26.2 miles... been there, run that!!

I had been mostly (ab)using this blog space to vent out my frustration. Today is different. I ran the perfect marathon yesterday. Great weather, scenic course, excellent crowd support and the best cheering squad in the whole world. I am truly blessed.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said "Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen." Hackneyed as it may sound, it couldn't be more apt in this experience.

I was inspired to run when my close friend, Sheela, ran the marathon last year. Finishing in sub-five hours and coming out strong in the end, she had made it look easy. Six months ago, I started training with the intention of matching her timing. I soon discovered that I was much slower and less-athletic than her. Running did not come naturally to me. It was an effort to run, much less enjoyable. In the past few months of training, my pace did not improve but I was able to run longer, and I could run without depending on music!! I started liking running, especially in the company of my co-runners and friends. Then came the dismal experience at the Disneyland half marathon. I was racing against time, trying to finish under 2:30. Bad weather, negligible crowd support and knee pain got me down and I had limped to the finish line. I didn't want to sign off with this bad experience and trained seriously in the latter part. I was on a running high when intense knee pain during my 20-miler brought me down again. The last 3 weeks have been desperate measures of damage control. My expectations were cut down to hoping to run the marathon and crossing the finish line intact.

My mentors and physiotherapist encouraged me and I took their advice to heart. I massaged and stretched the IT band regularly. Before each run I taped up my knees to prevent the knee cap from brushing against the muscle. Nitya showed me some stretches and advised to take it easy for the first 15 miles and speed up in the second half if I felt okay. Sapna narrated a quotation, "Run the first 10 miles with your head, run the next 10 miles with your strength and run the last 6.2 with your heart!"

Armed with sound training, broken legs and sensible advice, I headed out to DC. We met for dinner with the Asha runner group. I soon discovered that there were many runners who had come down with injuries, I was not alone. We reassured and encouraged each other to tackle the distance one mile at a time.

Now comes the fun part. My friends and family had accompanied me. My personal cheering squad was seven-strong, Laukik, Kaushik, Sheela, Tejas, Veera, Kishan and Aarthi. After we checked into the hotel, they sat together and made detailed plans for buddy running with me. I was quite impressed by their meticulous plans but tried not to raise my hopes. Sheela was managing the show. She had made sure someone picked up my race packet when we got late reaching DC. She pinned the bib to my T-shirt, put the chip in my shoe and made me drink a gallon of water on Saturday :-S

Due to last minute plans, we didn't have enough sleeping arrangements. We ended up fitting 6 people cozily in a room that sleeps 4. I slept fitfully that night. Woke up at 4:15 am. Showered, dressed, had breakfast, answered nature's call, pampered the ITB, taped up my knees, slipped on the ankle support sleeve and stepped out to meet the runner group in the hotel lobby. We headed out together at about 6:15 am, took the metro to Rosslyn, deposited our stuff at the Asha tent and made our way to the start line. It was about 7:45 am by the time we reached the start line and the cannon gun went off for the wheelchair competitors. We walked towards the 5 hour finish time corral but it was way behind so we simply waited with the 4 hour finish group. Divya and I had planned to run the first few miles together. Padma joined us at the start line.

At 8 am the gun went off again. We crossed the start line at 8:03 am. Started slow at a 14 mpm pace. Divya had a stop watch and was making sure we ran slowly and took timed walk breaks. The first 8 miles were through the woods and had a few hills, just like our familiar Central Park homeground. We met the Asha cheerers at mile 1, 5 and 9. I had written my name "SAM" on my T-shirt and random people were calling out "Go Sam!" I gave a big smile and a thumbs-up to all who cheered me on. I high-fived and low-fived everyone who held out their hand.

My ankle sleeve had started bothering my foot and I stopped at the water station on the 9th mile to take it off. I asked Divya and Padma to go ahead. I would catch up with them in no time. I saw Kaushik and Veera right after. Veera told me Tejas was waiting at mile 9 marker. I met Tejas and we caught up with Padma. The course was along the Potomac river and reminded me of Charles River esplanade on the Storrow drive in Boston.

Tejas ran with us for 3 miles, making sure we stretched on the way, had Gu gels and took sufficient walk breaks. He told me Laukik was waiting at mile 12 and would run with us on the golf course stretch. He handed us off to Laukik at the mile 12 marker and the 3 of us set off on the lonesome 4 mile stretch. Laukik told me that Divya had got there a few minutes earlier and was taking a loo break. We decided not to wait for her and hoped she would catch up. We took a loo break half a mile later and Divya zoomed ahead. We reached the halfway mark 3 hours into the race. I forgot to take the Gu gel at the water station but thankfully there was a medics tent at mile 15. I had the Gu, Padma had a Tylenol. She was getting knee pain due to her runner's knee injury and was putting up a brave face. We ran together till mile 16 but I lost her when she took a walk break.

Laukik handed me off to Kishan at mile 16 and I asked him to check on Padma. My marathon had become a relay race for my friends. They were passing me to the next person like a baton :)

Kishan and I headed out to the touristy part of the course - the stretch from Lincoln memorial, around the Capitol and along all the famous museums of Washington DC. He kept pointing out to random things, barking back at dogs and making a one-way conversation. In the meanwhile, I was focussed on sighting the next mile marker and running all the way to it. I reached mile 18 in about 4 hours and was quite happy as I had clocked it in 4 hours on my best training run. Kishan was thoughtful enough to pick up an extra glass of water each time at the water stations and ran with the glass in hand for the next one mile or so until I needed it. I was so grateful for it that I asked him to stay with me till the end of the race. I sighted Aarthi at mile 20 and she hopped along with us. We headed to the much-dreaded bridge (Interstate 395) on the 21st mile and soon Laukik and Tejas joined us.
I hi-fived Kaushik and gave a big hug to Veera. We were supposed to meet Sheela at this point. She had been ferrying other runners across the bridge and was (literally) running a bit late. By the time she met us, I was already on the bridge and she was shocked to see my troupe of bodyguards. We almost shooed her away and she decided to buddy run the other solitary runners. I caught up with Divya on the bridge but she was developing muscle cramps and we couldn't run together. By now, I was taking frequent walk breaks. I declared that running marathons is extreme masochism. I cursed Philipedes for initiating the idea. I swore at the Queen of England for adding the extra 1.2 miles to the course. I declared I was going to walk the last 6.2 miles to the finish. My friends coaxed, cajoled, threatened and deceived me into resuming running each time. I was getting a lot of attention and pampering and was having a really good time with the bunch. My knees and ankles had held up well. I blessed my PT a number of times, she was my guardian angel of the day. My only problem was switching from walking mode to running mode. I was getting knee pain in the first few steps but it went away quickly and I could run comfortably. Kishan kept reminding me that our brain signals fatigue much before our body is actually tired, and we shouldn't listen to it. I remembered once my doctor friend had also said the same thing.

