Run Blog

Most of you might know this already, but I would like to re-iterate this: “Prevention is better“. Let me start by saying “cotton” is bad for running. When there is more “sweat”, cotton makes it worse. This is true for “socks” as well. In order to avoid chaffing, blisters, etc, I strongly urge everyone to go “synthetic”, running t-shirts and shorts/pants for running. Running t-shirts, socks doesn’t mean you are protected from blisters, chaffing, etc, but it definitely helps. We will discuss more about the discomforts and solutions in the coming weeks.
For the socks, I personally prefer “smartwool“. You should be able to find the running t-shirts/shorts, socks, etc in any sports store.
Reading the following note will give you more insights about why Synthetic is better.
Cotton vs Synthetic
Have you ever tried to buy a cotton running shirt from your local running store? Have you ever seen the people in the Olympics, or the winner of the Boston Marathon running in a cotton T. Guess what? You won’t. Ever! It’s all about performance.
Here are the simple rules about synthetics and cottons. A fabric’s breathability is measured by how much cubic feet of air flows through that fabric in one minute. It is measured in cubic feet per minute (cfm). A garbage bag has a breathability rating of 0 cfm. A cotton T-shirt has a breathability rating of 30 cfm. A synthetic T-shirt has a breathability rating of 150 cfm. The end result is that your body is allowed to breath, which means it can sweat efficiently which allows your body’s core temperature to stay down.
Synthetic materials are designed to move moisture away from your skin, channeling the moisture to a greater area of surface, so that evaporation can occur more rapidly. Believe it or not, wearing a synthetic shirt will actually keep you cooler than wearing no shirt at all.

All new runners: please make sure you have a new running shoe when we kick off our 2010 training.
Other Marathoners: If you have crossed about 500-600 miles in your old shoe or if the shoe is more than 1 year old, time to change.
Make sure when you wear the shoe, it is not too tight or too loose. If you think you foot is little wide, don’t forget to check for wide shoes (EE, EEE, etc.). In general, I would recommend to buying a running shoe with the cost range of $60 to $90. If you are buying older models (yeah !) you will get a good discounts.
Please DO NOT buy your first running shoe at any store or online. Buy at a specialty store listed below. Once you know the model/type you want to buy, you can buy it anywhere.
Just for general reading: http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/news/article.asp?UAN=481
Recommended Running stores at Bay area:
Campbell: http://www.runningrevolution.comget 10% off by mentioning India TEAM).
I bought by second running shoe here. They have got computerized foot assessment and recommend a shoe appropriately. I talked to Tim at this store. He gladly agrees to give 10% discount for all the runners from “India Team”. Just mention the name, “India TEAM” and get 10% discount.
Sunnvale/Walnut Creek: http://www.sportsbasement.com/stores.asp
I bought my first shoe at sports basement. They have 10% off (all times) for AAA members. I prefer RunningRevolution over sportsbasement.
San Carlos/Redwood City: http://www.roadrunnersports.com/
These guys have the computerized stuff where they will asses your foot and recommend a appropriate shoe. Few of our runners bought shoe from this store. I don’t know about the discounts.
Running socks: I would recommend buying a pair of running sox.
Other accessories: Please do not buy any other shoe-accessories at this time. After you run for couple of weeks, if you have any discomforts you can think about getting more accessories like in-sole, etc.

We have successfully started our 2010 Full Marathon Training on Jan 30, 2010. Instead of me writing the details, let me put the exact words from our friend Karthik Palanisamy.
Comments from Karthik Palanisamy:
Me, Chinna Raj and Sathish was there sharp 7:00AM ( at least for the first day ), so started early instead of waiting, It was a great welcome day to start after the rain, the weather was excellent with moisture after we got little warmed up. we covered easily 4 miles in first day at slow speed while enjoying the morning weather with cool mist. Missed the fun with larger group with the confusion of 7 or 8:00AM, will meet all next week at 8:00AM.
If you are running a full marathon, this training is a must. So please start the running and join us for the long run every weekend. Everyone, plan to join the weekend run for Fun !. See you all next week.
Trail Info for next week: Feb 06, 2010
Time and Distance : 8:00 AM, 3 miles
Place: “Ranch Dr @37.426002, -121.924690″ – Search in google maps. This is where we will start and finish.
Running route: http://www.favoriterun.com/264378
Parking: There are about 10 parking spots near the trail. More parking available on the other side of Ranch Drive.

Training Schedule – Saturday is our group (long) run
Week Week Starting Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat (Group) Sun Trail Info
1 15-Mar-2010 Rest 20 min Rest 30 min Rest 2 mile Rest gold st
2 22-Mar-2010 Rest 20 min Rest 30 min
Rest 2 mile Rest gold st
3 29-Mar-2010 Rest 2 mi Rest 2 mi Rest 3 mile Rest gold st
4 5-Apr-2010 Rest 2 mi Rest 2 mi Rest 3 mile Rest
5 12-Apr-2010 Rest 2 mi Rest 2 mi Rest 4 mile Rest
6 19-Apr-2010 Rest 2 mi Rest 3 mi Rest 5 mi Rest
7 26-Apr-2010 Rest 2 mi Rest 3 mi Rest 6 mi Rest
8 3-May-2010 Rest 3 mi Rest 3 mi Rest 7 mi Rest
9 10-May-2010 Strength 3 mi Cross 4 mi Rest 8 mi Rest
10 17-May-2010 Strength 3 mi Cross 3 mi Rest 9 mi Rest
11 24-May-2010 Strength 4 mil Cross 4 mi Rest 10 mi Rest
12 31-May-2010 Strength 4 mi Cross 4 mi Rest 11 mi Rest
13 7-Jun-2010 Rest 5 mi Cross 3 mi Rest 12 mi Rest
14 14-Jun-2010 Rest 3 mi Cross 4 mi Rest 13 mi Rest
15 21-Jun-2010 Rest 2 mil
Cross 3 mi Rest 9 mi Rest
16 28-Jun-2010 Strength 4 mi Cross 4 mi Rest 8 mi Rest
17 5-Jul-2010 Strength 4 mi Cross 4 mi Rest 6 mi Rest
18 12-Jul-2010 Strength 4 mi Cross 3 mi Rest 6 mi Rest
19 19-Jul-2010 Rest 2 mi 30 minutes 2 mi Rest 30 minutes 25-Jul-2010 SF Half-Marathon !
Cross: For cross training, choose any activity other than running. You could do swimming, cycling, walking/hiking. Don’t make the mistake of cross-training too vigorously. Cross-training days should be considered easy days that allow you to recover from the running you do the rest of the week
Strength: Mondays are the days following your long run on the weekends, so don’t overdo it. Strength training could consist of push-ups, pull-ups, use of free weights or working out with various machines at a fitness center. Runners generally benefit if they combine light weights with a high number of repetitions, rather than using heavy weights
The above schedule and the information are based on the experience and referred from the following link: halhigdon halfmarathon schedule
If you have not registered yet, please register here: runsfm registration
Race Day: July 25, 2010 @ San Francisco

When we started our training session we had about 15 runners. But we ended up having 30+ runners completing Half Marathon. 2009 was a very successful year for TEAM Run. We did it.
TEAM Runners after the Half Marathon @ RunSFM on July 26,2009
I’m very happy to run with all the folks today. Enjoy the moments captured during/after our run:
Photos from RunSFM HalfMarathon July2009
Looking forward to 2010 training session kickoff.