A Seven Continent Journey

I seem to have done the disappearing act from the blogging scene. The excuse is flat out procrastination. It is not without guilt. I have not even put up the Chicago Marathon report, which I intend to do in the next few days. I have done some strength training over the last month trying a new program called P90X. This is an intense program, which is hard to keep up with. It involves yoga, Plyometrics, like exercise besides normal strength training. Running obviously has been side-lined because of this activity. I probably have not run more than 25 miles since finishing the Chicago Marathon. Hopefully, this will change soon and I may get back in rhythm. The next big run is in Spring in Green Bay. I plan to run the Cellcom Half Marathon hoping to do a good finish with a much faster pace than I am normally used to. The training will start in January. I am looking forward to attending a talk by Bill Rogers, also known as the “Boston Billy”, who will be in Green Bay to do a pep talk. Mr. Rogers has won three times in Boston. Until then I need to avoid gaining too much weight as this being the holiday season, there is too much to eat at every corner.

The day started out to be quite nice. I woke up around 4:30 a.m. after a restful sleep. I was quite surprised that I didn’t wake up earlier considering the time it took for me to adjust to the Australian time zone. The previous night I had eaten a pasta dinner in the hotel restaurant and still felt quite full.

Left the hotel around 5:45 a.m. and headed to the Town Hall Metro Station. From there it was a short ride to Milsons’ Point where the run was to start. I didn’t really have to ask anyone for directions as the trains were full of runners. Once out of the station it was a short walk to the the start point of the marathon. The run started with an uphill run. In the distance, the Harbor Bridge was visible along with the famous Sydney Opera House. Milsons’ Point is in the Sydney suburb of Kirribilli, which is a densely populated affluent neighbourhood. It apparently has the highest real-estate values in Australia. It also boasts some famous addresses including the Australian Premier’s residence. As you would expect there were throngs of runners getting ready going through their routine on my arrival. It was a little nippy in the morning so a windcheater came in handy. The drop stations for the clothes to be picked on the finish line were easy to access. In the process, however, I lost my earphones. Not to be too discouraged I was able to convince myself, that I should be able to complete the run without listening to music considering that while I had been running in Sydney I enjoyed the sounds of the city and I thought it may not be an issue. Fortunately, I had my cell phone with me. I e-mailed my friend, Ajay, asking if he would be able to get me a pair of earphones when I would be near his house at around the 11th or 12th mile. My thought was that maybe by that time I would need the assistance of music . The full marathon was the last to be flagged off at 7:15 a.m. after the 10K and the half marathon runners were sent off. At the starting lineup I asked a fellow runner about the steep uphill climb right at the start and he just grinned back mentioning that this was a better version as the event organizers had changed the course over the last several years trying to avoid similar hills. He assured me that it is not that bad as the run progresses. Soon we were on the way. Within a mile I was over Sydney Harbor Bridge. I made sure I took pictures. This was the first time I was carrying my camera/cell phone with me. I was happy I could do this. I have to say, however, this was a distraction. Now that I think about it, I was too casual starting off the race. Immediately off the Sydney Harbor Bridge we were in the area called the Rocks. This was the first area to be colonized when the First Fleet arrived from England. Running on the Cahill Expressway going downhill, a very beautiful view of the Sydney Opera House is seen and gradually we entered the city at Macquarie Street, then into the Royal Botanical Gardens. This is an expansive greenery right at the edge of Sydney Opera House and is an amazing place to run. At around the six mile mark, I ran past the Sydney Cricket grounds. Growing up in India, I watched many games on television played at this venue. The next few miles were run in the Centennial Park, which is a beautiful park in the eastern suburbs of Sydney. So far the run had been smooth, although not entirely flat, I was feeling reasonably well. Once through the Centenial Park we looped around into Allison's Street and close to around the half mark. As I had hoped, Ajay with his whole family was there. It was nice to hear my name being called from the sidelines and of course he had brought the earphones, which by now I badly needed. I also felt very touched that Ajay had found time with his family on a Sunday morning to come out and support me. I crossed the halfway mark in around 2 hours and 15 minutes, which was close to the pace which I wanted to be at this stage. I have to say, however, going up and down the hills was beginning to take it’s toll. I did not, however, realize that the worst part of the run lay ahead of me. The course headed back to the Central Business District of Sydney. I tried hard to keep up with my pace with the steep elevation that lay between the 14th and 16th mile. There were some interesting runners though who kept me company including a couple from Japan who were running the race in Mickey Mouse costumes. Minnie was getting a lot of compliments from the onlookers. The crowd support was sketchy. Maybe I was spoiled by running in Paris as I has assumed that most of the marathons would have huge crowd support. This crowd was proving to be similar to my previous experiences in Rio and Marrakech were the crowd support had been poor. The water stations were well manned , but there was no solid food like fruits available. I have to say while going through downtown Sydney for a moment it did come to my mind that maybe I should give up and just walk to my hotel and call it a day. I think this thought crosses the mind of a lot of runners once they are approaching the last third of the race and I was no exception. The next 6 to 6 ½ miles were very arduous. It involved a long loop into the western suburbs of the city over the old Glebe Island Bridge. This is a beautiful bridge, which links the Pyrmont area with Rozelle. On one side of the road there were runners going towards to the end of the loop and on the other side the people were returning after they had completed the section that lay ahead of me. It was quite sobering to know that there were so many of them folks at least four or five miles ahead of me, running strong and fast on the other side of the road. This was one tough portion for me. There was a lot of steep terrain. Many of us had to resort to walk the last few hills. In the latter part of the marathon one generally hopes for a flat course, which was definitely lacking here. Once this long arduous loop was over I knew the end was near. There were some runners still on the road and I was comforted by the fact that there were some behind me. After I crossed the 37th km marker I knew I wouldn’t be taken off the course as the city marathon has strict time limits to finish the marathon in a specified time. The last few kilometers were better , back into the beautiful part of Sydney Harbor running on Hickinson Road, looping around the circular quay onto a finish at the very inspiring Sydney Opera House. Total net time was 5 hours. This was my slowest ever run, but I was happy that it was over with. Hard work still lay ahead of me as the marathon chip returning booth, the medal collection, finisher’s tee shirt were all spread out. I got a picture holding the medal and then just walked up to the Royal Botanical Gardens and sat down on the very well manicured grass . I called my wife, Anu, informing her that I finished the run and then dozed off into a nap. The warm sun, close to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, served as a good anodyne.There were mixed feelings. I felt elated, that I had finished running on four continents, but also disappointed at my turtle pace.

