Case of Anti Doping and Nutrition Companies

"22 National Rowers Test Positive for same drug, served notice - Time Of India June 23rd, 2020"

In a time when resumption of sporting action is still debated due to the Covid situation, the news of athletes testing positive is a case for concern. As a subject close to heart and being part of the ecosystem as a nutrition company, it was tempting to wade into this subject. The rowers have been tested positive for Probenacid, which is on the banned list because it is a masking agent. So it begs the question if there is a case of passing the blame to some supplements/ brands they consumed or were there other intentions involved? (I don’t know which products they consumed or consume).

Hence the first thing, which needs to be curbed is the intentional use of banned substances by various stakeholders in the ecosystem. (And if it is intentional, then atleast someone out there will know and should take responsibility)

Now the role of nutrition companies in this – As far as I can say none of the mainstream reputed nutrition companies will intentionally want to promote or use a banned ingredient in any of their products. Still there could be possibilities because the R&D would have used an ingredient without knowing about this or there could be some contamination issues in the manufacturing set up. The only way to make sure that your product is clean is as follows –

1.     Have a company wide appreciation of what clean sport means and the context of banned substances

2.     Have full control over your supply chain including if possible production with strong adherence to quality

3.     Have testing of your products/ batches done by accredited International labs or agencies like Informed Sports or BSCG.

Points 2 and 3 have cost implications and depends on the company and many a time will not want to do it or cut corners. Moreover, since there is a very miniscule population which needs products catering to point 3, they may not even opt for such a thing. Instead they may give an internal undertaking which the athlete or the support staff assesses and goes by. This of course could be dangerous if you do not know the company, its management and practices well.

Indian and Foreign Products – The other day in a post somebody made a very generic statement that all Indian nutrition products (example given was energy gels) contain banned substances. Probably the person did not know that the energy gels were in fact supposed to give energyJ Imported products can have the same issues as I have mentioned before, if they do not follow the 3 points I have made earlier. Further there is an additional threat in this since it passes many hands, and possibly can be altered by people enroute. There are many stories where adulterated products are being sold in certain places which includes fakes as well. So my preference would always be to trust a known local brand if available.

And finally just to put the record straight, WADA does not give certificates to brands stating they have no banned substances. They only give the list of banned items and the onus is on the athlete to makes sure he or she does not consume any of this intentionally or un-intentionally.

The Fall of the Berlin Wall!

The danger of setting steep improvements, is that expectations run high and at times could affect the performance graph. After the Paris marathon on April 3, 2016, where I ran a 2.59, my goals were quite simple. To do 3 back to back sub 3s – Paris, Berlin and Boston. (with a PB in B) I am not sure whether the 3^rd would fall in place, but that is still some 6 months away:-) Not many would know that I got an entry into Berlin 2016 in November 2015 through lottery when I had just done a 3.14 marathon at the Spice Coast Marathon in Kochi. I got lucky the 3^rd or 4^th time, I have started applying for Berlin! (BTW I have applied for London around 4 times and haven’t yet got through)

So what did I do from April to September 2016? Things I continued to do were as follows – a. Loosely followed the MAF training till around mid July before switching over to the Run Less Run Faster program from mid July’16 b. Continued with my gluten free diet which I started practicing since the end of January’16.

The major changes which I incorporated in the last 6 months were as follows – a. Increase in mileage – Whenever I used to meet coaches and ask them the question, what is the mileage it takes to do a sub 3? The answer was always; upwards of 80 K per week. And here I was doing around 40 – 50 K per week, and somehow managed to accomplish a sub 3. However, I did find merits in that argument. So in the last 6 months I took my mileage in many weeks to 70 – 80 K by squeezing in some easy runs in between those days. In one of of the weeks, I actually managed to clock a 80 K:-) b. The second biggest change was some huge practice runs be it intervals or long runs, with some of the best in the business. Just imagine, being paced by a multiple time SCMM Half Marathon winner Soji Mathew in one of the 32Ks or in one of the 8K tempos!

