Dear reader,
Welcome to your Sunday morning dose of fitness and motivation!
At Weekly Carb-Loading, we believe every run has a story, be it a routine practice run in the neighborhood, or our first marathon.
We’re bringing these stories to you, to inspire you, to move you, to encourage you to exercise on a regular basis and lead a healthier life!
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Time to Fly
As a runner, it is rare to have ‘a good day’ out on the road.
A healthy carb-filled dinner, early to bed, body fresh and rested in the morning. A pre-run snack at hand, a bit of time to stretch and warm-up, and a quick change of clothes.
Once we’re moving, with one eye on hydration, and the other on traffic, the battle moves to the mind. Every run a quest to incrementally improve, to summon the energy and sheer will to push.
With so many moving pieces, it is rare for it to all fit together on a regular basis.
A good day.
Then, the hard part - stringing together a series of good days into weeks, and weeks into months, in preparation for a race, while avoiding injury.
Hitting monthly distances and increasing the pace as the season progresses. Regularity, discipline and a daily routine.
A good season.
—
Everything leading up to that point in the second weekend of December of 2017, had gone well. Two-years spent in the quest for a sub-100 minute Half Marathon.
The road winding through green rolling hills, winter sun streaming in through the trees.
The red-and-brown Zuari river, a constant companion flowing idly by on the right, her laziness in stark contrast to the thousands of runners on NH 366 that morning.
The 18 km mark of the Goa River Marathon, at Chicalim on the outskirts of Vasco-da-Gama.
—
It had been a good season of running through 2017, taking full advantage of the ‘pleasant-all-year-round’ weather in the garden city of Bengaluru.
He was on a much needed break from what had been a hectic year at work, clubbing a long weekend with a marathon - a ‘run’cation, for the first time.
The weekend was spent catching up with friends and loading up on carbs, his mind and body fresh and relaxed, as race day approached.
A cool breeze across his face for the hour long ride to the venue, belting out his favorite Bollywood numbers to the empty streets and narrow by-lanes of south Goa, at 4 a.m. on a Sunday morning.
He had a good feeling about that day.
—
He had never been a conservative runner to begin with. The origins of the phrase ‘to hit the road running’ were re-written that morning, as he raced away at the start.
His initial burst downhill over the first couple of kilometres built an important buffer in the bank, a buffer he planned to use while climbing his way back up to the finish.
His first half of the race was spent tagging along with a fellow runner for company at the front of the field, well within his target time and pace, enjoying the scenic route along the south bank of the Zuari, heading away from Vasco.
On their return, the pace slowed down. Dawn had come and gone, leaving behind the sun on their back. A quick check revealed his companion tiring. Surprisingly, he himself was not feeling the fatigue.
Surprisingly, he was feeling good.
His mind was awake and alive. His focus was undisturbed, the finish in his sights. At the 18 km mark, he still had a higher gear.
—
It is truly rare for you alone to enjoy the course, moving swiftly and smoothly through kilometre markers, while others struggle with heat, humidity and intermittent changes in elevation.
It is rare to have run the majority of a race at a pace which is practically a sprint, and still have the body feeling fresh in the latter stages, positive thoughts and energy coursing through it.
It is rare to have ‘a good day’ out on the road, and rarer still for it to coincide with race day. When such a day presents itself, it deserves to be grabbed with both hands.
Time to fly.
Runner Profile
Pankaj Arora ran the Goa River Marathon 2017 in 01:37:50, crushing his 100-minute Half Marathon target by over two minutes.
He powered through the final 3 km of the race, a long gradual incline morphing into a steep climb towards the finish, maintaining his speed despite the elevation, and sprinting to the line.
Fly he did.
Pankaj continued his good run of form a few months later, at the New Delhi Marathon in February of 2018, improving his time on the 42 km distance to 04:00:50.
Later in the same year, he attempted to go quicker once more, over 21 km at his ‘home court’ - the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon 2018, and succeeded by one whole second, improving his personal best to 01:37:49!
—
Having known Pankaj through college, and having played alongside him, the infectious (and seemingly infinite amounts of) energy he brought to the team, was and still is, a constant source of inspiration. He has carried the same energy into every run and workout since.
He is one of the few people we know who shares and echoes our personal beliefs, of furthering health and fitness to as many as possible. He has positively influenced not just our fitness levels, but those of numerous friends and colleagues around him.
Pankaj lives and works in Bengaluru. You can follow his runs, home workout videos and sumptuous breakfast preparations on Instagram and Strava.
Plank Challenge!
Have you heard about the new World Record for the longest abdominal plank! George Hood, an ex-USA marine at the age of sixty-two mind you, held a plank for - hold your breath - 8 hours, 15 mins and 15 seconds! You can read about it here.
Our challenge to you - what’s the longest you can hold a plank? Record it and screenshot a picture of the timings in the comments below. We’re doing it as well!
Warning! It starts getting tough after a minute!
What We’re Watching
The Last Dance (Netflix)
A moving 10-part series on the 1997-98 NBA season of the Chicago Bulls, while they attempted a ‘three-peat’ (three back-to-back NBA championships) for the second time that decade, their sixth title in eight years.
Centered on Michael Jordan, one of the greatest basketball players and global sports icons of our time, the story shuttles between the 1997-98 season, their earlier championship victories and rivalries with other teams, and the players’ lives outside of the game.
A truly inspiring watch for all sports fans.
Weekly Carb-Loading Archive
Missed out on any of our previous posts? We have your back. The Weekly Carb-Loading Archive is a one-stop shop for all of our previous posts and links. Enjoy!
That’s a wrap from us this week, at Team Weekly Carb-Loading.
If you liked this post do let us know in the comments below, and share it with a friend via Whatsapp!
Our previous story and runner profile is titled ‘Getting There’, and featured Aditya Vikram’s first ever marathon. Go ahead, give it a read!
We’re also live on Twitter @carbweekly with small servings of carbs throughout the week!
Until next week, stay indoors, stay safe and stay fit! Cheers!
Pankaj is one of the most dedicated and inspiring guys I've known.we go a long way back,class mates in school and competitors in sports and games. His marathon runs were so smooth and sublime.. exceptional athelete and afantastic soul
Woah, justice done to all the hard work put in by Pankaj!