A Seven Continent Journey

Finally I get back into the mode of blogging. It is fascinating to watch how life rolls by days into weeks in to months. Perhaps that is what happened here. The good news is I am back at it again and hopefully will keep up this time.
Beginning of this year brought in new aspirations and goals. Of all the changes in my life over the years fortunately my running routine has remained consistent. This year is no different. I'm presently training for Cellcom Marathon in Green Bay. The run is on 15 May, the day when I turn 47. I am hoping to achieve a personal best, hopefully running a sub-4 hour Marathon. Some of you are linked to my Face Book account. I hope you don't find it too annoying when I download the Nike Plus workouts. Over the last few weeks I been able to gradually get up to my maintenance 25-30 miles per week routine. The challenge now is to keep up for this for the next coming months. It is ardous to run in Green Bay during the winter months however I have been able to keep up with out door running at least for my long runs. I am looking forward to last week in March, to be a participatant in a run organized in Nehru Park, New Delhi, India. This is an ultra-marathon 50 K. run, I will be running only half the distance. It would be nice to meet runners in New Delhi, who I have got to know over time given our common interest. Recreational running is still in infancy stage in India, however I have been impressed how many events are being organized now compared to the previous years. In June, I'm hoping to participate in the 10K Bellin Run in Green Bay. This is one of the largest runs of its kind in US, sponsored by my employer Bellin Health. My goal is to finish in the top 10-15% of all runners. Last year this run drew more than 15,000 runners. The fall run would be again Chicago Marathon, my third run through the magnificent Second city. Hopefully I will continue to improve on my time. Registration should close soon, so if you're interested signup soon. And lastly if everything goes to plan I will attempt to run Ice Marathon, in Antarctica this year. Run is being held in late November. This would my 6th continent to cover. Due to the limited available spots for this race, I will be making my mind soon whether my craziness is taking me to the Forbidden Continent.

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.

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.

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