We crossed over to Crystal city and went past the water station at mile 22 and onto a loop. I could see people running in the opposite direction and wondered how easy it was to short circuit the loop and save some miles. Honesty got the better of me and I pulled on desperately looking for the mile 23 marker. I caught sight of it but soon realized the bugger was facing in the opposite direction. This meant I had to go around the loop to reach it. The end of the loop was nowhere in sight (I hate loops). At long last we turned left, went around the square and were on the return journey. Just getting out of that loop I saw Mandar. He hollered and cheered for me loudly. That was like an energy tranfusion and I jogged on for few more meters.

I was taking too many walk breaks and my friends were constantly urging me on to run. Tejas was counting how many people I had passed when I ran. Laukik stayed a safe distance away from me to avoid allowing me have my way with the walk breaks. We had passed the 25 mile/40 K marker and then I ran. I ran past the 26 mile marker and mini-jogged up the steep slope on the last 0.2 mile stretch all the way to the finish line. I could see the clock was ticking 5:59:something which meant I had finished in sub-6. A marine congratulated me and wrapped an insulating sheet around my shoulders. I stood in line to get my medal from another marine. I posed for a picture in the backdrop of the marine memorial. Met up with my friends, took pictures, picked up my bag and refreshments from the Asha tent and headed back to the hotel.

I was out there running for close to 6 hours. My chip time is 05:56:44, a pace of 13:36 per mile. It was the best run I ever had. I was accompanied by friends and fellow runners throughout my journey. Tejas ran 9 miles. Laukik ran 10 miles. Kishan ran 10 miles. Aarthi ran 7 miles. Kaushik and Veera walked from one spot to another on the course and braved it out for 6 hours to cheer me. I was flanked by 4 friends on the last 6 miles and they took me to the finish line. I am touched and humbled by their selflessness and affection for me. They taught me a few things about friendship yesterday. As a popular saying goes, "You are who your friends are." I hope I will be able to live up to the example set by my friends and become a better friend.

Yesterday, I ran 26 miles to help educate the kids, the last 0.2 miles were for me. Similarly, the last few sentences are for me. My hard work and training for the past six months has paid off. I was able to overcome my injuries and my demons and run to the finish line smiling. I can now call myself a marathoner. I am a proud marathoner... 26.2 miles... no doubt about it!!

The week of mental preparation

This week has been a roller coaster of emotions. My nervousness and anxiety started building up and got to me. I broke down on Tuesday evening, miserable and crying like a baby. (Note to the readers: I usually don't cry so easily.) My hubby and brother bravely tried to console me. They were trying hard not to laugh at my foolish bawling. I have never been so worked up for an exam. I felt terribly under-prepared. I knew how to run 19-20 miles but I didn't know how to run the last 6. I felt I had bitten off more than I could chew. What was I thinking when I signed up to do the full marathon distance? At mile 19 on the course there is a bridge. It is opened up to traffic in the latter part of the day. You need to cross it within 4 1/2 to be able to continue onwards. What if I don't get there in time? I feared getting disqualified :(

I got out on Wednesday morning and ran 4 miles. I have been feeling upbeat ever since. I am observing that I have got addicted to running. If I don't run I get depressed. I'd rather run than be depressed :)

10/18 8-miler

Saturday morning, I woke up at 6:15 am, freshened up and dressed for the last long run in training. By the time I taped up my knees and massaged on the roller it was already 7:25 am. I treated myself to a cab ride to CP. Coach Courtney and Sapna were already going over instructions to the runners. It was very cold and windy, everyone was dressed in sweatshirts, jackets and track pants. I was one of the few morons in shorts (the tape would have got stuck to long pants). I started off with my running buddy Divya on the 6-mile loop in clockwise direction. We usually run anti-clockwise. The loop looked quite different going in the opposite direction, welcome change. 8 miles and an hour and half later we were back at the tree. I had been watching out for pain, there was no pain :)

10/13 The 15-miler

Events leading to the 15-miler: I had ended the 20-miler in dismal shape. I went to see the PCP at the univ health service in hope that she would give me a referral to see Dr. Metzel. My insurance doesn't cover off-campus medical services without a referral. She blew me off, "Get some rest. Run on soft surface." I had to cancel my appointment with the sports doctor.

That week I went down with cough and common cold and couldn't run at all. I missed the Saturday run and decided to do it on Monday morning. Set off from the Northwest corner of CP on the 6-mile loop. I was aware of weakness due to last week's sickness and was running slow. Passed by the deserted Asha tree. Got on to the Harlem Hill segment. On the 6th mile I felt the same pain in the side of the knee. Stretched and resumed to complete the loop. I was also feeling a bit dizzy and wasn't sure of going on. Called Laukik. He said I should do atleast 3-4 miles more. I decided to run around the reservoir. I was feeling much better after having a Gu gel. I ran to the reservoir, did 2 loops and walked back. My right knee was killing me by then. I could feel the soreness in the side of my right thigh. I panicked thinking, "If I get this pain on the 6th mile on race day, how am I going to do the remaining 20?" Called univ health service for another appointment. Managed to get a referral to a physical therapist.

