oranges, apple and finally some soda. It’s bad stuff, I know.
     
    When you are in the company of great folks, time just flies by and in no time we reached Nashville. My first Tennessee State Park running tour was really good. Time for a hot shower and a pool game tonight! w00t!
  • My Five Fingers – Keep Stuff Out

    My Five Fingers – Keep Stuff Out

    I got my hands on my first Vibram Five Fingers – KSO. w00t!
    I have been eying on Vibram Five Fingers for quiet sometime and wanted one for my crazy trekking. Carrying those heavy trek boots was a pain and it gets nasty when it gets wet. Vibram Five Fingers lured me when I first stumbled upon it, especially the pictures on their website. Ever since I got into running and read about the benefits of barefoot running, I wanted to give it a shot, if not for running faster at least to run with fewer injuries.

    I read an article (quiet lengthy but very interesting read) last year on how running shoes inhibit the natural motion of our foot and how they contribute to innumerable number of running related injuries. It also explains about heel strike and forefoot strike(Video). The article was backed up by evidences from the Sports medicine team, athletes, coach as well as real life case studies of the Tarahumara Indians who run several 100 miles every day effortless and above all BAREFOOT. There were some serious allegations against companies of the sports shoe industry. Is that why we have Adi-Zero and Nike Free now? I also had a chance to read the book “Born to Run” by Christopher McDougall. Very inspiring!

    It was very confusing to choose my first pair of VFF. I really like the FLOW which can be used for running during very cold weather and also offered water proof but had to settle with KSO, which I just love btw, reason being my Morton’s toe :(. Though Size 47 would have just fitted me if not for my Morton’s toe I had to go one size bigger. US 13/Size 48 was only available in KSO Black. For me, comfort comes first than looks.  I wanted to try one before buying it. I walked into the nearest store and got lucky to try the only pair of KSO’s they had and it was Size 48. Sweet! It fitted perfectly and all my fingers got tucked into the pockets except for my little finger, it is way too short and it barely got inside the pocket. The store guy allowed me to walk/run around the store. It felt great. I never knew that Black KSO is the ONLY VFF that comes in size 48 and FLOW was still bothering me. I wanted to see if I could find FLOW online but there weren’t any. I walked into the store the next day hoping they haven’t sold the only pair. I was lucky. It was still there. Like Gollum of The Lord of the Rings, I felt like saying “My Precioussss”. 🙂
    I was very excited to try them but I was also aware that I have to take it slow (Read couple of warnings given by VFF users) during my first few runs as my leg would be going through a transition. Tried my VFF on a treadmill for the first time to see how they would feel and decided to run 5K. They felt really good. I could see very evidently that I started landing on my Forefoot instead of striking the heel. It felt perfect.
     
      
    (Sorry about the picture quality, will get a better one in my next post)
    I took them again for a 6 mile run on pavement, trail, grass and mud. I would say that  it felt much better than running with my sneakers though my shin hurt a bit. I guess it comes with the territory during the first few days of using VFF but I am sure my feet will feel better in the long run. I am planning to wear it for an 8 mile race this weekend and train with them all week for my regular runs.  I am hoping to run my Half Marathon and Marathon with my VFF in a couple of weeks, and if all goes will try for my 50mile too. Time to burn some serious miles!
  • Running in the snow!

    Running in the snow!

    It was snowing all Friday and until Saturday early morning. Gossssh!! It was so gorgeous outside.  Looks like we are going to get lot of snow this weekend. Sweet! I love when it snows. w00t!!  A good five inch snow I believe. I dragged myself out of the bed to go for my run in the gym. A crazy idea struck me. Why not run in the snow today. I have never done that before though I know a lot of runners do. Okie dokie. Let’s do it. Got dressed up in layers and wore my Hi-Tec trek shoes. Good time to put the ‘Weather proof’ feature of the shoe to test. This is how it looks like:

     
     


    It was freezing cold. The snow hasn’t got hard yet so it wasn’t slippery as I expected. Is it really a good idea to run in this snow? I walked till the entrance of the apartment pondering and then just decided to run. I always remember the rule for running on the road, “Run against the traffic”.  I decided to run till Percy Priest Dam and back. That’s a good 4 mile run. I didn’t want to push hard during my first snow run. Roads were in very bad condition and black ice was just starting to show up.  People were very cautious while driving, so I am safe. Couple of them gave me pitiful looks like I am one homeless kid running in the snow. Some gave the “Such a weirdo” glance. Running in the snow was worse than running in the sand, I guess. Breathing cold air was hurting my lungs initially but after the second mile I was just fine and was enjoying my run by now.
    I reached the dam and stopped for a while to catch some breath. Man, it was really cold though It felt very good to be out in the snow. There were lots of people outside that I expected. Many stopped by to click pictures by the dam. 

