Category: December 26 Marathon Training

Last week the chassis went to the workshop. The engine was fine. It wanted to run. Unfortunately, the right knee had other ideas. So Week 7 became physiotherapy, exercises and run-walks. I stopped asking, “What pace should I run?” and started asking, “Knee kaisa hai?” Week 8 was about getting the chassis back from the workshop. Not racing… Continue reading Week 8/20: Chassis at the Workshop

Marathon training plans look wonderfully linear on Excel. Week 1. Week 2. Week 3. Mileage goes up. Long runs get longer. Marathon-pace blocks get faster. Eventually you arrive in Ahmedabad and run 42.195 km exactly according to plan. The human body apparently doesn’t use Excel. After the knee problem in Week 6, Week 7 was… Continue reading Week 7/20: Two steps forward, One back

This was supposed to be another build week towards Ahmedabad. Instead, it became a useful reminder that marathon plans are written in Excel, Garmin and Runalyze — but the body retains veto power. The week finished at 49.1 km of running , plus one strength/other session. On paper, considerably lighter than planned. In reality, there was… Continue reading Week 6/20: When the Knee Gets a Vote

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

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: 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

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

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