RunAddicts- Local Heroes: Inspiration series [Profile 4: Vishu]

Hard work may not pay you off immediately. It tests you, makes you cry, some of them quit en route. While a rare few pursue their dream and find more satisfaction in the process, of course with a little emphasis on result. But keep in mind, Hard work does reward you!! This is in summary about Vishu. He is one of the most experienced runners I know, yet he has this childlike zeal to learn and improve. We all love his witty one liners. Let us find out more about him today.

Vishu, Welcome to RunAddicts- our Local Heroes: Inspiration series. Congrats on being selected as a Local hero for our RunAddicts Inspiration series. I am certain your running experience will guide many of us in the right direction.

Sai: Can you briefly introduce yourself?

Vishu: I am a Software and Systems Engineer by profession working as Principal Manager (Director of Engineering) for Qualcomm Bangalore. I have 23 years of experience working in mostly semiconductor start-up companies after earning my master’s degree from IIT Bombay in Digital Communications in 1998.

I grew up in Chandigarh and Somalia (Africa) and then moved to Bangalore in 1986. I have been living in RR Nagar Bangalore since 2004. I have been married to Veena, my batchmate in undergrad college (SJCE Mysore) and have 2 kids aged 19 and 14. Besides running, I am passionate about cooking and food in general (a foodie basically).

Sai: I have in part heard about your weight reduction journey. Can you throw more light?

Vishu: In childhood I used to play cricket, badminton, and football (like most kids of my generation). I was decent at sports but not really into competitions and used to mostly play for fun.

Due to the fast-paced environment coupled with high intensity and pressure in start-ups, my work hours were mostly long, and I had irregular eating habits. Also, longish trips to the US and France from 1998 to 2016 caused my weight to fluctuate a lot. At multiple points in time starting from the year 2000 my weight exceeded 100 kilos. and at one point it peaked at 107 kilos. (way over the ideal weight for my height 182 cm.)

I had recurring lower back pain due to this excess weight and general lack of fitness which was frustrating.

In the year 2002 when I was 107 kilos, I started jogging to lose weight but could not consistently follow a diet plan due to travel and general lack of discipline. However, in 2005 I attended a talk by eminent dietician Lisa Sara John which had a great impact on me especially when she said, “You are what you eat”. From then on, I have been consistently below 95 kilos with jogging and moderate eating. Starting 2012 various running apps came into existence that motivated me to increase running speed and participate in races. In 2014, I bought my first Garmin GPS watch and have not looked back since. My weight has hovered around 82-87 kilos since then. Now it is all about losing more weight to run faster 🙂

 Sai: That is an interesting story. I am glad you are fit and healthy. How long have you been running, and which events have you participated?

Vishu: I have been jogging since the year 2000 but not consistently. Since 2012, I have been consistently running and have participated in several races throughout India.

I have run the Mumbai Marathon (4 times), the Bangalore marathon, Airtel Delhi Half Marathon (3 times), Malnad Ultra 50k trail race (2 times), TCS 10K and many other local races in Bangalore.

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

Vishu: 10K (00:49:11), HM (1:49:47), FM (4:05:10)

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

Vishu: Until 2018, it was a mixture of advice from seasoned runners both within my group (RunAddicts) and the wider running community of Bangalore plus training plans from websites such as Runners world. However, I was struggling to scale my performance from HM to FM distance and was bogged down with injuries. I attended a workshop on running form analysis and correction which helped me tremendously in running injury free.

In 2019, I engaged with a running coach and it worked wonders for me. I diligently followed a training plan customized for me and the results that followed proved the value of structured training. I started classifying races into 3 categories i) Key Race ii) Assessment Race iii) Fun/Social run. There is no point in giving ones best in all events (choose battles wisely).

Sai: That is a smart way of training to run injury free. Lately, people run every race for a PB. Your race classification is quite impressive, this is important for us to consider.

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

Vishu: From my individual performance perspective it must be the Tata Mumbai Marathon 2020 where my training, hydration and fuelling strategy fell into place and the execution was perfect. I clocked 4:12 which was my PB at that time. Accomplished negative splits of 2:07 and 2:05 with the last couple of kilometres being the fastest. In all previous editions that I participated in I ended up getting cramps and had huffed and puffed to the finish line.

However, from a volunteering point of view I must mention that the annual run organized by my group RunAddicts in June 2018 will always hold a special place in my heart.

I and my wife spearheaded the effort in making the event a zero-waste event (perhaps the only zero waste event in Bangalore). That set a high standard for our group and subsequently all our monthly runs have been zero-waste events!!

Sai: You touched upon two paramount points.

