tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47345917336000767282024-03-13T13:22:26.814-07:00Confessions of a new Runaholic!An attempt to chronicle my experiences as a couch potato turned newbie runner/wannabe marathoner.Bharath Prabhakaranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08944238649789860219noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734591733600076728.post-69772503498351233332010-06-10T22:37:00.001-07:002010-06-11T07:02:48.314-07:00Surf's Up!!I guess it's taken me 4 months to let the experience sink in before I blog about my last marathon! Or maybe I've been sitting on my hands for so long, they're too numb to type :-) I know what it is - I needed my blogging mojo back and it took a kind comment from a Team Asha 2010 runner (who found my first race report inspiring!) to get the juices flowing again...<br /><br />Anyways, here's a brief chronicle of my experience at the Surf City Marathon on Feb 7, 2010 in beautiful Huntington Beach, CA.<br /><br />Given that it was only an hour away, many of us flew in on Saturday morning. Of course it was a veritable party on the plane (what with 30+ Asha runners) on it. It's amazing we didn't get kicked off the plane :-)<br /><br />Anyway, we arrived in Orange County and headed straight to the hotel. Our excellent travel co-ord Sahana had continued her awesome work even during the off-season and made superb arrangements (hotel, shuttle etc.). We took the shuttle to the expo (after a quick bite to eat) and picked up our bib, T-Shirt and spent some time strolling around. The weather had been cloudy and it started to pour when we were at the expo (and the tents started leaking water). We were hoping it did not continue - else, I would be running yet another marathon in the rain (quickly cementing my reputation as the Michael Schumacher of marathon running (obscure Formula 1 reference :-)). We waited till the downpour stopped and took the shuttle back to the hotel. After a little bit of rest, we gathered for the carbo load dinner (in the hotel). Coach Raman gave us some excellent pre-pace tips and we headed up for an early night. Since my roommate Satish could not make it due to illness, I had the room all to myself (and of course my pal Mr.Philips (the TV :-))).<br /><br />Woke up after a nice peaceful night and got dressed (bib, chip etc. had been ready since the previous night - signs of all the coaching from the Asha coaches over the years). Looked outside to see it was sunny and pretty warm too - great start to the day! Had a quick bite to eat and then headed downstairs to take the shuttle to the start.<br /><br />Of course, it was too good to last :-) Barely had the smile set in (owing to the great weather) when the shuttle was delayed by 30 minutes. We eventually (after much stressing out) reached the start about 15 minutes before the full marathon start! (the folks running the half were pretty relaxed as their start was later). Tried to get a porta potty stop in but ran out of time. Got to the start and was ready to go!<br /><br />The good thing with Spring marathons is that I have no time goals (ergo, no pressure). I had decided to keep a good pace in the beginning and see where I ended up. The gun went off, and there we went! The course was pretty scenic with some great ocean views. I was keeping a consistent 8:50 - 9 min pace and was chugging along pretty merrily. At around Mile 6-7 a blur whizzed past and I realized it was Coach Raman - he was going great guns!<br /><br />Reached the halfway point in around 1:57 and was debating what I should do for the 2nd half. Got to mile 14 and saw a guy hunched over on the side. Stopped to ask him if he was feeling ok and needed medical assistance. He replied that he was from Wisconsin and was running his first marathon and had gone out too fast (1:54 for the 1st half!). He was out of gas and wanted to quit. I talked him into trying to shuffle along. So we started doing the Surf City shuffle (at 11-12 mins a mile). A stop for some electrolytes, Gu, and other replenishment seemed to rejuvenate him and we kept going along. I kept talking to him and egging him along as we passed miles 18,20, and finally 24. By now, it was getting pretty hot and the sun was beating down.We passed mile 24 and he said he would walk the rest of the way and asked me to go along. I offered to stick around but he said he would be fine.<br /><br />So, I took off at mile 24 or so. After a little bit, I passed Coach Raman who was walking. I stopped to ask him if he was ok and he said he had tweaked his knee and was playing it safe. I also passed Mona going in the other direction (it was an out and back section of the course) - she looked ok but had slowed down (a bad stomach as I found out later). Passed miles 25 and saw that if I put in a good last mile, I could still break 10 mins/mile for the race (hey - need to adjust goals right?!). So, picked up the pace and crossed the finish line in 4:21!<br /><br />Picked up my medal (shaped like a mini-surfboard - NICE) and waited at the finish to ensure my new buddy Stevo finished! Was really glad to see him walk across the line about 20 minutes or so later. Had also seen Coach Raman finish in the meanwhile and that was a relief. Went to pick up the post-race goodies and then waited for the rest to show up.<br /><br />Got the gang together (well most of it) - several half marathoners had set PRs - awesome work folks! Went to wait for the shuttle back to the hotel. There was quite a crowd and it was a while before we got a bus ride back.<br /><br />On arriving at the hotel, took a quick shower and immediately headed out to a restaurant for a quick lunch. Then rushed back to take the shuttle back to the airport as we had an early evening flight back.<br /><br />All in all, it was a great experience. This race was probably the most fulfilling race I have run - helping another runner finish (especially his first) was extremely gratifying and I was even more thrilled that when I set my PR.<br /><br />And to top it off, I was now 2/3rds of the way to the California Dreaming Medal and Jacket (run and finish SF, Long Beach, Surf City). Saw Coach Raman pick it up his and I must say, it looked pretty spiffy! Definitely a good race with a nice pretty course, great weather (thankfully), and a good cheerful crowd (lots of surfer dudes and dudettes too!).<br /><br />As they say in LA - 'Dude - Surf's Up!!!'Bharath Prabhakaranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08944238649789860219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734591733600076728.post-67090135056290302122009-10-30T00:48:00.000-07:002009-10-30T01:00:24.769-07:00Twin Cities Marathon - an odyssey!<span style="font-weight: bold;">Prologue</span><br /><br />Training done as best I could<br />Eagerly awaiting race day<br />Tapered loaded up with food<br />Trying to keep the flab at bay J<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Friday – Oct 2nd, 2009</span><br /><br />Come Oct 2nd, time to leave<br />Goodbyes to the family<br />Rushed to airport after appointment<br />Long security line – now, really!<br /><br />Discovered flight delay, sigh of relief<br />Ran into some familiar faces<br />Warmed up for what lay ahead<br />TSA agents putting us through our paces!<br /><br />Reached the food court, got a table<br />Hours to kill – sipping gatorade<br />Bad weather in Minneapolis<br />Hope it won’t rain on our parade!!<br /><br />Uneventful flight, four hours late<br />Would we be in time for dinner?<br />No food for us Economy class peons<br />But first class – now there you’re a winner!<br /><br />Rounded up the crowd, Patel shots<br />Time to get on the local train<br />Several stops later, time to get off<br />Trying to stay out of the rain!<br /><br />Skyway to hotel, elevator up,<br />Thanks Sahana – really nice digs<br />Settled into suite, quick change<br />Down to get some dinner quick!<br /><br />Burger and Fries, Lemonade<br />Nice conversation, long day<br />Good nights exchanged, head up<br />Exhausted, time to hit the hay<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Saturday – Oct 3rd, 2009</span><br /><br />Group breakfast starting early<br />Need 2 hours – says Coach Raman!<br />Cooked to order, lavish spread<br />And here we thought we’d be eating Ramen!!<br /><br />Shuttle arrives on the dot<br />We get in and we’re on our way<br />Get to the expo, disembark<br />We’ve got 2 hours for work and play!<br /><br />Pick up bib and chip quickly<br />Walk around the different stores<br />Lots of overpriced stuff on sale<br />Don’t really need anything more!<br /><br />Done with the expo, back to base<br />Major debate on where to lunch<br />Some folks want Thai, others Indian<br />Oh my – what a rowdy bunch!<br /><br />Join the group wanting Indian<br />Get there – now it’s the North/South debate<br />No greasy spicy food says one<br />So Dosas it is – two to a plate J<br /><br />Post-lunch plans – nothing much<br />Why not a movie and rest our feet<br />Discussion on choices now ensues<br />As we walk to the theater down the street<br /><br />$5 for a movie – holy cow<br />Boy is Cali expensive<br />Inglourious Basterds is the choice<br />Hope the gals don’t find it offensive!<br /><br />2.5 hours of fun and mayhem<br />Enjoyed a satisfying flick<br />Oops we need to get to the carbo-load dinner<br />Let’s hightail it –come on quick!<br /><br />Run/Walk back to the hotel<br />The folks there are ready to begin<br />Coaches Tony and Raman giving out tips<br />And then we all start digging in!<br /><br />The banter and chatting comes to an end<br />The crowd disperses for an early night<br />Each and every mind wondering<br />What’s going to happen come daylight!<br /><br />Back to room, bib on shirt<br />Chip on shoe, get everything done<br />Time to hit the sack early<br />And wake up for the all-important run!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sunday – Oct 4th, 2009</span><br /><br />8 am start – great idea<br />Extra couple of hours of zzzs<br />Hotel close to start – awesome choice<br />Three cheers for Sahana if you please!<br /><br />Get out of bed, ready real quick<br />Down in the lobby at 7 o’clock<br />The entire group is ready to go<br />And we walk briskly the couple of blocks<br /><br />Temps in the 40s, light wind<br />Good conditions, should be fun<br />Humidity at 85% though<br />Hydrate hydrate – we tell everyone!<br /><br />Get in the port-a-potty line<br />Long line and not time enough<br />10 minutes to go – no luck<br />Rush to find 3:50 pacer – yikes it’s tough!<br /><br />Line up near the 4:30 group<br />Speeches, anthem, there’s the gun<br />Crowd sets off, trampling feet<br />Right – now let’s go out and have some fun!<br /><br />People start out like they’re shot from cannons<br />Lots of happy faces and smiles!<br />Words from the coaches echo in my ears<br />Start slow, remember, it’s 26.2 miles!<br /><br />Weave around traffic, 8:50 pace<br />Keep that for miles one through four<br />Running through streets, lots of crowd<br />And thankfully, no downpour!<br /><br />Reach the lakes, still keeping pace<br />Body warmed up, feet going well<br />Build up a nice rhythm through mile 10<br />You’re almost there the crowd does yell!<br /><br />No, I’m not I think to myself<br />Only 16 more miles to go<br />They’re just showing trying to show support<br />And mean well – I know, I know!<br /><br />Mile 13 surpassed, Halfway there!<br />The clock shows 1 hr and 54<br />Lots of beauty on the course<br />Makes me want to go for more<br /><br />Mile 16 goes by, pounding on<br />Oops what’s that twinge I feel<br />Right hamstring or God forbid<br />The ITB that can make one kneel!<br /><br />Strong pain signals sent<br />And received by the brain loud and clear<br />You need to back off the pace<br />And By the Way, no PR my dear J<br /><br />A little dismayed, no PR<br />But it seems like an easy choice<br />Keep pushing and pull up lame<br />Or finish – says the little voice!<br /><br />Decision made, I soldier on<br />Miles going by, Gu being taken<br />The lakes, rivers, all the beauty<br />The crowd, but it feels so God forsaken!<br /><br />Mile 20 goes by, and I suddenly wake up<br />Hey what’s with all this despair<br />Focus on the goal, remember the cause<br />You’re well trained and it will get you there!<br /><br />Chocolate Gu with caffeine<br />Just the right adrenaline shot<br />Pace is slow but the spirit is strong<br />A Team Asha member quit – most certainly NOT!!!<br /><br />Miles 23,24 go by in a blur<br />Running through the tree-lined street<br />Hey – they said this course was flat<br />What’s with all the hill repeats J<br /><br />Mile 25 passed, 1.2 to go<br />Can hear the crowd roar, thank you all<br />Keep hydrating I tell myself<br />I seem to have crashed through most of the wall!<br /><br />Cross mile 26, 0.2 left<br />Time for an all-out burst<br />Pick up the pace as much as I can<br />Thanks to tracks – they really aren’t the worst J<br /><br />Cross the finish line, head held high<br />Hands in the air, smile on face<br />Another thing drilled into us by the coaches<br />Finish strong and smiling at the end of the race.<br /><br />4:05 says the clock,<br />Not too bad, only 8 mins off<br />Given that 10 miles were on one leg<br />I can’t thank my stars enough!<br /><br />Get medal and refreshments<br />Wander around looking for the Asha tent<br />Kind of hard to find and it’s getting cold<br />Windy to boot – and I’m a little spent.<br /><br />Find the Asha folks, grab some goodies<br />Samosas, Pakoras, and assorted treats<br />Thanks Asha Minneapolis folks<br />Much appreciated – to celebrate our feat<br /><br />Wait for others to come in<br />All Team Asha runners do us proud!<br />Strong finishes, smiling faces<br />Make us stand out in the crowd!<br /><br />Bus back to hotel, walk back up<br />Shower, rest, then meet in the bar<br />Drinks are consumed, stories shared<br />Boy so many of us have come so far.<br /><br />Evening celebration, Indian food<br />Awesome spread, lots to eat<br />More stories of valor and courage,<br />First-timers especially, what a tremendous feat!<br /><br />Head back to base, time to rest<br />Early morning flight to catch<br />Tired, Aching, but elated<br />A sensation that cannot be matched!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Monday – Oct 6th, 2009</span><br /><br />Flight back home, smooth enough<br />Just real early in the day<br />Land in San Jose, say goodbye<br />Team Asha has triumphed come what may<br /><br />Upon further reflection and introspection<br />As we drive home sitting in the car<br />For an out-of-shaper who started from 0<br />6 marathons done – how did I get so far?<br /><br />For this, I owe a debt of gratitude<br />To my extended family<br />Coaches, Co-ords and volunteers<br />Team Asha helps each of us create our own history!Bharath Prabhakaranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08944238649789860219noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734591733600076728.post-54387111919304143382009-03-15T21:27:00.000-07:002009-03-15T22:02:16.303-07:00Napa marathon Expo and other fun stuff!Well, the big day was almost here. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Satish</span>, Mona, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Senthil</span>, and myself (henceforth referred to as the 'Gang') had planned to leave around 12:30 p.m. so we could get to the expo by 2 p.m. in order to score the really nice duffel bags (which usually ran out and would cause one to settle for the backpack - <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">blech</span>...). <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Senthil</span> drove over to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Satish's</span> place and they then swung by to pick me up. We then drove over to Mona's place and after a brief intro to Mona's husband, kids, and dog, we set out on the drive to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Napa</span>. I had printed out clear directions and maps but <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Satish</span> decided to pull out the secret weapon - '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Chechi</span>'!! (means elder sister in Malayalam) - his trusted <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Crackberry</span> :-) (so named because of the woman's voice which announces the GPS directions!!).<br /><br />The weather was nice and we were fervently wishing for similar weather the next morning for the race (though the forecast called for showers pretty much throughout the day Sunday).<br /><br />After an uneventful trip with minimal traffic, we arrive at the Marriott in downtown <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Napa</span> where the Expo was being held. We parked the car and headed into the hotel. We then walked to the ballroom and headed over to the bib pick-up area. The area was kind of a mess even though they had clear signs listing the starting letter of your last name (A-F, G-L etc.). The problem was that there wasn't enough space for multiple lines and people got in the back assuming there was only one line. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Anyhoo</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Satish</span> and I stood in the M-R line and of course, that turned out to be the longest line (I guess lots of last names in that range!) After picking up our bibs (with attached D-tag), we walked over to get the T-Shirt (light blue and pretty nice) and most importantly, the duffel bag. We then walked around the expo and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Satish</span> suggested I pick up a rain poncho (which I duly did). Mona (who had wanted to stop by the Outlet Mall but had been overruled!) saw her chance to do some shopping and was browsing the skirts on display (and eventually ended up buying one). After a quick walk around the various stalls (not a huge expo by any means), we decided to head out and get some coffee.<br /><br />It was only just past 3 p.m. and we still had the whole evening ahead. After debating on what to do next, we decided to go catch a movie (and stay off our feet). After consulting <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Chechi</span>, we decided to go to a movie theater in downtown <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Napa</span>. We arrived there and after looking at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">showtimes</span> decided to watch 'Milk' (that won Sean Penn a best actor Oscar!). Left to herself, Mona would probably have watched 'He's Just Not That into You', but luckily, we outnumbered her 3 to 1 :-)<br /><br />Since we had a little while before the show started, we headed out to find a coffee place. After walking a couple of blocks, Mona sighted a Cupcake place - <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">woohoo</span> - guilt-free <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">carbo</span> loading glee ensued! We then picked up coffee next door and decided to eat and drink by the river.<br /><br />Sufficiently recharged, we headed back to the theater where we picked up a large tub of popcorn (more guilt-free snacking!) and settled down to watch the movie. It was decent though more of a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">docu</span>-drama chronicling the life and times of Harvey Milk (though Sean Penn did give a bravura performance). We then walked around looking for a place to eat. We saw a couple of Italian places but they were packed with 'pasta-loading' runners. After some walking and driving around, we finally settled on a Chinese restaurant (hey - rice contains <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Carbs</span> too :-)). After some <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">springrolls</span> and fried rice, we headed back to the motel. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">Satish</span> and I were <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">roomies</span> - we both pinned the bibs on our race shirts and attached the D-tag to the shoes. After watching Bill <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">Maher</span> for some time (quite hilarious), I called it a night after setting the alarm for 3:45 am (to get ready and get to the finish line/school before 5 am for the shuttles to the start in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">Calistoga</span>).Bharath Prabhakaranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08944238649789860219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734591733600076728.post-69104929552991560852009-02-27T22:10:00.001-08:002009-02-27T22:19:04.847-08:00Napa + Taper = Naper?!After the Kaiser half, discovered that somehow I had strained my right calf. So, took a few days off with the good <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">ol</span>' RICE therapy and decided to test it out on the following Saturday. We met at Los <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Gatos</span> and did an 18 miler without too much trouble (at 10 min pace). There - the last long run out of the way.<br /><br />The following 2 weeks had rain playing havoc with our running plans (though God knows we do need the rain in the Bay Area to alleviate the drought like conditions). Had to make do with a 9 mile run on the treadmill (instead of 13) - running on treadmill is really boring after running outside!<br /><br />Followed that up with a 6x800 track session in pouring rain (at 3:40-3:45 per 800); wanted to do the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Yasso</span> (10x800 with jog) but again rain had the last laugh. Coach <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Raman</span> proposed an interesting workout for the 6 miler on Feb 21 - 1 mile at 8:55 pace, 1 mile at 8:45, 1 mile at 8:35, 1 mile of sprints (run at 5K pace for 1 min <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">folllowed</span> by 1 min jog) followed by a 1 mile cool down.<br />Something about engaging the fast twitch fibers!!<br /><br />Had a track session on Tuesday (4x400 at goal pace - 2:10 per 400) and a short easy run on Friday.<br /><br />Plan to head out to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Napa</span> with the gang - <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Satish</span>, Mona, and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Senthil</span> on Saturday afternoon to get to the expo/bib pick up. The weather forecast calls for rain on Sunday; I guess the rain has decided to follow me since Portland. Well, I hope that at least we don't have the hail and 40 mile headwinds that they had in 2001!<br /><br />No major time goals as such; a new PR would be nice but it really depends on the weather. Supposed to be a fairly easy course - let's see what Sunday brings!Bharath Prabhakaranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08944238649789860219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734591733600076728.post-76639723188654420302009-02-21T09:59:00.000-08:002009-09-07T12:29:59.926-07:00Kaiser Half Marathon - Feb 1, 2009I had fond memories of the Kaiser half. This was the race where I broke the 2 hour barrier in 2008 and had decided to use it as a checkpoint/pace run with a month to go for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Napa</span>. I was also experimenting with a different taper strategy this time. I had run a 24 miler on Jan 24<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">th</span> (5 weeks to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Napa</span>), and would do 13.1 at Kaiser on Feb 1. This would be followed by a 18 miler on Feb 7<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">th</span> and then 13 and 6.<br /><br />I had decided not to run Kaiser too hard (i.e. go for a PR) but instead run a consistent pace at marathon goal pace. Ram from the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Rancho</span> Rockers was also running this race (after his on-off hibernation in the winter). So, the three of us (Ram, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Shyamala</span> his wife, and me) left around 6 am to get to the start.<br /><br />After a fairly uneventful ride up, we arrived at Great Highway (having decided to park near the finish line). We took the shuttle bus to the start and arrived around 7:15 or so (start was at 8 am). Ran into some other <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Asha</span> runners there including Coach Tony who gave us a quick pep talk. It was pretty chilly and I had decided to keep 2 layers on and also thankfully had my gloves. We did a short warm up run and some quick stretching. Then we moved towards the start and I lined up between the 8 min/mile and 9 min/mile groups. After the national anthem, the gun sounded and we were off.<br /><br />This was my first race with the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Garmin</span> 305 and I had set it on auto-lap every 1 mile (and also to show current, last lap, and average lap pace). I tried my best to rein in the adrenaline and kept to a 8:30 pace the first few miles. It took a while to get warmed up so I made sure I did not run too fast. After a few miles, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Rajeev</span> and Raj passed me and were looking strong (and turns out had really good runs). We went around the Golden Gate park and looped back to the start. Legs felt <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">ok</span> but a little tired.<br /><br />We crossed the start area again around mile 6 or so and then ran towards the Great highway (which we reached around mile 7/8). I was still keeping an 8:35<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">ish</span> pace overall. We reached the Great Highway and I remembered last year's race where the rain and wind played havoc. Thankfully, this year had sunny skies and it was warming up nicely. I was making sure I took electrolytes at most water stops but I could feel myself starting to tire a bit. The 24 miler the previous weekend (Jan 24) had taken a toll, and I decided to pull back to around a 8:40-8:45 pace.<br /><br />Reached the turnaround point on the Great Highway and headed back - 3 miles or so to go. The one thing I had noticed <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">consistently</span> was that the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Garmin</span> was off by around 0.1-0.2 miles by now (10.2 instead of 10 at the 10 mile marker). I kept plugging along, passing some people, and being passed by others :-) Finally passed mile 12 and tried to pick up the pace a bit. I was still averaging around 8:38 or so per mile.<br /><br />We turned onto Fulton and up the small hill and finally within sight of the finish. Picked up the pace to around 7:30 and went past the finish line in 1:53:02 (PR was 1:51:30). The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Garmin</span> showed 13.32 miles! (off by 0.22 miles!). Turns out that several other people observed the same thing. So, this was either a mass co-ordinated <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Garmin</span> malfunction, or the race organizers messing up!<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Anyhoo</span>, kept walking to the food area and picked up some Cliff Bars and water. Met up with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Rajeev</span>, Raj and others and chatted for a bit. Waited for Ram to finish and he did so in a new personal best! Picked up our sweat bags and walked back towards the parking area where <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Shyamala</span> was <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">waitng</span> patiently - many thanks to her!<br /><br />All in all, a good race and met my goal of treating this as a fast long run. The T-shirt this year was black (better than last year), but I guess the medal fell victim to the recession (no medal this year!).Bharath Prabhakaranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08944238649789860219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734591733600076728.post-57759122887690977542009-02-21T09:36:00.000-08:002009-09-07T12:30:13.487-07:00Que Sera Sera (AKA the CIM relay)Having skipped the CIM relay in 2007 due to the birth of our son (now that would have been quite a scene - me running CIM when my wife went into labor; would have led to my permanent banishment to the garage :-)), I thought I would run it this year. Adding to the motivation was my dad and brother visiting us during that time. Since my dad had never seen me run a race before, I thought it would be good idea. So, I decided to team up with Navneet and run the relay as a 2 person race (half-marathon each).<br /><br />We left for Sacramento on Saturday morning with Vikranth and Ram (who had kindly offered us a ride). It was a fun trip though Ram was feeling a little under the weather (no doubt due to a Friday night party and subsequent lack of sleep). We reached the expo, picked up our stuff, and were then met there by my brother (who had arrived earlier to visit some of his wife's relatives). My dad and I went along with my brother having made plans to meet the others for dinner that night. Only Ram and Vikranth showed up and my dad and I had dinner with them at an Indian restaurant. I then chatted with Navneet and made plans to pass the chip on to him through Ram (since Navneet was running the first 2 legs and I would run the last 2).<br /><br />The next morning dawned bright and clear - little did I know what was in store :-) We had arranged to have my brother pick us up at 7 am and drive us to the halfway exchange point. As we got closer, we discovered that they had shut down all of the streets leading to the exchange point. As we drove around in circles (aided by a dysfunctional GPS system that kept telling us to take the same route back again and again), my blood pressure started to rise significantly. Some frantic phone conversations ensued with Kanaka (Navneet's wife), and she mentioned he was getting closer to the exchange point.<br /><br />After driving around and taking the freeway and getting off a couple of exits later, I decided enough was enough. Navneet had already reached the halfway point. I got off and told my dad and brother to wait at the finish. I asked around and discovered (much to my chagrin) that I was at the 18 mile marker!!! So, I decided to start running against the flow of runner traffic back to the 13 mile marker. Of course, this meant that I undertook some good natured ribbing from the other runners - 'Dude, you're going the wrong way!!', and 'Hey Man - lost your bearings' etc. etc.