RunAddicts- Local Heroes: Inspiration series [Profile 14: Ravi D]

You come across many people in life, a few of them leave a lasting mark and positive influence on you. Ravi is one such person. Having known him even before RunAddicts started, I can deduce that he is a multi-talented and very practical person. He works for the social causes in his capacity, aptly supported by Savitha. One of his traits being a knowledge powerhouse across various fields. He understands the technicalities of running, simplifies it for you and has been there for RunAddicts since its inception. Let us hear more from him and be guided in our pursuit for fitness.

Ravi, Welcome to RunAddicts- our Local Heroes: Inspiration series. Congrats on being selected as a Local hero for our RunAddicts Inspiration series.

Can you briefly introduce yourself?

Working for over 3 decades now. Travelled quite a bit around the world in the late 90s and early 00s. Now happy to be back home with the beautiful family as much as I can.

Personally, I would like to think I am a simple 49yr old man. But that assessment is better left to Savitha. A typical small-town boy. Came up the hard way, as is the case with so many in my generation. Especially those who happened to be eldest child in typical middleclass families. Consider myself lucky – To have reached where we are today as a family, and to have met some of the nicest people all along.

For over a decade, Savitha, Aditya & I have also been doing our little bit towards the society in general. Mobility, greenery, sustainable transport, and now, thanks to RunAddicts, health, fitness & education.

Did you have any sports interests when you were young?

Not really. Never really had much time, nor the facilities for sports. Have never been really that fit and strong. I was – and to some extent still am – the kind who would catch a cold if it rained outside!

Always loved the outdoors. So, did a lot of hiking. Walking. Started with cycling 10 years ago, with friends. Those were the days when we worked to get the ‘CycleDay’ campaign started in Bangalore. One of my buddies, Sathya caught the running bug first. Around that time my then boss in Houston, Raouf, got me enrolled into the company’s team for the Houston Half Marathon. Few of us friends got together and formed a running group in Cubbon Park called Trisulin. Started running together every weekend there. And in the deserted roads of then RR Nagar in the evenings after work. That was so much fun. I realized the slow and steady were my kind of runs. Have not looked back since.

Well, this is nostalgia!

How long have you been running, and which are the events you have participated?

I think around 7 years or so now. Have run quite a few Half Marathons and a handful of Full Marathons. Plus, a couple of Malnad 50ks. List would be typical of what you would expect from a RunAddict. KTM, Ramanagara, TRORT, NEB Events (Ultras, 10k challenge, BM, Stadium Relay), Mysore events, Malnad Ultra. Extra would be a few Houston Marathons.

What are your 10K, HM and FM personal best timings?

10k – 48:36, HM – Not sure, around 1:50, FM – 3:57:30

I like your progressive running in a race and enjoy checking your 5K splits. How do you do this?

Guess it comes naturally to conservative runners. HR guides most of my races. I start easy, around 140ish HR and allow a gradual increase as the race progresses. Plus my watch is set to show me the average pace. Try it out, it is not that hard. Of course, FM is a different beast.

How do you train for an event; can you share a few insights?

Consistency and working within my limits are the key. I run somewhere around 150-200km a month, and cycle up and down every so often. Then decide on ramping up and/or adding specific sessions to meet the needs of the event. For example, if training for a marathon, I might push my weekly average pace a bit towards expected Marathon Pace. I run 3 or 4 times a week. As the event date gets closer, just start asking yourself – how does today’s run contribute towards the goal.

Can you share your thoughts on aerobic running?

Biology is not a digital system. Nothing in the nature is. There is always a mix of aerobic and anaerobic metabolism in the body. Running at the more comfortable end of your ability, you let aerobic part dominate, and it is well known to be much more efficient. For endurance runners like us trying to go over 2 hours or so. It is similar to your car giving you the best mileage when you cruise at a steady not-too-fast pace. HR is a proxy measure of where on this aerobic-anaerobic spectrum you are at. 

Spending most of your training time doing easy runs keeps you fresh, helps recover faster, and train better in general. We’ve seen it in many RunAddicts, how this helped improve their aerobic running pace tremendously.

Please share a few tips to improve running form and to stay injury free.

Keep it simple. Do not try too hard. While feeling tired, imagine someone pulling your hair straight up towards the sky. Posture improves immediately. It is a very tricky thing, everyone comes with his/her own body structure. Best is to let them slowly adjust and adopt, rather than forcing everyone into an ‘ideal’ form. Key is to go easy. And pay attention to what you are doing every few minutes. 

 You are one of the frequent travelers I have known. How is it running on your business trip days?

Fortunately, it is mostly to one or two destinations. Weather change can be trouble. And so is the time change (between US and India). Takes 2-3 days to adjust, but it is not too hard. My mileage does dip during travel, but that’s something we have to accept and move on!

Which is your most memorable running event and what makes it so special about it?

Memorable event – selfish answer would be Malnad Ultra. But how can I forget our very own Annual Events? The first is of course always special! After all the sweating for months, to see thousands come together, participate, and go home smiling. Nothing like encouraging every smiling and struggling face out there to complete their run.

How do you balance fitness, work, and personal life?

Individuals can do very little on their own. If I have seen any success, it is all due to the support from my lovely family, friends and fellow RunAddicts. Balance is easy if you are lucky enough to have such support. Do not overthink it. Just go about your life. If you are willing to be considerate enough, things will work out all right!

How has RunAddicts helped you?

I have been one of the core guys almost since inception. Spent too much time and effort in it and working for it. So, I am very biased. But since inception, we wanted RunAddicts to be the platform to encourage the common folk, while staying non-political & non-commercial. I think the group has done a marvelous job. So many lives have changed for the better. And all of us RunAddicts can justifiably be very proud of it.

What are some of the social causes you have worked and what changes you wish to see in our area?

Quite a few. Since 2008 been up to something or the other. Praja, CfB, iCare, RunAddicts. In the areas of mobility, non-motorized transport, saving forests, trees, lakes, and now with RunAddicts, health, fitness and education. Been fortunate to have   found friends and groups that did great work. And happy to have helped a bit from my end.

Any specific running goals?

Simple. To keep on running.

What is your favorite running quote?

Probably borrowed, but my version: Don’t stress too hard. Today is not your only race. Your whole life is ahead of you.

What is your advice for beginners?

Take it easy. Do not get carried away and get injured. Stay conservative. Train within your limits. Stay consistent. Results will come.

Thank you, Ravi, it was good interacting with you. You have supported RunAddicts in a big way and a lot of us have benefited. I wish you good luck in all your endeavors.