BNP Green Samachaar April '15

APRIL 2015

R u n n e r s' Q u a r t e r l y

For Private Circulation Only

T h e

APRIL 2015

T h e

Cover Photo

R u n n e r s' Q u a r t e r l y

Mahesh Nagwekar - President & Punit Chandiwala Vice President of BNP Green Runners during BNP Endurathon 25.0. Captured by Avani Patel

Editorial Team Geeta Pahalajani, Anant Anantharam, Pramod Pai

Designing Team Pramod Pai, Rajesh Makwana

Disclaimer All contents in this newsletter are opinions & views of the individual authors and contributors. Neither BNP Green Runners, the club, its office bearers nor the editors are responsible for the content or the views expressed.

Feedback Like it, love it or hate it? Tell us what you feel & tell us how we can make BNP Green Samachaar - The Runners' Quarterly better. Write to us at: nlbnpgr@gmail.com

Submissions Send us your articles, blogs & contributions in plain text format and pictures & images in hi-resolution .jpg format to: nlbnpgr@gmail.com

Amit Sheth Amit is an accomplished runner and the Ambassador of the 89 km Comrades Ultra Marathon - The Ultimate Human Race. His collection of essays, 'Dare to Run' is a bestseller. These essays will motivate and inspire you not only to run but also to test & push your limits, to conquer your fears and above all, to relentlessly pursue your dreams

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A healthy mind in a healthy body!

The circumference of our earth is 40,075 kms and (if you do a back-of-the-envelope calculation) we, the members of BNP Green Runners, must have easily covered 5 times that distance - about 200,000 kms in the last one year, i.e. since the inception of BNPGR. Wow! Wow!! Wow!!!

Captured by Avani Patel

Impossible as it may seem, but this is what we have achieved. We all have different reasons for running, different abilities, different goals, but have at least one thing in common... the love of Running. And together we seem to be achieving seemingly unimaginable goals.

So we thought of doing something more to this bunch of runners, make their association stronger and connect them meaningfully with each other. And hence an idea was born and was aptly christened BNP Green Samachaar – The Runners' Quarterly.

The objective was two-fold: to serve as a medium that fosters communication & collaboration amongst our members and enables access to useful information & knowledge resources.

The goal is to try to achieve what ASICS stands for: Anima Sana In Corpora Sano; a healthy mind in a healthy body.

The responsibility, however, of achieving these objectives, does not lie only on the editorial team; it is the responsibility of every member of the club who likes to call himself a runner & strives to become better than what he was yesterday.

BNP Green Samachaar – The Runners' Quarterly is only a medium & the content needs to come from 'You'. So c'mon runners, flood our inbox with blogs, articles, anecdotes, poems, trivia, pictures, feedbacks & suggestions. Share stuff & enrich the community. Remember Uncle Sam's famous words “We need YOU!” So without further ado, we present, the first ever issue of your very own BNP Green Samachaar – The Runners' Quarterly with interesting contributions from our runner friends, our managing committee & a celebrity from our running family. Hope you enjoy it!

Yours in running...

The Editorial Team

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T h e

R u n n e r s' Q u a r t e r l y

Book Review of ‘RUNNING on faith’ by jason lester Pg 05

What's Inside 04. CONTRIBUTOR'S PROFILE 05. StarStruck Finding it - With some help from BNP Green Runners!

- Amit Sheth

06. BNP Green Runners A Brief History

07. Book Review Running on Faith by Jason Lester - Anantharam

08. Running: My Other Life - Supriya Shashidhar

09. Triumph - Deepa Mahambre

10. Inflaming Vs.

Anti-Inflammation Foods - An article by Anantharam

10. Causeathon - Rupal Shah

12. Reflections of

an Injured Runner - Sanjay Raut

13. Quiz Corner | Dan's Den 14. Running... My drug of choice

The PRE-Race Run Booster

15. Running companions

Pg 15

16. Running Matters

- Sameer Pawar

- Rupal Shah

- Punit Chandiwala

17. The Pre-race Run Booster A recipe by Anantharam

18. BNPGR Next Quarter (April ~ May ~ June '15) Event Calendar

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Contributor's Profile Rupal Shah Anantharam Anant's philosophy that goaded him to start running was 'Better late than never'. That was the best decision of his 58 years old life. Learning is his key strength and running complements it.

He believes, as a learner, the learning potential is unending and the competition is with oneself. He has managed to improve his timings over the last few years from 1:08:01 (2010) to 52:32 finish for 10k. For HM his timing improved from 02:39:16 (2010) to 02:00:47. His personal best for FM was 04:31:57 this year from 05:48:13 in 2013. He attributes his happiness and wellness completely to running.

Rupal Shah is an artist & designer by profession. A multifaceted personality, she is also a professor, trekker, rock climber and a runner. She is passionate about travelling, reading & sports.

Sameer Pawar Sameer Pawar likes to keep himself fit and healthy. He has a keen interest in physical activities and likes outdoor activities like trekking, biking, traveling to different places. He is an avid reader and loves listening to music. He works as a designer for Oerlikon Barmag.

