Some pics - Silicon Valley Marathon

Heroes and Heroines..

This is my email to my team - team Asha

Many a word been said before
of this team - heroes (and heroines) galore!
pain is temporary and victory forever
all champions of a worthy endeavor!!

Thank you TEAM Asha!!!!

I am pretty sure I would not have attempted to run a marathon in my lifetime, much less finish a half-marathon.. if not for you guys.

You (Asif; dont remember who else was there that evening) not only stood outside Saravanaa Bhavan and spread the word about the orientation session.... but also caught me at the club at Mountain View downtown and reminded me of the first long run the next morning (well... you know who I am talking about dont ya - Gargi and Reena - who have taken on themselves to spread the word amongst the hip, happenin' crowd of bay area :-)

You marked the route on the trails, you gave me water (and gatorade and gu...) when I was on the trail, you fed me bagel and banana and watermelon when I was sore and hungry at the end of my runs... The operations and volunteers team.

You told me about the right running attire... you taught me to unlearn and learn the right way to run and strengthen... you supported me to overcome (and continue to overcome) my aches and pains.... The coaches and mentors.

You made sure we have more occasions to shake our leg... you took care of our accomodation and transport... you made sure our and our friends dollars reached the right account... Events, travel, finance and treasury teams.

But more than anything else, you are part of a cause that is close to my heart... When we can light the hope in an underprivileged child.. When we can light the stove in that kitchen for the years to come... When we can ignite the quest for knowledge in the world.... We have won. Happy Diwali, folks!! This has been one of my most memorable Diwali.

What a marathon it has been... a marathon we won at the start line...

Special thanks to Sonnie and Anand who waited for me at the finish line with my parents... Bharat and Gayathri (Ram's wife) who also took care of my parents at various points... Chandrika and team who cheered us all along the course... last and certainly not the least, the omnipresent Co-ords who are responsible for this year of fun and fulfillment at Team Asha.

May you go forth and multiply!!

Bhaskar

PS: Special word of appreciation to all you folks with kids... and especially Raju whose kids accompanied us at the tracks :-)

I am a Half-marathoner!!

Yipppeee!!! I ran the Silicon Valley Half-Marathon today.

Words can't describe the feeling... One of body (leg) pain but high spirits!! I finished the 13.1 miles in 3hr 31m 7s 8ms...

I am happy that something I did was worthy of measuring at the milliseconds scale.. !! But, more than that, I am so happy to have finished it... And to have finished with with Team Asha.... After all, how many have run a half-marathon.. and for a cause as worthy as Asha's?

Thank you for your support and enthusiasm!! I can say that as a reason for me to cross the finish line today.

More pics to follow.. Watch this space!

Pics - Chicago Marathon 2008

My Chicago Marathon...

Finally, I did run the Chicago marathon... though I had no chance of finishing it with my ITB/knee pain. Still... I did run for running. And it was great!

I just wanted to do some 10 miles so I can meet my target mileage as I am preparing to run the SV Half marathon in 2 weeks. I was in a decently good shape for someone who has not run much (on land, though I have been running in the water/pool) for the last couple of months. So, I thought I will let my shoe hit the road. And anyway, I was ready to get out (of the marathon) as and when needed.

So, I reached the start line on Oct 12, 2008 at 8am local time. There was a huge crowd - of course, about 45,000 runners had registered. I started in the last few corrals - with the group with the pace of 5hr 45 min. I used the ITB band on my right knee, but unfortunately only one was in stock at the store the other day and I did not have the band for my left knee.

After about a mile, my right knee felt ok, but my left one started to pain. So, I stopped, stretched and restarted. Likewise it went on for about five miles, then I had to walk to complete the rest of the course. I just took one mile at a time. I completed (almost) 12 miles (19.some kms) and then, I stopped.

Well.. I am happy to have done my first 12 miles... my first marathon experience and that I did it at the Chicago Marathon. Nobody can take that away from me.. I have tasted blood and "I will be back"!!!

