It was at the end of the Pinkathon 5k that the idea for running the TCS World 10k surfaced. Bhawna and I had found out at the finish line that running 5k wasn’t all that difficult and so we thought ‘how much more difficult could 10k be? ‘.

Turned out that it was much more difficult. 😀

Bhawna’s my running partner and the one who pushed me to do the Pinkathon in the first place. But once Pinkathon was done, we needed a new target and the TCS run seemed perfectly timed for 3 months later. We surmised that if we couldn’t run it, together we would walk and finish it.

And with that started training in February. Hal Higdon’s 8 weeks to 10k training plan became 14 weeks as I landed up restarting twice before I stuck with the program when I realised I had less than 8 weeks to the event.

My mindset had also changed along the way. That I think I hold Bhawna responsible for because it was a quote in her Pinkathon blog post that caused it.

Pain is temporary, Pride is forever!

It was the pride bit that got me thinking; finishing the 10k was easy, but finishing it well, now that was important. And so I stuck with the program.

The Stakes are Raised

Two weeks before the run, Che returned from a 20 day trip to find a dedicated runner and he stepped-in to up the game. With him running with me I found new limits for my body, I was running better and faster!

Running is a high, it leaves me with a sense of accomplishment and achievement. And that feeling transfers to everything else I do too. I’m more positive towards people and things, and that means I get more done and done well.

It was at this time that my bestie Pallavi pushed me. I’d kinda given up on raising funds for my cause, I didn’t believe I could do it.

When I signed up for the run, I’d chosen to run for Bal Utsav, an organisation that is working towards education for all and believes #EducationMakesAllTheDifference. I’d put up messages on Facebook a couple of times and when it didn’t result in funds, I just gave up.

But that push from Pallavi worked magic. I set about collecting funds again and they poured in. My target was Rs.10,000 but contributions exceeded that number so fast, I had to raise it. And I had to keep raising it until I’d crossed Rs.50,000 in 10 days.

There’s still 7 days to go for the campaign but at close yesterday we’d raised Rs.64,226. A big thank you is due to everyone who pitched in to help a child get education. If you’d like to help or know more about what Bal Utsav does, here’s their website link – balutsav.org. There’s still time to contribute, just click here for my Ketto Campaign page. 😀

A big big thank you to all the contributors, love and hugs xxx – Pallavi, Manoaj, Nanditha, Sushesh, Tarsh, Arun, Sandeep, U. Ozer, Anu, Anithra, Harishri & Elvin, Sahil, Hari, Moch, Selvi, Venkatesh, Swaroop, Muthu Kannan, Jos, Nirupama, Samarth, Pritam, U. Zulfikar, A. Zainub, Aditya, Sunbula, venka tesh, Raja, Nikhil, Vikramaditya, Daniel, Parinitha, Supriya, Sujeesha, Hakim & Munazza, Adarsh, Pradeep, Ajay, Erica, Suban, Anuj, U. Srinivas.

Overachieving my funding target had me on a high that carried through to the race. I wasn’t alone, there were so many people wishing me the best for my run.

And then there was Che, who took over food and nutrition before the race. Like a coach he stuffed me with all the right food, pushed me to drink more and more water and spent the ride to the race giving me tips, more tips and then ending the talk with ‘enough talk, now go do it’.

TCS World 10K

Running the TCS World 10k wasn’t easy, sometimes I was distracted or had other thoughts but most of the time I found myself talking to my legs, telling them that they could do it, that they wouldn’t fall off and that all I needed to do was put one leg ahead of the other constantly.

Run, Breathe, Smile… I kept saying to myself and I did it I think coz all photos have me smiling, enjoying the pain of pushing myself. 😀 And it worked, all that training, all Che’s coaching, all the best wishes, they worked as I ran the best run I’ve run till date.

Lessons in Running this Quarter

Customary Thank You’s…

Photo Credit: Chenthil Mohan and Abhijith Rao.

Max and My New Running Shoes 🙂

Some days I’m just grateful for the chance I get to sit down and put my feet up, to relax even if just for a moment and this week’s been filled with those days.

The week started with the maids taking unannounced leave, the washing machine packing up, the microwave walking out with it, and me just starting at it all, my week going belly up.

It’s been a maniacal week, one through which I’ve just about managed to maintain my sanity. Ok, I’ve seen worse, this wasn’t that bad but it was bad and nothing went to plan, but I survived and that’s the big thing, nah?