I have had two sessions with the PT this week. I have got Illio-Tibial Band syndrome. The IT band is a muscle at the side of the thighs from knee to hip. It rubs against the femur bone and gets sore. My IT band wasn't moving smoothly and was rubbing against the bone. The PT taped up my knees and gave me some stretches for ITB, hamstring, calves, quads. I also bought a foam roller to massage the ITB muscle and have been rolling on it twice a day. On Wednesday, I ran 4 miles with the taped up knees and had no pain. On my second visit, the PT taught me how to tape my knees. She also did some work on my lower back to relieve some muscles. I have 2 more sessions with the PT next week. She will work on my bad ankle and knees. The litmus test is tomorrow's 8-miler. If I can run 8 miles tomorrow with taped knees and no pain, I can hope to cross the finish line next Sunday. Fingers crossed!

20 miler - the dress rehersal 10/5

I was returning from Colorado on Saturday and missed the run with the group. I had anticipated this and was worried about running 20 miles all alone on Sunday. I posted to the group about running on Sunday and 3 people replied. We planned to meet at the Asha tree at 8 am and run a few miles together. The weather forecast looked good - cold and sunny in 50s.

I woke up at 6:30 am, got dressed and was about to leave when Ravi called. It was raining outside. Until now I hadn't noticed the gray overcast sky and the silent steady downpour outside. weather.com now showed 50s and showers throughout the morning. I am surprised at their inability to predict the weather six hours ahead.

Ravi and I planned to wait an hour and meet at 9 am instead. By then the rain had stopped but the sky was still overcast. My mentor called me in the interim and literally drove me out, "Why aren't you out running? Its ok to run in a mild drizzle. Don't fuss about it. Just go!"

There were many people in the park wearing wind-breakers and braving it out. Ravi hadn't run for more than a month due to a back injury. He wasn't sure how much he would be able to run. He desperately wanted to do the 20-miles so that he felt confident on race day. He decided to go for it a mile at a time as long as his back held up.

We started out at about 9:30 am, did the 6-mile loop of the park, stopping only at the water fountains. Our progress was slow with close to 100% humidity, no rain and the day getting warmer. The second loop was tougher. Towards the end we were stopping frequently to stretch the pain that was developing in the ITB band (at the side of the knee). My ankle was holding up fine, (it bothers me only on short distances). My back felt fine too, I had made a conscious attempt at keeping my head upright and looking straight ahead. Ravi gave me a tip that coach had instructed in the first session, "Imagine a string holding your head straight up." I kept that in mind rest of the way.

We decided to tackle the third loop in the reverse direction. Both of us were developing some pain in the knee and at the side of the thigh. Ravi was running after a long time and it was quite possible that his muscles were taking a hit. But what about mine? I had run 12 miles last week and 18 the week before?? :( I blamed it on not switching to the soft surface (Bridle Path) like last time. We went around the loop taking frequent walk breaks and reached the East side. The pain in my right knee was bothering me quite a bit. We still had about 2 miles left. I decided to loop around the reservoir. We had barely gone halfway when I realized that I couldn't take the pain anymore and gave up. We had done about 18.5 miles. I walked the rest of the distance :(

Running in Colorado Oct 1-4

I was in the Rocky Mountains this week for a women in technology conference. It was held at a ski resort in Keystone, CO, about 90 miles west of Denver, 9000 ft above sea level. Picturesque location, tall mountains all around, covered with evergreens and deciduous Aspen trees. The Aspens had turned yellow in sync with the fall season. There were some traces of snow on the mountain tops. The weather was quite chilly with temperature in 60s during the day and falling to zero at night. I had my first experience of altitude sickness: dizziness, breathlessness and fast heartbeat due to rarer oxygen. Even simple activities like climbing a flight of stairs were exhausting. The only way to prevent altitude sickness is drink a lot of water.

I went running along with Rebecca twice. It was hard to go on for even half a mile without going out of breath. It felt like I was back to square one. I was reminded of my initial running days when running a mile left me breathless. We braved it for about 40 minutes each time and were quite humbled. Learnt the value of gradual acclimatization: If you are planning to go hiking, skiing, running in high altitude areas, you should give your body enough time to adjust to the low oxygen.

Seeing a sports doctor

My left ankle has been giving me much trouble in the past few months. The ghost of an old sprain has returned to bother me. It gets particularly painful on my Tuesday runs. I had gone about a mile when it got inflammed and I just couldn't go on. I walked a bit and tried to resume running but couldn't cover much distance. Did about 2.5 miles of a frustrating run/walk. I tried to look up this type of injury on the web. It wasn't a shin splint or an ITB. All I could find was that repetitive ankle sprains can become serious problems for athletes. The suggested remedies are the common ones like taping up the ankle. Since the race was in a month's time, I freaked out and made up my mind to see a sports doctor.

I have an appointment with Dr. Jordan Metzel for next Wednesday. He is a sports doctor and an athlete himself. He has also been to Beijing with the US Olympics team as a medic. My coaches love him. http://www.hss.edu/physicians_metzl-jordan.asp Fortunately, he accepts my insurance plan. I am seeing him in the week after my 20-miler. So if he orders me rest, it will be during the taper-down period. Hope my ankle gets better with his Midas touch ;)

9/27 10-miler

It was the off-weekend. After a series of 16, 18-milers in the previous weeks, I got a low-intensity distance on my schedule in preparation for the 20-miler in the next week. It is funny how I now dismiss a 10-mile run with a casual shrug :)

My running buddy, Divya, had to do 18 miles. Her schedule had gone out of sync by mistake and she had done the 10-miler last weekend. The weather was quite bad... humid, overcast skies... not the perfect day to run long distance.

We set off to do the 6 mile loop in CP and threw in an additional 1.8 miles on the Bridle Path around the reservoir. Had water and gu gel refreshment at the tree and set off again. I had to do just 2 more miles. We set off again on the East Drive part of the loop, and got on to the Bridle Path near 86th St. Divya suggested I just run back to the tree to do the last mile. But I insisted on running with her all 10 miles. We ran around the reservoir once and then I headed back to the Asha tree. A total of 12 miles. When I had told Divya that I didn't mind doing couple of extra miles, she had said "You have become such a runner!" :)

Mileage: 3+5+12 = 20

18 miles and smiling :)

Saturday 9/20 was a perfect day to run. The temperature ranged in 50-60s It was cold but not too cold. I was mentally prepared to run 18 miles. I reached the Asha tree at about 7:40 am. Few people had shown up because most runners were away in Philly for the half-marathon. I casually asked, "How many miles are you doing today?", and discovered to my horror that everyone had just 10 miles on their schedule. I was the only one doing 18 miles, and was quite frightened. I even had doubts that I had read my schedule wrong. I calmed down and decided, "18 miles = 3 Harlem Hill loops. Lets tackle this one loop at a time."