Deepa Mahambre Deepa is a working and on-the-run mommy ! She made a "TO DO" list when she turned forty and to run a half marathon figured on the list. She was taking the mothering part too seriously, much to the chagrin of her teenaged kids. So she decided to overcome the self-imposed guilt pangs and just try doing something entirely for HERSELF. And so she did it! She is three half marathons old and is learning every day and is loving every minute of it. She is a teacher who loves to work with under- privileged kids. Love to read and live to laugh is her mantra!

Punit Chandiwala Punit Chandiwala is a passionate runner. Running has changed Punit in innumerable ways! Apart from physical changes, the unseen changes are many and unfathomable. He has run more than 10 half marathons, 2 full marathons, two 50 km ultramarathons. Professionally, he is an businessman and has been into supply of construction material since 1997.

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Sanjay Raut Sanjay Raut has been into regular exercising since his college days. He recently attempted the January SCMM 2015 full Marathon. A unique fact about him is that his family of four are all into running. He is a civil engineer by profession.

Supriya Shashidhar Supriya Shashidhar has been running and participating in marathons since 2009. Her first half was in SCMM which she completed in 2.37. After 3 half marathons she graduated to the full. Her best time so far is 5.07. She has participated in the Bangalore Ultra 50 km where she was 1st runner up. Supriya is an avid reader and loves English fiction. She also enjoys music.

Her dream is to work for the welfare of stray dogs.

Finding it - with some help from BNP Green Runners! ~ Amit Sheth

Most of the time, I'm full of myself. I am always convinced that I know everything about everything. I just know that I am always right!

My misplaced confidence stems from the fact that I read a lot.

Having read something about an issue often leads me to believe that I know everything about it.

Take running for example. For the last 9 years I had believed that I don't really need personal advice from any coach. I had so many books and they were full of information and training programs. And so I figured that there was no need to have a living breathing person, give me any advice.

Finally a year ago I saw the error of my ways. Meeting and taking personal advice from a coach changed everything for me.

I've since become a stronger runner because of the advice I received.

I used to hold the same mistaken notion about my exercise sessions in the gym. I have Arnold Schwarzenegger's book, “The Encyclopaedia of Modern Bodybuilding.” After reading this massive volume, I figured I don't really need a living-breathing human being helping me in the gym. I was so totally wrong!

We will never find what we are looking for if we don't know what to look for. There is a picture in the book where Arnold sits on the Lateral Pull down machine and does his thing. On my own, I never noticed the nuances of his stance as he sat on the machine, until my good friend Nisheel Poddar sorted me out.

As I said, sometimes we are blind to the obvious. All we need is a little push in the right direction. All of us need some wise master to get us started. A coach is needed to answer a few evolving questions and to encourage us as we pursue our dreams.

Each person's path to enlightenment is unique but those who have been on the same search can always teach us a little bit about the way. Once we get started, perhaps we can wean away from the master and search for our own unique path. But in the early days, it's just easier to have someone show us the ropes.

Of course, one can argue that everything can be learnt without a master. Yes that is possible. But why spend so much time and energy in reinventing the wheel? So much time and energy might end up being spent in pushing the cart sideways. Why not

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let someone show you just how to push in the right direction?

My friends at the BNP Green Runners have started a wonderful initiative to help novice runners take their first step. My friends have amongst them a vast reservoir of wisdom which any novice runner will be able to draw from.

I remember all the questions I used to have in those early days of running: 1) Do I breathe from my nose or from my mouth?

2) Can I walk when tired?

3) What must I wear?

4) What must I eat?

5) What about shoes, black toe-nails, chafing?

6) How do I build endurance?

7) What about speed training & hill training?

After 9 years of running, I am still evolving. I have new questions to my old answers.

I keep on meeting new masters who guide me along. I take advice from them and then I experiment for myself. All masters are not perfect and neither are all students. It is always a workin-progress.

So do I need someone to still show me the way? Absolutely!

I will always need someone to point me in the right direction.

Osho once explained the need for a little push in the right direction: “A little boy worrying through his first day at school, raised his hand for permission to go to the wash-room, then returned to the class a few moments later to report that he could not find it.

Dispatched a second time with explicit directions, he could still could not find it. So this time the teacher asked a slightly older boy to act as his guide.

Success crowned his efforts!

“We finally found it,” explained the older boy to the teacher.

“He had his pants on backwards.”

I'm sure my friends at BNP Green Runners will help you find whatever you're searching for.

Good Luck!

BNP Green Runners - A Brief History There could be nothing more apt to term BNP Green Runners (BNPGR) as the club of the people, by the people, for the people.

In the summer of 2014, some like-minded enthusiastic runner friends got together and a circle of runners was formed to share the joy of running amongst one and all. The club formation idea clicked and the club was formally registered as a Not-for-Profit club.

Since its inception, the club has expanded rapidly, mainly due to the enthusiasm for running shown by our members. The total number of BNPGR members today exceeds 250.

Some of the ongoing activities of BNPGR 1. BNPGR Supported Monthly Runs - BNPGR supports all the runners regularly on the last Sunday of the month.