As I entered into the key month of September, things were definitely looking good! I had just run a 1.24 HM at Hyderabad, which is arguably one of the most difficult courses in India. I was practicing for a 3-hour finish but consistently clocking times which would give me a better finish. The best time I ran during my training over a 32K distance was at a pace of 4.11 min per km, but that gave me the confidence of going slightly better in the European conditions. The only scare (though minor) I got in the last 3 weeks was a slight knee pain on the left leg, probably due to the intensity of the training. This too was got under control by some clever resting and icing. With so much of motivation around, the positivity was clearly there. When you train, sometimes you feel the need to express your timings and routine. While in today’s world social media gives you the channel, I felt more comfortable interacting in private. And I am glad I have people I can do that with who expect nothing in return!

As I always do, my visit to the race city is always planned well before, and leaving nothing to chance. I did get some questions on why I was getting to Berlin on Wednesday afternoon which seemed pretty early. For me it served two things – One, it gave an opportunity for us to see a bit of Berlin and Two, more importantly factored in delays and any jet lag. As I grew up, I always saw some of my friends could write and do well in an exam with the least of preparation; probably referred to as talent. And then a few of us who needed to study that extra bit every time something important was at stake. Life lessons stay with youJ

Pavithra and me stayed at an AirBnB apartment which was booked well in advance. Food too was planned to the hilt and we had carried rice, dal, pickle and an electric cookerJ The expo happened on a Friday which has now become a norm for me. While in Berlin I did some runs on Thursday, Friday and Saturday with the first one being the toughest. By Saturday I was well in groove. I followed the routine of not venturing out on a Saturday except for the morning practice run. At the apartment I watched the 2 hours plus of Berlin Marathon 2014, when Dennis Kimetto had broken the world record. This was essentially to give me a feel as to what to expect on the race day. Through the last two days I was also hydrating myself with plenty of RELOAD.

Race Day

I had set the alarm for 5 am, but woke up by 4.45 am after a 7-8 hours of sleep. Coffee followed by some curd rice with Potatoes was the breakfast. A few gulps of RELOAD on the side made sure I was getting well hydrated. After a quick nap for 30 minutes I got up again at 6.05 am. This time, there was no going back to sleep. While I got ready with a quick shower, I did some more of the carbs through a couple of bananas. Before I was ready to go, I filled up two bottles – One of ACTIVATE and the other of a patented Carb loader. I got both into my system approx. with  around 30 – 60 mins before the start.

9.15 am – Start of the Race

I was slotted in block C which had runners with timings between 2.50 – 3.00 hours. My idea was pretty clear. 4.15 min per km takes you to a 3-hour finish while a 4.00 min per km takes you to a 2.50-hour finish. I had started believing in the last few weeks that I could sustain a 4.08 min per km pace which will get me to a timing of 2.55 hours. The idea was to never get the pace over 4.08 which was pchyologically important to maintain. (funda of Required Run Rate) So that was the internal yardstick, but one always hope for surprises! The atmosphere was electric, and I was feeling overwhelmed when they announced the lead runners – Kipsang, Bekele and Mutai. For once I thought about how lucky I was in every way to be there experiencing one of the premier marathons in the world. When the 5 min countdown started, I took out my old pullover, through it aside and got ready to race in my singlet…

6,5,4,3,2,1 and the Gun shot…The elites had started and the runners slowly started to move. And I was soon off to a fabulous start with the weather nice and cool. The initial few kilometers were slightly overcrowded but it went off pretty fast. The idea for me was to stick to the blue line which gives the measured route for the marathon.

5 K – 20.41 minutes; As I crossed the first mat, I knew there would be people tracking me and the game has started.

10 K – 41.04 minutes; I had increased my pace slightly and looked in fine shape. But the next 11 kilometers would be crucial and would determine the end game. If I were to hold this pace and yet feel fresh, I would be on track for a surprise.

HM – 1.26.24 hours; It looked like I had been sticking on to a fast pace and till this time the cumulative pace was around 4.05 min per kilometer. And here were my thoughts…Even if I were to go on a pace of 4.25 min per km from hereon, I would still do a sub 3. A feeling of over confidence at this stage is tactically not a bad idea as long as the body does not give way.

25 K – Designated place to see Pavithra after the 1 K mark:-) I had started counting in reverse and it was good to know that there was only 17K to go.

30 K – 2.03.23; At this point there were 2 goals to choose from, a 12.2 K in 57 mins or 47 mins? I decided that today was not the time for the latter. I had probably started slowing down a bit which was also a tactical move so as to prevent any unforeseen bonking or cramping which could happen. The body was also slowly feeling the pinch of the pace.

