An introduction to how I coach

The following are key features#

1. You will train for 3-5 days a week, of which you will do 2-3 runs a week with a group*. The two key runs will be a speed workout and a tempo run. For those who have already run in the past and are looking at improving timings, I may have a 3^rd run every week.
2. You will get a customized training plan in line with your capabilities (to be assessed using a time trial) and supervision of your training sessions.
3. You will get feedback as needed both at the key runs and at the end of the week.
4. We will set a mutually agreed target in line with your capabilities and performance for the final race/run.

* You will run on your own on the other days. You are welcome to join me on other days too since I run on 6 days of the week and sometimes all 7 days, but the locations/timings on those days will be at my discretion on the other days.

If you are vegetarian, I can also help you on planning your diet based on my experience. We could examine your diet even if you aren't, but since I am not non-vegetarian myself, I have little experiential advice to dole out.

If you are interested please fill up the questionnaire at http://goo.gl/forms/pvjT3ALQFP  which I use to have discussions with potential trainees. It helps me avoid asking standard questions and focus on specific queries of yours when we talk. It also helps me not miss obvious queries at the beginning. I don't coach people for <12 weeks since I believe it isn't enough time to make significant changes to one's performances in less than that duration.

Once you have done that, we will talk and work out specifics like locations, timings, fees, etc. In case you are outside Bangalore and want to be coached remotely (Yes, there is such a thing. Even some elite athletes train like that) wherein I design a custom-training plan, track you on a daily basis, have weekly discussions on the phone or Skype, etc, mail me and we shall work something out.

Also, read this and this to get an idea of how I coach remotely.

About me:
I am 36 years old (as of Dec 2014, the time of writing this post ). I used to work as a manager in a premier Management Consulting firm until 3 years ago. I just found running more enjoyable and quit my job to become a full-time coach. I have been running for over 13 years now. I had no running history before 2001. For that matter, nobody in my family has ever played any sport with any competence. I used to be a plump kid for a while. Then I just grew up to become a fat adult. I just decided to change this one fine day. So I know what it is to train as an ordinary person who has no sporting history. I have run 17 marathons and run a half marathon almost once a week (sometimes two). I started with a half marathon in 2 hours 34 minutes in 2004 and a full marathon in 2005 (in 5 hours 4 minutes) with little training or even an idea on how to train. I just ran them on a whim. So I began training since I thought I could improve with training. As recently as in 2009, I ran 10K in 47 minutes and 51 seconds.
 
However I ran without a coach till January 2011. My best marathon till then was in 4 hours.
In 2011, I found an amazing coach and trained under him in the US. I ran 2 half marathons in about 1 hour 30 minutes each and a full marathon in just 3 hours 10 minutes, qualifying for the Boston Marathon.
 
I would love to show you what you can do with targeted training. 
 
I love to run. It has changed my life. It could change yours too.
  
One of my trainees who is Singapore based, came up with interesting names for my coaching options - remote and on location in Bangalore. He calls the remote model (email/telephone based) as the "Ekalavya" model and the on-location one as "Arjuna" model. I have loved the terms enough to quickly appropriate them

# I have posted this in some form on my personal blog in the past

Testimonial - 2

This is from another trainee, who preferred to keep her identity private. She ran one of the World Marathon Majors in 2014, earning a Boston Qualification in the 18-34 age group.

1. When and why did you start training under D? What was your aim? 

I had heard about D from a fellow runner who is a friend of D's. by that time I had completed about 6 marathons, with a PB of3:40 . 

I heard about his training schedule which was similar to what I had been doing, 3-4 days of running. D believes in quality rather than quantity and doesn't push people to run junk mileage. I had been running 4 days a week , 1 - interval, 2- tempo, 3 - long runs 4- recovery run which was similar to D's plan. Along with his knowledge of strength training and nutrition, I was convinced that he's the best package and decided to join his training plan.

My personal aim was to break a 3.35-3.30 at some point 

2. How did D help you in achieving your running target? 

D's training is very systematic and structured and it's NOT easy. Every training plan is different, based on the time trial he makes you do and your individual ability. Its almost like he is listening to your body sitting in Bangalore. Also, he understands that if your body needs rest , he will give you a week off from running. D stressed a lot on strength training for me as I often get injured. The strength training I did twice a week really helped me with overall fitness. 