I am zealous of Sidneysiders, but glad that chose to run in such spectacularly beautiful city. As you would guess I have been visiting all the major attractions in the city and that included the famous Bondi beach. Fortunately my hotel is in downtown so transportation is easy to assess. Yesterday evening listened to Sydney Symphony supporting Grammy winner, Jazz artist Dianne Reeves at the Sydney Opera House. Not to be side tracked the training schedule continued, the last run was yesterday evening around 6 miles, probably through the most picturesque urban route I will ever run. It went through the Royal Botanic Gardens, the trail is right at the edge of Pacific Ocean and affords some amazing views of the Sydney Sky line and Opera House. Early in the day picked the Bib number from running expo. Tomorrow some light stretching and hopefully will take some rest before the big day on Sunday. There was one more incentive visiting Sydney, got to meet Ajay a college mate who now lives in Sydney. He has been a very generous host.

I am in Minneapolis waiting for a flight to LA and then onto Sydney. Leaving home was very tough. I have to admit felt somewhat skeptical of my mission. Is this insanity or what, training at odd hours, keeeping up with a hectic pace at work, lack of sleep and now leaving my family behind an all this for a "Run". One of my close friend Uday called me in the morning to wish me well, he comforted me and encouraged me to get the job done. My wife narrated all the benefits I have reaped since I got into traing for marathons. I got up around 2 am, did some errands around the house, was in my office by 4 am to complete some paper work, returned home at 7.30 am only to head out for quick run. Ran 8 miles @9.30/mile pace. This was the last long run, a few hours later I was headed to the airport.