The support is in terms of water, enerzal and bananas and cheering. Volunteers are available from 07:30 AM to 09:30 AM. 2. Regular training programs •

Couch to 30 Minutes Run - This is a 9 week program which helps a complete novice to run for 30 minutes, approximately 4 kms in a steady scientific manner with gradual increase in mileage. In-house members have trained participants in the four training sessions held so far

•

Training for 10 Kms Run - In order to accelerate “Couch to 30 minutes”, participants training further we launched ‘Training for 10 km run’.

Take a walk through the months marking BNPGR achievements: 1. Arranged a Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Demonstration & Training - A three hour demo cum training session was organized by the 5 times Comrades finisher Satish Gujran in association with BNPGR club. This session was organized free of cost for BNPGR members and Raheja residents. Emphasis was laid on saving a life from a possible death by means of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). There were 50 participants who attended the demonstration.

2. Ran the Satara Hill Marathon as a group - BNP Green Runners travelled together to Satara HM. A fun lively travel ensued followed by the run.

3. Organized a Blood Donation Camp - A blood donation camp was organized in association with a Blood bank in Borivali and Girishikhar Society. We managed to donate 60 bottles of blood.

4. Organized BNP Endurathon 25.0 - BNPGR organized a 25.0 km race on 11th October 2014. It was open to all the runners in Mumbai. The funds collected helped us donate cycles to Sanjay Gandhi Borivli National Park.

5. Felicitated all the finishers of Bangalore Ultra 2014 Bangalore Ultra runners were felicitated. Our beloved friends shared their vivid and fascinating experiences.

6. Participated in the Tiranga Run - 6 runner friends from BNPGR participated in the Tiranga Run organized by Zee Network. 65 runners from all over India carried the Tiranga from Mumbai, Gateway of India to India Gate, New Delhi. A proud moment for all of us indeed.

7. Co-organised and sponsored the MRR-BNPGR Bandra-NCPA Endurathon promo run.

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The current managing committee comprises of: 1. Mahesh Nagwekar - Headman (President) 2. Puneet Chandiwala - Budget Man (Vice President) 3. Ananthram - WhatsApp Propaganda Man (Secretary) 4. Sunil Agarwal - Money Man (Treasurer) 5. Shashidhar Shankar - Vision Man 6. Pramod Pai - Idea Man 7. Varun Singh Thakur - Crackerjack Set up Man 8. Sanjay Padmanabhan - The Technology Man The committee members meet regularly to ensure that the club operations run smoothly.

Going Forward: Extending Our Reach From the outset BNPGR club has managed to combine sharp competitiveness with a great social atmosphere, something we strive to maintain even today. All runners have always been welcomed and encouraged. Everybody is equal, and all mix socially. We aim to harness the collective wisdom of all our runners and extend our mission of promoting running every day, everywhere.

The club has decided to start regular activities in which the members can participate. This will help the members bond with each other & share the joy of running.

Book review:

Running On Faith

by Jason Lester with Tim Vandehey ~ Anantharam

ULTRAMAN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: Swimming 6.2 miles followed by biking for 261.4 miles and finishing by Running 52.4 miles (2 FMs)!!

It would be a grave limitation to classify this as a sports or a book dedicated to Running – indeed this is about leading a Winning Life!

Now Imagine competing nay excelling in WORLD'S premium ULTRAMARATHONS but with a small difference – with ONE ARM paralyzed! ..…somehow the word 'INSPIRATIONAL' seems inadequate…

The extremely humble and self-effacing nature of Jason makes the read especially endearing and almost spiritual in nature and Indeed one is not surprised by the almost miraculous life changing event that Jason confesses is happening to him towards the end of the book….

Meet JASON LESTER - ULTRAMAN par excellence and in the words of Dean Karnazes (New York Times Bestselling author of Ultramarathon Man): “Jason swims 6.2 miles in under six hours using only his left arm and legs. That's so hard core it's difficult to even imagine. Now imagine that you have just reached the end of the swim, grateful to be back on dry land, and you've got to jump on a racing cycle and race for more than 90 miles. While the other competitors have been resting their legs and swimming mostly with their arms, you don't have that option. You have got to compensate for your immobile arm by kicking. So your quads and hamstrings are already fatigued by the time you get on the bike, but no one cares… “ This book is all about Jason's life and in his own words – how he got hit by a speeding car at the age of 12 and how he decided to pursue a life following his passion – extreme sports.

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This book is a compelling read not only for the passion and hope that it generates but also for the depicting the unlimited possibilities that any human being can achieve in their lives by sheer belief, dedication and perseverance.

“Endurance is not just the ability to bear a hard thing, but to turn it into glory.”

- William Barclay

Running: My other life ~ Supriya Shashidhar

I have always been a wannabe runner. After the birth of my first son, I wanted to get fit and most importantly get into my jeans.

In some cases, vanity is actually good! In this case, it helped me set a very tangible goal and importantly one that was measurable and realistic.

I started my initial runs around Shivaji Park. These were just unstructured runs - we're talking about almost 21 years ago.

There was no training of any kind. For me, it was all about getting into those jeans! So I'd get up every morning and run 4 rounds around the Park. No pre run warm up and no post run stretches. Looking back, I guess I was lucky to be injury free and happy with just running!