Here are some times.. subtract 20mins to account for the time my corral actually crossed the start line...



The crowd support was just amazing... almost a million must have been there on the streets cheering us - of which two were my mom and dad :-)

And of course, there have been so many of you who have made the journey to the start line so worth it - you who believed in my cause and supported me with your enthu, time, and money. You coaches, mentors - especially Chakri, Gar'G'i, buddies - especially Reena, Ramya... And the entire Asha family - You Rock!

Chicago and SV Marathons

I am going to Chicago next week, but not running the marathon. They do not have a half-marathon.. otherwise I could have run it. Anyways, I am running the Silicon Valley Half Marathon. That should be fun too. May be not in the same league as Chicago... still..

Running.. the paradigm shift?

With about a month left for the Chicago marathon, and with my knee still not in shape, I feel my options are getting restricted. I had been continuing my physical therapy the past two months and doing the exercises. I gave myself a break from running and was walking for almost 3 - 4 weeks. But still, when I tried running again, the ITB and knee pain and sometimes, the shin pain are there. I don't know if I will do the marathon on Oct 12th. All this has left me concerned, worried and frustrated.

But I do realize I have not been regular in my exercises. And that I am looking at it from a short term perspective. It is almost like 'let me complete this silly marathon somehow and get it over with'. Instead, I am going to look at it from the paradigm of 'enjoying my running' and running for life. Inspite of my breaks in running and training, I still realize I have had a whole lot of positives. From the time when I could hardly run 500 yards at a stretch, to now - I can easily run 3 miles. A lot of muscles in the body have started functioning actively and slowly building up strength. I used have early minor symptoms of arthritis in knees, those seem well-oiled and not too jerky now. So, there is a whole world of benefits to running and I am enjoying it.

So, I am going to continue enjoying running as I do. And I am also getting regular at my stretching and exercising. For example, I need to stretch my ITB on the roller at least twice every day. I will do that. I will do everything to keep me in the race for the chicago marathon. I also started running in the swimming pool. This is less stressful on the knees and will give my ITB and knees enough time to recover while I continue to build my endurance and strengthen my leg muscles on the whole. Pool running is easy. And it can be more fun if you have friends cheering you. Care to join?!

PS: This is a great place to learn about injury prevention for runners and also about some of the common running injuries.
http://www.smiweb.org/omt/guides.html

More Ammunition...

Got my second deep-tissue massage last week... It was like giving birth (well.. me thinks :) ... man.. Greg has so much affection on my muscles (leg and thighs, especially), that he gave them each his special attention... A couple of times, it felt like my legs would just break away... A few times, I broke into laughter after the shouts did not make my pain get any lighter!

At the end of it all, sitting in the ice cold water (cryo tank) seemed heavenly, in comparison.
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Tried running again on Saturday.. pain started between 1.5 and 2 miles.. (ITB)... I then, did the stretch run walk combinations. Finished 5 miles.

For next week, I am going to focus more on my exercises.. And be more conservative on the field, do a 1 - 1 combination.... 1 minute run followed by 1 minute walk...
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Got my Timex Ironman triathlon watch... it should help me in timing my runs

The double life!

I entered the life of 'double digit mile' runners today..

After the break of a couple of weeks (of no mileage), I started walking on the trails at the start of the month. But my knee started paining after just a mile.. So, I continued to take it light - as they say "walk to the pain; not through it!".

I continued walking on the designated days with my team, but I hit the 'four mile' barrier all over again. I continued my exercises and stretching. Like I said, I also had the deep-tissue massage last week. So, I was confident I will get back in the game. That is especially important now since we have started increasing our weekend mileage. For example, I was due to do 16 miles today.