30 to 40 K – From a relative standpoint it was the slowest, especially the one leading upto the 40^th kilometer. I was struggling a bit and I had no time targets by now. How ever a 2.54 or 2.55 was good to take and go back!

Nutrition – 7 gels with intermittent intake of water. Gels – 10 min before the race, and thereafter every 25 mins or so. I had a slice of banana at around 30 K I think. Couple of non planned intakes were – Tried testing the Taxofit gel at 28 k or so which they were offering. Since the taste of gels are typically an acquired one, I threw it after an initial sip not wanting to risk my race. I also had a very diluted form of Red Bull at around 34 K.

And the last turn came up. Once more I would see Pavithra and then have a view of the Brandenburg gate in the front. As I passed through the historic gate, I knew the task was done. A feeling of relief from the run more than anything else. I pulled back a bit of pace in the last 2.2 K to finish in 2.55.43 hours! No surprises there, but just a feeling of a task well accomplished and time to move on!

PS – In the weeks leading up to the race, one of the potential motivations I had got courtesy my brother Anand, was the chance to level the WR of 1908, which was 2.55.18 hours set by Johnny Hayes of USA (source – Wikipedia) Unfortunately that was not to be, but on a track which boasts of 7 of the top 10 fastest times in the world in recent history, I had set my own record. At the end of the day, that is what matters!

I am also happy to see some of the best amateur lady runners in the country charting out their paths and creating new PBs at Berlin!

Personal Marathon History

SCMM 2013 – 4.02 hours

Airtel Hyderabad Marathon 2013 – 4.07 hours (decided never to do it again:-); I don’t like the flyovers too much!)

SCMM 2014 – 3.34 hours

Spice Coast Marathon Kochi 2014 – 3.40 hours

SCMM 2015 – 3.23 hours

Spice Coast Marathon Kochi 2015 – 3.14 hours (Winner)

SCMM 2016 – DNF (Pulled out at the 26 K due to asthma)

Paris Marathon 2016 – 2.59 hours

Berlin Marathon 2016 – 2. 55 hours

Garmin Link

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1382737318

Accessories

Fast&Up Singlet

Performax shorts

Garmin Forerunner 310XT

Asics Hyperspeed 7

The Race of My Life!

The alarm is yet to ring. But I had already woken up and the time was 4.30 am. The body was still a little in the Indian time zone where it was already 8 am. The house was still dark and everyone asleep. I decided to make myself a coffee, the drink I trust every day and, for sure on a race day! The race was still four and half hours away. It struck me that I needed to have a light meal or a breakfast which digests over the next 4-5 hours. I scanned the kitchen for what was left over from the previous day and ended up eating dal and rice.

5 am – I am quite good at taking these small naps and decided to get back to sleep! The alarm would go off in another 30 minutes.

5.30 am – Having woken up for the second time, I started “Reload”ing myself. I needed some solid food which was more easily digestible. A banana and a couple of Yoga bars were the planned choice!

7 am – We were ready to go! I carried my bottle of “Activate” which I would consume at around 8.15 am.

It was during that walk to the metro that I got a talk from my youngest brother which would have an impact for the rest of my race. Running is a far simpler sport than cricket or tennis or soccer. At our level you do not need to worry about a tricky opponent who will probably bowl that quicker one or serve an ace or dribble his or her way past you to hit that goal. If you have trained well, you just need to make sure you stay focussed and navigate through factors which are far more under your control like hydration, pace etc.

Just before the race I had this conversation with a friend of mine on the pace I will be setting – It was not too complex. A pace of 4.30 minutes per kilometre would take me to a time of 3.10 hours while a 4.15 will bring me to that magic figure of 3.00 hours. Looks simple but ask any runner and they would tell you the difficulty! I knew I have done a pace of 4.20s in my training and would probably settle for that!

8.47 am – Just behind the Elites who were flagged off at 8.30 am we started. It was not too cold, and I decided at the last minute to run without my gloves and head gear.

