According to Kenyan long-distance runner and Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge, "Self-discipline is not a one-night affair. One develops it step-by-step. You can't step into a gym for a day and build muscle. It takes time to build muscle. Similarly, to train for a marathon, you must follo...
Read More...I woke up on a beautiful Sunday morning feeling sore all over my body. I live in an area called Nungambakkam, in downtown Chennai. Downtown Chennai is as picturesque as it gets in the Indian city. With its narrow alleys and lanes, the area has always been a hive of activity. And, with the onset of t...
Read More...Last week after my long run in the IIT Madras Campus, I decided to venture into the forest area after leaving my mobile phone behind in my car. I let my body guide me, and I wandered into the woods at a tortoise's pace. I slowly felt nature enter me through my ears, eyes, nose, mouth, hands and ...
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Do you feel stuck in life? Do you feel like you can't seem to get anywhere in life no matter how hard you try? If so, you're not alone. Many people feel like this when they don't know how to break out of their current rut. But what if there was something you could do to help you get ahead in your li...
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There are three sources of calories, namely carbohydrates, fat and protein. Carbohydrates are the primary fuel for most runners, but our bodies can't store adequate amounts of carb fuel. That's the reason why bonking or hitting the wall happens for some during marathons and ultramarathons. There is ...
Read More...Initially, running will feel painful and wretched, but running will become addictive as years go by, but it is a healthy addiction. As you get used to the surge of endorphins flooding your brain, you will crave the daily fix of runner's high, forcing you to lace your running shoes frequently. The...
Read More...Many times, when we step outside to run, we begin to hear negative voices urging us to stop running. When we reach such a point, our body would want to give up, but it's the mind that gets one to the end. The mental aspect of running is essential to silence such mental barriers that arise during ...
Read More...Running can be reflective, and with time, a spiritual practice. When running, the physical act of putting one foot in front of the other often transcends into spirituality. Most of us look at running as an exercise or a physical practice that we hesitantly or unwillingly endure for the sake of fitne...
Read More...On a beautiful Sunday morning, at the Madras IIT campus, where I had just arrived, the sun simultaneously tooted its advent by goring its rays through the dense clouds, making the dewdrops on the grass glitter like pearls. Concomitantly, a gust of cool, crisp air caught me unawares. The swirling win...
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The best laid plans of mice and men, often go awry. Years ago, I came across these profound words in a poem written by Robert Burns, and it brought home a simple truth - Even the most well-thought out, seemingly foolproof plans guaranteed to succeed, have the potential to fail, thanks to a numb...
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Ginger Ginger is the readymade recovery booster sitting in your spice cupboard. Being a flavour-rich ingredient, with the extra taste it adds to recipes, ginger can also do you a world of good. Ginger as an ayurvedic medicine has found a place for centuries in Indian and Chinese treatments for il...
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Beta Alanine Being one of the non-essential amino acids, beta alanine is probably the only naturally occuring amino acids at the moment. Unlike other amino acids, this doesn’t play a role in protein builds. However, it works wonders during high intensity workouts by elevating muscle carnosine l...
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Electrolytes: Electrolytes are substances that are present in our body fluids that stimulate neural and muscular activity. Phosphate, magnesium, calcium, chloride, etc. are some of the common electrolytes. However, sodium and potassium are the key electrolytes for our body as it helps in balanc...
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Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAA) : Branched chain amino acids (BCAA) are essential health supplements but very similar to Omega 3 fatty acids, the human body isn’t capable of producing it. Intense training can lead to calorie deficits which in turn will take a large chunk off your muscle mass....
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Glutamine: Glutamine is also an amino acid that is produced in abundance in the body and is integrated with the brain, liver, lungs, adipose tissues and the skeletal muscle – which denotes it’s pretty much present in all important body functionaries. It serves as the fuel for the body’s imm...
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Calcium : Calcium is a mineral that plays a vital role in the upkeep of tooth and bone health. Even though it is profoundly found in dairy products, leafy greens and veggies, the number of people who are identified as calcium deficient are increasing by the day. Athletes in particular should be...
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For anyone flipping through a fitness / athlete magazine, you just cannot miss the massive ads and library of health supplements. Some of those well-sculpted bodies on those pages might overwhelm you beyond compare, but never let that fool you! More often than not, these supplements listed are best ...
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Long runs and outdoor running is synonymous with endurance training. In spite of runners loving to do the miles on the treadmill, it is recommended to take to the road as often as you can, to benefit both physical and mental health. As much as the truckloads of benefits it offers, running on the roa...
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A long run will deplete your physical and mental stores unless you learn how to recover fast and recover right. Recovering after a long run is crucial to tackling your other workouts. Hydrate Drink plenty of water to meet your fluid needs. As suggested early hydrating during the long run t...
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Long runs work around some basic principles that help not only cover the distance but also ensure that there is no runner burnout. These principles are basically those that runners need to adhere to, in other words the DOs of Long Runs. Those that the runners need to be vary of, I have listed as DON...
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There are no rules when it comes to the distance of the long run. More than the distance, it’s the endurance that you train for. Remember, not all long runs are created equal. The intensity and length of the run depends on the physical prowess of runners and their training & fitness goals. Ide...
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Great Question! This is a query that lingers in the mind any beginner feels when discussing long runs. When it comes to marathons, the day of the actual race will fetch you the result of all the training discipline that you follow the months and weeks preceding it. The long run offers the right plat...
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I don’t think there is any other sport or athletic performance where a single workout plays a Herculean part in its feat or defeat, as much as the Long Run in marathon training. Mention the term ‘Long Runs’ to athletes training for endurance; you might get a sly smile, a smirk or one of those ...
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Running isn’t just about putting one foot in front of the other. So much of this is mental, and I don’t mean that it’s nuts! When it comes to long distance running, be it a training stint or marathon runs, mental toughness becomes one of those important prerequisites. Not many around discus...
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