We had today's session at the beautiful Sawyer camp recreation trail again and I was pretty excited. I decided to walk my mileage today and may be started a bit too fast. Within a mile, my shins started aching. I took a break - gave my shins some good stretches and rested for like 30 minutes. And I continued walking, at a slower, more comfortable pace - with some 'duck walk's and stretches every now and then. I felt alright and could finish 10 miles for the day!!

One thing is for sure - there is a lot of work to be done before I can get to running the 26.2 miles. But, I am quite happy with my crossing into the double digit league! Thanks Reena for the continued support and company on the trails. Thanks coach Martina, all the coaches and co-ords, especially, Gurpreet, Srini, Jaya for your support and words of encouragement today.

The Indian Conundrum

Thanks to Rajeev for this poem on Olympics and the Indian Conundrum

The Indian Conundrum

E pluribus unum
That ought to be OUR motto say some.
A billion plus people we are,
Yet we have but one Olympic star.

Brimming with pride we get excited,
Make oaths and promises unrequited.
Every four years repeated, it is a disease,
A swear, a promise then back into deep freeze.

A committee will certainly be formed,
Of which a sub-committee will deform.
Money apportioned will surely go astray,
Ah! Satyameva Jayate.

Easy fix we have, on cricket let's put the blame,
In Europe, isn't soccer just the same?
They make Olympic gold in spite or despite it,
While we lay blame, shake our heads and sit.

Infrastructure will come once perceptions change,
When sports and academics are in the same range…
Your young ones, when inspired by your running feat,
Out of one will rise many with glory replete.

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A saying goes that you have to be the change, not just want it...by running you inspire and when you inspire your bring change...so keep at it - in our own small way we do what we have to.

Rajeev

3 Myths—and 1 Truth—About Running and Health

by Katherine Hobson

Every person who takes up running has, at one time or another, been confronted by a helpful critic who is more than happy to reel off the reasons running will ruin your life. It will cripple you in your later years; you might drop dead in the middle of a marathon; and on and on. As an avid runner, I have a lot riding on whether or not these ideas about the sport are true. Here is a look at four questionable claims about running and health, including results from a new study looking at running, longevity, and disability.

1. Running will give you a heart attack or other heart problems. It is true that exercise temporarily raises the odds of a heart attack while you're mid-workout, but doing it consistently reduces that risk over the long haul, leading to a net benefit. Some researchers have questioned whether marathon running, especially in people who haven't trained a lot, might cause heart damage, at least temporarily. But there's no evidence that it causes long-term harm or actually leads to heart attacks. Even athletes with enlarged hearts—if they're healthy hearts—aren't, as once feared, at risk of early death. The bottom line: Simply going for a run most days of the week is doing far more good than bad for your heart.

2. Running will ruin your bones and joints. A study in the August issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found no evidence of accelerated rates of osteoarthritis among long-distance runners when compared with healthy nonrunners. "We used to say that osteoarthritis came from wear and tear. That's now revised to say that is can result from tear but not wear," says James Fries, emeritus professor of medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine and senior author of the study. Moreover, weight-bearing exercise like running helps stave off osteoporosis by maintaining bone mineral density.

3. Running can increase your odds of skin cancer. This one appears to be true: A 2006 study found that white marathon runners had more abnormal moles and lesions than nonrunners and were at a higher risk of both melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancer. (Marathoner Deena Kastor, representing the United States in the Olympics, has had skin cancers removed.) The more miles run per week, the more likely a runner in the study was to be referred for surgical treatment, suggesting the length of sun exposure is a factor. The solutions: Wear sunscreen, no matter what time of day you run. (Only 56 percent of the runners in the study used sunscreen.) Don't run when the sun is strongest—go early in the morning or later in the afternoon or evening. And cover up if you can, by wearing a hat and protecting as much of your skin with clothing as you can stand.

