Catching up with Sworupa Khadka on 2012 Boston Marathon

[parakhi]

http://www.parakhi.com/blogs/2012/01/22/catching-up-with-sworupa-khadka-on-2012-boston-marathon

January 22, 2012 By: Nirmal

On a recent Wednesday evening, over plates of momos at Himalayan Hut I spoke with Sworupa Khadka on her training for the 117th Boston Marathon on April 17. It is hard not to be impressed from her running resume. She has run 3 marathons and a dozen other races. This past November, she completed the 2011 ING New York City marathon with her personal record of 3 hours and 15 minutes (a pace of 7 minutes and 27 seconds per mile over the 26.2 mile race).

She finished the Marine Corps Marathon in October 31st 2010 in 3 hours and 21 minutes and the time qualified her to run the upcoming Boston Marathon. To qualify, in the age group of 30-35, women have to finish before 3:40 and men have to finish before 3:05.

I have a lot of respect for the training discipline and endurance of marathon runners. Thus I was very interested to learn more about Sworupa’s training, how she balances career and training and plans to raise money for Help Nepal Network.

How do you prepare for a marathon?
To get ready for a marathon, you have to do gradual training. You have to build endurance. For the New York City marathon I followed a 16 weeks program. I ran 4 days a week. I would do shorter miles on the weekdays and a longer run on the weekends. For example I ran 8 miles during the course of the weekday and then on Saturday I would run 12 miles. Then the following week I ran the same amount during the week and increased my run on the weekends to 14 miles. On the 14th week, I taper down (decrease the amount of miles I run) for the last two weeks. My goal for the Boston Marathon is to be a disciplined runner and thus I joined the Run NYC group.

When did you start preparing for the Boston Marathon? Where do you run?
I started preparing for the Boston Marathon since the start of this year. I usually run in Central Park but also sometimes run on the West Side highway and on FDR drive.

Why did you choose the Help Nepal Network?
In 2006 Help Nepal Network approached me and two friends to run for a cause. I decided to do the Philadelphia run with my friends and it had a good turnout. It was my first marathon too. I had visited Help Nepal Network’s office in Nepal and am thrilled about the work that they do and their result oriented approach.

How do you manage your time between a career and training?
It is hard to balance my schedule. Luckily I have flexibility from work and I can manage working and my training. When I go running after work, it is very refreshing and it is one of the only times which I have to myself. Thus I can think clearly and enjoy running around Central Park. Also running keeps my mind refreshed and I feel much more relaxed at work. Most times I sacrifice watching TV and catch up on my sleep.

What challenges do you face when preparing to run a marathon?
I think the biggest challenge is commitment. There are so many things happening on the weekend, it becomes hard to commit to your goal of getting your regular run. Sometimes you have to leave a gathering early or not go to events because you are preparing for a marathon.

What advice/suggestions would you give someone who wants to complete a marathon in their lifetime?
I think there are three main things. First you have to be physically ready. Second, you need to have mental toughness. Third you need commitment. I believe if you are starting out, you should try to work on your endurance. So maybe you can run 3-6 miles for three days a week and then gradually pick up. It is very important to set goals which will help you to increase your endurance and mental toughness. There are a lot of running clubs that one could join and it is a great way to mingle with people of similar interests.

Don’t you just want to sleep in when it is too cold outside, what keeps you motivated?
Well first of all, I have to say that I enjoy running. I enjoy running around New York City especially crossing the Queensbridge to FDR drive and then to Battery Park, cross from 59th street and back to Queens. And also because I am training for a marathon, I can eat anything without feeling guilty.

Just as we finished talking about her training, the momos and achar landed on our table.

Categories:-
Social
Living in New York

http://www.parakhi.com/blogs/2012/01/22/catching-up-with-sworupa-khadka-on-2012-boston-marathon

[Author]

Posts