     
     

    Ran further down the road for half hour and got back to where the dam’s gate opens up. There were lot more people down there having fun snow tubing down the frozen road. They were using inflated tubes, planks, packaging box and anything they could get their hands on to snow tube down the road. It was fun watching them. Wish I had one with me, anyhow I decided to turn back.

    “How long have you been running”, a stranger popped that question. Three miles so far and two more miles to go, I replied.  It was Kelly and Susan. She said that’s crazy and I just nodded my head. We struck a conversation. Who I am, where I am from and where do I work etc, etc. When I told them about my work place they mentioned a couple of people and I was surprised when they mentioned “Diane Taylor”. Yes, its my colleague, Diane who has run overt 75 marathons.  “What a small world”! We were talking for a couple more minutes about our upcoming races, exchanged our FB Id’s and then I started my run towards home. [Susan, don’t forget my ID :)]. Clicked couple of pictures on my way back. Isn’t it pretty?

     
      
     

    A good half hour run and I was home in one piece. My Hi-Tec running shoes really stood up to the test in keeping my feet warm.  It does hurt a lot to run in the snow especially while breathing. Nevertheless I had a very good time and enjoyed my first experience running in the snow. Time for a hot shower and yummy soup.

  • Half, Full, 50K and 50M

    After Flying Monkey I have been looking for my next marathon. That’s when one of my colleagues introduced to Diane Taylor. What a breath of fresh air she turned out to be! 75 Marathons and Ultra marathons so far. Amazing. She was there for Flying Monkey Marathon as well. Gosh, wish I had met her during that time. She managed to complete Flying marathon in spite of her stress fracture. I found her to be very humble and cheerful. It was very encouraging and inspiring talking to her. The outcome of getting inspired! I signed up for four races. Yeah Four races! Thanks Diane! You rock. 

    Right after our conversation she sent me the list of races that she has signed up for the coming months and I was lucky enough to enroll in four of those races well before the registration cut-off. As the title of the post says, the race distance is going to be in incremental order. Starts with Half Marathon and will end with an Ultra Marathon. 

    I have never done anything crazy like this before, so it’s going to be fun. Here’s my race schedule.

    Cedars Frostbite Half-Marathon : 13-Feb-10     Lebanon State Park, Lebanon, TN
    2010 Mercedes Full Marathon : 14-Feb-10    Birmingham, AL
    Black Warrior 50K : 20-Feb-10    Bankhead National Forest – AL
    Land Between the Lakes Trail run 50 Miles:13-Mar-10    Grand Rivers, KY
    Wish me luck. I’ll keep you posted on my survival rate.
  • Flying Monkey Marathon – 11/22/2009

    Flying Monkey Marathon – 11/22/2009


    “Can someone living by Hermitage give a ride to a flying monkey from India?”, I posted on Monkey Chatter couple of days before the race. It didn’t take long to get a response. John responded back right away offering me a ride. There’s always a monkey ready to help another. We met at 6:00am and off we started to Percy Warner Park. It was supposed to rain as per the weather forecast but there was no rain and the weather was just perfect for the long run. After meeting couple of other runners and making friends, I headed to collect my BIB and starter kit. Bib: 712. Starter kit was loaded with a technical full sleeve T-shirt and a half sleeve T shirt, w00t. There was even a flying monkey tattoo 🙂

    Met the RD Trent and thanked him for accommodating me in the race. Humorous guy and sounded as funny as his emails. There were lots of other folks in funny costumes surrounding the theme “flying Monkey”. After a brief overview about the race course, the race started on time and the flying monkeys flew.