4. Running will kill you before your time. According to a study published this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine, running and other vigorous exercise in middle age is associated with a longer life. Not only that, it will make your later years more pleasant by reducing disability. After tracking runners and healthy nonrunners for 21 years, starting when they were at least 50 years old, a research team led by Stanford's Fries found that the ability to perform activities of daily life like getting out of a chair and walking was better among runners than nonrunners. And 19 years into the study, 15 percent of the runners had died, compared with 34 percent of the nonrunners.

Deep Tissue Massage

Having been in physical therapy the last four weeks, I went for a deep tissue massage today. Man, this guy played on my ITB band and the muscles like playing the veena... Has loosened some rock-like muscles and a knot on my thigh....

Hope it speedens the recovery process.. for now it is paining so much that I am standing in ice-cold water...!

SF Marathon!

Some 'public' pics from the SF Marathon this Sunday, Aug 3, 2008. I did not run.. I just went to cheer my friends that did!





And for those that think I missed their picture, here is yours as a group!!! ;-)

Preparations for running...

After a month of trying different things, I am finally getting physical therapy for my knees. Second week into the therapy now and it is feeling much better. I have been off running these two weeks..

Working on strengthening my gluteal muscles and getting electro-massage to loosen my ITB.. iliotibial band that runs on the outside of the thighs.. Man, I've started learning biology and human physiology all over again..

Hey.. I want to start running sooner :-)

The Fun - Snapshots

Thanks to Vamsi, here are some snapshots of the fun that is marathon training!!!

Snapshots from the field!!

The fun continues...

Why Marathon & Why Asha?

TEAM ASHA is a premier endurance sports program that trains people for half and full marathons. Team Asha gives one the chance to discover not only the magical benefits of running but also the supreme joy of affecting the life of a child with every progressive step.

Since 2000, they have trained more than 750 marathoners from different walks of life. 99% of them successfully completed a full or a half marathon. Train. Run. Educate.

Asha for Education is a non-profit organization on a mission to catalyze socio-economic change in India through education of under-privileged children. Of the 68 Asha chapters worldwide, three are right here in the San Francisco Bay Area: Asha Berkeley, Asha Stanford and Asha Silicon Valley.

Over the years, Asha has succeeded in touching the lives of thousands of children through its various educational initiatives and projects. Although the primary focus is on education, Asha also addresses issues affecting human life such as health care, environmental concerns and women's issues. Asha will continue to evolve in keeping with the needs of the hour and the needs of our country (India).

Asha for education is run by a diverse group of committed volunteers who take personal interest in researching and identifying worthy projects in India. We mobilize the needed funds and also work closely with the projects right from inception to realization.
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My grandmom used to say "Whenever you get a chance to share your knowledge or better still, help somebody learn - do that. That is the best gift you can give to not just him but his entire family. And it is equivalent to feeding 100 hungry persons." I think Asha embodies that spirit.

One of my school friends, who later went on to BITS Pilani and then to Univ of Wisconsin - Madison for her MS - she was one such volunteers who came back to India and was handling some of their educational initiatives in South India. (I am trying to reach her.. Lets see if I can find out what she is upto now.)

That is how I had heard about Asha. And now, in the bay area, I heard of Asha again and I took this opportunity to be a drop in the ocean. I am a part of Team Asha 2008 - training for the Chicago marathon on Oct 12th, 2008.

Like I said, education is the best gift I can give to anyone, especially the underprivileged child. And I am willing to go any distance in fulfilling that child's dream. I am willing to go 26.2 miles this year.

Kudos to Asha.. Kudos to Hope.

Inching forward - a 9-miler!!

Another couple of 'firsts' to record for my last weekend run (Saturday, 7/5) - the first time I was running at the Sawyer Camp Trail in San Mateo/San Bruno... It is so beautiful.. the trail runs around a lake surrounded by hills and for the most part, you can run in the shade of the hills and trees.

For the 'first' time, I was running with my own fuel - fuel belts are an important part of any long-distance running gear. I should put up a pic of me in the fuel belts.. they are like two pistol holsters on a belt that you tie around your waist - Actually, two bottles in pouches on the belt - one for water and another for Gatorade or some such electrolyte/sports drink (suit yourself!)

