Every marathon block has one week that quietly changes the direction of the campaign. It doesn’t produce a personal best. It doesn’t make Strava headlines. It simply lays another brick in the foundation. Week 5 was that week. After the niggle in Week 3 and the controlled return in Week 4, the objective was simple: get… Continue reading Week 5/20: Building the Engine, Not Chasing the Clock
Author: Bhaskar Thakur
Bhaskar Thakur | Marathoner | Ultra Runner | Storyteller of the Road
From mountain trails to city marathons, Bhaskar Thakur has run across terrains, temperatures, and time zones — with a grin, grit, and a Garmin.
An avid runner since 2015, Bhaskar has completed over 50 races, spanning ultramarathons, full marathons, and half marathons, including legendary events like the Comrades Marathon (South Africa), TCS London Marathon, Valencia Marathon, and India’s grueling Khardung La Challenge.
Ahmedabad or Baramati Marathon?
There was a time when choosing your goal marathon was easy. The Indian running calendar had only a handful of full marathons, and your decision was usually based on one simple question—which city am I travelling to this year? Today, that’s a luxury problem of the past. Every weekend seems to offer multiple well-organised races, and… Continue reading Ahmedabad or Baramati Marathon?
Week 4/20: Engine Back in Rhythm
Marathon training isn’t about one magical workout. It’s about reaching a point where running simply becomes part of life again. This week felt exactly like that. After the ankle niggle last week, I was curious to see how the body would respond. The answer was reassuring. No drama. No setbacks. Just five solid days of… Continue reading Week 4/20: Engine Back in Rhythm
Week 3/20: Engine Knock
Week 3: The Hardest Workout Was Doing Nothing After two weeks of building momentum, Week 3 reminded me of one of marathon training’s oldest lessons: fitness grows when you train, but longevity comes from knowing when not to. The plan looked simple on paper—hill repeats, aerobic runs and another marathon-specific long run. Life, or rather my… Continue reading Week 3/20: Engine Knock
Maa Kasam! “Khoon Pasina” to “Loan Approved”
When we were growing up, our entertainment algorithm had exactly three inputs: Doordarshan. Amitabh Bachchan. Whatever poster the neighbourhood video library had outside. Our walls carried posters of Khoon Pasina, Khuddar, Coolie, Deewar, Shakti, Namak Halaal, Trishul, Mr. India, Ardh Satya and a hundred other films where the hero began with nothing except a mother, a moral compass and occasionally a torn banyan. Our inbox… Continue reading Maa Kasam! “Khoon Pasina” to “Loan Approved”
The Odyssey: The World’s First “Trust Me Bro” Story
My review, take it with a pinch of salt and lime. Every civilization has an epic. India has the Mahabharata.The British have Beowulf.The Greeks have The Odyssey. After watching The Odyssey, I couldn’t help but wonder… What if Homer wasn’t documenting history?What if he was documenting the greatest drunken explanation in history? Hear me out. The Trojan War has… Continue reading The Odyssey: The World’s First “Trust Me Bro” Story
Week 2/20: Building the Engine
Week 2 of the Ahmedabad Marathon training block was a reminder that marathon training is never a perfectly straight line. The plan called for a little more mileage, but life had other ideas. I missed one aerobic base run, which meant the week’s volume ended at 47.5 km instead of the planned 55–60 km. A few months… Continue reading Week 2/20: Building the Engine
Amar, Akbar… Anthony… and Maybe Me
I was born a Maithil Brahmin. For fifty years, I’ve been carefully maintaining this identity. Janeyu? ???? Puja? ???? Maithili? Work in progress. Arguments with my mother over rituals? Lifetime achievement award. Then one inconvenient question arrived. If Hinduism says I will be born again… will I be reborn as a Hindu? Or has the… Continue reading Amar, Akbar… Anthony… and Maybe Me
Aaj Ki Taaza Khabar: Dilli Mein Democracy Ka Murder?
New Delhi, July 2026. I’m not sure the readers have heard this song: India has always believed in matching the solution to the problem. Mosquitoes? Good Knight. Cockroaches? HIT. Students dressed as cockroaches? Apparently, somebody may have taken the branding a little too literally. Thousands of young Indians associated with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) took to… Continue reading Aaj Ki Taaza Khabar: Dilli Mein Democracy Ka Murder?
Week 1/20 — Ahmedabad Marathon: Starting the Engine
Prologue: New block, new language — from %Max HR to %LTHR This training block starts with one important change. I’ve shifted my Garmin training zones from percentage of maximum heart rate (%Max HR) to percentage of lactate-threshold heart rate (%LTHR). Why bother changing something that has worked for years? Max HR tells me where my ceiling is. LTHR gives me… Continue reading Week 1/20 — Ahmedabad Marathon: Starting the Engine