Come, Run With Me!

A typical evening run.

The Campaign

Usually, I write about a certain adventure that I went on, and focus on that particular struggle and subsequent triumph. This makes for a good story, and I get to relive the euphoria while recollecting those events for my articles. Such a narrative, however, hides the long and arduous preparation that is needed for such an undertaking.

Looking back, I never thought running 5 km in a single go was possible! The percentile data was taken from Run Repeat.

Good things take time. Getting better at something takes discipline. This story is about my journey in running.

Transformation 2020

2020 was an unprecedented year in our generation’s history. When COVID-19 hit, like everyone else locked down at home, I was in search of a hobby to pick up. Staying at my aunt’s house, my cousins and I used to play cricket in the backyard every evening. In April 2020, I weighed my heaviest at 83 kg and could not sustain a jog beyond 200 m. My general fitness levels had been dropping for the past few years. As such, it was not rock bottom but I wanted to do something about it. So, I picked up a bit of aerobic training on the elliptical trainer in the garage.

Initially , 5–6 km on the elliptical would take around 30 minutes and the workout would drain a whole lot out of me. After keeping at it for a couple of weeks, I was getting faster and less tired for the same distance. Rewarding my enthusiasm, my aunt and uncle bought a treadmill so that the whole family can start a fitness regiment. This proved to be a turning point.

At first, I could only do about 2–3 km on the treadmill while taking breaks or slowing down often— running was much different than training on the elliptical. Despite the early struggles, the idea of running longer was enticing and I loved the challenge!

Early runs on treadmill were not even 5 km long!

There were no distinct distance or time goals; I ran till I felt tired. The idea of 5 km distance as an event hadn’t crossed my mind. One of the first times I did this distance intentionally on the treadmill was in May 2020 and it took me 27:48 minutes. I was extremely happy that — first, I could run that far without pausing, and second, I now found a new goal to work towards!

Indoors vs. Outdoors

In June 2020, I moved back to campus and started running outdoors. Road/trial running felt different than running indoors — you had to plan the route, watch out for pedestrians and traffic, and more importantly — if you’re tired or hurting, you just couldn’t just give up or you’d be stuck far from home! However, running outdoors was very gratifying. I went to places that I wouldn’t usually go on foot, observed nature around me in keen detail, and felt alive during the weary lockdown phase! I had my phone in hand and used the Google Fit app to track my distance and pace.

On his birthday, I took my teen cousin out for a run to this beautiful pond in San Ramon. I’m sure he found it to be a fun present!

I pulled in a couple of friends and we would run 4–5 times a week, sometimes reluctantly. By October 2020, my 5km PB was just under 25 minutes and I would frequently run a 10 km distance in under 55 minutes as well. My stamina had gradually improved to sustain longer runs.

As mild winter started setting in, running became less often, and I completely stopped in December 2020 when I went home to India. Naturally, the aerobic base that I built was fading and I started gaining weight again. This hiatus from running continued for almost 6 months, till April 2021. Apart from that odd run, I just couldn’t find my interest to get back into it.

A New “Lace” on Running

I restarted running in April 2021 through the persuasion of my friend Krishna. I installed Strava to motivate myself, and keep a track of the habit. I remember one of the first runs we went together where I went all guns blazing in the first few hundred meters, only to struggle terribly later on. All of 2020’s gains were almost wiped out as I had to rebuild my aerobic base, stamina, speed, and mental grit from scratch.

This time, to prevent from dropping out of my hobby, I set myself a whimsical target — running 5k in under 20 minutes. To build towards this goal, I bought a fitness watch — Garmin Forerunner 245 — which would aid my training plans. Although arbitrary, this long-term goal fueled my passion towards becoming a better runner.

It took about two months to get back to my previous form and consistently run under 24 minutes for the 5k. I was happy to see my progress. In August 2021, I moved to Hawai’i (the Big Island) and things just kept getting better! Life in Hawai’i is awesome. Along with countless adventures on the Big Island, my general fitness started to improve. Every other week Krishna and I set out on 5k time trials to improve our PB by a couple of seconds. In 3 weeks, I managed to shave off close to 20 seconds off my previous PB to reach 22:13 minutes. Ending the run by the ocean and cooling down in the turquoise water was a blissful feeling.

Discovering a New Dimension

In November 2021, I bought a road bike after settling down on Maui, and along with one of the most adventurous people I know — Mike Gibbons (who is 75, and is a beast on the bike!) — started biking all over the island. Averaging around 400 km a month, cycling was both fun and helped me build my anaerobic fitness. Cycling added a new dimension to my running journey!

While in Maui, a lot of friends visited me from the mainland. Over dinner one evening, my friend Sam Abernathy and I were discussing how my running sessions have not been fruitful. For almost 8 months now, I’ve wanted to break the 20-minute barrier but was a long shot away from it. Although there have been improvements, as evident from my recent progress on the Big Island, there was a lot of work yet to be done. Sam mentioned the idea of running slower to get faster— running most of your mileage in zone 2/3 (easy/aerobic) while adding key sessions of fast-paced intervals, tempo runs, and sprints. Sounds controversial, but this approach is backed by science. Apparently, zone 2/3 runs build a robust cardiovascular system that help in increase mileage and pace. For almost 2 years, I had a very unstructured training plan, running almost all-out every time I stepped out, not focussing on my weekly mileage, and no scheduled time for recovery. Starting from December 2021, I organized my running habits to increase variety and volume. Starting from a modest 15 km a week, I was now doing 30 km a week by February 2022.