And for the first time, I was to touch double-digit mileage. The suggested target was 10 miles for the Chicago Marathoners of my kind (first-timers). But, with my knee just about getting back to shape, I was skeptical if I would even run two. Anyway, after the warm-up run and the stretching, I started my run.. fully armed (water and Gatorade :) and at my own pace. I decided to do a series of one mile runs interspersed with half a mile walks. After some false alarms at mile two, I could complete nine miles in less than two and half hours.

I am pretty happy with my first 9-miler and I know it can only get better!!

Thanks to Parag - Some pics of the beautiful trail.. Hey, look at the fuel belt!!

Beat the Heat!

Here is some cool, solid advice to beat the heat!!

From our coach Harry....
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hey ASHA folks,
we're right smack in summer and as our long runs get longer soon there
will be no more escape from some serious sun and heat exposure. This
is good in a way, because training in heat will make running in low
temperatures easier. Heat training always pays off. On the other hand
there's a few things you need to be aware of when training in warm
weather:

Your blood is needed at two fronts during a hot weather run:
- first job is supplying the muscles with oxygen and transporting
carbon dioxide and lactate away from them
- second one is providing the sweat glands with fluid to cool the body
(yep, your sweat comes right out of your blood plasma)
In this competition for blood - this is important! - the muscles
always win.You're in control. If you push yourself hard you will
diminish the blood flow to the skin and divert blood to the muscles.
This makes sense from an evolutionary point of view - there's no use
keeping the body from overheating when running from that saber-toothed
tiger...

However, in the controlled enviroment of a run you are responsible for
the balance. As it is very hard to become aware of the signs of
impending overheating, you're best off just training for it and
letting the body adapt.

Here's a few things you should keep in mind:
- we are training in California , a place with very low humidity.
Humidity, however, is a major contributing factor when it comes to
overheating. Your sweat will only cool you if it can evaporate, and
the higher the humidity the less of it can do that. So don't think
you're prepared for a 80 degree, 80% humidity race on the east coast
if you trained in 80 degree, 20% humidity west coast conditions. The
east coast race will suck the life out of you!

- drinking more will not help you unless you trained your body to
absorb more fluid and sweat it out. You can't expect to just offset
cool weather training by drinking more during a hot race. The fluid
will just slosh around in your stomach because your body doesn't know
what to do with it. Absorption rate of fluid by the stomach walls and
intestines can be more than doubled, but race day is not the time to
learn it. Remember - nothing new on race day! It takes the body about
2 weeks to adapt to heat, i.e. manage a higher fluid throughput. Take
that into account if you think your marathon will be a hot one.

- contrary to believe a high salt diet will make it harder for your
body to protect itself against the effects of hyponatremia (loss of
sodium.) The more sodium there is in your daily diet the more wasteful
the body will be with it. Try to limit your sodium intake during the
last 2 weeks before a hot race. your sweat glands will learn to retain
the sodium. You can't sodium-load! So eating salty food in the
expectation that you'll have more available during the race will have
the exact opposite effect.

- if you want to find out how your fluid balance is working out then
weighing yourself before, during and after a long run is the only true
measure. A weight loss of 2-3 pounds is no problem - that's just the
glycogen and fat you are burning for fuel going up in smoke (or rather
water vapor.) Anything above that is loss of blood plasma. Again, a
few percent of body weight is ok, but especially for beginning runners
it would be beneficial to not lose more than 2% of body weight during
a long run.

- if you do think that the heat is affecting you in a bad way, your
first line of defense is to stop running. second is to get out of the
sun. third is to apply ice or cold water externally. only fourth is to
drink more. Sweating has already failed as a cooling device, so just
drinking more will not help! Overheating is a much bigger danger to
the body than dehydration, so cooling down is the most important thing
to do.