In later years, though I've always been into some form of fitness, running stopped. Till my husband, Shashi caught the running bug. Now Shashi never does things by half measures. He always dreams big… so running too had to be on a large platform. So one fine day, he says, we will participate in the SCMM Half Marathon. I was astounded! Shashi was not the fittest person on the planet. Neither of us had a clue about training for a half marathon. We weren't runners. We had no idea how we were going to actually complete this distance!

Shashi downloaded a program from the net - from Hal Higdon.

We practiced pretty diligently week after week. SCMM 2009 race day - jitters and all, we got going. 21.1 kms and some interesting effort later, we crossed the finish line!! The feeling of going the distance is absolutely indescribable. The sense of achievement, the feeling of being on top of the world is like no other. Pain, aches and all, we were totally hooked!

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Running our first half marathon inspired us to join a group of runners. Again it was Shashi who was the driving force behind this move. His rationale was since we like running, let's meet with more experienced runners and learn. Our first running buddies were Giles Drego, Ashok Someshwar, Ram Venkatraman, Bharat Oza, Bhasker Desai, Genevieve Bodiwala and a whole bunch of like-minded people. We used to meet at BNP. We learnt the importance of warming up before starting a run and of stretching after the run. Slowly, we met more and more people who were as crazy as we were about running.

As we gained in confidence, we set our sights on participating in events outside of Mumbai. Some of my most memorable runs have been with friends. The second edition of the Satara Hill Marathon saw a large group from BNP making our way to Satara.

The bus ride was filled with fun and laughter! We had the yummiest potluck party. Ankur's wife had sent mouth-watering sheera. Kaushik brought homemade whole wheat cake. Arjun had packed pasta (awesome!). There were a whole bunch of other dishes and snacks. We take our carbo loading very seriously! Time passed by quickly with everyone singing their hearts out over antakshari. The stars were the Daves - Dilip and Kashmira were, of course, on opposing teams. Dilipbhai had ample opportunities to sing romantic songs to his better half.

The run itself was a challenging 8.5 km climb with a rolling track throughout. Daunting to say the least. Mahesh's mantra of “I Love Hills” saw me through the climb. The descent was rather good fun!

We've been to the Pondicherry/Auroville Marathon twice. This marathon is truly about the Joy of Running. Very often, in our

desire to better ourselves, we focus on our timing. We lose sight of the most important dimension - that we enjoy running and it's so much fun! This marathon has no timing chips. The route is through Auroville and the forest around it. It twists and turns unexpectedly, with never a dull moment. The support is very well organised with plenty of water, electral, nutrition and medical facilities. A hot South Indian breakfast and a uniquely designed Finishers' Medal complete the experience.

Pondicherry itself is a must see destination. The strong French Colonial influence creates an atmosphere of quirky charm. A nice place to tarry awhile.

Another must do event is the Bangalore Ultra Marathon. With a route through the Hennur Bamboo Forest (this is a trail run), the most outstanding volunteers and support arrangement and the superb food served during and post run, this is one event that everyone should experience at least once. Of course, the distances are a bit more of a challenge, but great fun nevertheless.

I'd love to run the Hyderabad Marathon - touted to be tough with endless climbs and brutal weather. The Airtel Delhi Half Marathon is said to be an enjoyable run with the real possibility of a PB (Personal Best) in crisp, cool weather. More recently the Atul Run (10 Km) was very well organised and a lot of fun too! Our very own BNP Endurathon 25.0 has all the elements of a gruelling challenge. This year's run is in July - I'm looking forward!

There are so many factors that make participating in various events so very enjoyable. The opportunity to see new places.

After all, who would have thought of going to Satara? But thanks to the event, we did and were absolutely awed by the beauty of the flora at the Kaas Plateau. One gets the opportunity to be close to nature. In urban marathons, one gets a pretty good “darshan� of the city - though with running, one may not always appreciate what one is seeing - unless it is someone like Shailesh who has a photographic memory and mentally records the entire experience. Also, generally one goes in a group - after all, what could be better than spending a couple of days with runner friends doing what we love best? Totally stress free fun!

Today, I can't imagine not running. It is such an important part of who I am. Running gives you so much! For starters, you look great! Your skin has a natural glow that no facial can match.

Secondly, you feel happy - really good about yourself and have great energy levels. Thirdly, and importantly, is the social dimension - a very happy consequence of running. I've met so many people from different walks of life with varied backgrounds and interests. The common thread amongst all of us is the love of running. I've yet to meet a more warm, inclusive and encouraging set of people. It's not as if there is no competition. Of course there is. However, at the end of the day, it's not just about who's faster. There are always a whole bunch of people who are faster than you - equally a whole bunch who are slower. The real competition is always with oneself. Run because it's fun. Run because you love it. Just Run!

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Triumph ~ Deepa Mahambre

TRIUMPH is a great word, but it is the first syllable that counts. Who ever found any meaning in "umph"? ~ Anonymous My brows slightly creased, But my eyes gleaming, Sweat dripping, Heart thumping, Body aching, Mind screaming, I ran as fast as I could and I did finish.

But hey, I DID TRY. Alarm ringing, Clock ticking, Kids screaming.

Food to be packed, Groceries to be stacked.

So much to be done, Hell...why do I run?

Not enough time, I need to catch up.

God! I hope the maid turns up!