Many will ridicule at my perception on the enormity of the decision I was faced with last week. For me it was do or die. I had lost precious time near the acme of my training following the fall at work. Some crucial runs were missed. In my effort to catch up, I was left with no choice but to go for the long runs without building an adequate base. On Saturday, 8/15/09, I attempted an 18 mile run on Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive. The prior week I had been traveling through Canada by road fulfilling one of my long-term intentions of taking my parents to Niagara Falls. The run proved to be a disaster. I was able to somehow complete 18 miles. However, I felt extremely drained and fatigued like never before. I tired to blame the poor performance on the extensive driving I had been doing and also possibly to the weather. I felt desperate while on the course. It was a pity that not even well sculpted beautiful bodies, which is a regular feature on Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive, failed to inspire me. I just felt miserable. The fear of not making a successful attempt at the Sydney Marathon loomed and the dreaded"DNF" (did not finish) sign came to my mind. Once back in Green Bay, it was time to counsel. Faced with the dilemma on when to attempt my second long run, at least 20 miles, I spoke with my colleagues and mentors, Gail and Sarah, who are both seasoned runners. With the added pressure of being on call over the weekend, I would have struggled to find time. The consensus was to go ahead and do the 20 mile run last week. That would have put me at almost 45 miles for the week, which I have never attempted, so last Sunday I woke up, the weather was nice and I set out at around 6:30 a.m. with some skepticism of being able to pull off this long run off. To my surprise I felt quite good at the half way mark and was able to keep up with the time I had allocated for this run through most of the run. Fortunately, I was able to complete the 20 miles as planned. I have to say I was in bed for three to four hours following my return. However, there was a huge sense of relief. Surprisingly, I didn't get too many body aches and was back to normal within 24 hours. This week I did a short four mile run near my house, running deftly through some hills. I was able to keep a good pace and posture. My confidence is back.

Marathon training is full of hiccups. Within 24 hours of my last blog post, I regretted boasting how good I felt. While at work slipped on a wet floor in the hospital, injuring my right groin. I spent 10 agonizing days not able to keep up with my planned routine. The fear of aggravating the injury by maintaining aggressive running routine kept me away from my running shoes. Today, starting out at 4.00 am, I was able to complete a 14 mile long run. I did have some pain in the right groin, but it seems the worst is over and I’m on the mend. My father who’s in town these days showed me some yoga exercises, which seemed to help a lot. I remain cautiously optimistic, and over the next 2-3 weeks, hopefully should be able to complete a 20 mile training run. On the positive note I have been in touch with a long time college friend, Ajay Vatsayan, who now lives in Sydney, Australia. I’m looking forward to seeing him again.