Enjoy the heat!

Feels good to run!

It does feel good to be back in the running!! And anyway, we just ran 3 miles today and that too, took it very easy... alternating walk and run... to ease back into the rhythm. It sure feels nice and easy!! But, let me not get misguided by this short run ;-)

Back on my feet!

I had a check-up with an ortho and she certified that there is no major problem in my knees!

She is a part of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation and her senior is the consultant surgeon for SF Giants, San Jose Sharks and the like.. She checked my knees and the ligaments and mentioned that it is only a strain on the cartilage behind my knee caps. She has suggested me exercises to strengthen the quadruple muscles, so they can absorb the shocks on my knees better.

Thank god.. big relief for me. Now, I should be back on the tracks from next week!!

Nagging Knee..

Its the knee pains again... It has started nagging me.. The time I wake up in the morning, it starts reminding me it is there.

I have been walking the last couple of times and clocking the mileage. But, again today, I could barely run 0.5 mile before the pain started.

I am going to get a doctor's opinion and find ways to dissolve this thing.

My first above-5 miler..!

Yesterday, I ran my first 7-miler! (well, almost seven miles ;-)

I knew I had a target of 7 miles as a part of my training here. But, just the previous week (as I had wrote earlier), I had this bad knee pain and I had to stop at 3 miles. So, I was quite unsure. I did do some cycling over the week. And I did ice my knee multiple times.. like, wrapping a frozen water bottle around the different sides of my knee and then, once the area goes numb, I rub the area (it seems, the cold helps control the inflammation and the friction improves the blood flow)

So, I reach the Oracle trail (near Foster City) at 7am on the Saturday and it was a great cloudy day. The temperature must have been in the late 70s or early 80s and there was no wind - just the ideal day for a long run. I was all happy and excited (I was excited already - I woke at 6am and ate a protein snack bar!).

And I started my run comfortably with my jerkin on. Reach 1.5 miler and I was getting really warmed up.. rather hot and I left my jerkin at the water station. I then reached the 3 miler and had a couple of gulps of Gatarode and I could feel a li'l pain in the knee area. But, I was happy because I had already crossed my previous limit!

I was also happy because I was only 0.5 miles from the turn-back point!! Man, these small joys... So, I reached the 3.5 miles, kissed the line and was on my way back.. and the pains started getting bigger - not so much as to stop my run, but still it was getting to me. But the view was nice and scenery was good and of course, the weather was great, so I kept on. Oracle trail or Bay trail, as it is also called, I think runs all the way to the bay.



And beyond 4.5 miles, I had to stop running and start walking because the pain was considerable and I was afraid I will make it worse. But, I saw that the pain subsided as I was walking (this was contrary to last week - when the pain increased and remained even after I stopped running) So, I started running again at 5 miles. I took a few small breaks in between my runs (either walk instead of run or run slower) and I managed to finish the 7 miles in (approx.) 2 hours.

I am happy for my first six/seven miler.. this is at least 2 miles more than what I had run in a single shot earlier! :-)

Race Track Running..

Yesterday, I had a great workout at the tracks.

As a part of our training, since last week, we started running once a week on race tracks. As opposed to marathon running which is a slow and steady run, this is a faster and steady run. We are supposed to run multiple times (based on a training schedule again) on the tracks and at a speed that is a little bit more than our comfortable fast pace. The trick is to maintain the same pace on your last run as your first. This is supposed to increase our cardio rates and also our overall efficiency during the marathon runs.

Last week, we were to run 4 X 400m with a 90 second break between each loop. I ran the first loop in 2 minutes 42 seconds. I thought I will push myself harder on my next run and ran it in 2m 7s. But, my knees started paining and I also knew I had tired myself. Obviously, the next two loops took me longer - 2m 55s and 2m 48s respectively.