<br />I had my cell phone with me and was in constant conversation with Navneet. Finally managed to meet and get a hold of the timing chip. Stopped for a second to put it on - by now, we had lost over 40 minutes and I was pretty steamed. Navneet had run his 13.1 in just under 2 hours and this fiasco had cost us.<br /><br />I took out my frustration on the pavement - I ran as hard as I could. Shortly after I started, I saw that I had caught up with the 5 hour pace group. I kept pounding the turf into submission and passed wave after wave of runners. The 4:50 pace group, 4:40, then 4:30. I was tiring a little but I kept going (fueled mostly by frustration at this point :-)). I finally rounded the bend and crossed the finish line in 4 hrs 25 mins and change. This meant I had run my 13 miles in 1 hr 45 mins or so (not counting the 5 miles that I ran in the other direction :-)). I looked around for my dad and brother and finally found them a bit further along with the crowd. If not for the delays, we would have finished in around 3:45!<br /><br />Anyway, a lesson learned the hard way. Next time, I plan to stay in Sacramento (we stayed in Folsom near the start this time) as they have shuttles from Sacramento to the relay interchange points and the start. We had a nice lunch and then headed back that evening.<br /><br />All in all a fun race - just need to be more aware of road closures next time. It turns out that most of the other Asha teams also had similar problems....Bharath Prabhakaranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08944238649789860219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734591733600076728.post-58025874281035577622009-02-21T09:25:00.000-08:002009-02-21T09:36:33.378-08:00Hibernation is for Bears!Well another off-season after Team Asha disbands and everyone goes into hibernation mode!<br /><br />After Portland, I had some hamstring issues and had to lay low for a few weeks. The smart thing I did was to make a trip to SMI for some massage sessions with Greg. Now Greg had this reputation for making grown men scream like little girls (not that there's anything wrong with that :-)) and I went in full of trepidation. He didn't look all that intimidating as a person and I thought things would go fine! And then I took a look at those hands and that giant thumb on one of them. The violins from the Psycho theme song started playing in my head as I got onto the massage table.<br /><br />After a gruelling 1 hour session (where I am proud to say that through a combination of gritting, gnashing, and finally biting into towels, I did not scream like a little girl!), I was glad to note that I wa still able to get off the table. And being the glutton for punishment that I am, I actually went back for a couple more sessions. At the end of it all, voila - no hamstring issues any more!<br /><br />Anyhoo - as the title of this post says, Hibernation is for Bears! I don't like the idea of training for 6 months and then losing all the fitness gained by hibernting through the winter. So, I resumed training at Rancho with a band of die-hard merrymen (and women) led by Coach Raman. And of course, given that it's good to set some goals to carry one through the cold months of winter, I decided to run the CIM relay and then the Napa marathon on March 1st.Bharath Prabhakaranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08944238649789860219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734591733600076728.post-80155312068920556672008-10-12T22:24:00.000-07:002009-09-07T12:31:09.859-07:00Portland Marathon - Wet, humid, and still a blast!So after a successful SF half and continued training with Team Asha putting in the miles and time, it was time to head on to the first Asha marathon of the season - Portland on Oct 5, 2008.<br /><br />Portland - the name conjures up images of a beautiful green city in the Pacific Northwest replete with dreary skies and rains throughout the year. We had been tracking the weather forecast anxiously and the predicted probability percentage for rain on Sunday had been changing more often than the McCain economic plan :-) Well, we were trained to run in all kinds of conditions except rain this season - so, should make for an interesting time...<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Oct 3, 2008 (Friday)</span><br />After having tapered, rested, and loaded up on carbs for a few weeks now, I was raring to go. The initial plan had been to drive to Portland with the family so they could come and watch me run. However, the wife had deep-sixed that plan and in any case, the kids had a bit of a cold. So, I had decided to fly out to Portland on an evening flight from San Jose.<br /><br />Arrived at the airport and was sitting at the gate when I ran into Parag, who was on the same Southwest flight. We chatted for a while and discussed plans and strategies. The flight was fairly uneventful and they even served peanuts :-) Landed in Portland and picked up my bags etc. My friend Srikanth (from college) was waiting for me at the airport (with his two lovely kids, Anagha, and Krishna in tow) and took me over to his house to stay Friday night. His wife Priya had made a nice South Indian dinner rich in carbs for my benefit, and after feasting on it, and chatting and catching up for a while, decided to hit the hay to get a good night's rest. Oh and BTW, it rained pretty much all night!!<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Oct 4, 2008 (Saturday)</span><br />The carbo-load dinner had been scheduled for 7 p.m. in downtown Portland (close to the Team Asha hotel). So, I decided to go to the expo right before then and pick up my bib and then head to the carbo-load dinner. The morning was spent with Srikanth and the kids at a science museum (which was quite interesting). The weather was wacky with bouts of rain followed by periods of some blue sky. After a nice lunch at home, spent some time on the Nintendo Wii with Srikanth playing golf! I then packed my bags and got things together to head downtown.<br /><br />Around 5 p.m., Srikanth and I headed to the city and arrived at the expo. The expo was not much to write home about :-) (though definitely a step up from the SV marathon!). After picking up my bib (with D-tag) and walking around for a bit, we decided to head to Hotel 50 to meet the team. The funny thing with this marathon was that the T-shirts were not given out at the expo; they had to be collected at the finish!!<br /><br />Reached the hotel at 6:30 p.m. and left my stuff with Vinay. Then, after saying goodbye to Srikanth, we headed out to Alessandro's for the carbo-load dinner. We met up with the rest of the group outside, and had to loiter around for a while till the tables were ready.<br /><br />The restaurant had one thing going for it - ambiance! Too bad, the quality of food and the service did not match it :-) There was an interminable wait to even get the bread initially, and then the food orders were further delayed/mixed-up (Coach Tony got his soup after he finished his main course!!). Of course, the travel team picked the restaurant due to its proximity to the hotel and are not responsible for the service etc. Anyhoo, Coach Tony gave us a nice pep-talk and after finishing our dinners, we headed back to the hotel around 9 p.m. or so to get some shut-eye in. Oh, and it was not raining then :-)<br /><br />Reached the hotel, and after pinning the bib on and fitting the D-tag on the shoe, said good night to Navneet and went to bed by 10 p.m. or so.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Oct 5, 2008 (Sunday) - the Race</span><br />It's funny how even if this was my 3rd marathon, I still had butterflies in my stomach, and the anxiety caused me to wake up at 3 a.m. (and then not be able to get back to sleep). Stayed in bed till about 4:30 in order to let Navneet rest, and finally got up to get ready. After the glide/nip-guard and other checks, was ready to go and had an energy bar and half a bagel around 5:30 a.m. (thanks Gurpreet and the co-ords team for the bagels and bananas - awesome work as always!).<br /><br />The plan was to meet up with the group in the lobby at 6 a.m. and walk/jog the 4 blocks to the start line. Navneet and I got to the lobby, and of course, found no one there :-) We decided to wait a bit longer in order to stay out of the cold. It was pretty nippy outside and cloudy - but no rain! Finally, people started trickling in, and by about 6:20, we decided to head out.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIQvInKQg_aV2oUOhrdlVSvKD3RlPhV-UB3DBAEnCISnnc07_xo0ipE0EwXox7AzMRFMLBo3G9LF7q8CbtFzMp9whbIkKL1cVFdB_HmAmfn8bAik1E0DSN9c6cUPbj2dqF9HPmXXVi8S4/s1600-h/before_race.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256534036246899250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIQvInKQg_aV2oUOhrdlVSvKD3RlPhV-UB3DBAEnCISnnc07_xo0ipE0EwXox7AzMRFMLBo3G9LF7q8CbtFzMp9whbIkKL1cVFdB_HmAmfn8bAik1E0DSN9c6cUPbj2dqF9HPmXXVi8S4/s320/before_race.jpg" border="0" /></a>Got to the start line, and picked up the sweats bag. Also stood in line for the port-a-potty and just about managed to get out by 6:45 a.m. There was a long line for the sweats check as well, but somehow snuck in and dropped it off. Started pushing through the crowds (6 hr finish, 5.5 hr finish etc.) to reach the 4 hours and below corral. I had planned to start with the 3 hr 50 min pace group and found the pacers with the sign and got to the back of the group there.<br /><br />The announcer made some announcements and also noted that it had never rained during the marathon for the past 30+ years - should have known what was in store then :-) After the national anthem, the starting gun went off, and we were off. The elites and faster runners took off, and soon, we were moving as well and crossed the start mat (and I started my watch).<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-STYLE: italic">Miles 0- 5</span><br />Kept telling myself to start slow till I was warmed up. The crowd was moving and everyone looked like they were sprinting out of the blocks. Kept a 9:11 pace for the first mile and just about managed to keep sight of the 3:50 pacers. The next few miles were quicker (8:25-8:30 pace) and every time I looked up, I was still falling further behind the pace group! I had the 3:50 pace band on, and kept looking at the times. Something was definitely up with the pace group. Oh and it started drizzling around mile 2! So much for not raining during the marathon:-) And the humidity was around 95% (we found out later) - conditions were definitely going to play a part.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-STYLE: italic">Miles 6-13.1</span><br />The rain kept getting steadier and was quite annoying to say the least. The roads were getting slick and some puddles were forming (had to focus to make sure I did not step in one). The 3:50 pacers were definitely off and going much faster (and as a result, I was going faster than planned/needed to keep up!). Hit 10K in 52:55, 8.9 miles in 1:15:48, and the halfway point in 1:52:50 (8:37 pace).<br /><br />Just to put things in context - according to the pace band, the 3:50 group should have hit the half in 1:56:58; I was there in 1:52:50, and was at least a minute (if not more) behind the 3:50 pacers! So, they were off by a full 5 minutes or more! So much for them knowing how to pace us :-)<br /><br />The humidity was definitely sapping, and despite the rain, I could feel that I was sweating a lot more. I made sure to drink electrolytes at every water stop. Compounding things, the marathon had 2 kinds of electrolyte drinks - Ultima, which provided mineral replenishment only, and Gleukos, which had sugar and electrolytes. I took them alternately, and sometimes grabbed both at a water stop. One of the things I had told myself was to be very careful with my nutrition during my race (having tailed off badly towards the end in my earlier races) - so, had an energy bar around mile 8, and some Liquid Gold (which was the honey based gel type thing that they offered - quite delicious I must add) at the next couple of water stops. I also looked around to see if I could spot my brother and his wife (who had flown in to see me race) but no luck. I did spot the Asha folks, and they cheered me on (thanks folks!).<br /><br />Overall, I felt pretty good and seemed to be on track to hit my sub 4 hr goal.<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-STYLE: italic">Miles 13.1 - 20</span><br />What's that old saying about the best laid plans :-) I was moving pretty smoothly, when suddenly around Mile 15, I felt a twinge in my right hamstring and it started sending out signals of discomfort. I was keeping a good pace but decided to slow down to avoid further damage that might prevent me from finishing! 8:30-8:40 miles soon became 9+ minute miles. Still, I had over 7 mins in the bank, and I hoped that would see me through.<br /><br />After looping through downtown stretches initially, we had moved on towards St.John's bridge at mile 17. This presented the only significant hill on the course - about a 150 foot climb but not too bad in itself - it was just the positioning in the race when people were close to the proverbial wall! I was now doing about 9:15-9:20 min miles and decided to be conservative on the hill. I took it nice and easy (I guess my quads still had some residual memory from Big Sur in April and SF half in August) and despite recording my slowest mile of the day (9:54), I made it to the top and across the bridge fairly comfortably.<br /><br />The rain was falling harder, and the chill was also causing my sore hamstring to keep announcing itself! I had continued consuming liquid gold and also had a packet of Gu around mile 14 onwards. I reached mile 18 and felt a little tired, but knew that this was the 'wall' and I had to fight past it. I took another shot of Gu, put my head down and kept charging forward - the words of Coach Harry were fresh in my mind - 'As long as you keep moving forward, you will finish!' Reached mile 20 in 2:56:40 (now at 8:50 pace). Oh, and I had lost sight of the 3:50 pace group a while back, and was relying on the timing bracelet for guidance!<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-STYLE: italic">Miles 21-26.2</span><br />It was now pouring pretty badly and I was tiring a bit as well. I decided to unleash the secret weapon - 'Chocolate Gu with Caffeine' that I had picked up just for this occasion! Took the first shot of it, and soon felt it work its magic. Started keeping a steady 9:20-9:30 pace and waited for the downhill that was soon coming. I knew that if I could do better than 11 minute miles or so for the remaining distance, I would be home in less than 4 hrs!!<br /><br />The crowds and bands (which really helped get the spirits up on a few occasions) had been awesome from the start and kept cheering us on as we made our way to cross the bridge back to the downtown side of the river. Soon, the downhill arrived at mile 22, and I decided to pick up the pace a little (as much as I could). After a 9 minute mile, reached mile 23 or so when I spied the folks handing out beer in the little plastic cups! Despite being a teetotaler, I was in half-a-mind to throw away that label, and imbibe the nectar. However, I decided that this was probably not the best time to experiment with alcohol (now drugs would have been a whole other story - one is definitely high on something when one decides to run marathons!).