Going in circles

For a man whose tryst with running began six years ago when a trainer told him age is just a number why dont you start and see how it goes 73yearold Kamalaksha Rao has gone into it guns blazing His first half marathon was in 2015 and last year the Malad resident did three 100 km runs and one 60 km run His regular schedule includes weekly running sessions and a long run of around 25 km every SundayHis routes would either be the BandraNCPA run the Borivli National Park or on the Malad back road However when the lockdown was announced across India on March 24 Rao like other runnersmdashacross Mumbai India and the worldmdashsuddenly found himself confined to his 1BHK apartment which he says isnt very bigBut then Fifteen days after the lockdown began a group of runners who I connected with on Whatsapp in Bengaluru were talking about how they were running indoors I decided to try it as well What started with three kilometres extended to five kilometres and after tying up with an NGO on Zoom he completed 21 km on April 12This handout picture taken and released courtesy Pan Shancu on February 14 this year shows Shancu running in his bedroom in Hangzhou Chinas eastern Zhejiang province Pic AFPIn the early days of the global Coronavirus epidemic in February Pan Shancu from Hangzhou near Shanghai in China hit the global headlinesmdashhis picture of running past a bed in a narrow space on a wooden floor went viralmdashwhen he completed 66 km in a loop at home within six hours and 41 minutes What the 44yearold was demonstrating then was the start of a new epidemic Have feet will run anywhere Shancu was quoted saying Running is like an addiction If you dont run for a long time you get itchy feet And its something Rao agrees with All runners have a madness quotientWhile Rao doesnt know how big the loop that he runs in his house ismdasha video he uploaded of himself running on Facebook shows that he has opened his front door and is using the extended space in the corridormdashPowai resident Gunjan Raina has marked a 30m circle in her 1150 sq ft apartmentThe 42yearold who started running just two years ago completed her first full marathon at this years Tata Mumbai Marathon It took her four hours and 48 minutes a 10k usually takes her 56 minutesThe lockdown spelled a pause in her weekly running schedule four days of running including hills and interval training two days of strength workouts I would see people across the world from those who had done Ironmans etc running inside their homes doing upto 42 km runs Initially I thought my house was too small for this and also figured that slacking one or two months wont hurt Its muscle memory and the body will get backWhat changed however was when Devils Circuit an eightyearold obstacle challenge organised by Gurugrambased company Volano Entertainment Private Lim ited announced its first lockdown challenge Having done an obstacle run on the ground last year Raina is both an enthusiast and a member of the community The challenge required her to run small distances of 300 metres in her home interspersed with functional challenges such as burpees and pushups I charted out a small loop in my house in which I could run I started doing a small distance from three kilometres and then increased it to fiveLast Sunday Raina and her husband Vishal Sharma 45 participated in a running challenge organised by another Gurugrambased firm Any Body Can Run The challenge is aptly called the Lockdown Indoor Run 2020Mihika Wahi Gupta organiser of the Lockdown Indoor RunOrganiser Mihika Wahi Gupta herself an ultrarunner found herself running one afternoon in March while her family was asleep and realised that getting from 10k to 15k to 21k wasnt very tough It was still the early days of the lockdown and fellow runners on her social media were cribbing about missing their runs So I posted about my run and suggested that they too try this at home Because you dont want to go out and endanger yourself or othersWhen she started seeing an increase in the number of people who started uploading their indoor runs on social media she figured it was the right time to organise an event where everyone could participate The April 26 event had distances ranging from 2 km to 10 km And with around a 1000 participants from not just India but also Africa Norway New Jersey Dubai and Canada it became a global event of sorts While the Devils Circuit event is free participation in the Lockdown Indoor Run cost between R375 and R456 depending on the categories But like all good running events it comes with a kit bag Once the lockdown is over and deliveries start participants will be sent a tee a medal a face mask and a gift hamper We have had participants message us saying that the medal is something they will cherish as a symbol of something they did during the lockdown says Mihika But to brag immediately the participants have already been mailed a certificate of their achievementOn how the logistics work when it comes to indoor racing events both Gupta and Adnan Adeeb founder and managing director at Volano Entertainment Private Limited say primarily here the race is only against yourself Indoor running distances can easily be measured by smartwatches and sportswatches besides of course several apps Both events send a link to participants where they can upload a snapshot of their completed runs In the case of Devils Circuit says Adeeb on the day of the event participants are also sent a mail with GIFs explaining the functional exercises they need to do And while we only ask for a snapshot of the run a lot of participants also send us videos of themselves doing the exercises to show us that they have completed the tasks In the second edition of the Devils Circuit indoor challenge he says 3000 people participated across 116 cities including London Hamburg and Singapore The best part of these events unlike their offline versions is that you can start at any time you likemdashwithin the sanctioned period ie For instance Raina says her husband started his run after she completed hers because of space constraintsKamalaksha Rao has completed a 50k run at homeHowever while an outdoor 10k would cost her 55 minutes inside it took her 65 minutes and 40 seconds Its important everyone will tell you to go slow when runningBengalurubased strength and conditioning coach and marathon runner Radha Krishnaswamy says its better to stick to short distances when running indoorsWhen running indoors there are twists and turns at every 20 metres so theres continuous deceleration which doesnt happen when running outdoors she says explaining that when you turn the body leans to a side and there are changes that occur While one can adapt to these changes over 40 days one would have to unlearn this when the lockdown ends and resume their regular training So there are biomechanical changes one room to another is not more than 10 metres the speed is slow not something youd ever run when you are outside Since this is not a mileage youd carry outside and neither is the oxygen consumed by the body increased whats the benefit of running indoorsRadha KrishnaswamyThe reason runners want to run is because they get a runners high and feel good about themselves When you dont run you feel depressed And at this time its important to feel good Life is difficult as is in the lockdown so a little running is okay but not a half marathon or 42kShe points out that most homes have vitrified tiles which are slippery and running on this surface will hurt the calves a lot more Instead runners should focus more on strength training and if running is a must try and find a longer loop of say 50100 metres in the building where you can run without coming in contact with anyone else And when the lockdown ends and you can start your regular practice start at 50 per cent of what you were doing before the lockdown and slowly build it upThe certificate that participants of the Lockdown Run will be mailed When deliveries resume they will also be sent Tshirts a face mask and a nutritious gift hamperRunners high check Medals and certificates and tees checkBut what about the cheering crowds that push a runner past the point of quitting Adeeb says We have seen videos of kids cheering on parents or spouses stepping up Its the captive family thats been encouragingSaloni Shukla musculoskeletal and sports physiotherapist and founder of Cuffe Parades The Salsette Physiotherapy ClinicPrevent injuries while running indoorsWear neutral shoes or shoes that you generally wear while running outsideKeep your distance small Anything over 21k is considered long distanceGo slowIf you can run on the terraceAvoid going towards slippery surfaces like bathroom or the sinkConstant change in directionmdashsomething runners are not used tomdashwill hurt the ankles So do ankle stabilising exercisesDo strengthening exercises twice a weekOnce in a while work on strengthening exercises when muscles are tired so they are accustomed to being trained1000Number of participants who signed up for the Lockdown Run on April 26 organised by a Gurugram firmCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news