This is an article published in New York Times today
By Liz Robbins
Choosing a fall marathon often comes down to a question of identity. Do you want to be a rock star or a folk singer?
The mega-marathon parade experience of popular urban races like New York, Chicago, Washington and to a lesser degree Philadelphia offer quite a different culture than suburban or country races with medium to intimate fields, like in Scranton, Pa., or Rehoboth Beach, Del.
The choice is highly personal, if not perplexing, and involves other variables, too, like proximity, price and prestige. Then there are incentives like swag and speed — as in, what course will best enable that elusive Boston qualifying time?
I’ve written that New York City’s marathon is “A Race Like No Other,” with its field of nearly 38,000 runners, two million spectators, soaring scenic views, distinct neighborhoods and characters and a challenging five-borough course. But New York is not for everyone.
For starters, most can’t get into the New York marathon. Only 18 percent of American and international applicants, or 10,300 runners, were accepted via the lottery this year. Others gained entry by running for a charity qualifying through races.
For those who did not get in, or did not even apply, other marathons in the fall and beyond beckon for a variety of reasons. Last year there were a total of 361 marathons in the United States, according to MaratonGuide.com, offers readers’ comments on virtually every race.
Craig Beden, a financial planner in Fairfax, Va., choose to run the Oct.10 Baltimore marathon, and it was for the money. Or make that small change. The marathon is offering first-time marathoners who run under a certain time — 3:25 for men and 3:55 for women — a combined pot of $2,000 for each gender, regardless of age.
“I’ll probably end up with $2,” Mr. Beden said with a laugh. The 47-year-old competitive triathlete is a bit wary of the hilly Baltimore course and had considered the much flatter, and larger, Marine Corps Marathon in nearby Washington but was swayed by his entry gift — a shirt from UnderArmour, the title sponsor — and the potential prize winnings, even if he does have to split it with his training partner.
Lara Kail, 32, of Manhattan, has run two New York City marathons but narrowed her choices down to the three remaining Big Four marathons this fall — the Marine Corps, Philadelphia and Chicago — because she is chasing her “B.Q.”: she needs to shave just three minutes and 15 seconds off her time to qualify for the highly competitive Boston marathon next spring. “Since I am still relatively new to marathoning, I thrive on crowd support,” she wrote in an e-mail message.
Although Chicago is popular for its flat course, easily accessible start and big-city fervor, Ms. Kail eliminated it because it was too expensive and “too much of a wild card with the weather.” (Temperatures soared dangerously into the 80s the last two years, causing one death and early suspension of the race in 2007.) And she thought Philadelphia, the weekend of Thanksgiving, was too late in the season. “During the taper I usually have a ‘I don’t want to run anymore, let it be race day already’ feeling,” she wrote.
That left the Marine Corps. It’s timing was perfect: it will allow her to cheer for her friends who are running a week later in New York.
Jessica Zeldin, 39, from Philadelphia, qualified for Boston last year in a most unusual way. After missing out on qualifying in the Berlin marathon by just 54 seconds (she was able to “tack the race on” to her honeymoon last September) and finding out the Philadelphia race was closed, she chose the inaugural Rehoboth Beach Running Co. Seashore Marathon in Delaware in November. She was not prepared to be running along the Atlantic Ocean as it snowed, nor in the woods with duck hunters. “I was thinking, ‘Ooh, I should have worn my orange vest,’” she said.
But even when the route narrowed to no more than five feet across, Ms. Zeldin enjoyed the small field — 334 finishers, many of whom were trying to qualify for Boston, compared to the 35,746 in Berlin. “It was just so collegial — everyone was so excited about everyone else,” she said. She qualified for Boston with two minutes to spare, savored the post-race pancake breakfast on the boardwalk and the technical shirt she won — sized especially for women — is now the only race shirt she ever wears.
This fall’s marathon season is all about incentives for Ed Altman, 51, a longtime member of the New York Flyers, a charity-oriented running club. He chose to run the Oct. 10 Hartford marathon to notch his 20th state in his 50-state quest. Three weeks later he will return to New York to run for fun, he says, as well as another prestigious incentive — it will be his 15th New York City marathon, which guarantees him lifetime entry to the race.

Nike+

I continue to struggle to find time to train. It’s getting to a point that I’m nervous if I’ll be able to pull off the Sydney Marathon. Pace of work has been very hectic in my professional life, and that is taking a toll on my training schedule. This week I was only able to run about 5 miles, which is disheartening. Hopefully this coming week will be better. Overnight we traveled from Green Bay to a small island of Saint Kitts in the Caribbean where my in-laws live. I think I should be able to find time to get in a few good runs. The terrain is mountainous, although there are some small hills to run on.

I do not have a good excuse but to say that procrastination has been my enemy. I have to apologize for not making any entry to the blog for so many months. It has been a combination of events partly a very hectic schedule at work coupled with an illness that I came down with while visiting New Jersey in late March. I lost my rhythm of regular exercise in fact have still not got back into the routine. Fortunately I have kept up with my running clocking 20 to 25 miles per week. Sydney Marathon is less than four months away,I plan to gradually get back into shape and hopefully try to finish in less than 4 1/2 hours. Had a good run in the morning today, was able to complete 9 miles at at around 9.15 minute per mile pace. I think I could've gone longer however felt a small blister developing on on my left foot. I will not be running the Bellin Run this year as I am traveling out of town.

Ran a 7 mile course today as part of Prevea training runs. I had initally planned to run 12 miles with the group training for full Cellcom Marathon, but the bitter cold (7 degrees F) changed my mind. I have to admit once the run started I felt quite good. Of course you have to deal with some skidding on ice and eyelashes sticking to each other due to ice. The training runs are very well supported by water, Gatorade during the course and Coffee with bagels at the finish. Achieved a landmark today click here.