This week, the up’s were that I managed to hold onto my running schedule and ran an 8k, which is my longest ever, until now. 😉 We got a new washing machine and I can’t wait to start turning all those dials and playing with it. We also had our first decent rain, it didn’t pour but it did drizzle for 4 hours; heat’s back with a vengeance though.

I also held on to the #AtoZChallenge and didn’t miss a post. This week my android app selections were – Gardroid for Gardening, Player FM for Podcasts, Quiz Up for Productive Time-Pass, Strava for Running, Period Tracker – My Calendar and Todoist for those Pesky To-Do’s.

It’s the last week of the challenge now and I’m gearing up for it. Got to keep the ball rolling, right to the end.

Another addition to my #TBR

Another rather quiet week in this section. But I did find one book that caught my eye…

I Know What I’m Doing — and Other Lies I Tell Myself by Jen Kirkman
(All the books #49)

A memoir of her life, Jen shares her stories and talks about a myriad bunch of things. But what struck me when i heard of the book on the All The Books podcast was that she talks about having children, the choice of having or not having them and the dealing with people bit if you choose not to.
I’m also considering the book as an audio book as it is narrated by Jen Kirkman herself and she’s a stand-up comedian. It would be fun.

That’s about it from me here this Sunday. What have you been unto this week? How has it been – good, bad, ugly? What are you looking forward to next week?

Exercise is a good thing, it makes you feel good, all those endorphins released make you feel like on top of the world. There is all the other beneficial stuff too, like it makes you live longer, you look better, and all that stuff but it’s this feeling of being invincible that gets me to put on my shoes and run.

I’ve had ‘run a marathon’ on my bucket list for many years but this year I’ve made a start towards it and I’m enjoying myself. I used to run in school and rediscovering it’s joys is just so awesome. I’m a long way yet from running a marathon but just running makes me feel so good.

That said, my target still is that marathon and only running towards it isn’t enough, there’s a lot more to this, nutrition, strength training, sleeping right, … and tracking progress to plan training better. That’s where Strava fits in.

What the Strava App’s supposed to do

Strava tracks activity using GPS built into the phone. Activities it records are running and cycling (swimming can also be tracked but not via the app). It also syncs with devices like Suunto, Garmin, FitBit, etc. so you don’t always need your phone for tracking.

You start recording and run. At the end of the run the app gives you data about your run, your pace, elevation gain, heart rate, performance, etc. You can also join ongoing challenges on Strava to push yourself and get badges.

You can also follow your friends activities, give kudos to them and push yourself to do better with the community backing you. There is also an option to find running segments in your city, so you can find running buddies or compare your stats with others. The premium version of Stava offers more, like training videos, goals, etc.

How I’m using the Strava App

I use Strava to track my runs via my Suunto and my walks with the dogs. That way I track mine and their exercise. 🙂

The data I get on my runs is helpful. It pushes me to do better, to break my own time records and get stronger and faster. It’s also nice to see what friends are doing, it creates a nice little space for some congenial competition and encouragement.

My thoughts on the Strava App

I quite like using Strava, it’s way of showing data makes it easier to digest and make sense of, plus numbers just make me feel good. 😀 I haven’t found a need for the premium version yet as the free version satisfies all my needs.

Following friends and taking part in challenges adds to the fun. The app also tracks the gear used so it keeps count of how many kilometres my shoes have run.

Are you on Strava? Lets connect and run together 🙂

App details and link

Stars – ★★★★★
Developer – Strava Inc.
Devices – Android, IOS
Size – 30M
Installs – 5,000,000 – 10,000,000
Link – Android Store | iTunes Store

H is also for Honest, so Honestly I haven’t used the My Fitness Pal app all that much but I do wish to. My reasons for not using it are many, I forget, I don’t know the numbers, the calculations are complex and what not. Mostly it’s just that I’m lazy and that the app isn’t yet making a drastic change in my life.

But I have used the My Fitness Pal app and I see it’s potential, so let me just get into that.

What the My Fitness Pal App’s supposed to do

My Fitness Pal is a tracking app for calories, and these calories are tracked via what you eat, how much you exercise, how much you weigh and water intake.

On the app you can enter details about yourself and then mark your target weight (above or below current). The app then calculates and tell you how many calories you can eat each day.

Each meal must be entered and there are options for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. You can also create recipes, so you don’t have to track ingredients each time. Just say how much of the dish and the app does the rest.

You can also connect it to exercise apps you use so it will auto sync your calorie burn from exercise.