As in cricket, I typically break down my marathon into a 50 over match. The first 12 kilometres sets the tone of the match. Unlike many others I tend to make sure I am having time in the bank without putting my body through any undue pressure or strain. The next 18 kilometres are like your middle overs which needs to be played out without losing too many wickets in the form of any hydration, pain or fatigue issues. And the last 12 kilometres are the slog overs which you will do well if you have not lost too many wickets! In other words if you come into the last 12 K stretch feeling good, you would probably end this journey well.

I started off nicely and was doing running under a pace of 4.10 minutes per kilometer. The first 10 K was done in 41.52 minutes. It looked as if I was going too fast. Should I be slowing down? My perceived effort was still not too bad and I knew I had sustained good speeds in training. But this was a run which would last until the 42^nd kilometre. I was soon crossing the half marathon distance. The time was 1:28:37 and I had done my second fastest ever run for that distance!

It was at this stage while I was looking good, that I started getting a faint feeling that if everything goes well, I would probably be cruising to a sub 3.05. Somewhere in my mind I also knew a few of my friends would be tracking me and they would be pleasantly surprised at the pace I was going at. The usual questions would be asked of whether I would burn myself out. I was smiling to myself but was enjoying the race. This could be my moment. May be!

The middle overs were going off well, though I had developed some pain above my right ankle. It was nothing to worry though and I was hoping that it doesn’t aggravate too much. The route by then had a few tunnels and up hills. Around 29 K, I got another boost when I saw my family! Waving at them, I knew the last part of my journey has started.

The wave at the 29 K

30 K in 2:06:27.

My calculations had begun for a sub 3. Really? I had roughly 54 minutes to do another 12 kilometres and change. I had to go a little faster than 4.30 min per kilometre! Possible? Yes, of course. It looked like a match which was mine to lose but you never know!

35 K - I was feeling good. As good I can be at that distance:-).  The time was 2:28:02. I had another 32 minutes to do 7 odd kilometres. The asking rate was still at around 4.30 min per kilometre. Still on track.

This was the time I felt was slowing down slightly. Not too much, but enough for certain thoughts to enter your mind. Is this the stage which makes people end up slightly over the 3 hour mark. Some of the more accomplished runners have found it difficult. May be it was real. Given this opportunity today should I be desperate to push myself to a sub 3 or make it happen in September at Berlin, as originally planned? These were certain thoughts running through my mind.

The pace was still not too bad, and I decided to continue without letting these thoughts trouble me. Every kilometer was taking me to that destination. I thanked my family, my friends and well-wishers. I would be surprising many if this happens, but that can wait.

40 K – 2:49:54. 

Another 2.2 K in around 10 minutes. The equation was now at around 4.35 min per km. I think I thought it was nearer to 5 min per km and took it a little easy which in hind sight could have been a mistake. A costly mistake at that!

Alas the Arc De Triomphe was up there in the front! Should I be crying? I had just crossed the line in 2 hours 59 minutes and 48 seconds! The moment of truth and pride. I pumped my fist in the air and walked away. I met Pavithra, Sharanya and Anand around 10 minutes later. So how was it? You seemed good when we met you at the 29 K. Yeah I said! Not too bad…I did a sub 3! :-)

Ps – Around 5 months back I had promised Pavithra that I would stop running the day, I do a sub 3!

Happy!

Statistics 

Nutrition – 7 Gels. One 10 minutes before the start and the other 6 in between the race:-) I had one more on me, which I did not use. LOL! Sips or gulps of water every 3-4 kilometer and a slice of banana at around 25 K.

Temperature - Start at around 10-12 degrees, with the end at around 20 degrees.

Timings -

Garmin Link - https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1113615083

Paris Marathon - The last 48 hours!

It is a Thursday morning in Bangalore. I will be reaching Paris by night and will have two full days before the marathon on April 3^rd. The 750 ml Decathlon bottle is my constant companion and I “Reload” with good periodicity through the flight. I let go of the “spirit” which used to be a nice friend some years back:-). It is bonding time in Paris. My younger brother has come down to Paris with family from London. My youngest brother (Anand) too has made it there after a month long, back packing trip. All of us are to spend the next few days in an AirBnB house around La Defense.