I have been struggling with a delimma, which now is resolved. For a few days I contemplated running The North Pole Marathon, yes on the North Pole, 90 degrees North, the only marathon run entirely on water. The temptation was to be part of multinational representation in the centenial year of first ever exploration to North Pole. Better sense has pervailed, I am not running the treacherous path, this adventure is for some other year and for now I plan to stick to my initial goal of running a marathon in each continent. The next Marathon would be in Sydney, Australia, on 20th September. This would be followed by Chicago Marathon, on 14th October. And then if I still have it my legs will attempt the Ice Marathon, Antarctica, on 14th December. This leaves me with spring and summer to train, "get better". Much of the training will be working on speed, and learning to run efficent runs. I will do some races including the Cellcom Half marathon, in Green Bay and the Bellin Run (10 K). I think this schedule should keep me motivated for the year.

Finish time 4:46 hrs

I have finally come around to give my first hand experience running the Marrakech Marathon. Contrary to the last marathon, I ran in Rio De Janerio, arriving at the start lineup was relatively easy, a short yellow cab ride from my hotel brought me to Mohammed Hasan road, located behind the grand Sofitel Hotel. It was slightly cold, although for me going from Green Bay, this was a perfect weather to run. The sky was overcast, rain was predicted for later in day. Yes rain, unusual in Marrakech, apparently it has been a wet winter. The backdrop to the run were the snow capped Atlas mountains. Planning for the run I had not envisioned such a beautiful sight. I had not recovered from the cold, and every now and then coughed, hoping that it would not be an issue during the run. The start was on time at 8.00 am, few thousand runners, common start for Full and Half Marthoners, it seemed almost every second runner was French. The first few miles were a gentle downslope, a run towards the International airport and then a swing towards the Atlas mountains, the initial jitters seemed to be gone and I settled into the run. I have to admit that I did'nt feel as strong in the first half , as I would have liked too, probably the effect of the cold, I was recovering from. The long sleeve Sport Hill top was perfect. I wore gloves, at least I had opted for the right gear. Getting through the half mark I knew that second half was going to be tough. The course is well planned, we ran through some very varied neighbourhoods. There was some feel of running in Africa, camels and a small patch were I got a feel of running in a desert. Crowd support was good, traffic crossings were very well manned by the local police. Water stations were well stocked. The last miles were hard, made only tough by a gentle incline towards finish, there was a gentle drizzle and a winds to tackle, I have to say I was glad to cross the finish line........ 3 down, ....4 more to go.

Recently planning for my Antarctica run I have been in touch with Richard Donovan, who is the Director of the Ice Marathon, Antarctica. He recently sent an email as shown below. He presently is trying an amazing feat of running 7 marathons in 7 continents in less then 6 days. His web site, link below, lists that he successfully ran the Antarctica Marathon today. I wish him all the luck, Lets hope he is able to complete this challenge.

" I may have only occasional access to email from tomorrow until February 6th. Hence, I will have little opportunity answer emails quickly. Many apologies in advance.
I will be travelling to Antarctica and from January 30th - February 4th I hope to run 7 marathons on 7 continents in 6 days. In other words, I'll be taking the long way home!
You should be able to follow the challenge at http://www.worldmarathonchallenge.com/. The website will be in operation over the weekend.
Best wishes,
Richard. "

Woke up a little late in the morning and after having a quick Morroccan breakfast in the morning headed straight to meet Peter at Riad Yasmine, right in the heart of Medina in Marrakech. This Riad (an traditional Moroccon home which is now a hotel, somewhat like a Bed and Breakfast concept) was very beautiful. We then started our journey through the very complicated alleys of Medina. Every few yards you come across Souks ( shops) were tradional Moroccon handicrafts which includes and amazing range from pottery work, leather product, tanneries are in abundance here, carpets etc. are sold. Prices are always quoted to be very high and then you have to haggle the prices. Part of the conversations with the shopkeepers are where we were from. The mention of America/ President Barack Obama invariably brought glitter to their eyes. The shopkeepers to push their prices would claim "this is a good price, a Democratic price". Learning with our experience last night we were very strict in not letting any one follow us pretending to help us. Palais Dar Si Said (Museum of Moroccan Arts) was our first stop .The palace is very opulent and beautiful with a lovely courtyard. The museum's displays are well laid out and include jewelery, costumes, ceramics, daggers and other artifacts. After a pasta lunch at Djemma el Fna, the large square, visited Ali ben Youssef Medersa and Mosque. The Medersa was built in the 16th century by the Saadians and could house up to 900 religious students. The architecture is beautifully preserved and you can explore the tiny rooms where the students used to live. The mosque is adjacent to the Medersa. Being non Muslims we could not get into the mosque. Soon there after returned to Medina to continue exploring the city. The spice shops are very well stocked, there were some spices which I could identify, bought some saffron to bring back home. Dinner was at Marrakeshi Resturant, a nice somewhat opulent place, of course the carb load continued, it was pasta again.