     
     

    What a beautiful race course. It was gorgeous. The first 5 mile was fun and then began the elevation. My assumption about the course went wrong, elevation so steep at some point that everyone started walking but the volunteers were just amazing. Aid stations were loaded with food, GU, Water, Gatorade etc etc. They were cheering us all the way. Some of the volunteers got their kids to watch and support the flying monkeys. It was so good to look at their cheerful face clapping and encouraging us to run. I wanted to finish the race in 4:30 but that seemed to be impossible when I hit the 19th mile at that time. That’s another 7 miles to the finish line. The guy who won the race is a machine. It wasn’t even a flat course yet he completed it in under 2:30. I didn’t really train myself for this elevation. My shin splint was crawling up and at the 22nd mile; I couldn’t run a single step.  I did some stretching and walked half a mile which felt a bit better. “Eye of the tiger” was playing loud at the 24th mile, a tempo song to complete the last couple of miles, Sweet. The flying monkey medal started appearing before my eyes. I was in pain. My legs were crying.  C’mon Naresh, last 2 mile and the medal is yours. I could hear the band playing at the finish line by that time. There were lots of people and photographers cheering at the finish line, which felt very good. Pain just vanished for that one moment and there I crossed the finish line. In no time flying monkey medal was hanging on my neck. w00t. Second Marathon, COMPLETED.

    After post stretching exercise, picked up some pasta and chilled beer and relaxed for a while. One helluva race and lots of fun. Here’s my Race timing, 13th in my Age Group.

    Time    Oall  AG   SG    Last                           First               Bib  Sex Age   City               State
    5:35:55 181  13   122   Kondur Nagabhushan   Naresh Kumar  712  M    27     Nashville        TN
    Lesson learnt: Study the course especially if it’s a trail.  Carbo loading and sound sleep the day before the race.
  • Flying Monkey Marathon

    Flying Monkey Marathon


    While looking for races around Nashville, the immediate one was on the 22nd Nov 2009. But the name of the race lured me to register. Flying Monkey Marathon. 

    The pictures of the race course through Percy Warner Park was so pretty but then I was so upset when I noticed that the deadline for registration was already over. I wanted to give it a shot though, so I contacted the RD Trent, one of the funniest guys I have ever met, asking if he can accommodate an Indian Flying Monkey in the race and was just waiting…..
    October 18, there was a mail sitting in my inbox saying that I can register for the race, w00t! I was so glad looking at the email and registered for the race right away.
    I used to hang out in Monkey Chatter reading all the funny emails especially the ones sent by Trent. Hilarious! I used to have my rofl moments reading his email. My first marathon in the US and I am glad it’s going to one cool marathon race. Harpeth hills!! Here comes the flying Indian monkey!

  • My First Marathon! w00t

    My First Marathon! w00t

    And finally…I completed my first full marathon. Aug 30 2009, the day I’ll remember forever. It’s been almost three months ever since I started running and have always been dreaming to complete a marathon. I am glad I did it. Mixed feelings when I crossed the finish line. Wish I could translate my feelings into words. 42.2 Kms seemed so long and endless. 

    Ram and I left Chennai by train to Hyderabad. After a hectic week at work, it was so good and exciting to be out on a trip. I was so tired. Had an early dinner and hit the berth. All I could remember was being woken up by Ram once we reached Secunderabad. After settling down at our friend’s place, we went for a run at Necklace Road. It was very pretty. We were running by the Hussain Sagar lake for about 6kms. Later in the noon we went out for sight seeing and Charminar was the first destination, obviously. Later, Paani poori and Samosa and Gokul chat. Yummy! We then went to collect our BIB and Kit. ’21’ – that was my BIB number. It felt so good. Later we went to watch Kaminey that night along with other friends and then hit the bed.



    Got up at 4:00 in the morning and reached the race spot by 4:45. It was a very thrilling moment. To see so many people to run the race. I am not alone in this madness. After our stretching exercise, I was all set to hit the start line. Full Marathon was flagged off at 5:30AM and the race officially started. This is it. No turning back. Run Naresh Run!!


    The first few miles felt nothing. The arrangements were very good. Police were holding the city traffic everywhere. The weather was just perfect until Sun started showing up. I was expecting the race to be on a flat course but I was wrong. We also had to run through many loops which was kind of a let down. I was feeling like giving up when I crossed the Half Marathon finish line. Volunteers were suggesting that I can complete my race if I wish.  Those words were all the more tempting but I kept running. I made a promised to myself that I complete this marathon, no matter what, at any cost. The weather was killing and I was drowning in my own sweat. 



