Just a thread to keep a track of events/races community members here are participating.
Perhaps find a training partner here or just exchange notes on training and race planning.
The last two thread we had on TCS10k and IronMan was super fun
My next is Tata Mumbai Marathon on Jan 21st. Started with the training last week.
What’s your next race/event?
The next immediate one is the Hrx Pink Marathon on 26th November, which is in support of cancer survivors. @venumadhav.ks, @vishnus and I have registered for the 10k.
FLAT 40% Discount use Coupon Code HRX40 on [www.hrxpinkmarathon.com]
Happy Running 🏃♂🏃🏻🏃🏻♀
A fulfilling and action packed weekend at the karnataka open national masters games 2023 at Hubli Dharwad.
Made lot of tennis friends from my home city across different professions - doctors, engineers, businessmen , govt officials from different departments - Police, Forest , others.
Players from across karnataka participated - mangalore, Udupi, Davanagere, belgaum, Bagalkot, raichur, Mudhol, Tumkur, bengaluru , hubli-Dharwad and others.
Highlight of the event was wide participation in different age groups with lot of camaraderie and action at even players in their 60,70 and one gentleman at 82 years !
It’s so nice to see the popularity of this sport across regions, across professions and across ages which brings them together in this amateur circuit.
Excellent hospitality, warmth , humour by the hosts DDLTA of hubli Dharwad made it a great event.
Thanks to the masters games association of karnataka ( affiliated to PAN India masters games federation ) for making this event an annual affair.
Interestingly, these tennis courts were opened by lord Brabourne , the then governor of Bombay in 1937 !
Satisfying to play and win bronze medals in 3 categories -
40+ singles
45+ singles
45+ doubles
@Issac you should check this event …possibly a different event for mumbai / maharastra !
Play a sport, Learn the Sport, Make it part of the Life …Stay Healthy, Stay Fit !
unlike running, marathons, ultras etc , sport like Tennis will have a different training before the tournament ; more true for ‘sporty_older_youth’ like us 
few learnings -
-one needs to play atleast 2-3 days a week to be in good shape for the competition / tournament.
-There are few areas in tennis where the mortality rate of the skill goes drastically down if one is not regular… eg serve goes for a real toss …if one does not serve for a week or more …so, before the tournament, one needs to atleast start practicing key shots like serve / slice / forehand etc 2-3 weeks in advance …
For Tennis - one should not focus on long runs but more on explosive sprints …eg 3 kms run with 30 sec- 45 min sprint bursts in between followed by walk / rest. This is almost like the HIIT to increase your VO2 max. ( I have been a runner - 10k, 21k etc in the past but with the current awareness , I’m switching to the above )
Manage weight so that you can move around freely in the courts…As a player, I can make out the difference of 2 kgs up or down in the courts without measuring on the weighing scale… ( one other learning over the years is just playing a sport may not get you overall healthy in all parts of the body …I have seen lot of good tennis players with belly because of not enough focus on core ; )
Personally, I have been benefited by the weight & fat loss and can see my movement across the court as well as the explosive reach for the drops etc …
Understand ones weak areas of the body since each person will have a different weak spot… eg ankle mobility, elbow , shoulders, wrist are few focus areas for tennis… Luckily for me, I have been mostly major injury free over the years but with age - one will need strengthening those weak areas ( in my case - it has been ankle mobility that has got unchecked because I have played with no awareness about strength training in the first decade )
Rest is important esp for 'sporty_older_youth" pre and post tournament. Icing / rest / warm up /warm down are key !
Surface awareness esp in Tennis …Huge difference between clay and synthetic courts …one needs to be aware of not using the same skills that work in either of the surface …one needs to make those small tweaks …
For the tournament, tactical game / patience / mental state is much more important than the power / skill ; I have seen folks with lesser skill manage to move up in the tournament to the dismay of the powerful & better player.
For Tennis - KSFs: Serve is 25% ; limiting unforced errors is another 25% ; In the amateur circuit , if one can manage the above , your job is half done…
-During the tournament days, one needs to have the endurance to manage the whole day or 2 days …( unlike professional circuits , in amateur circuits, one needs to keep playing as you progress and its a test of your health and body status ). So, one needs to play, rest , warm up and again be ready for the next game and warm down …lot of us ( incl me do not do this ) …
-Equipment : Usually we have a tendency to complain about the racquet , ball , court for our own inability to succeed. Over the years - my learning has been all those will certainly matter but not in the amateur circuit …Its mostly how we play - technique , strength , practice, injury prevention etc that matter the most. However, do practice with one brand of racquet and not frequently change thats most appropriate for the age and ones skill level…
These are few of my learnings so far and the learning continues which is what makes it interesting always …
Congrats @vadiraj! This is a phenomenal return.
I’ll be matching wits soon in upcoming Amateur Tennis tourneys in Bombay soon incidentally. I also plan to get an ITF card before the year-end. I’ll most likely not have the time to travel far and wide but I am tracking to do an ITF event in Pune/Bangalore/Mumbai in Q1 2024.
