Inside the making of an iron woman

For Saiyami Kher, cycling was the hardest part of the training

Even when we met Saiyami Kher for the first at Indigo Deli in Bandra in 2016 when she was making her big Bollywood debut and recall her sharing her passion for fitness back then too. Kher spoke about shooting Mirzya in Ladakh and how she started running while filming.

This week, she recalls her fitness journey with us. She says, "I just used to run in Ladakh and I did my first full marathon right after Mirzya released. The film didn't do well and for me, and endurance sports was just a go-to to calm my head down or figure things out."

The idea of a triathlon had been on her mind since childhood "Before 30, I wanted to finish a half Ironman. It gives you a sense of purpose, a sense of fulfilment. When you train and hit those training goals, it's a good sense of validation."

Looks like Kher's wish has come true as she trains to participate in The IronmaN to be held in Cervia, Italy, on September 19.

STEP 1: EVERY DAY IS A NEW DAY
The idea that an experienced endurance athlete can simply return to peak form is misleading. Even with a base level of fitness, beginning another Ironman cycle comes with the familiar resistance of starting an exercise routine all over again. "You begin at ground zero and it's exhausting." After that, comes the psychological negotiation. "It's like, ‘Oh my God, now this whole thing all over again.'

And then there's this battle with yourself in your head saying, ‘Oh my God, I'm signed up for this again. Why are you torturing yourself?'

This constant battle is always there." Her trick is decidedly unglamorous - put the shoes on. "Once I put on those shoes, half the battle is won because mentally at least I'm there."

STEP 2: FOLLOW THE PLAN
Ironman preparation isn't something she improvises. Over different race cycles, has worked with coaches including Kaustubh and Deepak Raj. The first year, Kaustubh sent her a structured plan; this year, Deepak has guided her preparation. "You can't just randomly wake up and say, ‘Okay, today I'll do this, do that.' It's very structured and very organised."

The current framework means three swims, three runs and three cycling sessions every week, plus at least two strength sessions. That's 11 workouts squeezed into six training days, meaning some days involve more than one discipline. "Because of the career path I have chosen, it's such an unpredictable timeline when it comes to shoots, travel and things. My schedule, I try and manage to do everything in a way where I manage to get in these 11 sessions."
Monday can be a rest day; the remaining week builds towards a demanding Sunday. "We wake up at four in the morning, train ill about 10 in the morning."

STEP 3: LEARN TO LOVE THE BRICK
A brick workout is exactly as uncomfortable as its name suggests. The aim is to condition the body to move from one discipline straight into another, most commonly cycling into running. "A brick basically means you need to do two things at one time, which is usually cycle and then run. It's called a brick because your legs feel like bricks, they don't move after you cycle." At peak training, that can mean a 70-km cycle followed by a 15-km run. Other days may involve a 2.5-km swim followed by a 90-minute speed run.

The volume gradually increases through the programme before reaching a peak around a month and a half before the race. "You start at a particular level and it keeps increasing. Then you have a peak month, which is a month and a half before the race, where you hit your maximum distances. And then, about 15 days before the race, you start tapering downwards so your body is fresh by the time you do your race. It's extremely scientific and structured."

STEP 4: KNOW YOUR WEAKNESS
Of the three disciplines, running is second nature to her and has been running for about a decade Swimming is more technical, while cycling remains her biggest challenge. "Swimming I used to do for school, but never distance, never open water and never for speed." Cycling, meanwhile, is the paradox. "Cycling should be our strongest, and for me it's actually my weakest, so I have to put in a lot more effort."

STEP 5: FIND A ROAD
Training for an Ironman in Mumbai comes with a particularly complicated problem - finding somewhere safe to cycle. "If we have to cycle for 120 kilometres, 150 kilometres for a long ride, where do we do it? Either we go up and down Marine Drive, which is a five-kilometre loop, for 130 kilometres, which gets so monotonous, or we take our cars and drive to Palm Beach Road and cycle up and down."

And even that requires planning around traffic. "We leave at 3.45 in the morning to beat the traffic because by 7 am it's super crowded. We're not doing this for leisure. We're speed cycling at 38-40 kilometres an hour. You're at speed yourself."

STEP 6: SWIM OUTSIDE
Mumbai presents another logistical hurdle - open-water swimming. "There is no place to do open-water swimming in Mumbai. So you have to travel, go to Nashik, go to Pavna, go to Khandala, wherever. You have to travel out of Mumbai to get your open-water swim."

The reason is race conditions aren't the same as pool conditions. "Swimming with currents in the ocean is so different as opposed to a lake. Pool swim is so controlled."

STEP 7: FUEL UP
One of her biggest lessons from previous races was that nutrition is part of the training. "The biggest learning was nutrition. I didn't pay attention and said, ‘Oh, I'll just drink whatever, eat whatever.' But it makes such a big difference because you're at it for seven, seven-and-a-half, eight hours. Your body is just constantly in motion."

STEP 8: BE STRONG
Her other major learning this time around has been strength and mobility. "I used to be really lazy with strength and mobility, but I feel strength training will make you faster, will make you fitter. Especially for women, after a certain age, strength training is a must."

STEP 9: BE PATIENT
Physical preparation, she stresses, cannot be replaced by mental toughness. The trick is to make an enormous challenge feel smaller. "It's about one step at a time, not looking way ahead, just being extremely patient with what you want to do. Endurance sport gives you incredible life lessons, which I don't think any school can really teach you."

STEP 10: FIND A TRIBE
There is also a community that forms around endurance sport, one Kher describes almost like a "cult". "You meet some incredible people on the course. The energy of the people is something which always draws me back to doing these races."

STEP 11: RACE YOU
The clearest measure of her progress is never another athlete's speed. But rather how far she has moved from the person who once found the distance daunting. Her overall speed has improved but the bigger change is confidence. "Somewhere along the way, training has stopped being a separate activity and become part of her identity. "The race is against myself. I've always liked to just be better than what I was the previous year."