<br /><br />I could now see folks starting to struggle/cramp up/walk. There were several folks doubled up on the side of the road as well. I decided to focus and concentrated harder on keeping the back straight and the strides smooth (well at least I thought so - others may have seen me as the guy with the flailing arms and staggering feet!!!). The mile 24 and 25 markers soon passed by - and I had over 14 minutes to finish the last 1.2 miles. I decided to save the 'kick' for the last .2 miles just in case I ran out of gas (if I started sprinting at mile 25). Started hearing the cheering crowds and rounded the bend for the final .2 - picked up the pace as best I could and soon sighted the finish arch with the balloons - trust me - there is no sweeter sight for any runner than those damn balloons at the finish line :-) I passed a few people and finally crossed the mat and immediately stopped my watch - it read 3:57:02 - mission accomplished!!! I was drenched, soaking wet, but ecstatic and relieved! I had broken the elusive (well, for me anyways) 4 hour barrier, and shattered my PR by over 35 mins (previous best, 4:32:31 at Big Sur).<br /><br />It turns out that for the first time ever, the time according to my watch and the official chip time, matched! Of course, the consequence of this is that my official finish line picture has me bent down stopping my watch:-)<br /><br />I walked gingerly through the finish area and picked up my medal - they gave us a rose along with it - a nice touch! Then headed straight for the food and refreshments - they gave us cold Nesquik Chocolate milk - never had anything tasted sweeter! They also had quite a good spread of food, and I picked up a few things to eat in a bit (as I did not feel like eating right away). Finally spotted Ram (my brother) and Bindu (his wife) and went and accepted their congratulations. Headed down to the Asha tent where I was greeted by an ecstatic Gurpreet, and Coach Tony, and Raj (who had both finished ahead of me). The co-ords and volunteers had excelled as always, and in true Asha tradition, there were Samosas and also Lassi waiting for us in the tent.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB6YwS_mHgED2oLGWjZKVwSZLQVsH_EAhDPOv1Ge5eA9PFzDFcA-3oIZuJkU_YzESOPW5QDXggEnMHZQ56W-WnOON08rubs434l62ITj1_uwwsRvpsz48pCkn9pIgzenQ-UzS-xczKVkQ/s1600-h/Portland1.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256534280333902770" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB6YwS_mHgED2oLGWjZKVwSZLQVsH_EAhDPOv1Ge5eA9PFzDFcA-3oIZuJkU_YzESOPW5QDXggEnMHZQ56W-WnOON08rubs434l62ITj1_uwwsRvpsz48pCkn9pIgzenQ-UzS-xczKVkQ/s320/Portland1.JPG" border="0" /></a>After chatting for a bit and wolfing down a Samosa, I decided to go pick up my sweats bag - only to discover that we had to walk 5 blocks to get it! Limped down the streets with Raj for company and got our bags. Raj decided to head back to the hotel and I started walking back to the finish area to meet my brother. My friend Srikanth had also arrived in the meanwhile, and we decided to wait for a little bit - Vinay, Kiron, and Navneet finished in the meanwhile (and had all run awesome races given the conditions). Then, after congratulating the finishers and planning to meet at the dinner that evening, decided to head back to Srikanth's place (so as not to keep them all waiting) - went back to the hotel, picked up my stuff, and headed back.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD3Ay0ymRu3JXlf7u5zpNSKiuJqltKU9ry7amoRCe3rEKdo_v54KnfOVRmxFHOVf55JXqZPtRa-8J6t6ThlULMPdnt3T-rOTx8KvKDjICKnCDtRF09I4OqCa3HmXMZ9z9v5USheoHojzM/s1600-h/at-finish.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256535056578537682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD3Ay0ymRu3JXlf7u5zpNSKiuJqltKU9ry7amoRCe3rEKdo_v54KnfOVRmxFHOVf55JXqZPtRa-8J6t6ThlULMPdnt3T-rOTx8KvKDjICKnCDtRF09I4OqCa3HmXMZ9z9v5USheoHojzM/s320/at-finish.JPG" border="0" /></a>Got to Srikanth's place, and after a nice warm shower (I know, I know - I am not a huge fan of ice baths :-)), and some ice-packs on sore knees and ankles, went out to a nice South Indian restaurant for a lunch buffet!<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Oct 5, 2008 (Sunday) - evening</span><br />Arrived at the planned rendezvous (at Taj India/India Palace) after several phone calls and updates from Gurpreet (that included name changes, address changes etc. - they had apparently relocated the restaurant recently!). Had come along with Ram and Bindu and there were already some folks there at the restaurant (Chandrika, Shailesh, and others). Started on the pakoras while we waited for the rest of the crew to arrive in the shuttle from the hotel. They finally showed up, and we celebrated over drinks and dinner. Coach Tony congratulated us all, and we were also happy to receive a phone call from Coach Raman (who congratulated the team on speaker phone). Coach Martina had already called me in the afternoon (as had Rajeev Shankar, and a few others) - though Martina probably had mixed feelings as she now owed various people lunch and dinner (or worse - money :-)) - details not supplied in order to avoid corruption/betting charges :-)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6zPDrQy5M4CznzS0qH77Iim3sxbJ7PVW_s-7OSSh7DQ95sWfGtD9p-3gVgGa7xi5KV9_S3H8gEVQADQgopxoftf23E1oquT2EKAIOaCffMq8rLZyJqI5pli39tds6H5J2oErVkXiK9vU/s1600-h/IMG_3413-vi.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256535220333901138" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: pointer; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6zPDrQy5M4CznzS0qH77Iim3sxbJ7PVW_s-7OSSh7DQ95sWfGtD9p-3gVgGa7xi5KV9_S3H8gEVQADQgopxoftf23E1oquT2EKAIOaCffMq8rLZyJqI5pli39tds6H5J2oErVkXiK9vU/s320/IMG_3413-vi.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />We shared the victory stories, and it was especially gratifying to see the smiles on the faces of the first time finishers. Despite the weather, and various other injuries/inconveniences, Team Asha runners had braved the odds, and had all finished strong with a smile on their faces! The spirit of Team Asha shone through on that bleak, cloudy, rainy day in Portland - and we had all indeed conquered the beast and had tales of valour and courage to tell.<br /><br />I am extremely grateful to all the Coaches for the training, advice, and support:<br /><br />Tony - for pushing me hard at tracks and prepping me on race day.<br />Martina - for all her support last year (running with me at SV marathon, off-season Rancho runs etc.) and her advice this year.<br />Raman - for running with me at Rancho and introducing me to the joys of Black Mountain and other assorted hill trails.<br />Harry - for his injury analysis and input.<br />and last but not the least - Rajeev Char - for all the advice, injury prevention/recovery tips (when I had the ITB issues), for running with me and encouraging me at the long runs (Los Gatos etc.), helping me plan out a race strategy (pace groups).<br />Raj (asst.coach) - for the pep talks, and making me believe that I could crack the 4 hour barrier.<br /><br />I also owe the Rancho group a vote of thanks! Being their mentor, and being responsible for their progress, and to get them to their marathon goals, has instilled a sense of discipline in me (and caused me not to miss any runs this season); well that, and the fact that I am the only mentor for that group with no back-up :-) I have also enjoyed the fun and camaraderie - thanks a bunch guys and gals!<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Epilogue:</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Oct 6, 2008 (Monday)</span><br />Flew back home on Monday morning (after thanking Srikanth and his family for their excellent hospitality and saying goodbye to Ram and Bindhu - it was excellent to have them all share the experience). Was really glad to get back to the wife and kids and they were all thrilled with my achievement and to have me back (well, even little 9 month old Rohan gave me a high-five (or so I thought - he was probably just waving his hands:-))).<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Oct 7, 2008 (Tuesday) - track workout</span><br />Some of us Portland finishers showed up at tracks on Tuesday evening. We wore our Finisher T-Shirts (awesome BTW - Nike, full-sleeve, wicking shirt) and medals in order to inspire the Chicago and SV runners. A couple of us gluttons for punishment even ran a few laps (to get in a recovery run I guess).<br /><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Oct 9, 2008 (Thursday) - weekday </span>Rancho<span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"> run</span><br />Back in action to fulfil my duties as mentor. Ran with the guys - some things never change :-)<br /><br />Running is not a chore anymore - it's a lifestyle choice, and I am proud to be a card-carrying member of this Marathoner's club! And, the fact that I am where I am (being able to make the above statement) - I owe it all to the family called 'Team Asha'! And for this, I will keep coming back year after year to share new experiences and forge new bonds and friendships!Bharath Prabhakaranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08944238649789860219noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734591733600076728.post-73838150625678438962008-08-04T18:00:00.000-07:002009-09-07T12:31:29.377-07:00SF Half Marathon – Part Deux – The Revenge of the Geek Runners!<i><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Starring</span></i><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >: Team Asha 2008 runners, Coaches, Ops folks, cheerleaders<o:p></o:p></span> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Also Starring</span></i><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >: City of San Francisco, Golden Gate Bridge, Weather<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Co-Starring</span></i><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >: Malati Gadgil<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Also Ran</span></i><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >: Bharath Prabhakaran<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><u><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Logline</span></u></b><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" > (for the busy moguls, those with ADD etc.):<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Team Asha 2008 with its army of geek runners descends on the City of San Francisco during the early dawn hours. After several hours of ferocious battle, pavement pounded by feet, bridges trespassed, hills captured and surpassed, paper cups being flung about, and general mayhem, the city proves no match as Team Asha 2008 returns victorious after having captured the dangling gold (like) medallions </span><span style=";font-family:Wingdings;font-size:10;" ><span style="">J</span></span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Rating</span></b><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Karnazes and Galloway give this film ‘Two ITBs up’ !!!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Details</span></b><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Aug 3 2008 dawned like any other day in the San Francisco Bay area. The weather was not as cold as usual, the fog mostly dissipated – there was an aura of calmness – almost like the calm preceding a storm! Little did the City of San Francisco know what was about to hit it. For unbeknownst to the city by the bay, a band of finely trained men and women (pretending to be engineers and accountants as their cover) was about to descend on it with the goal of conquering its hills and bridges and returning to their homes with the gold(plated!) medallions as loot. And this band of warriors was unlike any the city had seen – they were finely trained (by a group of excellent coaches and trainers with a great supporting staff) running machines (well with a few rickety parts </span><span style=";font-family:Wingdings;font-size:10;" ><span style="">J</span></span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >) - committed and driven by the noble desire to make a difference to the lives of underprivileged children. It was a heated battle between two worthy adversaries and like with any story, multiple accounts exist (without this concept,<span style=""> </span>Bollywood would have to stop releasing films with the same storyline over and over again!). The following is the narrative in the words Geek Runner 10126 – an also ran called Bharath Prabhakaran (who only managed to get into the movie because he was able to survive weeks of rigor at Sergeant Tony Patel’s Tracks Group 1 boot camp, bribe Coach Raman with Samosas and Lassis, hold Coach Martina’s bib at ransom, and dutifully following Coach Char’s injury rehab strategies!). No names have been changed to protect the guilty parties – any resemblance to characters living or otherwise is purely intentional (who cares about litigation - lawsuits filed against the zero overhead non-profit Team Asha will yield absolutely nothing </span><span style=";font-family:Wingdings;font-size:10;" ><span style="">J</span></span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><u><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Geek Runner (GR)10126’s</span></u></b><u><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" > log on that fateful day:<o:p></o:p></span></u></p> <h1><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Aug 2, 2008 – 2000 hours<o:p></o:p></span></h1> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Military rations consumed (a concoction consisting of gruel, beans, rice)<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul> <h1><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Aug 2, 2008 – 2130 hours<o:p></o:p></span></h1> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Combat fatigues neatly laid out<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Location sensor detached from number-tag and attached to combat boots<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Number tag (for GR 10126) attached to Team Asha uniform with clasping devices<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Hit the Hay early to get 5 hours of shut-eye<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Failover mechanisms in place – alarm on cell phone, clock radio, electrodes strapped to temple wired to deliver stimulus at precisely 0230 hours!