I set off with Divya. The first mile was slow, trying to get our bodies to wake up and warm up. Gradually we picked up pace, tackled the Cat Hill bump and reached the reservoir entrance. We switched to the Bridle Path that runs parallel to the road (Be kind to your knees whenever you can, you will miss them when they are gone ), and followed it all the way to the 102 lamp post. Sapna caught up with us and consoled me that two other 18-milers showed up at the tree after we set off and that they are tackling the loop in the opposite direction. Here was some consolation. We switched to the road and ran on the loop to the Northwest corner of the park. Met Sheela, Lisbeth and Prerna going in the opposite direction near Columbus circle.We were taking walk breaks only at the water fountains. Our bodies were cooling down rapidly when we stopped running and we couldn't afford that. The good thing about it was I learnt how to recover without taking a walk break and we finished the first loop in about 70 minutes, significant improvement for us 12-13 mpmers.

After getting back to the tree, we grabbed Gu gels and water and headed for the next round. Divya promised to run 2 miles with me and planned to turn back from the 102 lamppost. We jogged along steadily, stopping only for water and parted ways at the start of the Harlem Hill stretch. Met Sheela again, she wanted to run with me but I blew her off; it would have been like rabbit and tortoise running together. Met Ketul, met Lisbeth (it is good to have people running the loop in opposite directions). Switched to the Bridle Path on the westside parallel to the road from 100 to 84th. Crossed someone who looked like Delilah (from the Hey there, Delilah fame). Maybe she was Delilah, maybe my mind was playing games with me.

Towards the end of the second loop, I was expecting my knees to start protesting but there wasn't even a whimper. To compensate, my lower back had started squirming. I could feel a strain set in my lower back on the right side. I tried stretching my back, bending forward and backwards but there was no relief. I mentioned it to Sapna when I reached the tree. She said I need to stengthen my core. Made a mental note to do back strengthening exercise and not to skip ab crunches and planks :(

I still had one more loop to go and the time was 10:30 am. Most people had finished their 10 miles and were ready to leave. I asked Kaushik (my b-i-l is our bag-watcher at the Asha tree ;) to take my bag home and planned the last 6 mile route. Since I stay in the Upper West Side, I could run the loop until W80 St and turn around and run back to W110 St to complete the distance. I could simply walk home from there. I set off on the last loop. I met Sheela (again!) on the East side Bridle Path. She was watching out for me, such a nice mentor ;) Hugs and hi-fives later, I jogged on. My legs were a bit tired and I was taking frequent walk breaks. Apart from my weak lower back and slower pace, the going was good. By now I had crossed the same few people, several times (they must have thought I was crazy). I had run 17 miles without music. In the final mile I decided to reward myself with dhinchak hindi songs. I was singing along loud while running the last mile. I got out of the park at noon. I had been running for 4 hours. That's the longest I have ever run. My legs were tired but no serious pains. It is amazing how muscles have memory, they remembered that they had done 16 miles last week and they cooperated on the extra 2 miles. Wonder what would happen if they suddenly developed amnesia :-O

Overall, the best 18 miles I have ever run. On my way back home, one guy smiled and asked "Looks like you have been at it for a long time." I said, "Yes, four hours." He says, "No wonder you look so great!!" I had this big grin on my face all the way home ;) ;)

Mileage: 6+4+18 = 28

Week of 9/8-14

Last Sunday, I made the mistake of doing the post-long run cross training on a strider. I got a nagging stiffness in my left ankle. I have been feeling this stiffness on and off but I noticed it gets worse when I go anywhere close to cardio machines. I better stay off the machines.

I managed the Tuesday run fine but missed the Thursday routine due to the Presidential candidates event in school.

Had a 16-miler on Saturday. It was a big leap from the 13 miles I had run before. The weather was hot and humid and my clothes were dripping sweat. I did 2 loops of the park and the 4-mile round trip on the east side. My knees were hurting at the 12th mile. I scraped through the last 4 with Divya dragging me along. My knees were devastated and wouldn't go another step. In the last few blocks I got a stitch in my stomach and had to walk the last 0.2 miles.

16 miles later, my knees hate me :(

Mileage = 5 + 16 = 21

Week of 9/1 to 9/7

This week was quite peaceful in terms of the long run. I had to do just 6 miles on Saturday so I skipped going to the Asha tree and ran with Laukik in Riverside Park instead. This was also the weekend of hurricane Hannah. She was supposed to hit us that afternoon. Saturday morning, the sky was completely overcast and burdened with humidity touching almost 100% and not a whiff of wind.

We took a slow start and I soon realized that it was impossible to breathe through the nose, I was almost choking on the vapour. I switched to breathing through my mouth and noticed a significant difference in my performance. All this while, I had been struggling to keep up with the running and going out of breath quickly. The wheezing bothered me.

Breathing through my mouth let me take large gulps of air. Another advantage was that I could keep my lower jaw slack and that in turn slackened my shoulders, arms and back. I was spending less energy in maintaining my form.

My running has gotten better ever since and has got me feeling quite upbeat.

Mileage = 6+5+6+2 = 19 miles

Saturday afternoon, Hannah struck. It rained heavily for the rest of the day and night. It felt just like in Mumbai. I love the rain!!

Half-marathon experience

I haven't been updating this blog regularly because I have been out running... cheeky, eh? I ran the half-marathon on the Labor Day weekend in Disneyland, Anaheim, CA. I wrote a race report for my training group and I am just going to paste it here.

