(I actually keep asking myself that question during every training run. Why am I doing this when I could be sleeping an extra hour or so?)
Growing up, I associated marathons only with traffic road blocks. I knew that on the day of the marathon, certain roads in Pune or Mumbai would be closed and we would have to take detours. Marathons also signified an event where all the top athletes came together and ran. In fact, I always thought that only athletes participated in marathons. It was only in 2004 when my sister Sharmila and her husband Chetan took part in the Mumbai marathon, I realized that even people like me can train for and run the marathon. Perhaps, even I could run one? But could I really? The longest I had run at a stretch till then was probably a mile! I have always been active, but by no stretch of the imagination could I call myself athletic! Also by then I was already immersed in a different kind of marathon, graduate school.
After completing graduate school, I moved to Boston in 2009 and just a few weeks after joining my new workplace, I actually witnessed the Boston Marathon and saw the elite runners zoom by. The crowd cheering on, the runners pushing through, seeing all the achievement and the atmosphere surrounding the event left a lasting impression on me and I just knew that I have to experience this at least once in my lifetime! But there was still one big impediment.....the actual training and running!
At around the same time I ran into a friend who had run Marine Corp Marathon the previous year and she told me about the training camps run by a charity organization called 'Asha for Education.' She had trained with the group in New York City and had really enjoyed training with them and running for the organization. I was intrigued and she encouraged me to attend an introductory session held by Asha MIT/Boston chapter and before I knew it, my goal of running a marathon had taken on a whole new meaning.
The cause for education is very near and dear to my heart. My parents instilled in me deep respect for education and also drilled into me the importance of a thorough education. I was fortunate and was always provided with opportunities, choices and resources. I owe a lot to my education. My education has shaped my identity and has opened up many avenues for me. It pains me to realize that something I took for granted while growing up (education), is just a dream for so many in India. Many children in India are still deprived of this basic human right of education. Poverty, unawareness and lack of affordable facilities factor into this.
'Asha' means 'hope'. Asha for Education is an organization that is dedicated to bring about hope through education with the belief that education is critical for bringing about socio-economic change. Asha for Education is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization where the volunteers work to find, develop and fund education projects in the hopes of empowering India's youth. In collaboration with an organization AID Boston (Association for India's Development), the Asha Boston/MIT chapter also runs a marathon training clinic (Team AIDAsha) each year wherein they train novice runners to complete a marathon and in the process raise money for education and sustainable development projects in India.
After hearing and reading about the amazing work this organization does in the field of education in India, I decided to take on the challenge of running a marathon and contribute in my own small way.
I have registered for the Marine Corp Marathon in Washington DC on October 31st. I would like to raise $100 for every mile that I run. So for the full marathon I will be raising at least $2620. I plan to do this with the support of friends, colleagues and well-wishers like you.
We began training for this in April and it has not been an easy ride. It is a journey of discovery for me.....discovering my own endurance level, discovering the power of motivation, and also discovering muscles I did not know existed! The grueling long weekend runs are hard and towards the end, I am more than ready to give up! But what keeps me motivated, is knowing that all this pain is going to be short-lived, but the joy and empowerment that basic education will bring about in the lives of so many children will be forever!
Please join me in this journey of mine and help me in my cause! Every dollar counts, so any amount that you can donate will be highly appreciated. You can donate here http://2010.teamaidasha.org/runner.aspx?num=201012
And if you cannot or don't want to donate, you can send me wishes! All the wishes will help me run that extra mile!