    Wish I had my Ipod with me. So lonely, so painful yet so good. I was focused on just one thing. To cross the finish line and get my finisher medal. The milestone read 40kms. 2.2 Kms to complete the race. The last stretch of the race, we had to run inside the Gachibowli stadium track. It’s almost over. Photographers were clicking shots, a huge crowd standing by to cheer, All my pain vanished at that very moment. Hit the finish line and received my Medal and Certificate. It’s over. w00t. I was glad and proud that I finished my first full marathon in 5:45. A very good beginning to my running expedition. Indeed.



  • Registered for my first Full Marathon



    I am in Maryland, US now on business. I don’t know what I was thinking when Ram asked me to register for Hyderabad marathon on 31st August 2009. A full marathon. If all goes well, it’ll be my first Marathon, a dream come true. I could imagine how great it would be to cross the finish line. I will be returning on the 17th Aug, so I have some time at hand to catch up with training. With the same excitement, I logged into the website to register and again I don’t what I was thinking when I registered myself for the Full Marathon. Though I ran two races, 12.1 miles and 7 miles race, trail running while in US, that’s no were close to 26.2 miles.

    Nevertheless I have registered myself and I want to put myself through it and finish it, NO MATTER WHAT. I so don’t want my first Marathon to be a DNF (Running terminology for Did Not Finish). I have several reasons to run this race, several…. Let me see whether I am going to reach that magic number 26.2 Miles!!

  • Obsessed with Running!

    Obsessed with Running!

    Have you got obsessed with something overnight? You think about it all the time and you talk about it to others during your conversation. The enthusiasm that you have while talking about your obsession lure people to try to do what you do. Crazy, Stupid, Awesome, Kewl, Interesting, Exciting are some of the words people tag you with. You care less what others say because what you are doing matters the most to YOU.


    I have been bitten by the running bug and I am just obsessed about running ever since. Of course the series of events that I am going through also plays a major factor in keeping me running. I am new to this sport. I have never run more than 2km ever in my life until last month. I do go on crazy hiking every weekend to the remote forests and I have spent my times in the wild. I have walked 40km in two days with a heavy backpack under hot sun for long hours without water in the toughest terrain. But when it comes to running, No! I can never. I don’t know why I got obsessed about running. But there is something to it. I like it for its SIMPLICITY. Get up and lace up your shoes and RUN. That’s all, just three quick steps with first one being the most difficult to do. I read and watched several stories of marathoners and ultra marathoners and it just amaze me. People choose to run ultra-marathons like Badwater, Jungle Marathon, Western States 100 etc putting themselves in inhumane conditions enduring pain and torture and above all they love it. Why? Some say the pain makes them feel that they are LIVE. Some say it’s about finding your true self. Some run for a cause. Some run to forget a pain that they endured. I am yet to find out why I have chosen to Run, but as for now I RUN and I am loving it. I am feeling like Forest Gump! (That’s the reason I chose the name for this blog). When I first decided to do my 5K run along with like minded friends three weeks back, I thought it will just be a piece of cake considering my hiking experience. I was wrong. After running for 1.8Km I was gasping for breath like a dead man and my foot wouldn’t move an inch. It was pain and soreness everywhere. That’s just for 1.8km and my target is to run a marathon, that’s 42.195 km. I was laughing at myself, but I was determined to RUN. Runners World , Running Times is where I started hanging out for most of the times. I created a profile for myself in MapMyRun to keep a track of my weekly mileage. Pasta, Gatorade and Mountain Dew has become my food and drink. The following days, I tightened my shoe lace and began my run again. Pain, soreness, injuries started surfacing, but I never quit. But I could see a visible change happening within. My heart beat is more systematic, my breathing pattern has got a rhythm, my posture while running has changed and I no more gasp for breath like a dying man. After two weeks of running, every alternate day, I am amazed to see myself running about 15kms in 1Hr and 15 min. Above all I could see a change in my attitude. The way I approach and look at things. My day starts so fresh. I am sure there’s more in store for me in this journey called Running and I am excited about the lessons that it’s going to teach me. Let me tell you. Run!! It’s just amazing. You’ll find it for yourself. It’s painful but it is fun. I have a goal, to run the Hyderabad marathon. I have sufficient time at hand to train myself, to cross the finishing line, to run for a cause where every mile counts. Ultra Marathon is my aim but I would like to take one step at a time. I’ll post my experiences, to keep myself accountable for my commitments. With my running shoes and a free road to run, I got everything I need. To RUN!