Hi, Thanks a lot for all your wishes! I proudly proclaim myself to be a half-marathoner (if that term exists ;) Sorry about the super-late race report. I was chilling out and lazing around for no particular reason :)

Recounting the chronological sequence of events leading up to the Finish line...
Sheela and I met at the expo the previous day to pickup our race packet. I hadn't submitted a finish time estimate as I had no running history. I was assigned to the last corral. Sheela had submitted an ambitious finish time. She was in the first corral. We were wondering what to do, how we could run together?

We had a carb-filled pasta dinner at a nearby Olive Garden. The race was to start at 6 am the next day. By the time we got to sleep it was already midnight. Woke up at 3:45 am, took a shower, dressed in the latest Asha T-shirts, wolfed down whatever was at hand for breakfast... bananas, dates, powerbar, bread-butter... such gluttons ;) We set out to the hotel next door to take a shuttle to the race venue. By now, Sheela had decided to run with me in my corral. Ladies of the last corral :)

We met a bunch of Canadian walkers on the shuttle. They were 3 corrals ahead of me and they were planning to walk the race in 3-odd hours. That set us thinking, "we dont want to pass six thousand people, weaving in and around the walkers." We sneaked into the second corral. I was happily standing way ahead of my finish time... let the other runners take the pains of passing me ;)

The race was flagged off with singing of the American national anthem, followed by the wheelchair participants and then the runners. We crossed the start line few minutes past 6 am. We set off together, waving to the ducks and mice crowded on the overhead bridge and sidewalks. We saw our friends, Amit, Laukik, Muthu and Shilpa just afterwards, they were cheering loudly for us. Amidst all that cheering we had missed our exact start time. We covered the first mile together but soon realized that I was too slow for Sheela's pace. I urged her to go ahead and try to shoot for her sub-2 hour target. I met her only at the end of the race.

The time at mile 1 was about 16 minutes. I made a mental note of that to keep track of my pace.

The next 3 miles of the course were through Disneyland. The course snaked through different themes in the park, Sleeping Beauty's castle, Sindbad's ship. Many cartoons were up early to cheer us... the puppets from the toy maker story, Sheharyar and Sheharzad from Arabian nights, fairies, dwarves and elves. The resident Disney characters Mickey, Minnie and Donald were cheering loudly for us.

At mile 4 I again saw my friends and we were all waving and jumping around crazily. Laukik was planning to join me and run along for a few miles but buddy running was not allowed :( By now I had gotten out of the Disney park and headed towards the freeway. The next stretch of the freeway was dotted with troupes of cheerleaders, dancers, and orchestra. There were water stations every 2 miles. The weather was surprisingly humid with avg temperature about 75 F and avg humidity 73%. I took a walking water break at every station. I tried drinking Powerade, it tasted perfectly awful... like diluted Gatorade without the sweet flavor. To amuse myself, I kept reading the slogans on people's T-shirts. There were several people dressed up as cartoon characters. I saw many Mickey and Minnie mouses, fairies, in full attire as well as people wearing funky Disney headgear. A green fairy was flitting by me now and then. I paced with her almost till the end. People were wearing funky head gear and funny slogans. A woman wearing a running skirt and t-shirt with the following line written on her back "You have just been passed by a skirt!" Another one, "Running is cheaper than therapy."

I had a powergel at mile 7. At mile 9 the course ran along the banks of the Santa Ana river. The river had dried up and we were kicking dust along the riverbank. At mile 10 we passed the Angels baseball Stadium. By now a slight pain had crept into the side of my left knee. Either I had run too fast or been cautious not to strain my sprainy left ankle. I used to get that pain earlier but it had gone away in the past 4 months of training. Now it had come back. I stretched sideways attempting to relieve it, but it kept returning. I ended up taking several walk breaks in the last 3 miles. I crossed the finish line at 2:42:00 with overall timing of 2:37:16. The medal is large, golden, in the shape of a Disney castle, yippeee my first ever medal :)

The race was a lot of fun but we missed the hearty cheering and the enthusiastic buddy runners from our group.

Week of 8/17-8/23

Significant improvement over the last week. My ankle was still sore but the strapping helped. My hormones had stabilized. Managed to do all the runs in my schedule, and at 10-11 mpm pace!

The long run was on the Park Ave route. This was the last of the Saturdays when Park Ave was closed to traffic in the morning. I ran with some people from the Asha training group. We started from CP, got off at 72nd St, crossed over to Park Ave, ran all the way to Union Sq, down Lafyette St all the way to City Hall, crossed over to the Brooklyn Bridge, and all the way back. The round trip was slightly over 13 miles, the halfway mark. Yayyyy my first ever 13-miler. I am feeling a lot more confident about running the LA half this weekend. Wish me luck!

Mileage = 5 + 4+ 13 = 22 miles

Week of 8/10-8/17

Week of Les Miserables. I started this week's run with a stiff left ankle. I was limping more than jogging and was quite frustrated and miserable. After stretching a few times in the span of the first mile, my muscles felt much better. Then I made the mistake of doing interval training with Laukik. I did 4 thirty second laps of running fast and slow. The sprinting made my ankle much worse and I was limping for the rest of the week. At the same time my hormones were playing games with me, I was truly PMS-ed and miserable.

Skipped the Thursday run, rested until Saturday. I was scheduled to do 12 miles that week. On Sunday late morning, I strapped up my ankle in elastic bandage and set off from Riverside Park. The initial 2 miles were agonizing. I was taking walk breaks every few minutes and stretching my leg muscles desperately. It became easier after that. I ran down to 60th st and crossed over to Central Park. Ran part of the big loop, passed the Asha tree, reached the south end of the reservoir. Did 2 rounds of the reservoir (the track is soft and kinder to the knees). Laukik joined me at that point and we proceeded on the outer loop towards Harlem Hill.

By then my foot had expanded and I could feel the bandage squeezing at my foot tightly. At the Northwest corner of CP, we abandoned the plan of completing the outer loop and got out of the park. We rewarded ourselves with Chipotle Burrito Bowls and OJ flavored protein shake :)

Mileage this week: 3 + 10

Week of 8/3-9

Took last week off from running although we did quite a bit of walking and swimming during our vacation. My legs felt rather stiff and calves were cramped when I resumed running this week. I should have atleast stretched last week, lesson learnt.