<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul> <h1><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Aug 2, 2008 – 2230 hours<o:p></o:p></span></h1> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Sheep counting currently stalled at 22,264<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Sandman visit awaited<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Neurons still firing contemplating attack strategies<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul> <h1><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Aug 2, 2008 – some point later<o:p></o:p></span></h1> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >System shutdown<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul> <h1><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Aug 3, 2008 – 0228 hours<o:p></o:p></span></h1> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Ocular systems fired up and open<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Electro-shock stimulus not needed </span><span style=";font-family:Wingdings;font-size:10;" ><span style="">J</span></span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" ><o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Preparation rituals completed (further details censored to avoid court-martial </span><span style=";font-family:Wingdings;font-size:10;" ><span style="">J</span></span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >)<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul> <h1><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Aug 3, 2008 – 0315 hours<o:p></o:p></span></h1> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Frantic cellular communication with Comrade Venu regarding delayed arrival at pre-arranged meeting point for transportation to base camp<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul> <h1><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Aug 3, 2008 – 0325 hours<o:p></o:p></span></h1> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Comrade Venu arrives – finally! Has been engaged in own pre-race preparation (some obscure technique called Yoga – note to self – needs further research – is it a performance enhancing drug?!)<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Rapid (and I mean rapid – 60 mph on city streets!) progress to pick up Comrade Preeti from her quarters<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul> <h1><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Aug 3, 2008 – 0340 hours<o:p></o:p></span></h1> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Arrive at base camp (aka Sunnyvale Caltrain station) – brilliant strategy I might add – launch an attack from a location 40 miles away!<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Commander Gurpreet is standing on steps of transport (looks remarkably like a bus) screening the recruits (apparently entry into the transport vehicle required some sort of pre-payment of $15 </span><span style=";font-family:Wingdings;font-size:10;" ><span style="">J</span></span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >)<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Commander spots me and assigns my chores – pick-up Bananas, bagels, and nutrition sachet (aka formula – GU) from his luxury vehicle and lug them over to the bus for distribution to the troops<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Excellent arrangements as always by Operations Commanders (Esther, Srini, Asif, Jaya and others) to ensure ideal preparation<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Have also been assigned duties to distribute rations to troops on board the bus – need to lead them well fed to battle!<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul> <h1><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Aug 3, 2008 – 0400 hours<o:p></o:p></span></h1> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Screeching tires shatter the deafening silence as several GRs scramble to reach base camp.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >First busload of soldiers dispatched (with a planned pit-stop to pick up several more at Camp Belmont).<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul> <h1><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Aug 3, 2008 – 0415 hours<o:p></o:p></span></h1> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Second bus-load (with self on board) leaves for battle<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul> <h1><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Aug 3, 2008 – 0415 hours to 0510 hours<o:p></o:p></span></h1> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Atmosphere aboard bus strangely subdued (compared to expedition in 2007) – I guess we need a shot of Comrade Mehul singing the battle cry ‘Ek Chatur Naar’ to rally the troops!<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Nervous energy abounds though. Hushed conversations taking place discussing strategy, offering reassurance and motivation; several catching a few extra winks to recharge.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Proceed with assigned task along with Comrade Vivek for assistance (having interrupted his secret routine of placing bullet-proof armor on chest to avoid chafing of chest protrusions which can result in the ‘shot-in-the-chest’ look post combat!). <o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Distribute bagels, bananas, and nutrition sachet. Receive mumbled words of thanks.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Warriors appear well fed and ready.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Sit with Rancho training division for last minute strategy briefings.<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul> <h1><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Aug 3, 2008 – 0510 hours<o:p></o:p></span></h1> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Arrive at destination<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Team Asha 2008 Army congregates at Start area<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Shout words of encouragement to rally the troops<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Amazed at number of warriors from other divisions who have apparently descended on the City on the same mission!<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Take a quick survey of the location – great views of the Bay, weather appears warmer than expected. Decide to discard outer-covering Kevlar jacket.<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul> <h1><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Aug 3, 2008 – 0515 hours<o:p></o:p></span></h1> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Troops start walking to Location C – ‘Sweats Check’ – to deposit protective equipment to be claimed after combat has ceased.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >On the way, see large lines waiting to jump into large green objects (codenamed Port-a-Potty - some of these appear to be shaking – what’s up with that?!)<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Get into one of these lines to avoid delays during mission<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul> <h1><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Aug 3, 2008 – 0535 hours<o:p></o:p></span></h1> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Still in line to attack the large Green monsters<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Pre-mission plans going awry – inadequate time to warm-up and stretch; Team Asha soldiers going in all different directions! Chaos already!!<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul> <h1><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Aug 3, 2008 – 0545 hours<o:p></o:p></span></h1> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Two waves of combatants have already set off on their odyssey<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Get into pre-assigned ‘Wave 3’ to begin combat<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Frantically look for Comrades Kiron, Saumil, and Malati (who were supposed to be in my platoon!) Finally sight Comrade Malati just as the gun goes off<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul> <h1><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Aug 3, 2008 – 0545 hours to 0737 hours<o:p></o:p></span></h1> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Initial foray – the thundering herd charges onto the streets – pounding pavement into submission<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Try not to get caught up in the initial excitement – keep to a 9 minute pace over the first mile<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Resistance is futile – miles 2 and 3 are around 8:20 pace (pre-mission target it 8:30 pace)<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Take in scenic views along Fishermen’s wharf and other landmarks<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Start to turn into East Beach en-route to first hill capture. Pace remains consistent.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Arrive at first hill-test – months of hill training over previous winter with Coaches Raman and Martina have been mostly forgotten </span><span style=";font-family:Wingdings;font-size:10;" ><span style="">J</span></span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" > - ITB issues and reduced hill running have made this a worthy challenge. <o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Push up the slopes – amazed to watch Comrade Malati glide over the hill as if non-existent. Comrade Malati is a finely tuned running machine! (note to self – need to get rid of a further 10-20 lbs of excess baggage – mostly around abdominal region in order to attain optimal performance).<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Slightly labored breathing as this hill is conquered. The good thing about up hills – there is usually a downhill following it (well except at Big Sur where it seems to be all uphill!).<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Arrive at familiar surroundings in Crissy field – pre-mission war-games there have left us perfectly prepared.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Breeze past laboring combatants (who were not as well coached!) – approaching obstacle 2 – big hill before Golden Gate – drop the pace a bit and make the climb – Comrade Malati as usual gets ahead and I work to catch up. <o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Arrive at base of Golden Gate bridge – last year’s recon did not yield anything due to the fog cover. Marvel in beauty of the bridge with the clearer weather! Glad to see Comrades Arun and Anu on photo-recon mission and wave to them as they cheer us on!<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Run across the bridge taking in the views and keeping good pace.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Arrive at turn-around point and pick up refreshments (have been partaking of liquid refreshments at all re-fueling stations – liquid called Cytomax not as palatable as Team Asha offering ‘Gatorade’!)<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Cross mat and hear beeping noises all over the place – aha – the enemies are tracking our every move – attempts to short-circuit the course will be rendered futile!<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Head back across the bridge and left hamstring starts acting up again – this is what happens when pre-mission routines are not adhered to.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Keep motoring along despite discomfort – meanwhile Comrade Malati is striding along smoothly like a gazelle!<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Pass the bridge and accomplish second objective.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Having been part of prior year’s mission, know that battle is not complete and there is more danger in store. Warn Comrade Malati to slow down a bit.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Reach Mile 10 marker at about 8:40 pace. Need to pick it up a bit to reach target.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Speed up a bit on downhill leg but have to back off almost immediately due to the rolling hills – a worthy adversary indeed!<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Somehow make it through miles 11 and 12 – hamstring tissue sending stronger signals – need to pay close attention post-mission!<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Finally the last half-mile – really pick up the pace here – goal in sight – pumping arms, furious feet fly all over the place – notice that fellow warriors also doing the same (with varying degrees of success).<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Finally arrive at destination side-by-side with Comrade Malati! Timing device on hand that says ‘1:51:31’ – Mission Accomplished! (for real this time </span><span style=";font-family:Wingdings;font-size:10;" ><span style="">J</span></span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >)<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul> <h1><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Aug 3, 2008 – 0740 hours to 0940 hours<o:p></o:p></span></h1> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >To the victors go the spoils – pillage for loot and pick up shiny round object, and raid the refreshment area – already long lines here!<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Meet Comrades ‘Fly-Boy’ Sandeep Borle, and ‘Running Machine’ Raj to exchange congratulations.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Comrade Malati decides to step away to share news of conquest with significant other.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Spend next 2 hours close to finish line cheering and watching Team Asha combatants arriving at goal after having vanquished the demons (both physical and mental).<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >See Rancho gang – Anup, Vikranth, Ram, Venu, Arvind, Narinder, Preeti, Ruchi come in and finish – the expressions of joy, relief, and excitement fill me with joy and pride and make the 3 month journey training hard at Rancho worth all the effort!<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Would like to linger on and await the few remaining Rancho ‘mentees’ but the last shuttle to the starting point where Team Asha has set up a victory camp and party is to leave shortly – so trudge off.<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul> <h1><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Aug 3, 2008 – 1030 hours to 1215 hours<o:p></o:p></span></h1> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Reach Asha victory camp with Comrades Venu and Preeti who sight the tent where the victors are enjoying massages from the vanquished –they immediately decide to partake in the festivities<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Reach Asha tent and sight Coach Tony and several others who have come earlier after finishing – high-fives are exchanged and stories shared.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >As always, the excellent Team Asha Ops squadron has arranged a lavish spread (including the secret weapon codenamed ‘Samosa’). Wolf down some nourishment – ahh the sweet (or should it be spicy and tangy </span><span style=";font-family:Wingdings;font-size:10;" ><span style="">J</span></span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >)taste of victory!<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Talk to several fresh recruits on their first missions and share in their excitement and offer words of congratulations! Lots of hooting, whooping, and hollering happening!<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Official photographers (and several unofficial ones) come by and several group pictures are taken to record the victory for posterity<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Finally all the Rancho crowd (including Sumita, Aditi, Commander Gurpreet, and Kiran) come in and we all huddle together for a mini-victory huddle and group picture!<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Stand by, watch, and enjoy the looks on the faces of the first-timers, and the expressions of pride on the faces of the Coaches (Tony, Martina, and Raman).