Came down with a cold soon after posting the last post, I had boasted how

good I felt, obviously that jinxed me. As expected it was tough week

to get through cold coupled with a hectic pace prior to leaving for Marrakech.

Plane ride from Chicago to Paris was easy, plane was half empty so I got good

sleep. The flight from Paris to Marrakech was aroumd 3.30 hrs, landing around 1.00pm. The most obvious first impression was the amount French influence here. Situated at the foot of the Atlas mountains, the imperial city of Marrakech is large, noisy, polluted and smelly. The Snow clad Atlas mountains is an amazing backdrop to the city. But Marrakech is also seems fascinating, full of history, and is the cultural center of Morocco. After checking in the hotel and a brief nap I headed to the Djemma el Fna which is really the heart of Marrakech. It is a large central square in the old city (Medina) and during the day it's a perfect place to grab a freshly-squeezed orange juice and a handful of dates. At the end of the afternoon the Djemma el Fna transforms into an entertainers paradise -- if you're in to snake charming, juggling, music and that sort of thing. Snack stalls are replaced with stalls offering more substantial fare and the square comes alive with entertainment that apparently hasn't changed much since medieval times. Video

Djemma el Fna is surrounded by cafe's overlooking the square so you can just relax and watch the world go by if you're tired of jostling the crowds below. I met up with Peter Sayer a runner from Atlanta who I had met initially in Rio De Janerio, where he ran his first marathon. We soon mingled with the crowd, we were asked for money we took photos of the performers and stopped to watch the entertainment. We walked through the alleys that lead into heart of Medina, and honestly speaking there were some scary moments when crowds of young and old would insist on helping us and demand money. The Medina is the old, walled part of town where life continues much as it has for hundreds of years. Mopeds battle for the right of way with donkeys in the narrow alleyways filled with shops selling steel, wool and live chickens. The main thoroughfares are crammed with shoppers, tourists and playing in small alleys. Once out of the old city, you feel quite safe, and nobody bothered , infact I walked back to my hotel. I was pleasantly surprised with amount of popularity of Indian Music and movie stars here.

Next week this time I will be close to running my 3rd attempt to another 26.2 mile journey on foot. How do I feel, well I have put in my effort completing the last long run today of around 10 miles. No training goes to plan, would have liked to a long run last weekend, but couldn't find time. 2 weeks back I had somehow managed to run a 20 miler on a treadmill. Won't recommend this to the sane, I had no choice, Green Bay is reeling with a Arctic Blast. The temperatures have been as low as -40 F. This year I got to be smarter, didn't try the heroics of last year training outdoors. I have to admit it is much more fun outdoors, but for now I have to accept whatever is an "easier" way to train. During the 20 mile run I watched 2 movies, and of course took some short breaks to refuel. I am feeling quite healthy and hopefully should have a good run. I leave on Wednesday for Paris and then onto Marrakesh. I will meet up with Peter Sayer, a runner from Atlanta who I got to know in Rio De Janerio when he ran his first marathon. On Friday I hoping to travel to Casablanca. Next day will be spent in Marrakesh, and also getting ready for the Marathon . Post Marathon, I am looking forward to a sumptuous Moroccan dinner celebration. I leave Morocco on Monday, 26th and return home on Tuesday after spending a night in Paris. Look out for the link to PHOTO STREAM , I will be uploading photos as I go along with this trip.