This week was a slow start. I did my scheduled runs and even compensated for Sunday's missed run.

Saturday's run was particularly interesting. Park Ave was closed to traffic on Saturday mornings in August 2008 and converted into a summer street. NYTimes article. The route was from Central Park East side across on 72nd street and the Park Ave south all the way to Brooklyn bridge. The summer street is about 6 miles long. NYRR had water stations on the way. There were bike rentals and yoga/martial art classes in the street as well. It was a lot of fun running upto the MetLife building and right through it on to Union Square, through Chinatown, City Hall all the way across Brooklyn Bridge. My target was to do 10 miles but ended up falling short of it because of the erroneous mileage advertised by NYRR (6.9 when it was barely 6 from CP 72nd upto BB).

Mileage: 4+4+3+9=20 miles

Week of 7/20-26 Crete, Greece

I was attending a lecture series in Greece this week. I was staying in Heraklion, Crete close to the harbor. The harbor had a Venetian fortress and a breakwater, a barricade protecting it from the sea waves. It jutted right into the sea and had a 1.5 mile stretch of tar road which was out of bounds for motor vehicles. You would usually find tourists and locals strolling around. I was one of the few freaks who ran up and down this stretch for completing my scheduled runs. The road was pretty much flat and an easy run except that the heat and humidity in summer makes breathing difficult.

Mileage: 2+4+4+9=19 miles

I managed to do the long run 5-7 am in the morning. I deserve a pat on the back for it. 6 laps of that road with a bottle of water in hand. Laukik joined me for a major part of the run. He did 6 miles that day, the longest he has ever run. We had to get back in time to pack up, have breakfast, checkout from the hotel in time for our ferry at 9:30 am. Vacation time!!!

Week of 7/13-19

Google had blocked my blog for a few days suspecting it was a s_p_a_m blog :( Now I have a lot of catching up to do. I barely remember my runs in this week. I ran all 4 days. One day I ran with my officemate, Rebecca. On Saturday I ran about 8 miles in CP, 1 loop around the reservoir and the outer 6 mile loop. I also tried a mild version of icebath. Stuck my legs in cold water for about 15 minutes. It doesn't seem to help me outwardly. Stretching works best.

Mileage: 4+3+4+8=19 miles

7/12 - 7 miler in CP

Day of the long run. I am usually apprehensive of whether I will be able to do this much distance. I have never run 7 miles before.

I was hanging out with Bia the previous night and we got quite drunk on a mix of Sangria and champagne. The champagne was courtesy a generous patron at the neighboring table of the restaurant where we were having dinner. We managed to strike up a conversation with him and the guy asked the waiter to bring us dessert and wine when he left. Maybe he was glad to have some company while he was dining alone, maybe he was too tipsy. We were quite surprised and overwhelmed at his welcome-to-the-neighborhood gesture.

Bia promised that she would join me for the long run. I am glad she did because I slept right through the alarm and woke up when she called. We started earlier than usual to beat the heat. The course was the 6 mile loop in CP and a 1.5 mile loop of the reservoir on the way. Bia did the first mile and the reservoir loop with me. She ran surprisingly well inspite of being away from running for a few months. It was good fun to pace with her. After the loop I asked her to return to the Asha tree and I proceeded for to complete the 6 mile loop. I was running on my own (which is boring) and made frequent stops for water. I completed the run at a leisurely 12-13 mpm pace.

Tentative route flicked from mapmyrun.com

7/10 - RP

So I have gotten lazy about updating the blog. 7/10, thats last Thursday I set off to do the regular 3 miles in Riverside Park. The run was much easier than the earlier 2 days except that my capris threatened to slide off every few strides. In an effort to minimize my frustration and embarrassment, I must have run faster and it was over in no time. Made a mental note to wear comfortable running clothes.

MapMyRun

I got hooked on to mapmyrun.com and created a few routes that I commonly use. Here's my regular 5.5 mile round trip route in Riverside Park



Here's a less frequently used 3.5 mile route along the Hudson river

Location of the Asha tree

We convene at the Asha tree on Saturday mornings before we set out on our long runs. Post-run we re-convene to do the stretches. Here's the location on the map


View Larger Map

7/7 and 7/8 - RP

I could barely run today. The humidity was 77% and I was gasping for air :( I ran/walked 3.5 miles along the Hudson river and was glad when it was over.

I spoke with Coach on Saturday that I am running 4-5 miles during weekdays (my schedule says 3 miles). Coach suggested that I should do time and not run more than 40-45 minutes. I should avoid burnout and injuries caused by over-training.

7/3 RP, 7/5 CP

4.5 miles on the same old route in RP. I am boring!

6 miles with the Asha group today in CP. We were grouped by pace and I had company most of the way. Finished the run in about 75 minutes. I found a map of the route on mapmyrun.com Here it is

Update on marathon registration

I signed up for the DC Marine Corps Full Marathon, Oct 26. I am running 5 miles right now. It is an effort but there aren't too many aches and pains. I am feeling slightly more confident about doing the full marathon. Besides, most people in the Asha training group are targeting the full, and I didn't want to be left out :) On second thoughts, am I suicidal?

I also signed up for the Disneyland half in LA on the Labor Day weekend. It is called the Happiest Race on Earth. I am planning to get some funky head gear and run amock among the cartoons. I hope I get the finisher medal from Mickey Mouse Check out the course map. YAAYYYYYY!!! I am so excited. I will be running with Sheela. Shilpa, Amit and Laukik will buddy run with us. Introductions: These are my friends from undergrad; we know each other for so long, they are family! :)

6/30 7/1 - RP

Did the 4-4.5 mile round trip in Riverside Park. I have taken a liking for this route. You start running from one end of the park (W119) and hit the other end at the jetty (W66). Its a 5.5 mile round trip but there is a lot of scope to cut it down to 2, 3, 4 miles.

I did 4 miles in <47 minutes today, walk breaks, water breaks included. Temp 81F, no breeze.
It is a significant improvement from when I started training 6 weeks ago but I want to be able to run faster. My legs don't feel tired but I easily go out of breath if I try to run any faster. Wondering how to improve lung capacity? Should I do interval training?