<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Congratulate the heroes who undertook the 26.2 mile mission – Coach Raman, Rajeev, Reshu, Vivek etc. – they have truly slain the beast!<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Think about leaving for transportation<span style=""> </span>back to base (Caltrain) – but kindly Rancho group family members (Saket, Mahalakshmi, Payal etc.) and injured comrade Arjun offer to provide transport for us (no doubt moved by the sight of the walking wounded </span><span style=";font-family:Wingdings;font-size:10;" ><span style="">J</span></span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >).<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Make our ways back to base with plans for further celebration at Comrade Anup’s house at 1900 hours)<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><u><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Epilogue:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p> <h1><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Aug 3, 2008 – 1900 hours onwards<o:p></o:p></span></h1> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Wild scenes of celebration at Comrade Anup’s house<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Traditional Marathi cuisine is served up thanks to Anup’s mom!<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >The wine and beer are flowing freely (and for once I sit back and abstain from stopping them in my role as Gestapo!).<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Stories are shared, a few tears shed, friendships formed and bonds forged and strengthened by fire!<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >This in a microcosm defines Team Asha – where the spirit is strong with further conquests to follow!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Coming soon this fall (straight to DVD </span></b><b><span style=";font-family:Wingdings;font-size:10;" ><span style="">J</span></span></b><b><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >):<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><i><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Team Asha conquers Portland!<o:p></o:p></span></i></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><i><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Team Asha does Chicago!<o:p></o:p></span></i></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><i><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" >Team Asha decimates Silicon Valley!</span></i></li></ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p>Bharath Prabhakaranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08944238649789860219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734591733600076728.post-86828453675553542542008-05-21T10:28:00.001-07:002009-09-07T12:31:09.859-07:00Big Sur-passed!!Well, better late than never!<br /><br />Just a quick note to say that I passed the Big <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Sur</span> test and almost met my goal (4:30). I finished in <span style="font-weight: bold;">4 hours 32 min 31 seconds</span> (10:24 pace) - a new PR (Personal Record) beating my 4:39:13 at Silicon Valley last year and on a much tougher course!<br /><br />Despite <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">ITB</span> issues on the left leg, a hot day (over 80F towards the end), and the never-ending hills and banked roads, I am glad to report that I finished strong. It was a very well organized race and a beautiful and scenic course, and I will definitely try and do it again soon.<br /><br />Am now signed up for the Team <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">ASHA</span> 2008 program and am slowly building up and recovering from the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">ITB</span> injury and am targeting the Portland marathon in October.Bharath Prabhakaranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08944238649789860219noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734591733600076728.post-79364345142038512112008-04-23T05:31:00.001-07:002008-04-23T05:42:20.469-07:00Ahh - Taper time - eagerly awaited and ephemeralHey - must be some sort of record - getting in 2 posts in a day - that's what happens when you wake up at 3 am and can't go back to sleep :-)<br /><br />So after all those weeks of training, it's been taper time for the past couple of weeks. Got the 22 miler in at Dish with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Chakri</span> and gang and a 13 miler on April 12<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">th</span> at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Rancho</span> followed by a 6 miler this past weekend at Shoreline (just before the first Team <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">ASHA</span> 2008 session). I am glad to report that I have signed up for Team <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">ASHA</span> 2008 and plan to run a marathon in October (still deciding between Portland and Chicago - sorry Silicon Valley Marathon - no hard feelings :-)).<br /><br />Hope to get a few short runs in and also as much rest as possible. That's the challenge with taper - while we want to stay rested and overcome niggles and aches/pains, one does not want to rest too much (and then be hit with the 26.2 on race day). Have also been trying to load up on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">carbs</span> - again a fine balance between <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Carbo</span>-loading and Overloading :-) Have to constantly remind myself that every pound gained will mean another pound that needs to be dragged across the finish line on Sunday :-)<br /><br />Anyways, there are over 20 runners from the Team <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">ASHA</span> gang running various distances at Big <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Sur</span> on April 27<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">th</span>. We plan to drive over there on Saturday afternoon to get to the expo and pick up our bibs etc. We will be staying at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Monterey</span> and have to take the shuttle (at 3:45 am no less!!) on Sunday morning to the start at Big <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Sur</span>.<br /><br />I think I have trained as best I can within the constraints (2 kids, work etc. - am glad to report that the wife has not left me or kicked me out :-) - am really lucky to have such an understanding spouse (or maybe she is giving me enough rope to hang myself :-)<br /><br />No major goals at Big <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Sur</span> - I mean, it's not a course to go for a PR. Given that this is my first Big <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Sur</span>, and listening to veterans (and tons of reading on the net), the plan is to be conservative over the first half and have something left for the tough rolling hills at the end!<br /><br />Wish us all luck - I am sure we all need it - will post a race report next week!Bharath Prabhakaranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08944238649789860219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734591733600076728.post-35531510258425647742008-04-23T05:11:00.001-07:002009-09-07T12:30:28.072-07:00Run like the Wind! Run Forrest Run :-)Well, first off, it's amazing how having 2 kids (with one being an infant) puts a big dent into your aspirations of being a rock-star blogger :-) With everything else that's going on, I guess I had to choose between allocating time to running versus just blogging about it :-)<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Anyhoo</span>, I am happy to report that I have been keeping up as best I can with the Big <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Sur</span> training schedule (laid out by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">uber</span>-mentor and motivator <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Chakri</span>). Given that I live right next to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Rancho</span> San Antonio Park (and the double-bonus of it having a lot of hilly terrain), I have been running pretty much exclusively there for the past couple of months (weekdays, long runs etc.). Thanks to Coaches Martina and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Raman</span>, I now have an intimate knowledge of Black Mountain, Upper Wildcat, and several other trails at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Rancho</span> (including a totally undiscovered one which was the result of Coach Martina wanting to help us get a few more miles in while waiting for some runners to catch up).<br /><br />So, given that Big <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Sur</span> marathon is run on asphalt, I figured I needed to get some runs in on that turf. I decided to sign up (last minute) for the 'Run like the Wind' half marathon in San Ramon (which was on roads and also had rolling hills - perfect Big <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Sur</span> training).<br /><br />I woke up bright and early on March 30<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">th</span> (Sunday) - hey I got to sleep in on Saturday didn't I :-) - and drove the 40 or so miles to get to San Ramon (I know I know - driving 40 miles to run 13.1 - must be insane (I'm sure we runners get this all the time!)). It was pretty chilly so decided to stay in the car for a bit. Soon it was time for the start - I was actually pleasantly surprised by the turnout - for a small city event, there sure were a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">lof</span> of people!<br /><br />There were 2 other runners (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Satyan</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Venkaiah</span>) from the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">ASHA</span> gang and I met up with them at the start. I did not really have any goals for the race except to get a good run in.<br /><br />We were off and running and much as I had planned to take it easy and not run too hard (and get injured), I guess being in a race gets the adrenaline going. I started off at a 9 min pace and kept that up for the most part (with 8:20 or so being the fastest). The hill training at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Rancho</span> really kicked in and I did not slow down too much on the rolling hills (slowest was a 9:40 mile).<br />I was glad I was carrying a fuel belt though - the race, though well organized with water stops, did not have any Gatorade :-)<br /><br />I reached the last few miles and was close to or under my PR pace - again, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">pre</span>-race plans <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">to</span> take it easy somehow flew out the window! I began pushing it (especially the last mile) and finished in 1:55:43 - a new PR :-)<br /><br />Stayed on at the end to watch some of the award presentations and was amazed by some of the times (1:30 or under in the 60 year age group :-) - I would be happy just to be running when I am 60)).<br /><br />All in all, a good experience (barring a sore <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">ITB</span> on the left side - nothing some RICE won't fix :-)).Bharath Prabhakaranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08944238649789860219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734591733600076728.post-32814272687204730242008-02-03T22:22:00.000-08:002009-09-07T12:30:28.072-07:00NEWS FLASH - Finished Kaiser Half in SFOn a cold, rainy, and windy day, I am happy to report that I met my stretch goal for the Kaiser Half (sub 2 hour race)! Here are the results:<br /><br />Finish time: 1 hour 57 mins 05 secs (just under 9 min pace)<br />Gun time: 1:59:59<br /><br />Woohoo!Bharath Prabhakaranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08944238649789860219noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734591733600076728.post-6823758808606106402008-02-03T22:07:00.000-08:002008-02-03T22:21:49.907-08:00Not one and done!Certainly, finishing the SV Marathon gave me the noted 'Runner's High' and it was hard not to feel a sense of accomplishment (and also oncce again start questioning one's sanity for doing this!) But a combination of reflecting back on the season that was, and the newly acquired fitness (and not wanting to let it go!) made it a fairly easy choice for me!<br /><br />I am happy to report though that I have been keeping up with running in the 'off-season'. I took 2 days off after SV and thanks to Coach Martina, we were back running on the Wednesday after the marathon!<br /><br />Since then, I have been running 3 days a week for the most part (except for one down week when our son was born and another due to a bad bout of the flu) and trying to keep between 20 and 25 miles a week. Also, one of the added benefits of being where I am now is the proximity to Rancho San Antonio Park - man, that place is made for Hill Training. I have been running exclusively at Rancho for the past few months and most of my runs have been hill runs.<br /><br />Winter running is not for the really warm-blooded :-) Some days it was so cold in the morning that there was a sheet of ice across the puddles in Rancho. The temperature more often than not was in the 30s and it was COLD. After one foolish run without gloves or a cap to cover the ears (as a result of which my hands were so cold that I could not drive for 15-20 minutes), I invested in a pair of gloves and a ski-type cap. The other annoying factor has been the constant rain the past month or so - sometimes I wonder if I have somehow been teleported to Seattle!<br /><br />So, in January, after a couple of months of running, I realized that it is hard to keep running (especially in the winter) without a goal. So, I picked the Kaiser Permanente PAMA Kids Half Marathon in San Francisco (on Feb 3, 2008) as a target to see where I was in terms of fitness and time etc. (I have not run a half since San Francisco in July). And after being on the fence for ever, I figured with all the training, why not give Big Sur a shot? I am happy to report that I have also registered for the Big Sur Marathon on April 27, 2008 (the tough hilly course which makes up for it with the outstanding scenery!)<br /><br />Goals for the Kaiser half:<br />1) Try and better previous half marathon time (I finished the SF first half in 2 hours and 15 minutes - 10:20 pace)<br />2) Try and finish under 2 hours.<br />3) Enjoy the run and have fun!<br /><br />I am positive I can achieve 1) and 3). 2) is a stretch goal as I have not had much in terms of speed workouts/tracks in the off-season. My hope is that all the hill training has added strength and also will help with pace on a fairly flat course.Bharath Prabhakaranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08944238649789860219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734591733600076728.post-5439383350346557432008-02-03T22:03:00.001-08:002008-02-03T22:38:27.408-08:00Can't Hibernate Forever!So a lot has happened in the past few months since I ran the Silicon Valley Marathon - and I promise that is the reason (and not sheer laziness on my part) for no recent postings to the blog :-)<br /><br />We were blessed with our second child, a son, in December 2007 and we have named him Rohan. Things have been pretty hectic as you can imagine and we are having to re-adjust to life with an infant around!