But hey, I DID TRY. Its a sunday, Long run today.

Shouldn't miss it says the book, A few kilometers into the run, My mind goes....what do I cook?

The kids ask...what's for lunch today?

Something special? Its a Sunday.

Muscles sore, I feel immobile, But I manage a weak smile, As I place an order from the restaurant nearby.

But hey, I DID TRY. Stretches, lunges, sit- ups and more, Every muscle protesting galore, Gym, weight training...what a bore, But have to do it, to strengthen that core, For glutes, calf, ITB and much more.

Yoga, diet and it doesn't end here, The dreadful word, injury, I fear.

But hey, I DID TRY. When I look back someday, Will feel proud all the way, Will hold my head high and say, Hey, I DID TRY.

Inflaming vs.

Anti-Inflammation Foods ~ Article shared by Anantharam In our running journey, we are prone to pain, soreness and inflammations. Inflammation is a condition in which a part of the body shows symptoms of becoming red, swollen, hot and most of the time - painful. This is caused as a reaction to injury or infection. We can see inflammation when it's on the outside of the body. But what about internal inflammation? This can be caused by any number of reasons. One way to combat it and your quality of life is to eat a lot of foods that fight inflammation from inside the body. The Pyramid summarizes the essential food that helps us fight inflammation.

Causeathon ~ Rupal Shah Innocent faces…twinkling eyes, Restless feet… hands Fidgeting, All raring to go, No fear, no scare, From the word go, Off they flew… unstoppable, By the sun beating down, Feet barely touching the ground, Before lifting up again, No worries about…

Winning nor losing, No fancy watches nor garmins, They listened to their hearts, Guided by their bodies, A picture of focus, Each one flying over the line, With a smile ear to ear, Excitement & achievement on their faces, Pure Joy, a glow of satisfaction These are the kids from whom we have a lot to learn ABOUT THE JOY OF RUNNING.

S W E N FLASH Mahadev Samjiskar wins a Silver & a Bronze in National Athletics 2015

Article inspiration BabaMail (http://www.ba-bamail.com/) Images courtesy of: Suat Eman, Maggie Smith, Ambro, suphakit73, smokedsalmon, smarnad, africa, zirconicusso, Habbick /freedigitalphotos.net

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Mahadev Samjiskar's latest win in National Masters Athletic Championship 2015 makes BNPGR members very proud of him. He won a a silver medal in 1500 mtrs race with a finish time of 7.06 mins. And a bronze in 5000 mtrs race with a finish time of 27.56 mins. He will be participating in the Australian Master Games 2015 scheduled from 3rd Oct to 10th Oct 2015 in Adelaide.

Many Congratulations to him and way to go! Here's wishing him all the best for his Adelaide endeavor!!!

BNP ENDURATHON 2015 BNP ENDURATHON 25.0 IS BACK. THIS TIME WITH A YOUNGER BROTHER BNP ENDURATHON 12.5.

AND THE DATE IS 18TH JULY 2015 THE REGISTRATIONS ARE NOW OPEN!!!

Reflections of an injured runner... ~ Sanjay Raut

“Kaushik... Hello Kaushik... I am leaving this run and going back home” the words I spoke when I first severely injured my knee during a practice run.

SCMM 2015 was my first marathon. I had been running for a year. I was excited and cautious at the same time. I thought I had learnt a lot about running. But how wrong I was….

I was limping profusely. It was difficult to walk even 10 feet from an auto to the lift of my building. I was unable to carry my body weight or balance it. Barely three months into running and all kind of evil thoughts were making me restless. Initially I consulted a physiotherapist, however she could not diagnose my injury cause. The injury only aggravated.

When I reached 16.5k mark, I felt something unusual on my left foot. There were stinging signals from my arch towards the toe.

I slowed down immediately. After some time I resumed with the same slow pace with intermittent walk breaks at every 2-3 kms. At the 18km mark, I felt a sharp pain and I started walking right there. My luck befell, my right leg started paining. It had never happened before, not even during the practice runs of 37 kms.

Few days later I spoke to an orthopaedic friend of mine. After examining X-rays he said “Nothing serious but you cannot run for 3 months”. He added “Mostly this kind of injury occurs due to an improper warm up”. It made sense! I had attempted a long run without warm up. Why? Because I was LATE! For the first 2-3 days, I was on painkillers. I put on the hinged knee braces as advised by the doctor. For the uninitiated, hinged knee braces are worn for prevention or rehabilitation of knee ligament injuries. The pain started subsiding. My first Eureka moment! I perfectly understood the problem and may be the corresponding treatment.

In our running community, people are always available to help fellow runners. I spoke to Shri Sunil Shetty. He had been observing our groups activity. He rightly pointed out, we were doing too much too soon, running too fast without proper training and absolutely no strength training. Injuries were inevitable. I took on his advice seriously and started upper body workouts in the gym. In a month I gradually started leg strengthening exercises. And there I was back on track!

One fine morning, by chance I joined the couch to 30 group for a warm up session. I was pretty surprised to see the group religiously doing the exercises so well. Ever humble Varun and Joyous Paras were coaching the team. I now understood the proper techniques for warm ups and cool downs.