How I’m using the My Fitness Pal App

Sometime back I tried out the keto diet and during that time the app worked beautifully for me, but on a day to day basis and with our normal eating I find it tough to use.

That said, it’s also true that I haven’t created any recipes and that means I have to use generic dishes or add one ingredient at a time, which is the deterrent.

My thoughts on the My Fitness Pal App

Since I have started running, I have been trying to track my diet. Eating right is an important part of running right and My Fitness Pal helps track eating right. There are a lot of options, the app is easy to use and tracking is made simple.

This is a good app to use if you are looking to lose weight, gain weight or eat correctly as it will give you a calories, carb, protein, etc. breakup. Of course the catch is that you must use it and not cheat. 😉

App details and link

Stars – ★★★★☆
Developer – MyFitnessPal, Inc.
Devices – Android, IOS
Size – Varies with device
Installs – 10,000,000 – 50,000,000
Link – Android Store | iTunes Store

The first time you do something, anything, it’s special. It’s the first time you experience the doing of it, feel the accomplishment, revel in the sense of achievement, and undergo all the myriad emotions attached. This year’s Pinkathon 5K was a first for me; the first time I ran a 5K, the first time I ran with 11,000 other women, the first time I ran the Pinkathon. It was an experience I’ll never forget.

I’d been training through January for this run but actually finishing was a beast unto itself as not all had gone to plan. Training had suffered a couple of times when I fell sick in the month and the last week was spent more in recovery than practice. All these had been niggling worries throughout but one thing I was sure of, I was going to do the run, no matter what.

The night before I had butterflies, sleep was difficult and I was excited and yet super nervous. Would I really pull this off?

All set for the Run

I woke up at the first ring of the alarm and started out with the rituals, – a litre of water, a bowl of oats & banana, a wholesome shit, and I was ready to get dressed. I left for Whitefield, all ready and hopping on my toes with excitement.

In the last week before the run, I’d figured out that I had other friends running too. Sindhu was running her 3rd Pinkathon and this year she was helping first timers with her group ‘Who Run The World ? GIRLS!!!’, for running buddies make it so much easier. Supriya was running in Delhi to motivate us friends in Bangalore. Then there was Juvena, my desk-partner and one of the first people I ran with in school. And Kavitha, a old friend and fellow sportswomen who was running 10K.

Running Buddies – Bhawna & Me

I was excited that I might bump into these guys, but the person I was looking out for when I reached was my running buddy – Bhawna, who was the one who started it all for me when she signed up for the Pinkathon. And she wasn’t running alone, there was also Little B. 🙂

It all started with Zumba as a warm up at 5:30 but it was 7:15 by the time we got running. Why the delay, no idea but we’d warmed up three times and taken three loo breaks too before we got going. But once we set out, that was it.

Warm up was with Zumba

The Zumba just went on and on

Little B ran the first 500 meters with all her might and would have run more if the 2 hour wait hadn’t tired her out I think. But after she stepped away Bhawna and I started out in earnest, pushing each other to keep the pace as we weaved in and around the multitude of women walking.

The women I saw as I ran past them amazed me. There were women in all shapes and sizes, mothers carrying babies and even mothers pushing prams, but they ones who stood out for me were the visually impaired women. The turn out was supposed to be 11,000 women!

Little B in full run mode

Starting out on the run

Almost at the finish line

The Pink Man at Pinkathon

Phew! I Just finished my first 5K!

Running Buddies!

I finished my 5k in 39 minutes, not a great show but with all the obstacles through January, I was proud to finish. The run was a learning experience, a reminder of how much I enjoyed running and what I’d been missing all these years.

There were some learnings too, for my next Pinkathon –

– Don’t get to the venue too early. Just be on time.
– Carry water and food, just in case it starts late.
– Run the 10k (timed) to start on time and avoid the rush & heat.

I’m looking forward to running a lot more in future and the bar has been upped to try a 10K. It’s amazing how much joy there is in suffering. Can’t wait to get started on my next training program! 🙂

Do you run? Got tips for me? Books on running you recommend? All info is good info right now so please tell me all in comments. 🙂

P.S. – My first 5k Pinkathon would not have been possible without help from Che, who supported me throughout and made sure I ate right, and my mother who was the silent force helping me through those tough days of pain. Love you guys! xxx

P.P.S. – You can read Bhawna’s side of the story of Pinkathon on her blog – YellowMellowLife.com