<br /><br />Now that he is almost 2 months old, and we are able to grab a few winks at night, I will try and post more regularly as there is a whole lot of stuff coming up in the next few months on the running front!Bharath Prabhakaranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08944238649789860219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734591733600076728.post-63362245890697263222007-11-12T18:28:00.001-08:002009-09-07T12:31:09.860-07:00Veni Vidi Vici - Part 2My wife had said that should would be there at the halfway point (along with my daughter and my in-laws who are visiting) - so, I looked forward to seeing them at the High School. We entered the high school track and I scanned the audience looking for them, but could not find them (I later found out that they just missed us by a few minutes as they had a hard time finding parking). This was a bit of a bummer, but I soldiered on. We were at about 2 hrs 13 minutes at this point, and things looked pretty good. They split the half-marathoners and full-marathoners at this point, and we made sure, we went in the right direction. As we got out of the school, and onto the streets, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">Kumar</span> seemed to be tiring or aching - we checked in with him, and he told us to go ahead as he would be taking a walk break. Coach Martina and I decided to carry on running. Miles 14-18 were pretty good and we were keeping to about a 10 minute pace on average. On our way, we were glad to bump into the 'Terrific Trio' - Karthik, Kiran, and Gurpreet - they seemed to be high and on spirits (oops I mean in high spirits) as always :-) We waved to them as Gurpreet gave us his best coach Raman impression - 'Looking Good!' We reached the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">ASHA</span> Water stop (back on the trail again on the way back) and there were even more folks there now - <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">Navneet</span> and others shouted words of encouragement, and this helped lift my slightly sagging spirits!<br /><br />This is the point where the real race began for me :-) Having breezed through mile 18, I noticed that I was suddenly beginning to tire a bit and the legs did not have as much. I had <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">starte</span>d <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">Gu</span> at Mile 13 (as I normally do) and had been taking it per my regular schedule. Could this be the dreaded 'Wall' I wondered? Mile 19 was slow (11:40 pace or so) - coach Martina saw this, and kept talking to me and encouraging me. I took some more <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">Gu</span> and told myself - Wall or no Wall, I was finishing this race (either on 2 legs or otherwise :-) and that was that :-) Miles 20-22 were at between 11 and 11:15 pace as we got out <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">fom</span> the trail and onto the streets of San Jose. There was a marked change in conditions as by then it was around 11 am and the it was getting hotter plus there were no trees to provide shade (the trail was fairly comfortable in that respect). We ran into and passed <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">Sanjay</span> around here somewhere and found <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">Kamal</span> slightly ahead of us. Coach Martina started running a little ahead with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">Kamal</span> and kept egging me to push on. The sight of them running in front somehow helped me press forward and eke more out of the somewhat tired legs.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioK8zvwwMqkMzV4j2TXDmPrOhulJOvDiJ_N3xdyCfkSlAl8_4GvuaMAYbZcCgg_BoxJh0FR4isnl-DK1atIy1i9nxiJAYlmY6XNkUQUiT7LbNhNElpFYTyI_2rR2e1v-D8Pw39btkNbC4/s1600-h/SVM6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioK8zvwwMqkMzV4j2TXDmPrOhulJOvDiJ_N3xdyCfkSlAl8_4GvuaMAYbZcCgg_BoxJh0FR4isnl-DK1atIy1i9nxiJAYlmY6XNkUQUiT7LbNhNElpFYTyI_2rR2e1v-D8Pw39btkNbC4/s320/SVM6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132222304625503794" border="0" /></a><br />Nearing Mile 23, I finally had had enough - I told Martina that I needed to walk for a bit (I don't normally take walk breaks). She asked me to push till the Mile marker and then take the break. I walked for about a minute or so, and then decided to resume running - this was way harder than I thought and I had a tough time getting the rhythm back. So, I told Martina, come what may, I was going to continue running (albeit at a slow almost walking pace) . Miles 24 and 25 can be summarized thus(12:40 and 12:10 pace respectively):<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Martina</span> - '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">Bharath</span>! You can do it! Only x miles to go (2,1.5,1.2 etc.). Think of the finish line and what awaits. Think of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39">jalebis</span> coming up' etc.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Me</span> - '<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40">Ok</span> Coach' (not wanting to be my usual loquacious self in order to conserve precious energy!)<br /><br />As we neared mile 25, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41">Kamal</span> stopped and was bent over. We stopped by to make sure he was <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42">ok</span> (he wanted to walk for a bit) and continued on. Suddenly, out of the blue, Coach <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43">Raman</span> appeared running in the other direction with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_44">jalebis</span> in his hand. I decided to pass on the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_45">jalebis</span> but his words of encouragement definitely provided some additional momentum. Coach <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_46">Raman</span> also mentioned that we were doing great ,and only 3-4 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_47">ASHA</span> runners were ahead of us. We got to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_48">ASHA</span> water stop at mile 25 where <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_49">Sathya</span> and others checked to make sure I was <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_50">ok</span>, and told me to finish strong. The combined boost (Amino-Vital, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_51">ASHA</span> folks, Coaches etc.) served to somehow <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_52">jump start</span> me and fueled by adrenaline, I told Martina - let's go for it! We passed the 1 mile marker (in the other direction) and I went for broke (well, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_53">at least</span> I thought so relative to my flagging pace the past few miles).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuE9kt5i4zNqmzeK_2CJqm_A7Q48x0LgZohLODMsZ1PZC-_gLC86L0i7SK9qYIKbe3hl1dfGYUvtP9VHag9nPrncYWh_2MD0RnaGSpdQ9Y6JCeuq3FSbg8MwM3EC2WJcniiMt0PpF7X5o/s1600-h/SVM_NearingEnd.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuE9kt5i4zNqmzeK_2CJqm_A7Q48x0LgZohLODMsZ1PZC-_gLC86L0i7SK9qYIKbe3hl1dfGYUvtP9VHag9nPrncYWh_2MD0RnaGSpdQ9Y6JCeuq3FSbg8MwM3EC2WJcniiMt0PpF7X5o/s320/SVM_NearingEnd.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132226109966528178" border="0" /></a>We passed a few enthusiastic supporters (few and far between I must say) with cow-bells shouting encouragement - Looking strong! Only 1 mile to go! Awesome job! etc. Even the cops blocking the streets were cheering, as we neared Discovery Meadow and the finish. The crowd noise grew louder and Martina kept talking to me and cheering me on. Passed the 280 exit and knew I was almost there! We burst (!!) into Discovery Meadow and finally, I got a glimpse of the promised land! Picked up my pace (finish strong the coaches had said) and had Coach Martina right there along side me. We neared the finish line as the announcer said 'Put your hands together folks - <span style="font-weight: bold;">here come no. 444 Martina </span><span style="font-weight: bold;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_54">Koldeway</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> and no.682 </span><span style="font-weight: bold;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_55">Bharath</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_56">Prabhakaran</span>. The final push, and Martina picked my right arm up with her left and raised our arms aloft as we crossed the finish - <span style="font-weight: bold;">4:39:13</span> - '<span style="font-weight: bold;">Mission Accomplished!'<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIO69oRuy_GlmC8Av9lmHXVE1UNeIXoSvC2zzebHGe-zufRpstnH8Wtzzf9xBs_VmJBEGWZajX5MsBYguuxhzGF8v5OVGpHSBvd9dKQ-QSJduhXdptV2t9HhudiuTl39kzqC1mRuhjID0/s1600-h/SVM_jointfinish.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIO69oRuy_GlmC8Av9lmHXVE1UNeIXoSvC2zzebHGe-zufRpstnH8Wtzzf9xBs_VmJBEGWZajX5MsBYguuxhzGF8v5OVGpHSBvd9dKQ-QSJduhXdptV2t9HhudiuTl39kzqC1mRuhjID0/s320/SVM_jointfinish.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132221514351521314" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSAdzM8oezrBWaBxYJ4dwQdhB-KWxQoSyEipdRey76dCO17vzJwBcEqXWJ9Nw_1Wkb4SJIg19C11EaVrP2677U6DYzYtRoPHdqz-VIAA5GyV-TwYNBFS5puZvROKb-Zk6r4z50iV51070/s1600-h/SVM_Finish2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSAdzM8oezrBWaBxYJ4dwQdhB-KWxQoSyEipdRey76dCO17vzJwBcEqXWJ9Nw_1Wkb4SJIg19C11EaVrP2677U6DYzYtRoPHdqz-VIAA5GyV-TwYNBFS5puZvROKb-Zk6r4z50iV51070/s320/SVM_Finish2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132225697649667746" border="0" /></a>Picked up the finisher's medal from the girl handing them out and put it on. My daughter had seen me and came running to me and I managed to bend and pick her up (wish I had seen her earlier so I could have finished while holding her in my hands <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_57">ala</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_58">Praveen</span> did later).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGoZxk-5es64-WJhpf6b96tvybYCEmjT5OP4_1ujOx_OQsu5aQ_0w2Dv0DfdGXWISbvXBklaFm6bDge4WrldY2Osu2kuc8U-GapF7RZDoki_289Htb1bQv-iOrojTnr1U7K83y97r0huk/s1600-h/With_my_Lil_Girl.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGoZxk-5es64-WJhpf6b96tvybYCEmjT5OP4_1ujOx_OQsu5aQ_0w2Dv0DfdGXWISbvXBklaFm6bDge4WrldY2Osu2kuc8U-GapF7RZDoki_289Htb1bQv-iOrojTnr1U7K83y97r0huk/s320/With_my_Lil_Girl.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132224250245688946" border="0" /></a>Coach Martina told me to keep walking and so I walked down and met my wife and family. Then went to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_59">ASHA</span> tent, where Coach Tony gave me a high five and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_60">Raghav</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_61">Anand</span> etc. congratulated me! As always, the co-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_62">ords</span> and volunteers had made sure we were well fed and nourished and I had a banana and some cold water - felt really good! The Samosas looked really tempting, but I decided to wait a while. I went over to Coach Martina and gave her a big thank-you hug for all that she had done. She was a huge reason that I finished the race and finished well! Then went over and chatted with the family and accepted their congratulations and hugs etc. Walked back to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_63">ASHA</span> tent and decided to partake in the festivities. Had a Samosa, and by then, the real food had arrived (courtesy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_64">Tirupathi</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_65">Bhimas</span> restaurant) - <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_66">Pongal</span>, and a Sweet Dish. Had some hot <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_67">pongal</span> and washed it down with some Gatorade (quite the combo don't you think!) and felt quite rejuvenated all of a sudden! Chatted with the folks, and then walked over to the finish line to cheer the other <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_68">ASHA</span> folks as they came in. Took up a position next to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_69">Raghu</span> (who was taking pictures of the finishers and did a superb job - much better than the official race photographer!) and watched <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_70">Sanjay</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_71">Kamal</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_72">Vivek</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_73">Praveen</span>, and a host of others come in. Was relieved to see <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_74">Kamal</span> come in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_75">ok</span>, and even more so when <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_76">Kumar</span> crossed the line. It was getting quite hot and my daughter came running towards me and was getting quite cranky. So, decided to take a quick look at the official race results, and then stopped by the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_77">ASHA</span> tent to let Martina know that I had to leave (even though I would have loved to stay). We decided to take a quick sub-group picture (with the finishers (look at those happy faces!) up to that point) and then I said Good-byes to everyone (and once again thanked Martina, the coaches, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_78">Raman</span> and the co-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_79">ord</span> team etc.) and left.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkvWa4FaUBGu0fK9TzvHN5vxdCT8_fwA7bZC1aClRm0gipeG59oV8n9EB71DDyiUDuVEWtLkvp8v0gjR7yuW7YIcwBxqO-jfGifDqghX1i1xfaYuWpVZCaWeo-aGTd-IvWAQLhvZw8oH8/s1600-h/grouppic1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkvWa4FaUBGu0fK9TzvHN5vxdCT8_fwA7bZC1aClRm0gipeG59oV8n9EB71DDyiUDuVEWtLkvp8v0gjR7yuW7YIcwBxqO-jfGifDqghX1i1xfaYuWpVZCaWeo-aGTd-IvWAQLhvZw8oH8/s320/grouppic1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132222811431644738" border="0" /></a>I would like to take a second to dedicate this race to the memory of my late mother, and also to my daughter and wife!<br /><br />So, how did it really feel?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">'In Pain, one can find pleasure'</span> - <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_80">ok</span>, this is not a slogan for masochists or self-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_81">flagellators</span>! On the drive back home, I could certainly feel the pain - knees aching, hamstrings sore, calves, quads - you name it, it was probably sore! There was also some sadness (I wish my mother were alive to see this) and joy (having my family and especially my daughter at the finish). There was also the sense of pleasure, of accomplishment, of having conquered my fears and doubts (both worthy adversaries I must add), of having set a lofty goal, and achieving it in such a short span of time! I felt elated, jubilant (and all related synonyms) - <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_82">ala</span> Leo Di <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_83">Caprio</span> in Titanic -<span style="font-style: italic;"> 'I'm king of the world!'