From Zero to 200.......

I started training in April and started keeping a record of my mileage since last week of May. Yesterday I logged into Flotrack to log my long run last Saturday and when I saw the total miles I have run since the last week of May, I was in for a huge shock!

200 MILES! In 4 months I have run more than I must have run in my entire life before April 2010. Isn't that crazy!

My running log-May 22nd to August 21st

 Well, this graph tells me some things:

1. I need to be more consistent about my weekday runs.
2. I still have a long way to go and hopefully two months should be enough for that. 
3. If I can go from zero to 200 miles in less than five months, then I am sure that I can achieve anything I set my target on (I really need to set my target on learning how to swim......now that I have put the earlier statement out in the public, I will be more accountable to get over my fear of water.)

Also, for those who have donated and are wondering why the school bus counter has not moved from $226 mark, I am really sorry. The technical team still needs to work on sending notifications to runners when donations are received through google checkout (it should be up soon). But in the meantime, if you have donated, please drop me a line by email (anjali.mandlik@gmail.com) or in the comments section of this post and I will work on moving the bus counter and even advancing myself on the top banner. A big THANKS to all those who have donated to the cause!

17-miler under the belt!

The muscle soreness, ache and pain is still there. The pride and contentment on having finished a 17-mile run is still there. But do you know what else is still there? The fact that I have to do this all over again next Saturday and add two more miles. I wish I could just run two miles on Saturday and add the two up (17 and 2) and say that I ran 19 miles ;-)

The weather was beautiful that day and the route was scenic and inspiring for me. As I mentioned before, I was always in awe of people who ran along the Charles river. All I could think of at the start was that I just have to finish it.

Charles river basin loop. Pins indicate water stops.

I started out decently. After about 2 miles into the run, my breathing had stabilized and I had found my rhythm. Aided by a groovy, upbeat playlist, I felt really comfortable. At the first water stop, I ran into a lot of the other runners. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the weather and the run. Amol was going to man the next water stop and I was so happy when I saw him there. A few words of encouragement and smiles make such a huge difference to your morale. But after that water stop, I fell behind from the group and was running alone now. I could still see them way ahead of me till around mile 10. Then I lost sight of everyone, it was just me battling it out all alone. I knew there was a water stop at around mile 11, so was determined to get till there without stopping. I got a little confused near the Longfellow bridge and accidentally took that bridge. Halfway across the bridge, I remembered that we had to go till the Museum of Science bridge. So I turned back and was frustrated because of my mix-up. Ran back and got on the route again and by then I could see that my energy levels were really low. Made it to the water stop and had an energy GU gel. Felt good to talk to someone and then I set off again.

The running got really challenging after that. I was tired and alone :( I started taking walking breaks, but tried to keep them to only half a minute or so. I cursed at my pace, I cursed at my decision to run a marathon, I was so ready to give up! But after not completing my 16-miler two weeks ago, I was so determined to finish this one. The next manned water stop was only at mile 14 or 15 as there were a few water fountains before that. I yearned for a familiar face. Finally, when I spotted Abhishek and Priya on their bikes, I jumped with joy. Not only did they give me water and gatorade, they also gave me a lot of encouragement.

After that stop, all I could think of were the bridges I had to come across. I could see the BU bridge, and after that I knew there would be the Cambridge st bridge, the Western Ave bridge, the Harvard footbridge, the JFK bridge and then it was less than a mile to the finish. Those landmarks were what kept me going. I crossed each bridge off my list and when I crossed off the JFK bridge, I was ecstatic. But that feeling did not last long as I saw one of the runners, Aamer sitting on the sidewalk in the shade. He was having a hard time and had already thrown up a few times. I did not have a phone on me and so the only option was that I run fast till the finish and send someone to go and get him. That was a huge motivation for me...I knew that he needs to get water as soon as possible, so I did my best to reach the finish as fast as I could. When I finally saw the other runners all stretched out on the grass, I heaved a sigh of relief and we quickly sent two others to go and help Aamer. 

At the end, I just flopped down on the grass and could not believe that I had finished it. The happiness and contentment of that achievement was unmatched. Now I have started getting a taste of what the feeling will be when I cross the finish line at DC on Oct 31st.

A big thanks to all those friends who sent me some 'motivation' through gtalk. Thanks to Team AIDAsha for the constant cheering and encouragement!

Keep sending all those wishes, words of encouragement and motivation....they really make a difference and help me go that extra mile. And don't forget to help the cause. http://2010.teamaidasha.org/runner.aspx?num=201012

Charles river basin loop conquered!

If you are visiting my blog for the first time, WELCOME! Please do read the old posts or the tabs that you can find on top. It basically explains why, how, when and what I am training for!

You know how you get nervous before an exam? I was feeling the same exact nervousness before today's long run. I had butterflies in my tummy. Amol could notice the anxiety on my face. I have no clue why I felt that way. But after the last two long run debacles, I just knew that completing this run was going to be a big challenge for me.

But.......I did it. 17 freaking miles! I ran the entire Charles river basin loop. It was actually 17.5 miles because of a detour we took. Don't ask me the time it took me.....all I can say that it is something I am not proud of :(. But today's goal was finishing it and keeping walking to a minimum. And, I did that!

Today I became one of the Boston runners who run on the Charles river basin. I would always marvel at these runners and wonder if I would ever run there. Since the training began, we have done a good number of runs around the river, but today was the first time we did the whole loop.

More to come when I recover and can think straight again!

After the run, at Soldiers Field Road!