I got the meaning of maintaining a steady pace and pushing oneself just that bit. After the advice from the coaches, I also worked on the cycle in my apartment gym yesterday morning. And I guess I did eat properly too. Whatever, or may it is a combination of all these, but yesterday I ran the first loop in 2m 8s at the just-on-the-boundary pace.

We were to do 6 x 400m yesterday and finished the remaining five in the following times: 2m 3s, 2m, 1m 58s, 1m 55s, 1m 57s. What more I was the first in my group in the last 2 laps!! Felt so good :-)

Pains and Gains!

I was to run six miles today, but I just did four.

One of the surest things when training to run the marathon (and especially if you have not run much before) is that you will get all kinds of pains. There could be one of two things - either the weakest muscle/tendon along the set of muscles hammered during the run would start paining or the joints pain.

Joints, especially knee pain can be for a lot of reasons - one, you may not be using the right pair of shoes/socks. Two, you may not be tying the shoe laces tight enough to prevent wobbling of your feet. Three, you are not using enough of your butt muscles ie. you are not landing flat on your feet on the ground and the lift-off may not get to use the butt muscles properly. Four, the quad muscles - on either side of your vertical muscles (hamstrings?) may not be strong enough - to balance the pull from the main set of muscles used in running.

Well.. there could be more... but this is what I got to know from the coaches today. I started having shooting pains in the knee and after a mile, when I took a water-stop, it just started to be a constant pain around the joints and I had to stop running after 3 miles. I walked back a mile and consulted the coaches. For me, two and four seem the probable causes of pain.

And if you are asking what the gain is - I am working and strengthening some muscles in my body that I never would have cared about otherwise. I just need to tie my shoe laces properly and start exercising the lateral quad muscles by cycling for 30 mins on the days when I do not run.

An Ode to Track Running...!

A poem for track workouts - Don't be a Crack on the Track!


A patient person is she,

Who stays as calm as calm can be

As you set upon the running tracks,

Curb your enthusiasm please hold back

Foundation building is your current stage

Build it well and you will come of age

If you intend on unleashing aggression

Against yourself you commit treason!



A patient person is he

Who stays as calm as calm can be

Long is your season, so Lo! Behold…

Your need for speed will stop you cold!

If this call to patience you choose to spurn

The limp of a patient you may well earn!

So help us in ensuring that this rhyme is not a dirge

PLEASE CURB YOUR URGE TO SURGE!


A small note for future reference. Running is an individual sport and in the early years of your training you have to have patience. You need to use your judgment and remember to be calm. Patience is a virtue in long distance running - speed is a bad word (for now). You will have time to improve on your speed once you have a good running foundation built.

- Rajeev "What part of 'SLOW DOWN' did you not understand?" Char

Training my muscles..

Have been training regularly the past 3 weeks or so... Slowly getting my body adjusted to running... Since I have almost 5-6 months to my marathon (Chicago, Oct 12), we have enough time to stretch and tone the muscles we never did earlier... or never did enough to compete with the Kenyans..!

Well... I am not competing with anyone.. leave alone the Kenyans!! They are one hell of a pack... But marathon running is about endurance and all-around development... even the muscles in the abdomen or the butt contribute to running.. Never realized why I needed to flex my butt muscles before running earlier... It now seems so simple ;-)

I have just reached 3.5 miles at-a-stretch now... But the key is consistency and continuity.. So, I am going to be running even when I am in New York for the next 10 days... Let me know if you wanna join me there!

Baby Steps!

In the world of Iron Men (refer Iron Man Triathlon), I am just a toddler taking his baby steps... and I just want to chronicle my first steps and my experiences as I train for the Marathon!!

I am sure I have not run 26.2miles in my entire lifetime put together so far. I am now going to run it in a single day... and multiple times over as I practise the next few months. And with my coaches and mentors @ Team Asha, I am pretty sure I am in good hands!!

So, here is to Iron Men and Women of the world(read coach Char's blog!) and the toddlers!!! :-)