‘You are mad!’ is a compliment – only runners are happy to accept. But with the restriction in movement due to the recent lockdown, runners across Chennai have been looking for innovative ways to run while also adhering to the prescribed safeguards. Following are the experiences and advice shared by some of the Chennai Runners who despite the limitations in surrounding, have achieved unbelievable feats in indoor running.
Edwin Francis – Chennai Runners Kilpauk Striders (CRKS)
Since the lockdown began in March 2020, Edwin Francis of the Kilpauk Striders chapter of Chennai Runners has been running indoors within a stretch of 20-30 meters. “I started off the indoor run with a target of doing a 5K every day and set the GPS in my Garmin in the indoor mode to track the stats properly,” says he about his indoor running strategy.
Initially, he was running at the same pace as his usual outdoor runs which got a little hard on his body. “I felt a lot of niggle on my knees, ankles and heels. In between, I even tried a sprint interval but the track was too short to test it out. I understood the lockdown was going to be a long haul, so I changed the plan and eventually slowed down to avoid any major wear and tear. I settled into a comfortable pace after bringing it down by at least two notches.”
After two successful weeks of running with a 5K target, Francis slowly increased the distance to 7K, and after another week, he ran his first indoor 10K which consisted of 500 laps.
“Running in loops was boring and even frustrating to begin with but after a few adjustments that I made to the new track (length/objects etc.), I believe I am doing well now. Reading up on how to keep indoor running interesting and injury free also helped. For someone with a strict training routine, it was tough to not do anything which was also one of the reasons I continued with the indoor running activity,” he said while recollecting his reasons for running indoors.
Though he was inspired by the efforts of some extraordinary people crossing major milestones (like FM/50K/100Miler/360K) with various forms of indoor running, Francis stuck to his planned goals to ensure running continuity till the end of the lockdown.
“Over these indoor runs, I figured that it should only be pursued as a stop gap arrangement. Indoors runs need a lot of tweaking in terms of pace, mindset, stride pattern, etc. and require immense will power,” says he in reflection.
Napoleon – Chennai Runners Porur Racers (CRPR)
Napoleon of Porur Racers has been running for over a decade now. As a podium finisher in several running events including in ultra-marathons, running is one of his greatest passions.
Once the government announced the lockdown, he began running indoors across the 3-meter-long hallway in his house at the pace of 6.30 and 7 mins/km. Between March 25 to April 14 (21 days), he completed 276 kms of indoor running which included eighteen 10k’s, four 11k’s and two 21k’s.
To keep away the boredom of running continuously in the same place, he added music to his run. When asked, how he was doing it, he answered, “Passion, Happiness and a Strong mind.”
Napoleon shared his secret of successful indoor running. “A proper warm-up and cooldown, running at a slow pace and proper hydration helped me run indoors without any injuries.” To avoid family members coming in between his runs, he ran in the morning while they were still sleeping.
Vijay Boddupalli – CR Bessie Flyers
Vijay Boddupalli of the Bessie Flyers chapter did a terrace half marathon on April 10, 2020. “It was something crazy. I woke up at 03:30 am and started running around 04:10 am. I had planned to jog and walk 5 kms in the clockwise and the anti-clockwise direction, repeated the motion since the running stretch was not more than 10-15 meters. The weather was tolerable since there had been a short shower on the previous evening. But I did feel dizzy doing the rounds. Except that, it did go smoothly although I realized the massive risk of taking. There is a huge possibility of getting a back, ITB or a toe injury because of running without a proper rhythm,” said he describing his experience, adding that he does not advice this to anyone.
Hussain A. Dhanaliwala – Chennai Runners Kilpauk Striders (CRKS)
Hussain A. Dhanaliwala of the Kilpauk Striders chapter ran 10 kms per day (5km x 2 times a day) for 21 days. To him, running is more a meditation than an exercise.
He does not think of running when he runs. “I am only aware of the first few and the last few steps of my runs. In-between, I am in some other world. I am not a fast runner and do not intend to be one either. I just love to run at my 6.5 ish to 7.5 ish pace,” says he about how he enjoys running.
Hussain feels fortunate to have an indoor 40-meter straight path and a large radius for taking turns that helps in comfortable indoor running and which does not put much strain on his knees. He however advises his fellow runners to focus on strength training during the lockdown without which he strongly recommends against any type of indoor running since it is likely to hurt the runner’s knees and thigh ligaments.
Please note: Chennai Runners has issued advisory against indoor running activities without a doctor’s consultation. To engage its runners during this period of lockdown, the group instead recommends core & strength training, Zumba, Yoga and other forms of indoor workout activities which it runs online for free on a daily and a weekly basis for its various chapters. Please connect with your chapter co-ordinator to know more about these online sessions.