My weekly training plan for a faster 5k.

I follow this plan more or less rigorously, with certain weeks focussing more on speed work, and others on cycling. A generic plan like this can be tailored to suit anyone’s needs — just replace your target pace and heart zones in the above table. These measured running sessions paired with frequent cycling climbs gave me a major boost. I could sustain faster pace for a longer time all the while maintaining a lower heart rate. Time trials were occasional but in early February 2022, I ran a PB for the 5k of 21:39 minutes shaving off more than 30 seconds from my previous best effort!

Race Day — Maui 5k

I signed up for my first ever race — the 11th Maui 5k Race which is organized every year at the Maui Ocean Center by the Ma’alaea Bay. I trusted the training process and was confident that I could give my best at the race.

On Sunday, March 6th, I woke up at 5:30 AM, ate a light breakfast and drove 10 minutes to the venue. There were butterflies in my stomach — I kept telling myself that I’ve been doing this distance for almost two years now, and it should feel like any other run. The prospect of a sub-21 minute 5k (or better?!) added extra pressure on me.

Race Day! Runners lining up at the Start line.

With twilight faintly lighting up the crowded race course, the safety brief was given at 6:40 AM. Around 450 runners and another 100 walkers/strollers lined up at the start line. The gun went off sharp at 7:00 AM. Being a staggered start, the clock time starts only after you pass the start line.

I could definitely feel the adrenaline surging in me as I saw many runners zoom past me in the initial hundred meters. I had to stick to my plan and fight the urge to go all-out in the initial phase of the race. My strategy to go under 21 minutes was simple in theory— to hold a steady pace of 4:05 min/km for the first two kilometers, ease off in the third and fourth kilometer to 4:10–4:15 min/km, and do a sub-4 min/km for the last one. Things in real life are rarely this straightforward.

As I saw several of the initial speedsters fade away after a kilometer or two, the playing field emerged and I was scanning for someone to draft behind. Being my first ever race, I was nervous and couldn’t maintain a steady pace. At about the halfway distance, I finally settled in and was ready to execute my plan.

The first half of the course was on an incline with elevation gain of just over 50 m. Although I was ahead of my current PB, I was still behind my plan for a sub-21 time. To make up for the slower first half, I ran an explosive second half and chased down a couple of runners. The last 500 m was a quick sprint at 2:30 min/km between me and another competitor. I could hear his footsteps closing down and I pushed with all my strength to pull away at the finish line. Right at the finish line, I saw the digital clock which was still in the 19 min range and was in an utter shock! I stopped my watch and let out a gasp when I saw my time was under 20 minutes! I checked the live results to confirm the time and there it was — 19:39.7 minutes! I smashed my previous 5k PB by over a minute and I hadn’t even planned on doing a sub-20 5k that day! My joy couldn’t be contained!

I exchanged greetings with several runners as we were all discussing the race. I particularly thanked the guy chasing me at the finish line for pushing me beyond what I though I could; in return, he expressed his admiration for my kick at the finish line. As more runners came pouring in over the finish line, I sat near the dais and was enjoying the festive mood all around. I was happy, calm, and content.

Post-race fun!

At the awards ceremony, I was pleasantly surprised when I realized I came 2nd in the 25–29 age category! That was the cherry on top for an incredible day.

I could not have asked for a better 5k race debut!

Other Distances

Evidently, I favor the 5k distance. Any distance shorter, and I can’t find time to strategize. A longer distance usually demands more endurance. Holding pace for longer distances is something I would like to train for. Although I have made significant progress in my 10k PB (47:05 as of February 2022), my goal still remains to get faster in the 5k distance.

The Trail Ahead

Motivated by my recent result, I plan to continue training till a sub-20 time becomes a regular occurrence in my runs. I want to expand my horizon in other distances and trail running as well. Increasing my mileage from 100 km to greater than 150 km a month is one of my immediate goals. In the longer term, I want to be able to do a half marathon in under 1 hr 45 minutes.

My running journey in numbers. Here, I have plotted my progression over the 5000 m (5k) distance. The y-axis on the right shows relative improvement w.r.t. the previous personal best (PB).

The road ahead excites me, and I want to get faster and run longer! Here are a few key lessons I’ve learning through this expedition —

1. Growth is non-linear, and sometimes downwards too! Stare at the graph — particularly the green curve. I used to get disappointed when I did not see any immediate improvement in my pace or stamina. I learned to trust the process, and tweak it when necessary. Growth is never instantaneous but is always happening in the background.
2. Fighting inertia while developing or sustaining a habit. To this day, I still feel lazy on few days to go out for a run and it is a struggle to shut the mental chatter. I forget how good I feel after a run, and my mind reminds me of the struggles and pain. Confront this uncomfortable feeling and don’t let it overpower you! Take scheduled rests but do not skip training!
3. Setting long-term goals really helps. It is very easy to lose your way after some time unless you realign with your own North star. Set goals that you think you can achieve in a year or farther out. Take smaller steps towards it and build your rhythm. Renew your goals and cement your motivation through them.
4. Running has been truly life-changing for me! Apart from a healthier physique, running has improved my mental health considerably. The post-run endorphins leave me with a calm and pleasant mood every time. An evening run helps me wind down easily at nights. Long runs have drilled a certain discipline in me which helps me push that extra bit in every aspect of my life — at work, in maintaining my social life, and at other hobbies too! Overall, running has holistically improved my life.

You can follow my daily progress on Stava!