June 28 - Asha group run in CP

Did the 5 mile loop with Padma. We took 3 walk breaks. Ran pretty much continuously throughout. Padma and I run at the same pace (or did she slow down for me?) I should latch on to her next time. Pacing with someone is definitely more fun than running alone.

June 25, 26 - RP, CP

4 miles RP

3 miles CP

Ate out at Hampton Chutney and then saw the first day first show of Wanted at midnight 12:01 am. Bad choice, Wall-E would have been much more enjoyable.

June 22, 23 - Lexington, MA

4 miles on Sunday morning

3.5 miles on Monday evening. I ran on a treadmill as it was raining heavily outside. Running on a treadmill is so different. I have lost habit of the treadmill and felt quit unstable. Maybe I ran too fast on a hill setting, my knees hurt a bit.

I am doing some basic stretches to relax my leg muscles and abs to build the core. It doesn't feel enough, need to join a yoga class soon.

June 15, 18, 19 Riverside Park

I have been doing my usual run in the Riverside Park. On Sunday afternoon, I ran along with Laukik. He runs too fast for me so I let him go ahead and tailgated him throughout. The afternoon heat was getting unbearable and annoying, I was showing clear signs of PMS viz, short-temper, irritation, lack of patience. I somehow chugged on for 2.5 miles and was glad to get done with it.

After a rest of 2 days, I got back into my running shoes and ran from 120th St to 66th St in the park. I had intended to run 4 miles but Google maps tells me that I ran about 5.5 miles. My legs aren't too tired. Running feels less of an effort now. Maybe its the weather (Cool 60s). Maybe its my shoes (I switched back to my old running shoes, the new ones are too cushiony and feel like lead weight, I am heading back to Jack Rabbit to get them changed). Maybe its the music (I was listening to the Kiss FM radio channel). Maybe its the strength-training in the gym (I did it twice this week, wonder if it has instant benefits). Maybe its my hormones. Maybe its all of the above. I hope this streak continues.

The Hudson River is my new best friend. I see him thrice a week and he is happy to run along with me :)

2.5, 5, 5 miles

June 14 Central Park Reservoir

We did our Asha group run on Saturday morning. Our entire group ran along with Coach Jane to the reservoir and then we set off for a round of the reservoir. We met again and ran back to the Asha tree. Coach Courtney got us to do the stretches and then we grabbed bagels and gatorade for breakfast.

Ran about 3.5-4 miles.

June 10 and 11 - Riverside Park

I have been doing the same 4 mile route in the Riverside Park in the past 3 days. It is soon going to get really boring.

On Tuesday, Tejas and I walked/ran as far as the 79th St Boat Basin and the pier that juts into the river. In the evening, we went to the Jack Rabbit store on 14th St and bought running shoes. We both got ASIC Nimbus. The shoes have gel in the soles and give good cushioning. My knees are very grateful. The shoes are slightly heavier than my current ones and cost a small fortune (120 bucks). They look a bit ugly (white, silver, frost blue) but who cares.

On Wednesday, I was on my own. The riverside path near 96th st was blocked by police barriers. A car had skidded off the 96th St exit ramp and fallen into the Hudson river in the early morning hours. The NYPD divers were looking for the car and any people overboard. News article here, photos here.

June 9 Riverside Park

I did 4 miles in the Riverside Park in the morning on the usual route. There is a major heat wave this week with temperatures soaring to 100 deg F. It feels just like Mumbai in the month of April-May... hot and humid. I tried to avoid the heat by starting early but even 8 am isn't good enough. As the summer progresses and my runs become longer, I am going to have to change my schedule to sleep early, wake up early and start running by 6 am. I have started drinking protein shakes after my runs, need to start strength training soon.

June 7 - Asha group Saturday run

We ran 4 miles in Central Park on Saturday morning. Our pacer insisted that we run slowly and build up endurance. You should be able to run at a comfortable pace and be able to keep up a conversation with your buddies all along. My running buddies were Jyotsna and Shabnam. Thanks to them I ran most of the distance stopping only for a couple of water breaks.

The NYRR women's mini 10K was in progress at the same time on our route. The first of the runners reached the 4 mile mark in 20 minutes. That's 5 mpm. Compared to my measly 12 mpm, those women were literally sprinting all the way.

Post-run we did some stretches, abs, and planks with coach. The easy pace running and the stretches helped ease out the stiffness in my legs. We grabbed some bagels and gatorade and waited to cheer some of the Asha ladies who were passing through towards the 10K finish line.

June 3-4 Lexington, MA

I am visiting my cousins in Boston this week. I did my regular run on a footpath near their place.
Running here isn't as much fun as in New York city, but I am thankful that this place atleast has a footpath along the road. My legs feel kinda sore and are crying for strength training and yoga. Need to take that up ASAP.

2 miles on Tuesday, 4 miles on Wednesday.

May 31 Asha team

The plan for the day was to do a timed 1 mile run and then go for a 4 mile relaxed run in Central Park. We met at 8:30 in the morning at the Asha tree in the park. I was a bit worried that I might not be able to run at all as I had consumed a significant amount of alcohol and slept fitfully (if at all) the previous night. I guess running is more about will power than physical ability. I told myself, "You got to what you got to do", and set off.

I did the mile in 10:43 and then went ahead for the long run. I was feeling quite dehydrated and took several water breaks on the round trip from lamp post 6202 that marks the 62nd St to 02-something that marks 102nd St. Surprisingly, I had no aches and pains and felt good to go for the rest of the day.

May 28 Central Park and East River

Tejas and I set out for a fun run on Wednesday evening. That's usually our thing when we go out. I want to run the target distance and Tejas just wants to take it easy and have fun walking and looking around. We manage to strike a compromise that we finish up my target distance first and then just head downtown to reward ourselves with a sumptuous meal.

We set out to Central Park at about 6 pm and headed to the reservoir, my favorite place in the park. The reservoir is a huge manmade water body that lies between 86th and 96th St. There is an asphalt running track around it measuring about 1.6 miles. It is the perfect running track, very kind to the knees.