I normally do not like those event expos on the previous day, since you never know the effort one ends up with. So Friday it was…Samuel Chettiar, a runner friend from Mumbai gave me some Schneider treatment since they were the title sponsors! Along with Asics, the shoe I have been running with since I started and Tag Heuer the timing partners, it looked like all my favourite brands were there to make it my marathon! On Saturday, while everyone else went to the Disneyland, I stayed put in the 800 sq ft temporary home. I managed to do a bit of work on that day but I think I have never ever rested my legs like that before a race.

Food in the last two days was a bit of an issue since I was a vegetarian (eggs included) and off wheat. Pastas and bread were always the saving grace when I travel abroad, but not this time. Luckily since it was more like home, I was fortunate to get some home-made food. Rice, curd, dal, boiled vegetables, milk, eggs and some gluten free bread was what I had. A month earlier I had changed my start from the 3.15 hour corral to the 3.00 hour one. So it was going to be a 8.47 am start and that was just after the “Elites” start theirs at 8.45 am. I need to thank the organisers for having accepted this change which was backed by a 3.14 hour time recorded by me in another marathon.

Looking up at the weather constantly, had become a routine in the last 2 weeks and now it was time to feel the actual chill. I departed from my usual routine of the preceding two days of any event to head out for a run on Friday and Saturday. A 5 km run around 8.30 am at an easy pace to acclimatize as well as to decide on my final attire for the marathon. On Friday I went with an inner shirt, a tee, a head gear and a glove. It was slightly chilly and windy at around 7 degrees. On Saturday I tried not putting my inner shirt and just went with a normal tee, the head gear and the gloves. It was around 10 degrees and still not too comfortable for my liking. I knew Sunday will be a lot warmer. And to my liking…And I decided to replicate my Saturday dressing for the race day.

Visualisation was another key element of the last two days. Imagining every step, every kilometre and seeing a few videos on how the path looks like! In fact I saw the entire 2015 event recording on Saturday, although with a few fast forwards:-)  The cobble stones, the turns and the tunnels. All at a pace which will comfortably get me to a 3.10, may be slightly better! The thing about 3.10 is to make that BQ a certainty. Just before I went to bed at around 9.30 pm, I had the gear in place, the bib done, the gels in place…A few more messages reached out to me, but all that can wait. For tomorrow was the D-day – a race I was feeling more and more as my own! One last thing before I sleep; I checked again the route by train to get to the starting point. Good night!

A matter of mind - Run up to the Paris Marathon

“It is what you do in the dark, that puts you in the light” – Under Armour ad featuring Michael Phelps

When you drop out of a race mid-way like I did at the SCMM 2016, what gets beaten is not the physical aspect alone but the mental framework. Post the wonderful race I had at the Spice Coast Marathon at Kochi in November 2015, hours of training had gone in during the run up to the event and it just fell apart during the course of a mere 5 days prior to the big one in Mumbai. A couple of silly mistakes and a lesson well learnt. The Dubai Marathon which happened a few days after Mumbai had proved very satisfactory for the Indian runners and did play a bit on my mind.

Yet I did know that my chance at a redemption was fixed for April 3^rd, but did not know how that will turn out to be. Till around the beginning of February, the body was still weak, and the mind not too sure how the return will be. This was also the period to make some structural changes. The biggest decision I did was to turn Gluten free. I had read about the link between asthma and gluten, and also the positive effects of pursuing this diet in having a fitter body. You may call it the Novak effect to a certain extent:-) I wanted to conquer the weakest link in my arsenal which was the respiratory system and would not have minded doing a few things differently to make that happen! Today my understanding of this diet is still evolving but I would like to stay on it for a little bit more time to get to some conclusions.

By the first week of February, I decided to get back to my training plan which has been centred around the “Run Less Run Fast” program. Since December 2015, I had followed the specific plan which would get me a time of 3.10 and went ahead with the same. Slow and steady, I could find my mojo in the training sessions. By mid - February, I was hitting decent speeds. But lack of race practice since November was bothering me. In cricket, we always used to say – One needs to go to bat, thinking about the last big innings one played! For pure mental reasons, I needed that validation of confidence before the Paris Marathon. The IDBI New Delhi Half Marathon was an obvious choice given the course and the temperature. Going in to do a 1.27 kind of time, I did some killing out there with an authoritative 1.23. The purpose accomplished, I was back to normal training.

