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!

Enough of this negativity!

Did a 3.5 mile run today morning. It was eh...just eh! The some days are good, some days bad is turning into most days are bad :(

There is just so much negativity right now with my running. Mostly it is just me and sometimes when it is not me, there are external forces like no water support or horrible awful cramps.

There is just so much going on right now. The training, lab work (yay....finally I have data), getting some paperwork sorted out (this is the worst), trying to start fund raising (I need a kick to get started now) trying to regularly update this blog and getting ready for our small 4 day vacation to Seattle.

I promise I will have a happy run soon and you will not have to hear any of the negativity :(

Till then go and check out my friend's blog. She is the one who keeps pushing me and does not let me give up!

Blame it on the water support!

Amol was supposed to provide water support during my long run yesterday. The plan was 16 miles and I ran just 7.5 miles. All because of poor....wait make that NO WATER SUPPORT!

Down

The weekly runs were not bad this week. I did a 4-mile run on Tuesday, hill repeats on Wednesday and a 4-mile run yesterday. But....
I did not enjoy any of the runs. The one on Tuesday was brutal, I ran in the evening as I could not get my lazy bum out of bed Tuesday morning. I hated every minute of my run. Just wanted it to be over and as soon as I hit 3.99 miles, I stopped. The run on Thursday morning was no better. Although it was a lovely morning to run, I was literally pushing myself to finish the 4 miles. The only slightly enjoyable run was the hill repeat on Wednesday and the only reason for that was, Amol had accompanied me with the camera to take pics of me running.
There are still more than two months for the marathon. It is really important that I enjoy my runs to keep going. All I can think of these days is what I could have done with my summer evenings and weekends if I had not been training. I really hope I can get my running mojo back soon!

Mi familia

I am making everyone in my family work for my marathon and fund-raising.

My sisters (Shilpa and Sharmila) are like my PR people. They are going to help in publicizing my blog and my fund-raising page.

The credits for the cartoon of me running go to Chetan, Sharmila's husband. He is such an awesome cartoonist and artist.

Viraj, Shilpa's husband used Chetan's cartoon and made the banner for my blog. Doesn't it look good?

I thought my parents would dissuade me from training and running a marathon. But I was so mistaken. My mom regularly asks me about my training and keeps encouraging me.

Last but not the least...Amol who has to do water support for the whole group and hear me crib, complain and whine like a baby. He also has to take on a lot of the house work as I am almost immobile after the long run. Also, I get the bragging rights once I am done with the marathon, so putting up with that torture is going to be a big task anyways.

How awesome is my family! Thanks everyone!

Not yet reached the 15-mile mark :(

I was so pscyhed up about the 16 miler on Saturday. My weekday runs had been good, the weather was perfect for running, I was going to cross the 15 mile mark......everything was positive in the morning.

But I failed.....I just ran 10 miles. I had to stop after 10 miles. Amol was providing water support, so I was lucky to get a ride back home immediately.

I felt so bad for not being able to finish it. Saturday was ruined because of the run. All I did was sat on the couch at home and sobbed about it. It made me realize how emotionally vested I am in this marathon training and the fund-raising. It is so much more than just running a marathon for me now. It is a test of not only my physical endurance, but also my mental endurance. 

This coming Saturday was supposed to be a cut-back week for everyone. Since my 10 miles last Saturday will be counted as a cut-back week now, I will have to do 16 miles all alone. Amol has said he will bike alongside and provide personal water support for me. :)