I was not worried but a little upset. During the year long journey, I had learned from my seniors to keep the race completion thought behind when your body refuses to obey. Alas! How far could I go limping and dragging my beloved body. I used pepper spray on the areas that pained and started walking. Around 21kms, I realized the potential threat and stopped. I sat on the divider to relax. STOP? LEAVE? STOP? LEAVE? I finally decided.

Fellow group runners were surprised, when I shared my intention of leaving the race.

I reached out to the doctor the very next day and again she could not explain the reason of my injury. The pain on my right foot arch had subsided considerably. I searched the internet for foot pain and found that it was probably the pain in the tissues called plantar fascia. Thereafter I was down to gymming and walking only. Running took a backseat for almost 2 weeks.

I resumed running at BNP in the last week of February 2015.

When I crossed the 4km mark, I was forced to stop. This time my left knee joint gave way. Not again !!!!

I have been trying to figure out the source of my injuries. I have a healthy diet, I take proper rest, go to the gym thrice a week, do leg strengthening exercises, proper warm ups. After much deliberation, I even purchased the right set of shoes. Yet injuries haunt me like ghosts!

My second Eureka moment! I realized the reason of my injury was improper training

The question that troubles me is FIR BHI KYON???

Everything was going great. I was enjoying running and my half marathons to the T. SCMM practice was in full swing. No pain, no muscle soreness, no cramps, no fatigue during practice runs!

What is it that I need to do right? Should I consult a senior sports physiotherapist? Should I opt for a full body analysis? Can you help answer?

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Quiz Corner Quiz on Borivali National Park (Sanjay Gandhi National Park) 1) What is the area of BNP? a. 6 sq.km.

2) Adolf (Adi) Dassler started Adidas. His brother, Rudolf Dassler started another famous brand. Name the brand.

b. 54 sq.km

a. Nike

c. 76 sq.km.

b. Reebok

d. 104 sq.km.

c. Fila d. Puma

2) Borivali National Park has the following: a. Malabar giant squirrel b. Indian flying fox c. India wild dog d. All of above

3) Who holds the Masters Age Group World Record for full marathon? a. Dennis Kimetto b. Haile Gebrselassie c. PatrikMakau

3) How old are Kanheri Caves?

d. Wilson Kipsang

a. 500 years b. 1000 years c. 1500 years d. More than 2000 years

4) Who was the first woman to officially run a full marathon? a. Kathrine Switzer b. Paula Radcliffe c. Violet Piercy

4) BNP is home to a species of a peculiar flower which does not flower every year. What is the name of the flower? a. Ziziphus b. Kadamba c. Karvi d. Euphorbia

d. Grete Waitz

5) The modern 42.195 km standard distance for the marathon was set by the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) in: a. 1896 b. 1908 c. 1921

5) BNP is home to the following:

d. 1924

a. Cheetah b. Tiger c. Leopard d. All the above Running

Quiz on Running 1) What is the world record for full marathon?

Dan's Den 1. What Vitamin is essential for the body to absorb Calcium?

2. How much carbohydrate should a recreational runner take in everyday?

3. What has the most calcium? Paneer, Dahi or Low Fat Milk?

a. 2:03:59 b. 2:03:23 c. 2:02:57 d. 2:02:23

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Quiz answers on Page 15

Running...

My drug of choice ~ Sameer Pawar

I was irregular in exercise, partly due to my frequent travelling and partly due to my food habits. To add to it, alcohol added to my ever growing rotund belly fat. Though I had an athletic built, (I love doing outdoor sports like biking and trekking intermittently) I felt complex due to my perfectly rounded tummy. Feeling faint and tired in the evening had become regular occurrences.

Finally I decided, enough was enough and set a goal for myself.

That was to run a half marathon this year. I was a little skeptical about my ability but writing a goal on the wall provided me the much needed self-motivation. I reached out to my friend and mentor Ms. Sree Sivadas. She is a walking and a running inspiration for me. I regularly read her articles about marathon running and sports. She is truly someone I adore and admire and look up to. She regularly provides me with valuable inputs, motivates and instills confidence in me.

I started reading about running, marathon planning, running apps on the internet. But like they say, the best training is right on the ground. I started with short distance running. On the onset of monsoon, I tied my shoe laces and set out for a run. I decided to run 2kms every day. Starting point was my home and destination point was a dam which was 11 kms away from my home. First day was tough! My belly was hurting more than my feet. I was grinning and groaning. My ankles and left knee were hurting. That was expected, but I kept going. The pain in the knee was uncontrollable; hence I stopped running for two weeks. Again I asked Sree for advice. Like a doctor she diagnosed, I was not doing any warm ups or stretches. Equally responsible was my improper pair of shoes. I corrected my

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techniques and achieved the desired results in 2 weeks. I was now able to run 5 kms.

The early morning route was very pleasant due to the monsoon season. Watching the local runners exercise, exchanging smiles with them made me cheerful. I started my days on a happy note.

