Hyderabad Marathon - Weekly Buildup

Week 3

Opened the week with an easy 5-miler, followed by a 7-miler with 3 miles at tempo. Strength training on Monday and Wednesday, 30 minutes each, with easy recovery rides on the Kickr on Tuesday and Thursday. Thursday brought 1000m repeats, 5 of them, a step up from last week's 800s. Held a consistent 7:23/mi (4:35/km) throughout. Happy with that. Saturday was the big one, an 18-miler, solo, at GKVK. The first loop was punishing, the miles felt endless and the legs had nothing to offer. But somewhere along the way, got my rhythm back. The second half was a different run altogether. Finished it. That's what matters. Friday and Sunday were rest days.

Day of the week	Workout
Monday	5 mi easy + Strength
Tuesday	7 mi (3 mi tempo) + 45 minutes easy spin
Wednesday	5, 1000m + Strength
Thursday	4 mi easy + 45 minutes easy spin
Friday	Rest
Saturday	18 mi easy
Sunday	Rest

Activity	Distance	Duration (9:33:02)
Run	40.56 miles	6:54:12
Bike	24.03 miles	1:39:00
Strength		59:50

Weight	70.3 kg
Cumulative mileage	116.35 miles

Week 2

The mileage steps up and the body is starting to take notice. The week opened with an easy 6-miler, followed by an 8-miler with 4 miles at tempo pace, legs felt comfortable, which was encouraging. Strength training on Monday and Wednesday, 30 minutes each, with easy recovery rides on the Kickr on Tuesday and Thursday to keep the legs loose. Thursday brought 800m repeats, 6 of them. A step up from last week's 400s, and a noticeable one. But the pace held steady throughout, and the effort felt slightly better than Week 1. Small progress, but progress. Wrapped up with an easy 4-mile shuffle before the week's main event — a 16-miler at GKVK on Saturday. Santanu joined for 3-4 miles in the middle, which helped break it up. The rest of it was a grind, the miles felt long and the legs were super tired. Relieved to get to the finish. Friday and Sunday were rest days. One week at a time.

Day of the week	Workout
Monday	6 mi easy + Strength
Tuesday	8 mi (4 mi tempo) + 45 minutes easy spin
Wednesday	6, 800m + Strength
Thursday	4 mi easy + 45 minutes easy spin
Friday	Rest
Saturday	14 mi easy
Sunday	Rest

Activity	Distance	Duration (9:20:48)
Run	39.69 miles	6:48:52
Bike	26.16 miles	1:37:23
Strength		54:33

Weight	70.4 kg
Cumulative mileage	75.79 miles

Week 1

Ten weeks out. The plan is simple: No heroics, just consistent work toward a Comrades qualifier, which seems doable.

The week opened with a strength workout that left my legs sore through Tuesday and Wednesday which was expected, as I had deliberately eased off strength training in the lead-up to Cape Town, so the body needed a nudge back. Thursday, brought the first interval session in months, 400m repeats, target 6:50–7:15/mi. I was a touch nervous, and wasn't quite there, but in the vicinity. Trusting pace will come back over the coming weeks. The week closed with a 14-miler on Saturday nice and easy, mostly solo, with Santanu joining for the last 4 miles. Friday and Sunday were rest days.

Day of the week	Workout
Monday	5 mi easy + Strength
Tuesday	6 mi, 3 mi tempo
Wednesday	4 mi easy + 30 minutes easy spin
Thursday	12, 400m + Strength
Friday	Rest
Saturday	14 mi easy + Strength
Sunday	Rest

Activity	Distance	Duration (7:28:17)
Run	36.10 miles	6:05:41
Bike	6.73 miles	30:13
Strength		52:23

Weight	70.1 kg
Cumulative mileage	36.10 miles

Week 0

Before the build begins, a quick recap. I ran Cape Town Marathon on May 24; the full buildup to that race is here. The 12-week block leading up to it covered around 450 miles, which feels like a solid base to carry into this next cycle. The three weeks after Cape Town were spent the usual way — resting, recovering, and no running. No guilt about that.

One new addition to the setup: Rashmi and I picked up a Wahoo Kickr bike trainer, which I'm planning to use for cross-training through this 10-week block. Curious to see how that changes things.