There are a few pointers which give you an indication of your fitness levels. If that 1.23 was one, there were a few others in March in the run up to the event. I seemed to be consistently doing paces far better that the 3.10 program. In my last 32 K run, chatting with a friend of mine who was supporting me on a bicycle, I casually mentioned that today’s pace will probably get me to a 3.02:-) The Yasso’s which I did at the Gachibowli tracks in Hyderabad, went off well indicating a time close to 3.00. When such things happen, your mind at a sub conscious level starts thinking about a sub 3! I asked a few people around what it takes to do a sub 3, and everyone was unanimous in their view that it is indeed very difficult. However I was pretty sure about one thing – in the latter part of 2016 some runners will go under a sub 3 and that will open the gate for others! The above was indicative of the mind I was in.

The other critical change I implemented were the deep tissue massages. For the amount of intense training I was doing, the muscles needed to be in top notch condition. I went for a deep tissue massage 4 times within a period of 1.5 months. This I can vouch for a fact played a significant role in keeping me relaxed and in condition. Apart from my intake of real foods, it was great to have recovery and hydration done with some of the best nutrition in business. As always I never take gels in my training and this custom stayed through. And 2 weeks prior to the race, I started following my usual routine – no alcohol, avoiding curd at night, no fruits post evening, nothing cold and drinking tons of water!

As the race day got near, there were plenty of wishes! I even had a message going around in 94.3 FM:-) A few of my good friends wished me for a sub 3, and I am sure they too said that in half jest, figuratively letting me know that I go ahead and do well! Little did anyone know what was in store – My target though had been fixed; 3:05 to 3:10 was on cards!

Building with Bricks...

Post my 3.34 hour FM run in SCMM 2014, I have not blogged on my running. Two years is a long period! Isn’t this the FB world in any case! :-) SCMM 2015 was eventful to me but was pretty much low key. A 3.24 showing in a FM is a reasonable outcome many would say.

Year 2015 has been fast and exciting in multiple ways. I started running in December 2011 and I have always felt that your training over a period of years starts showing up at some time.

The first question many people ask me is which club or group I belong to. (ie if people know that I run:-)) While it is sufficiently blasphemous to tell people that I do not get coached, it sometimes gets even more terrible when I say that most of the time I train alone. This is obviously not the best thing to do, but in my case it fits in well since I train at my time, pace and place. At the same time, I am great votary of learning from the best in the game including the runners and coaches I see around. In that sense I am always on the Eklavya mode:-)

But I realised early in 2015 that if I have to improve I need to start running and training with better runners. Since not many “free” runners are around, this becomes difficult. Initially I took the races to bench mark myself against the better runners, but in the second half I have been fortunate to go on training runs with some really good and knowledgeable runners.

It is also important to do well in half marathons to develop into a good full marathon runner. Hence in the previous year a lot of stress was put on doing well in those smaller distances. To reduce the timing from a 1.37 hr to a 1.29 hr in 6-8 months seems difficult, but I believe this is where your previous training plays a role.

And on November 15, 2015 I surprised myself becoming a winner in a full marathon with a timing of 3.14 hours. Again reducing the FM by 10 minutes within 10 months, is something which appeared impossible to me, but it did happen. As it should have ended, to bring reasonability into the year, I did a DNF at SCMM 2016. At the end, it is only a run!

In all this, another important leg has been nutrition. While a lot of people rely on water and natural food, being a poor eater, vegetarian and not the strong kid right from childhood, I have always relied on products which can make me healthier. In that sense I believe we need to be flexible.

Sometimes in half jest people, surprised by some of my performances (in our limited context), do ask tricky questions on nutrition and the like. As I used to grow up, I used to see kids who were more muscular, who probably thrived on meat and able to bowl fast or hit those sixes straight behind the bowler. It would have been futile to sit back and attribute those capabilities to what they ate or the bat they possessed!:-) So the key idea was to develop different skill sets which suited my own approach. And I developed into a batsman who relied on patiently taking those singles and occasional boundaries; a spinner who could bowl all day long waiting for the batsman to make mistakes etc. Running is no different. There are no magic potions or coaches!!

Finally timings are going to improve for everyone as training from an overall perspective keeps getting better. Some timings which as amateurs we used to hold in awe a few years back will no longer be the golden standard! There are some amazing people who are pushing the bar for all of us and we should pray that they keep doing it!