3. Tell us 3 things about D that you really like? 

D is like a tyrant! I almost get scared before reading his emails coz I knew he would be yelling at me for defying him about something ! But D keeps you very very focussed. his knowledge about EVERY other sport is incredible ! Whenever I would feel like I cant push more, he would give me a 30 min lecture on other ppl around the world and their problems and struggles. it makes you look at life with a different perspective. 

4. How has this improvement helped you as a runner and as a person? 

I feel stronger, more confident and I achieved my PB !

Testimonial - 1

RunnersforLife published this series on coaches, which featured a Q&A with one of my trainees, Diwakar Pingle


1. When and why did you start training under D? What was your aim?

I started training with D since June 2012. I was running half marathons before that (since 2007) but it was more of an unstructured program where I used to run two days a week and then showed up for the main race. Injury naturally followed since I never used to warm up/cool down and I was almost like a headless chicken. I knew D from my quizzing days and got to know that he had become a full time running coach after quitting his consulting career. While I was training with a lovely group of runners in Mumbai, I had this intention to run harder. So D happened with a view to a more personalized attention. And before meeting him, I had registered for the Amsterdam marathon in 2012 with an aim of finishing the distance. He made me run a mile time trial in Bangalore and proclaimed that if I wanted to, I could finish the full marathon in 4:30 which was unbelievable as far as I was concerned. Still the very thought of finishing in 4:30 egged me on and I signed up!

2. How did D help you in achieving your running target?

The program was quite structured and I got to know right from day 1 as to what my next 16 weeks would entail me to do. The first thing he stressed and wanted me to do was to lose weight. I weighed 79 kgs when I first signed up with him and through careful diet regime (again suggested by D) and the program, I was a lovely 65 kgs at the time of my race in 16 weeks – can you beat that? Of course, I realized and D made me realize I could run faster than what I thought I could and there were course corrections at different stages in the program. So at the end of my final long run, the target for Amsterdam which was 4:30 at the start of the program gradually had come down to 4:07 – 4:09. This itself was a great improvement as far as I was concerned and the moment I finished my first full marathon in Amsterdam, the first person I called was my good friend D to tell him that I finished it in 3:59:45! Now what more would a rookie marathoner want and that too with a massive negative split. Key inputs were stick to the schedule, do not overcook your runs and intense discipline with eating habits (I gave up drinking, sweets etc.) and the training schedule.

3. Tell us 3 things about D that you really like?

a. He is a pain in the arse
b. He is a big pain in the arse
c. He is a bigger pain in the arse

I like his dictum that I do not pay him to take the program very lightly. So if you screw up, be ready to face his wrath. Having said that, it’s not that he works only with super achievers, he has the ability to customize a program according to the needs of the person and this is very effective to calibrate yourself at the end of the program compared to when you started. And improvements spur you on!


4. How has this improvement helped you as a runner and as a person?

I think the running with a specific goal in mind has percolated down to what I do in other walks of my life. I also seem to have gained a certain ability to absorb pressure at work with reasonable ease and I credit this to the running regime which tests you physically and mentally. While I have just done two full marathons up until now (and some halfs), I believe the quality rather than quantity of multiple runs is what I strive to achieve and it will remain so in the foreseeable future. So I pick and choose just one full race a year to remain fresh and free from injuries.

All you ever needed to know about selecting running shoes

This is quite easily the most often asked question -> What running shoe is best for me?

The truth is that there is no "best" running shoe (much like life or the quote attributed to Lucretius about one's food being another's poison). What works for you may not work for another.

With this context, it is rather timely that 3 of the most knowledgeable resources on running have independently weighed in on this issue

Matt Fitzgerald writes here Should You Select Running Shoes by Feel or Science?

Peter Larson aka RunBlogger writes Why the Term Overpronation Should be Banished

Ian Griffiths writes Overpronation: Accurate or Out of Date Terminology?

There's really not much more I can add on the issue.

My own experience has been so educative that what worked for me before does not work for me now since my body weight and hence biomechanics have changed over the years as I have accumulated more mileage. So not only is there no single answer, there's no answer which is right for you each time you ask the question.

Tread with care (all puns intended!)