We did 2.5 miles around the reservoir and then got out on the east side of the park and headed towards the East river. As we walked by the Met, Tejas was in awe of the structure, it was his first sight of the museum. Made a mental note to visit the Met more often.

We crossed over to the east side and ran along the track upto the Queensboro bridge E59th St. The track ended abruptly. It was a bit disappointing as we had originally planned to go all the way to the Village. We got back on to the street and walked to Sarvanaas on 26th and Lex. Sarvanaas belongs to the famous chain of South Indian restaurants from Chennai. Their 14 mini idly and kaima idly appetizers are deadly. So is their buttermilk and filter coffee. We devoured the food in no time and hopped on the subway back home.

Ran 3.5 miles, walked another 3 miles.

May 27 Riverside Park

It started raining at 6 o'clock, my usual time to head out for a run. I was quite frustrated as I had skipped the run on Monday and skipping Tuesday would be really bad for my schedule. It was pouring like it rains in Mumbai but miraculously the rain stopped and by 7 pm the sky had cleared up and you could see the sun. This is one great thing about Daylight Savings Time. It is bright outside even at 8 in the night. I quickly changed into my running gear and took along a windbreaker and cap and set out to Riverside Park.

Riverside Park runs along the Hudson river on the west side of Manhattan from W79th St to W125th St. It houses tennis courts, skateboarding rinks, baseball fields and a narrow garden walkway. There is a bike trail cum running path right along the edge of the river. I love running on that path. The river is very serene and dotted with a few ships, sailing yachts and gulls. Geo Washington bridge makes for a great landscape. In the evening the sky and river are splashed with shades of pink, blue, lavender.

I ran from 116th St to 79th and then I turned back and ran all the way to 125th. That's about 5 miles. I need to get a running meter for this blog.

Minuteman bike trail

On Sunday June 1st, Laukik and I met his ex-colleague friends Rago and Jake for a bicycling trip on the Minuteman trail. We planned to meet at about 10 am, rent some bikes and helmets from a local shop and set off. It turned out that the bike rental shop wouldn't open until noon (what kind of arrogance is that? this shop belongs to the exquisite breed of Puneri shopkeepers. for more insight visit here)

We were faced with the prospect of twiddling our thumbs for atleast a couple of hours when Jake opened up his very own bike shop to us. The man has 4 bikes in his house. His brother Andy is into repairing and assembling bikes. He has hacked up and assembled a bike from spares. I was riding that one. Jake owns a LeMond racing bike. He also has an antique velodrome bike that was fitted with brakes for use on the road. Laukik got that one. Jake also conjured 2 helmets for us and himself went without. Rago showed up with his own bike and our foursome was all set to go biking by 11 am.

We did the Minuteman Bike Trail, a 11 mile rail-trail that passes through Cambridge, Arlington, Lexington and Bedford, Massachusetts. The trail is more or less flat because it is built upon a railroad track. It runs through residential areas and is dotted with woods and backyards of houses. There is also a picnic spot called Spy Pond, soccer and lacrosse game fields. It is frequented by bikers, skaters and runners. It was fun to see whole families, kids and babies in tow, on bikes with a variety of contraptions (kids car seats, trailers, trailer cycles). The trail is segmented where it crosses motorable streets and at one point it goes right over the interstate highway I95/Rt128.

We rode almost non-stop from Cambridge to Bedford taking a few Gatorade breaks. It was a perfect day for staying outdoors, not too warm, not too humid. On our way back we took a lunch break in Lexington and helped ourselves to some Italian pasta and paninis at Bertuccis. Towards the end of the trail we made a pit-stop at a bike accessories and repair shop and rewarded ourselves with icecreams. My male co-bikers were quite surprised that I managed to do the round trip without many cribs and complaints :)

5 miles of running in Central Park on Saturday, 22 miles of biking on Minuteman on Sunday... This has been one hell of a fun weekend.

Map of the trail
Photos (courtesy Rago) to be added

Rafting in Ohiopyle Yough

A bunch of my husband's school friends decided to go for a rafting adventure, wives in tow. We headed to the Ohiopyle State Park in Pennsylvania on Friday night. The plan was to do the Class III-IV rapids in the Lower Yough on Saturday morning. We got there at noon. The temperature was below 70F so we donned wet suits, armed ourselves with life jackets, helmets, paddles and headed to the river. The river was quite full with about 6 feet of water and flowing swiftly. Lots of water meant less rowing for us but also many of the rocks were submerged well into the water taking the rapids along with them. Our guide said that we would be done with the rafting in about 2 hours (which usually takes 3-4 hours).

to be contd...

Asha 5K run

I ran the Asha 5K on Sat, May 3rd. I completed the run in 32:17. The track was a straightforward loop in the Riverside park at the bank of the Hudson river.

I have become a regular on that track ever since as it is closer to my apartment than Central Park. The track has a nice view of the Hudson river and its many jetties and piers along the way. The path goes all the way to downtown Battery Park although I have never gone so far.

My co-runners on the 5K were Chaitanya and Raj. We managed to keep pace for about a kilometer or so before I started lagging and told them to abandon me and go ahead. They finished in 24 and 30 min resp. The winner finished in 18 something minutes. Some day I will also be running that good.

My Calendar for Running

April		May		June
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Miles 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30		Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Miles 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 13		Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Miles 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 10 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 16 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 12.5 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 20.5 29 30
July		August		September
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Miles 1 2 3 4 5 19 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 16 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 19 27 28 29 30 31		Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Miles 1 2 off 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 20 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 13 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 22 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 21 31		Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa Miles 1 2 3 4 5 6 19 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 21 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 28 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
October	Miles	November	Miles	December	Miles
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31		Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30		Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

The Plan

My plan for the summer is to train for a half-marathon with the Asha group. The train programme is a long arduous crusade of 6 months where I will be running 3-4 times a week steadily increasing my mileage from 10 miles/week to about 30 miles/week and speeding up from a slowpoke 12-13 mpm to a respectable 10 mpm.

This blog is intended to keep track of my runs and also record the smells, sights and sounds of New York city as I trundle down its numerous running paths.