1. Negative splits in a marathon. This is my favourite; it is the epitome of running fitness. Can you help the readers understand how to plan a marathon race? We often see runners having positive splits up to 30min+

[For the benefit of readers- Positive splits Ex: 2hrs for first 21km and 2.5hrs for the next 21km in a full marathon].

Vishu:  Out of 7 marathons that I have run, only the last 3 have been decent in terms of a strong finish (TMM 2020{2:07-2:05|, Delhi 2020{2:00-2:05} and SPBM 2021{2:03-2:04}). I was in the same boat as many others prior to TMM2020 wherein I used to cramp out after 30k+.

I think the key is to start slow (first 5 to 6 km) however fresh or strong you feel and then cruise until the 36th km and then push hard. Another important and often neglected aspect is to hydrate and refuel at regular intervals. Once dehydration happens, there is no way to reverse it during the race. Remember, you cannot outrun your current fitness and training level.

Which means you can only be slightly faster than your longest run prior to race day. That is why TMM2020 was the most satisfying for me as all these factors fell into place and my last km. was the fastest. I did consume 8 salt caps and 5 gels during the race, and I am sure even 1 less salt cap would have dehydrated me given my high sweat rate.

 Sai: 2. Zero waste run. We, RunAddicts are doing something very remarkable. This often goes unnoticed. How did you get this thought? Honestly, this is more challenging than organizing a run, but you guys make it look so effortless. 

Vishu: Zero waste run- Honestly, all credit for this goes to my wife Veena. She has been championing the cause of waste segregation, composting in RR nagar since 2012. She is a member of Solid Waste Management Round Table and has done great work in educating people on segregation (via YouTube as well as door to door sessions). She was instrumental in setting up a dry waste collection center in RR nagar and also arranged for ITC (Corporate company) to pick up dry waste every fortnight or so for recycling. So, when this annual run came up, Veena and I suggested this and the core group of Runaddicts readily supported the idea. Of course, it is challenging and inconvenient but that is the price we need to pay to keep our surroundings clean. After our 2018 annual run we carried forward the habit in our monthly runs as well.

Sai: True, let us do our bit in making this world a less bad place for our future generation. Also, we use reusable plates and cups for all our runs. How do you manage that?

 Vishu: We sourced steel cutlery from this organization called Adamya Chetana (https://www.adamyachetana.org/). They are one of the largest mid-day meal providers to school children in India. They also have a plate bank wherein interested parties can pay a refundable deposit and collect steel plates, spoons and tumblers for their events. Once the items are returned in clean condition (washed and dried), you get your deposit back. In case of any losses, the appropriate amount is withheld. Since our annual run in 2018, for all subsequent monthly and annual runs, we have been sourcing steel cutlery from Adamya Chetana.

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

Vishu: I make sure I wake up early (around 4:30 to 5 am) and am done with my work out by 7 to 7:30 am on weekdays. Folks at home are generally not impacted by my exercise regimen. Work starts at around 9 am but sometimes there are late night calls impacting sleep. Working out after a poor night’s sleep is a challenge and should be minimized. I need to somehow resolve this problem.

Sai: RunAddicts has impacted many lives. How has it been being part of RunAddicts so far?

Vishu: I joined RunAddicts in June 2016 (couple of months after it was formed) and am very proud and privileged to be a part of it. Ours is one of the few non-competitive and non-commercial running groups in Bangalore where the joy of running is celebrated. It has developed a great sense of community and bonding amongst its members as evidenced in the execution of our annual and monthly runs. To top it all, the social cause we have adopted (Educate a rural child) involving notebook and sports kit distribution to rural children is laudable.

I love being part of the weekend group runs as well as the various outstation trips we have gone to for races such as Malnad Ultra and TMM. I have also learnt quite a bit from the seasoned runners in the group. So overall it is a great experience.

Sai: Any specific running goals?

Vishu: On top of the list is a sub 4 hr Marathon finish. followed by a comfortable sub 50 min. 10K. (closer to 45 mins.). Over the long term I want to improve my running form further like make sure I run with my feet pointing forward rather than slightly sideways (duck feet) as well as increase the lean from the ankles.

Sai: What is your favourite running quote?

Vishu: I am on the hunt for who I have not yet become.

Sai: What is your advice for beginners?

Vishu: Work on the basics when you start out like running form and aerobic endurance until you become fit enough to start tougher workouts. Do not get into the mode of going all out in all races that you sign up for. Supplement your running with cross training, strength training and flexibility exercises/yoga to remain injury free. Last but not the least, run with a smile and enjoy the journey.

Thank you, Vishu. This was one of the amazing interactions I have had. I was pretty sure you were a knowledge house, no doubt it came out at the right time. Perhaps, our conversation did not go so far down even during our long runs. This will immensely benefit beginners and seasoned runners alike. I had a pretty good time talking to you. I wish you all the best for all your fitness goals.