My next target was 7km. My weekday runs were limited to 4km due to hectic work schedules and long distance runs were reserved for weekends. The 7km run lead me through real bad road, pot holes, rubbles and muddy water. My ankle pain resumed. It got increasingly difficult to manage a consistent pace. The bikers around would laugh at me; since I was the sole runner on the potholed lonely road. But hey, who cares? I started seeing the side effects of running. My body posture changed, sleep pattern improved, I started feeling fresh throughout the day. Most importantly I felt positive about myself and confident.

My next goal was 9km. It was a cake walk for me. It took me less than a couple of weeks to concur the 9km target. Google map was my constant companion for measuring distances. I put a print on my wall and started highlighting my goals and achievements. Oh boy! I could see my gradual progress. The addiction had crept in. Week on week it helped me to stay motivated.

Nearly after two weeks, close to Diwali, I set my eyes on 14km.

The sky was unusually cloudy and there was a shrill chill in the air. The run was very pleasant; I managed to increase my pace to 5min/km. That was the best day of my running journey. But I realized, the effect was only due to the good weather. Next week when I attempted the same distance, I was dead

exhausted. My pace reduced to 9min/km. I understood my weakness. I was skipping drinking water before running. I went back to my consultant friend Sree. She advised me to have dry fruits and a sports drink. I invested in a waist belt. Lovely, I now had the required gear for running.

I was thirsting for more, yes! Yeh Dil maange more! I increased my run to 19 km. That was really really tough. On my first attempt, I could barely run the last km and came back home walking. But instead of feeling tired, I felt fresh and elated.

Running Companions ~ Rupal Shah

Meanwhile I read about 'Navi Mumbai half marathon 2015' and I registered for it. I had to choose between my office picnic and the marathon. Emotions put me in a dilemma. Work schedule kept me off running for a week. I was constantly travelling. But a drug is a drug, an addiction is an addiction. I promised myself that I will run the 21K, come what may. .

I was excited since this was my first marathon. I came with least expectations and decided to run for fun. The atmosphere was cheerful with lots of music and dancing. There were more than 1000 participants including the children, elderly, differently abled and people from all spheres of life. I don't know whether it was because of good roads, cheering crowd or the weather, I was able to complete the first 15 km of my run in 1 hr 39 mins. A much higher pace than my usual run! I was very happy. I strategized my runs. 1km run followed by 100 mtr walk after 7.5km of continuous running. This helped me a lot. I constantly kept myself hydrated. I thoroughly enjoyed my first marathon.

Running had indeed become my drug of choice.

Overall, my personal experience says, include strength and weight training in your regime to achieve better results and improve fitness levels. Here is the summary of my learning's: • It is important to TAKE BABY STEPS in the beginning • You may get injured or feel fatigued DO NOT give up • Listen to your body. ADOPT and ADAPT • KEEP EXPERIMENTING. Change your pace and speed techniques for optimal results • Listen to music. It will help you reduce stress and stay focused • Be DISCIPLINED about nutrition • DON'T HESITATE to take advice and guidance from experienced runners.

• ENJOY and OBSERVE NATURE. Feel the early morning cool breeze and the sun rise • Try to MOTIVATE at least one person to take-up running Running has changed my life. In addition to the health benefits, running has changed my attitude towards life. My sincere advice to people who are unable to get into sports or gymming, running is the best alternative. You need to set a desired goal and compete with yourself. Now I have an almost “flat stomach”. Wasn't that the initial goal I had set up for me?

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I ran …

I ran by the gleam of the moon-light Twinkling and dancing, On the water's surface, Creating magic on the water I ran…

I ran with the luminescence lighting my path As my footfalls followed the soft light, Giving just enough light, To add to the romance of the early morning I ran…

I ran with the cool gentle breeze, Blowing through my hair, Gently caressing my face, Giving a renewned energy I ran…

I ran feet tapping on the clear wet sand, Leaving soft impressions, Which were washed away the next moment, By the receding waves I ran…

I ran a beautiful calming run, By the soft moonlight, With the music of the waves, And the cool refreshing breeze I ran…

I ran in beautiful company, Finishing happy & calm, With a spring to my feet, A song in my heart, A smile on my lips.

Running Matters! ~ Punit Chandiwala

1st July, 2011. A very ordinary day. There was a strike call by the transporters association. I had plenty of time to kill. So, I went for a casual walk in the National Park. It was time well spent. Dawned on me to make it a habit. At a very healthy 92kgs with high BP and high cholesterol, I thought it would certainly do me some good. Thus began my morning walks, most times just a ramble.

During my walks, I did notice regular runners, who insisted that I should give running a try too, but I was never inclined. I was comfortable with my morning walks. One morning in January 2012, soon after SCMM, I noticed a crowd around Mr.Samjiskar Sir, all gushing and congratulating him. Something prompted me to ask him why he had garnered so much attention that sunny morning. He replied that he had run the SCMM half in less than 2hrs. I just absorbed the information without giving any importance to the sub 2 timing. For the uninitiated, it was just data, holding no relevance nor reverence.

I asked him his age...a cool 69 ! And me...39 ! I actually felt ashamed and that I think was the turning point for me. Slowly, it did sink in. I should atleast try to run. One day, at the starting point I met Mahesh Nagwekar and he told me to come the next day if I wanted to run.I was a taken aback as to why a person who I did not know at all wanted to help me run.

