SF Half Marathon

It is that time of the year.. when people in the bay area run across the golden gate bridge! yes, it is the SF Marathon time... And I will be there this time!!

Will be loadsa fun... I am so looking forward to that!!!

You can catch the live results at
http://www.runsfm.com/raceweek/bazu.html
http://www.liveraceresults.com/liverc1/Default.aspx

And my bib # is 17323.

Wish me luck, guys!

First 7 miler of the year..

I finished my first 7 miler of the year yesterday.. And should say, it was one of the best performances for me... finished it in about 1.5 hours!

It was on the Oracle trail.. I had my first beyond 5 miler at the same place last year as well... And the best part yesterday was that I could run continuously except for some short water-stops.. this is totally improved from last year when I had to walk a major part of the longer miles.. knock knock!

Some aches and pains, but nothing compared what I had to go through last year.. thats such a relief..!! My only wish is to reach the start line (relatively) injury-free and finish the half-marathon in under 3 hours. Amen!!

You can find my last year's post on Oracle trail here...

Season 2 has begun!!

Itz season 2 of my marathon experience... continuing my training with Team Asha...
I did not run at all after the Silicon Valley Half Marathon last year - took complete rest and allowed my body to refresh itself in the winter.

Then I ran the Asha 10K Spring Run in March early this year. That was good. And end of April, I started my second season with the team. The team, coaches, mentors are as awesome as ever. And I seem to be doing pretty well too.. No real pains so far... which is great!

Hoping to run the San Francisco Half Marathon on Jul 26, 2009. And then, I will decide which full marathon to run. My goal is to get to the start line injury-free and have fun all along while raising money to support one of Asha for Education's projects in India.. That reminds me.. I need to select the project too.

Anyways, to Team Asha... may you fulfill more dreams and help create educated children and inspired citizens!!

Coming soon!!!

The Asha Marathon is about to begin sooon... as soon as next month.... come back for action in the second season!! :-)

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.