A Seven Continent Journey

Ran the last long run today, prior to 10/10/10 ,the Chicago Marathon. Training for this one is not to my satisfaction, however, I think I have a chance of beating my personal best time of 4:29 hrs when I ran the Paris Marathon in 2008. Gosh it's been a long way since then. This summer was odd with all kind of issues. However life goes on somehow. I have been able to put in 3 twenty-milers, but have lacked in doing speed work and long tempo runs. I have to admit though that I felt good today and ran close to nine miles at a pace of 8.37 minutes per mile. However the real test is next weekend. It's going to be tough. I'll take anything, provided it is my best time yet. Will be leaving for Chicago on Friday. Saturday evening will host a pasta dinner for a small group of friends who are running the Chicago Marathon. It should be fun, I am looking forward to this week.

Less then 12 weeks remain for the Chicago Marathon. The reality of training has gradually set in. With 3 long runs completed including the last one yesterday of 14 miles I have gained some confidence but there is still a long way ahead. The arduous part of Marathon training is getting to the start line, the last 26.2 miles go by quick. At times it is hard to get out of bed very early on the weekend's when the rest of the world, the sensible ones, are enjoying their morning siesta's. Maybe I don't deserve that morning luxury, although not to be carried away by this self pity mode I have rarely regretted my morning runs. The first few miles are always a challenge after that its just fun provided the weather and my wife approves . The self imposed rule at home is to be back from the run before my wife gets up, she gets her morning tea in bed and life then resumes a more normal routine. I have been able to keep up an average running schedule of around 25 miles/week. Cross training is some exercises routines from P90X. In-spite of my initial plan of doing some spinning routines have not been able to get to the gym. The good news is I remain motivated although with a rather ambitious agenda hoping to get to finish line in a sub 4 hr.time. I will keep you posted with my training. Adios Amigos ...

Last week I lost the most avid follower of this blog. Professor V.M. Ganga Nair, 80, Green Bay, a world-renowned expert on forest preservation and professor at UW-Green Bay for over 40 years, died unexpectedly on March 10, 2010. "Ganga", as he was affectionately called left a lasting impression on any one he met. His infectious smile will stick in my mind for ever. My office desk is full of cards he had sent while he was on his travels around the world. He was source of inspiration, always encouraging me to keep up with my running and other goals. He will be greatly missed.

Running barefoot, maybe, is the way to go. In the December issue of a Journal put out by the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation researchers concluded that running shoes exert more stress on the knees, hip, and ankle than running barefoot or walking in high heels. According to the lead author, Dr. Irene Davis," we want to run barefoot, and when we put on shoes, we're trying to be taking away the function of the foot". It is known that human foot has a relatively little padding on the heel, therefore, is treads more lightly, landing on the outer part of the midfoot and then rolling inwards. It has been thought that all the cushioning provided by the lead running shoe brands encourage us to heel to toe strike that could lead to a lot of injuries.

Running barefoot debate has been going on for a while, although recently it seems is taken off in discussions on running following the publication of Christopher McDougal's book, "Born to Run". This took follows the Mexico's Tarahumara Indians, who currently run Ultra marathons, wearing thin rubber sandals or no-shoes at all. Your are bound to be inspired and by this work. Besides being a page turner, I was almost as enthralled as reading" Into Thin Air". The book explores the thesis that that humans were born to run. Mr. McDougal , tries to answer why our Ancestors were stronger and plays with a more provocative question whether modern running shoes increase the odds of injury. He has also tried to downplay the misconception in noncompetitive running of "no pain, no gain, " in fact, if done right according to Mr. McDougall, running can be as enjoyable as any other thing you would like to do regularly.

Personally I have not tried running barefoot, it may not be a smart idea in Green Bay, particularly in this season. For the more adventurous there is Vibram 5 fingers, thin rubber foot gloves that protect as you run in. According to runners who use them the stride changes naturally. It is much lighter on the heel , shorter stride probably leads to a dramatic change in posture. There is apparently less knee stiffness and back pain.

The temperature in Green Bay, still in the 30s, however, I can sense Spring is in the air. It is getting milder for this town's standards. Today morning I spotted a number runners going for their morning jogs. It's also the time of the year when resolutions are made. I have to admit I have not been able to run as much as I would like to partly due to a busy work schedule. I am training to do the Green Bay Cellcom Half Marathon in April. My hope is to complete the run in around 1 hour and 45 minutes. This for now seems like a tall order, but if I am able to achieve this, then would surely put me in a strong position to prepare for a Fall Marathon. It was a dilemma where to run. I finally decided to run the Chicago Marathon. The other options were Milwaukee Marathon, which apparently is a fast course to run on. However it lacks the charm of Chicago, but most importantly, the crowd support. I also considered running in Berlin, but could not fit in in my schedule. I am working that particular weekend. Not to mention Chicago is a much cheaper prospect. I am hoping to run at least 3 times a week and time permitting do cross training at least twice a week. The cross training will involve spinning routines. This year, the hope is to complete some fast runs. I will plan to do the Antarctica Marathon in December only if I am able to finish a sub-four hour Marathon.