The next day I forgot all about it. I met Mahesh at the 500m mark. He reminded me that I was to run that day. He goaded me to run alongside him and I did. Sweating profusely and breathless.I stopped. I had covered a mighty distance of 500m!

Those 500m marked my foray into the running world and also

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the beginning of my close friendship and association with Mahesh. Everytime I gave up, he was there to push.

Soon, I started NRC, met Dan Sir who was very inspiring. Over the next 3-4 months I ran, but to a maximum of 2kms. I heard about the SCMM qualifier, 10km. I had to make it under 1.30hrs....Holy Grail!

From 1st June I started increasing the mileage and was determined to qualify. Every week I would seek Mahesh' s guidance and by mid-July had run a max of 8kms.

Come D- Day, I was down with a cold and fever. What luck! I met my school friend Nilesh Thakar, a runner, who offered to pace me and he did, from the startto finish. Along the way I heard 4 -5 runners had fainted, I wondered if I was going to be the next.10k in 1hr 19min....QUALIFIED! !!!

My confidence soared, I started believing in myself and in my running abilities. And so began my journey....that would take me places in the years to come.

Apart from the weight loss ( I lost a good 10kgs) running has changed my personality. I feel more confident and have developed the ability to take everything in my stride. I have done 10 half marathons, 3 full marathons and 2 ultra runs so far.

I have charted out my future running plans which includes running the Comrades. I still see myself as a learner and running is now entrenched in my DNA. My message to anyone reading this would be.....JUST TRY IT, if I can so can you. There's a miracle waiting to happen!

The Pre-Race Run Booster ~ A recipe by Anantharam

This is a super food to have 90 minutes before a Long Run or a Race with an early morning start. The advantages of this food besides its simplicity and ease of preparation is its convenience - this can be prepared the night before and requires very little time to consume in the early morning of the run.

Preparation: Boil the Oats in water and allow it to cool down. Add milk and sliced Banana and grind/mash it in the mixer till a liquid consistency is achieved. Leave/store over-night in the fridge.

The nutritional value of this Booster is as below: Calories: 269 | Servings: 1.0

Ingredients (for 300 - 350 ml portion): Oats 6 tsps Skimmed milk 200 ml 1 large (8�+) sized Banana Total saturated Fat

Cholesterol

Sodium

Potassium

Carbs

Dietary Fiber

Sugars

Protein

Unit

G

mg

mg

mg

g

g

g

g

Quantity

2

4

109

914

54

6

17

12

3%

1%

5%

26%

18%

22%

% Daily Value*

24%

Vit A

Vit C

Calcium

Iron

2%

4%

47%

8%

* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipehas not been professionally evaluated.

Answers to quiz Answers to Quiz on Borivali National Park (Sanjay Gandhi National Park) 1-d, 2-b, 3-d, 4-c, 5-c Answers to Quiz on Running 1-c, 2-d, 3-b, 4-a, 5-c Answers to Dan's Den 1. Vitamin D 2. 8-10 gms per kg of body weight 3. Dahi. It can give you up to 350 mg in a cup.

Your daily requirement is approximately 1000 mg.

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BNPGR Calendar Activity Plan for BNPGR April to June 2015-16

Date

Activity

Responsibility from GB members

Responsibility from other BNPGR members

Remarks

3rd April

Couch to 30 mins running

Mahesh/Punit/Varun

Aadesh/Paras

Current programme ends with long run

5th April

MRR long run

Shashi/Anant

All members welcome

To promote BNP Endurathon also

12th April

12K run at Shivaji Park

Shashi/Anant

All members welcome

To promote BNP Endurathon also

13th April

Couch to 30 mins running

Mahesh/Punit/Varun

Aadesh/Paras/others

New Programme starts

19th April

5k & 10K Run

Mahesh/Punit/Varun

Aadesh/Paras/

Certificates to be issued to finishers

21st April

1st edition e- Newsletter launch

Anant/Pramod

Geeta

Inaugural issue of BNP Green Samachaar - The Runners' Quarterly

26th April

Monthly long Run

Punit/Sanjay/Sunil

To be arranged

Water/light eats to be organised

28th April

HM & FM Programme start

Punit/Anant/Pramod

Enrolled members

Initial contact for twice weekly and after that weekly once

16th May

Cycling Tour of SGNP

Punit/Pramod

All members welcome

Also as a cross training for runners

17th May

Run with Comrades runners

Mahesh/ Shashi

All members welcome

To promote BNP Endurathon 2015 also

31st May

Monthly long Run

Punit/Sanjay/Sunil

To be arranged

Water/light eats to be organised

7th June

Couch to 30 mins running

Mahesh/Punit/Varun

Aaadesh/Paras/

Current programme ends with long run

14th June

5k & 10K Run

Mahesh/Punit/Varun

Aadesh/Paras/

Certificates to be issued to finishers

21st June

Blood Donation camp

Mahesh/Sunil /Sanjay

All members welcome

Donor cards to be issued

28th June

Monthly long Run

Punit/Sanjay/Sunil

To be arranged

Note: • Weekly 1 day stretching programme to be finalised from May Pramod/Varun • Talks from Nutiritionist/ Physios/ Coaches etc to be arranged with each session

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Water/light eats to be organised