Hyderabad Marathon - Weekly Buildup

Week 7

A hectic week, but an important one. Opened with an easy 10 km, followed by a 9-miler on Tuesday with 5 miles at tempo. Wednesday brought 1000m repeats, 5 of them, all consistent, and noticeably stronger than Week 3, averaging 5-6 seconds faster per rep. Good to see the fitness moving in the right direction despite the disrupted weekends. Strength training on Monday and Wednesday, 30 minutes each, recovery rides on the Kickr on Tuesday and Thursday, 45 minutes each, and an easy 5-miler on Thursday to close out the weekdays. It was a hectic week off the roads too, an early morning airport drop for my sister among other things, so arriving at Saturday with any energy felt like a small win. The plan was 23 miles at GKVK. Settled for 20 miles. Given the last two weekends produced 0 miles and 10 miles respectively, getting a solid 20-miler in was the right call and a much-needed confidence boost. Mithun and Boopathi joined for 17.5 of those miles, which helped enormously, took the first 3-4 miles to find a rhythm, but once it clicked, the run felt okay. Seven down. Three to go.

Day of the week	Workout
Monday	10 km easy + Strength
Tuesday	9 mi (5 mi tempo) + 45 minutes easy spin
Wednesday	5, 1000m + Strength
Thursday	5 mi easy + 45 minutes easy spin
Friday	Rest
Saturday	20 mi
Sunday	Rest

Activity	Distance	Duration (10:06:22)
Run	46.10 miles	7:41:36
Bike	18.63 miles	1:30:30
Strength		54:16

Weight	72.4 kg
Cumulative mileage	262.96 miles

Week 6 

Back-to-back weeks not going to plan is not ideal, but here we are. The weekday running was decent, a 5-miler to open, followed by another easy 5-miler. Wednesday brought 800m repeats, 6 of them, all consistent. Noticeably stronger than when I ran these in Week 2, which is reassuring amid an otherwise frustrating stretch. Thursday was an easy 5-miler to round out the weekday running. Strength training on Monday and Wednesday, 30 minutes each, with recovery rides on the Kickr on Tuesday and Thursday, 45 minutes each. The weekend didn't cooperate again. Poor sleep on Friday and Saturday meant the planned long run was off the table. Swapped it for an easy 10-miler in CBD with RV and Raju, great company, comfortable pace, no complaints about the run itself. Just not the mileage the block called for. Two weekends in a row without a proper long run is a concern. The fitness is clearly there, the weekday sessions say as much, but the long runs are the backbone of marathon training and I have missed two of them. The next four weeks need to deliver. Six down. Four to go.

Day of the week	Workout
Monday	5 mi easy + Strength
Tuesday	5 mi  + 45 minutes easy spin
Wednesday	6, 800m + Strength
Thursday	5 mi easy + 45 minutes easy spin
Friday	Rest
Saturday	10 mi
Sunday	Rest

Activity	Distance	Duration (7:43:09)
Run	30.51 miles	5:18:21
Bike	21.14 miles	1:30:26
Strength		54:22

Weight	72.4 kg
Cumulative mileage	216.86 miles

Week 5

Not every week goes to plan. This was one of those. The weekday running was solid, an easy 6-miler to open, followed by a 9-miler with 5 miles at tempo. Thursday brought 400m repeats, 10 of them, all consistent and strong. A good sign of where the fitness is heading. Strength training on Monday and Wednesday, 30 minutes each, with recovery rides on the Kickr on Tuesday and Thursday, 45 minutes each. Then the weekend unravelled. Poor sleep on Thursday and Friday, a busy and draining Saturday, the body simply wasn't in a place to take on a 21-miler. Tried to talk myself into it, but the honest call was to rest. Sunday went the same way. It's frustrating to miss the long run at the halfway point of the block. But running 21 miles on a sleep-deprived, worn-out body would have done more damage than good. Sometimes the right training decision is no training. Five down. Five to go. Back to it next week.

Day of the week	Workout
Monday	6.2 mi easy + Strength
Tuesday	9 mi (5 mi tempo) + 45 minutes easy spin
Wednesday	10, 400m + Strength
Thursday	5 mi easy + 45 minutes easy spin
Friday	Rest
Saturday	Rest
Sunday	Rest

Activity	Distance	Duration (6:27:12)
Run	25.19 miles	4:01:59
Bike	18.22 miles	1:30:08
Strength		55:05

Weight	72.2 kg
Cumulative mileage	186.35 miles

Week 4 

The week followed the now familiar rhythm, and the body is adapting with a fairly hectic weeks at work. Opened with an easy 6-miler, followed by an 8-miler with 4 miles at tempo on Tue. Strength training on Monday and Wednesday, 30 minutes each, with easy recovery rides on the Kickr on Tuesday and Thursday, 45 minutes each. Thursday brought 1200m repeats, 4 of them. Held the same pace as last week's 1000s, which is a good sign, the fitness is consolidating even as the distances tick up. Saturday was the milestone of the block so far, a 20-miler at GKVK. Mithun and Boopathi, colleagues from work, joined for 25km and made a real difference. The miles passed without too much drama. The final 7km solo was a different story, not brutal at all, just long and a little boring. Got it done. Friday and Sunday were rest days. Four down. Six to go.

Day of the week	Workout
Monday	6 mi easy + Strength
Tuesday	8 mi (4 mi tempo) + 45 minutes easy spin
Wednesday	4, 1200m + Strength
Thursday	5 mi easy + 45 minutes easy spin
Friday	Rest
Saturday	20 mi easy
Sunday	Rest

Activity	Distance	Duration (10:03:12)
Run	44.81 miles	7:37:09
Bike	18.22 miles	1:30:08
Strength		55:55

Weight	71.0 kg
Cumulative mileage	161.16 miles

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.