Anatomy of a Thousand-Kilometer (1000K) Run

In non-scientific terms, the word anatomy refers to the art of dissecting or artificially separating the different parts of any organized body to discover their situation, structure, and/or economy. So how then do you describe a 1000K run, anatomically? What exactly does 1000K represent? What and how long does it take to achieve this running milestone? What are the popular equivalents?

Weekly Running Mileage since January, 2010.

Thanks to IJustRan on Facebook, Garmin Connect, and DailyMile, I finally began to log my runs starting January of this year – something I did not do in the past but would strongly recommend that all runners do from the very start of their running careers! Among other benefits, a running log allows one to track mileage, document run details, help diagnose the cause of problems, and allow performance to be benchmarked for further improvement.  Patiently recording run-related data after each workout, last 6th June, I finally reached a coveted running milestone – breaching the 1000K threshold, just for this year!

Garmin Training Center: Analytics for my virgin marathon.

To put things in perspective, 1000K is roughly the distance between San Francisco and Phoenix, Denver and Dallas, and New York and Indianapolis. It is the same distance separating London and Salzburg, Paris and Copenhagen, New Delhi and Kabul, and Beijing and Shanghai. Closer to home, 1000K lies between Kuala Lumpur and Phnom Penh, Hong Kong and Hangzhou, Singapore and Ho Chi Minh, and Manila and Davao, give or take a few kilometers.

Total Run Distance per Month, 2010.

If it takes you six minutes, on average, to run a kilometer, 100 hours would be needed to run 1000K - or four days and 4 hours from 12:01AM of a predawn Monday morning to 4:01AM Friday morning, just when the sun is preparing to rise out in the horizon. But only if you are able to run non-stop - an impossible Herculean effort yet to be logged in the famed Book of Guinness. For mere mortals fit and able to run only 10K a day, it would take 100 days or 3 months and 9 days of running, day in and day out, rain or shine, to achieve this feat.

The 1000K Run Menu: one 42K, seven 21Ks, plus a colorful
smorgasbord of shorter distance runs...

If you run 1000K, you will burn 67,000 calories, the same amount of calories you will expend by doing 175 hours of moderate impact and non-stop aerobic exercises. With this investment, you can drink 16 fluid ounces of beer each day or, if this is not your flavor, enjoy a cup-a day of fat-free ice cream, for an entire year, all worry- and guilt-free. Alternatively, if you choose to stick it out with your normal diet, you will lose 19 pounds of body fat, said to arguably make you deceivingly look ten years younger than your real age. A win-win situation no doubt, any which way!

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall:  Brooks, Nike, or Mizuno?

In my case, it took me 87 runs, done within five months and six days, to breach the 1000K mark. This meant an average distance of 11.5K per run  but actually included running one full marathon and seven half-marathons. Each week would see about four runs, on average, ranging from 3K to 33K in distance. One week even had 76K in mileage, covered in a little over 8 hours. The fastest weekly pace was 5 min 25 sec/K while the fastest individual run was 4 min 58 sec/K. On a monthly basis, the most time spent running was in May with 30 hrs 34 min but April logged the most K at 248. There were 3 shoes used alternately to traverse the roads with the Brooks Adrenaline emerging as the favorite over the Nike Lunarglide and the Mizuno Wave Creation.

Preferred training base: Where a Lady haunts a Mountain.

The total distance was run in six countries (China, Mali, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates) and even many more cities. Most runs were undertaken on asphalted and cemented roads but a few were done on treadmills, track ovals, and trails. But there were two clear favorite running grounds - one each in the metropolis and in the suburbs. The latter - in a unique town that allows one to train in paved flats, dirt- and grass-covered track ovals, uphills, downhills, and trails, all in a pollution-free and yet-unspoiled landscape - is so special that it deserves a special blog post. Soon.

In the meantime, as is often done in the scientific arena, keep those runs logged, dissected, analyzed, and documented.  Have the lessons learned extracted and distilled into key messages and recommendations, ready to be tried and tested in the next round of run experimentation.  In my case, this would be while running the second 1000K of the year!