Pre-Delhi write-up

(Written on October 28, '09)

So, a little background and an insight into what I’m doing at the moment as far as running goes. I’m scheduled to make my debut into the world of racing and finally earn the title of ‘runner’ with the Delhi Half Marathon on November 1st. Honestly; I’ve been all over the place training for this one. I first toyed around with the idea of registering for this race around 4 months ago, when I had just about hit 8-10k runs. Bad choice for such a piddly mileage runner, but back then, it was for fun sake only.

I was doing roughly 10k distance about three times a week and two of those times were on a treadmill at the gym. I’ve been a treadmill runner for many years and always balked at the idea of running outdoors. Exposing myself to the elements (of pollution and sun) seemed the most preposterous idea ever. I’m a diva like that. Figures then that I never gave Delhi a serious thought.

But then things changed pretty dramatically one morning when I ran around a cricket field out of sheer boredom. 10k in approximately 56 mins.—I was stoked! I thought, “Maybe I can do this. Maybe I can race.” That was about the time I started training. No plan in place, I just did what I thought would work for me. And so I started running around the field every other day.

It’s been off and on training for the Delhi Half since then. At one point in the early days, I had to take a week off from training due to overtraining exhaustion and a sore hip. The last two months involved, what I’d consider; some form of “serious” training. Although I still wasn’t following a particular plan, my runs included tempos, strides, and the requisite long runs. The goal has been to first build a mileage base without falling asleep at work, and then worry about pacing. The results mirror the expected: I’ve managed to crank up the miles to 12 but am sorely lagging behind as far as speedwork is concerned.

Anywhos, at least 13.1 doesn’t seem like such a daunting number and that’s a relief. Of course, the champion that I am, I also have a goal time in mind. But I’m not going to let that out just yet. We’ll wait to see what happens on the 1st.

So, the way things stand at this moment in time, there are now ONLY 3 DAYS left to Delhi! Eeeps!