it seems like just yesterday i was writing about completing 25 miles in my quest to run 300 this year, and now here i am with 50 just gone past in my rearview mirror.

since completing my 5k at the end of january i have slowly been increasing my mileage. at the moment i’m running right around 10 miles a week, and while i would very much like to continue to increase my sunday runs, at this point a lot of it depends on the weather. i am out the door by 6.15 most days to beat the heat, and it will soon become even earlier. we are in for a hot summer in these parts, and i don’t deal very well running in the heat, so i am going to play this one by ear and try not to put too much pressure on myself.

i have been slowly incorporating a few of the things from born to run into my runs, particularly two of the things caballo says to mcdougall as they are running through the canyons. first, i am shortening my stride. as caballo says, “if you have a choice between one step or two between rocks, take three.” that line works on indian streets as well, where every fifth step brings you to a gaping hole, a manhole cover sticking 6 inches out of the ground, or a barrier on the footpath to prevent two-wheelers from using them to circumvent traffic. before, my instinct was to lengthen my stride, but now i am making myself take shorter strides, which i am discovering makes me faster and increases my endurance.

the second piece of advice i am trying to follow is caballo’s words about running easy, light, fast, and smooth. as he instructs, i am starting with easy and light and seeing where i end up. i find myself correcting my posture and my stride as i run, and in the back of my mind, i have caballo’s voice [in my head, he sounds something like sam shepard] reminding me of all these things. who knows if it’s making a difference, but it keeps me entertained.

as i mentioned previously, i am still toying with running a 10k in bangalore in the next few months. i think the single biggest factor in that decision will be the weather and what time the races begin. if it’s after 7am, i’m not interested. the other factor is that i am still figuring out my travel plans for april and may and when i will be returning to the states. once i confirm some of those plans, i’ll have a better idea of where running fits into all of it.

in the meantime i’ll keep chipping away at that 300-mile goal and remembering caballo’s words.

xx

ps — i am working on compiling my ultimate running playlist, so be on the lookout for that in the coming weeks!