</span>.<br /><br />But, amid the confluence of feelings, there was one overwhelming emotion - '<span style="font-weight: bold;">Gratitude'</span> - to the family that we call Team <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_84">ASHA</span>. The path to our glory had been laid one brick at a time, and there were many architects who helped sculpt our success! I was thankful for the wonderful coaches who got us prepared (Tony, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_85">Raman</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_86">Rajiv</span>, 'Bonus-Coach' Harry, and above all, Martina), the excellent co-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_87">ord</span> team (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_88">Raman</span>, CK, G3 etc.) and volunteers who organized and supported us through all the runs the entire season, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_89">ASHA</span> cheering squad (and their wonderful costumes - glad to note that we won the 'Team-Spirit' award once again this year), fellow runners (esp the Mountain View crew), and the entire Team <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_90">ASHA</span> family for what had been an extraordinary experience leading up to an unimaginable accomplishment! The fact that I helped raise money towards the education of underpriviliged kids made it even sweeter (<span style="font-weight: bold;">thank you for the support Donors!</span>)<br /><br />I also feel lighter, fitter, more energetic than I have ever been - this has truly been a life-changing experience for me. As Martina likes to say, it is a lifestyle change, and I am glad that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_91">my friend Rajeev</span> convinced me to do this. I am actually looking forward to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_92">visiting</span> Dr.Evil (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_93">ok</span> Dr.Chan, just kidding!) and getting my blood work done again! And for this, I am really thankful!<br /><br />I know, I know - this is beginning to sound like an Oscar acceptance speech where I am thanking all and sundry. But, this is about feelings right? It's never easy talking about feelings - but Hey Ladies - who says men can't talk about their feelings :-) :-)<br /><br />It was such a blast that in the words of our famous <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_94">Governator</span> - <span style="font-weight: bold;">'I'll be BACK!!'</span> (for the 2008 season that is).<br /><br />For now, <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_95">Veni</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">! </span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_96">Vidi</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">! </span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_97">Vici</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">! - </span><span style="font-style: italic;">over and out!</span>Bharath Prabhakaranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08944238649789860219noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734591733600076728.post-38189276673163226772007-11-12T12:50:00.000-08:002009-09-07T12:31:09.860-07:00Veni Vidi Vici - Part 1<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmON8j0vUE4mFFsugDS3RkTE4kEEsg-XdiadAJVJojPso0gd-abuZ5rVLv2NaNkUusJgQWGL7WjURuxuOscUCQKC388O_xeubEBYmHTMTel7NXcD4AIWdqCxHdGH7T_EfExA1map7xnZY/s1600-h/SVM_Finish.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmON8j0vUE4mFFsugDS3RkTE4kEEsg-XdiadAJVJojPso0gd-abuZ5rVLv2NaNkUusJgQWGL7WjURuxuOscUCQKC388O_xeubEBYmHTMTel7NXcD4AIWdqCxHdGH7T_EfExA1map7xnZY/s320/SVM_Finish.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132097114918759954" border="0" /></a><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Ok</span>, so now I know how the Roman emperors felt after a conquest - oh wait, this was a battle against myself fought by myself :-)<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Ok</span>, so now I feel like <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Pheidippides</span> did when he ran from Marathon to Athens, to deliver the momentous message "Niki!" ("victory") - well not really - he dropped dead right thereafter :-)<br /><br />So, how do I really feel? Well, first things first!<br /><br />The big day dawned bright and beautiful - Nov 4<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">th</span>, 2007 - 'A Day that will live in Fame' (with due apologies to FDR :-)) for many of us. Of course, things are never meant to be easy - as if having to worry about running 26.2 miles was not enough, our politicians in their infinite wisdom had ordained that the switch to Daylight Savings time would happen a week late this year - you guessed it - on Nov 4, 2007 at 2 am in the morning! Of course, in this case, it meant an extra hour of sleep (<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">at least</span> in theory :-)) - unfortunately, my biological clock did not have an auto-reset mechanism, and I ended up waking up at 4 am and pottering around the house (much to the chagrin of my wife!). I had listened to the coaches (well there's always a first time isn't there!) when they said that we should lay our clothes out, pin the bib on, tie the chip to the shoe etc. the previous night - hence, was all prepared on that front. So, like any good IT person does when they have time to kill, I powered up the laptop and started trolling blogs as is my wont :-) (gee, I wonder what people did for fun before Al Gore invented the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">internets</span> :-)).<br /><br />I had already arranged a ride with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Vijai</span> (who lived close by) the previous day and he was supposed to pick me up at 5:45 am (so we could get to the start by 6:15 or so). In hindsight, this was a brilliant move, as my earlier plan had been to go with the Motley-Crew (who, I later found out, had once again forgotten to get directions - this time, to the start :-)). So, around 5 am, I decide to begin the well-rehearsed routine which after all the long runs, was almost second nature. Body Glide was used liberally, nip-guards in place (that 17 miler without them and the resulting chafing are not lessons easily forgotten!), lucky grey shorts put on (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">ok</span>, nothing really lucky about them - just happened to be fresh out of the laundry :-)), and last, but not the least, the Team <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">ASHA</span> T-Shirt (which we all wore as a badge of honor to display our team spirit and support to the cause). After putting my socks and shoes on, and triple-checking the lace knots, I got the fuel-belt ready with 4 packs of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Gu</span> and a flask each of water and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">gatorade</span> (don't rely completely on course supplies - after Chicago, these words meant a lot more!).<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Vijai</span>, the epitome of punctuality was there at 5:45 sharp, and we set out to do battle. I expressed mild concern that there was a fuel empty warning light on his dashboard (would have been kind of ironic if we were stranded on 280 somewhere and had to begin our race there to get to the start :-)), but <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Vijai</span> obviously knew his car better than me. So, we get to downtown San Jose and circle around looking for parking (the idea being to park as close to the start as possible to conserve our legs - on this occasion, it was actually true (unlike usually, where it's just an excuse for laziness :-))). We park a couple of blocks away, and start hoofing it to Park and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Almaden</span> to the Start line. It is pretty nippy and the sun hasn't come out - looks like perfect running weather for now (thought the forecast calls for a high of 79) - but given that we have lost an hour, need to see how that holds up.<br /><br />There are already several <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">ASHA</span> runners and a bunch of other runners hanging around at the Start. I walk around <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">exchanging</span> pleasantries waiting for the gang to show up. After a little while, the crew do get there (saved no doubt by the fact that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Kiran</span> was still groggy without his coffee and had hence not managed to speed past the exit :-)). We go on a short warm up run and get down to the much loved and practiced stretching routine - so, far, things are holding up with no aches and pains.<br /><br />Since, I had made the mistake of not eating and drinking enough before the 22 miler, I had wolfed down an energy bar at home and also had several cups of water. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">ASHA</span> program had done much for me in terms of physical strengthening - the one aspect that we did not work on was bladder strengthening and control :-) So, of course, I thought I should get that out of the way before the start - but, apparently, everybody else thought so too, and there were lines 25-30 deep at each of the 5 port-a-potties! Now, I knew from anecdotes narrated by other marathon veterans, about folks who are inside the port-a-potties when the start gun sounds and are caught in this dilemma about which business to take care of first :-) Not wanting to make that unpleasant choice, I decided to see how far I could get and lined up at the start.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Kumar</span> (from the Fremont group) had indicated that he would like to run with me and he and I lined up. I received a strong boost when Coach Martina said she would run with me and pace me during the race - this was excellent news and did much to boost my morale (and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Kumar's</span> too, I'm sure!). We lined up somewhere in the middle of the pack - Martina noted that we only had one bunch of runners here as opposed to Chicago (with over 35K runners) where they had to put them in corrals (kind of makes them sound like horses :-)). The announcer at the start line counted down the seconds and we were off!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Q3WxcN9b3F6CVzmohBhAxL8Ta5t9xSUBkRAWAEbPOZoBvuTQ7sdidsXg_9HvONCrrR4SrXm1P4muH0_1OEnYIHN5rd2MwNe3558GJresMNuJLkPqdHEZ9GxWMeylzTxcc3cA0HEI6mA/s1600-h/SVM_StartLine.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Q3WxcN9b3F6CVzmohBhAxL8Ta5t9xSUBkRAWAEbPOZoBvuTQ7sdidsXg_9HvONCrrR4SrXm1P4muH0_1OEnYIHN5rd2MwNe3558GJresMNuJLkPqdHEZ9GxWMeylzTxcc3cA0HEI6mA/s320/SVM_StartLine.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132226376254500546" border="0" /></a>Given my overall goal of running at about a 10 minute pace, we decided to start off slow at about a 10:30 pace for the first few miles till we were warmed up. I moved to the right to let folks behind pass me (many of whom, we passed towards the end - but that's another story :-)) and we kept going at a consistent pace. Reached mile 1 - watch said 10:24 - was pretty happy with that. We engaged in some chit-chat and paused to look around and soak the experience in (of course, this being downtown San Jose, there wasn't much to look at :-)). We met the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">ASHA</span> folks at the first water stop and paused to admire the Halloween outfits (quite creative I must add). The next 4-5 miles were done at around 10 min pace (I guess we accelerated without realizing it), but the legs felt good, and we all seemed to be doing fine. At every mile marker, I kept looking at the Port-a-Potties wistfully, but everywhere, there were long lines, and realizing that it would cost us some time if we chose to stop now, I decided to motor on. We ran through the city streets and Martina pointed out a couple of houses which were nicely <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">architected</span> and we took turns guessing what prices they would sell for (given that Bay Area Real Estate always goes up at 20% a year, that should have been fairly easy right :-)). We also stopped at all the water stops, and I drank the Amino-Vital that was on offer (not too bad actually - though <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Kiran</span> had a bad reaction and would beg to differ!).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN6V1HEK3saiXfMXkScfSSyl2p92DMkfLWnfzeSOGXonwuoH3Dtdm1E7xPuMqGcovwyT23W2PTJ_fG4kfPYsqFeCEi7r_nOGS3mTFGu-JHRL5QfUpdptGEfd_xQmTwvBGCm0cNYi3mtFE/s1600-h/Bharath_Martina.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN6V1HEK3saiXfMXkScfSSyl2p92DMkfLWnfzeSOGXonwuoH3Dtdm1E7xPuMqGcovwyT23W2PTJ_fG4kfPYsqFeCEi7r_nOGS3mTFGu-JHRL5QfUpdptGEfd_xQmTwvBGCm0cNYi3mtFE/s320/Bharath_Martina.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132223820748959330" border="0" /></a>We soon entered familiar territory - the much loved (or hated depending on who you ask!) Los <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">Gatos</span> Trail. After having done many a long run there (including the one in 90+ degree heat), we were quite comfortable running there. The crowd had sort of thinned out based on running pace, and there wasn't quite the logjam along the narrow trail that I had expected. After a 9:58 Mile 6, we spied a couple of port-a-potties with just 1 person each in front. We decided that it was now or never, and got in line! Of course, as is my wont, I picked the wrong line, and this little jaunt ended up costing 2.5 minutes (most of it thanks to the guy in front of me). The other interesting thing was that while waiting, the other potty began shaking and rocking - not exactly sure what the person inside was up to (maybe they thought this was the Rock&Roll marathon from a few weeks ago :-)).<br /><br />Martina and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">Kumar</span> had run ahead to the water stop and I picked up my pace to catch up - we were now 2.5 minutes over, but it was well worth it! We kept going at a steady pace and soon came to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">ASHA</span> water stop at mile 8 - the folks there were in high spirits, and kept yelling 'Go <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">ASHA</span>' and generally having a good time!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhabXjXE3jj3njU6G8SIX_u-KIhUMwmECG6oOopSB_xI5Sh7VMwaW5NgAbIWacp6StrVmlzYNvrDo7xSwqsxY2qcpSU1y7JUa44KT4jdGVKHYTm0NAAv43hTDpfQdr_8IGGdZhEsvnLJiQ/s1600-h/Asha_WaterStop3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhabXjXE3jj3njU6G8SIX_u-KIhUMwmECG6oOopSB_xI5Sh7VMwaW5NgAbIWacp6StrVmlzYNvrDo7xSwqsxY2qcpSU1y7JUa44KT4jdGVKHYTm0NAAv43hTDpfQdr_8IGGdZhEsvnLJiQ/s320/Asha_WaterStop3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132225122124050066" border="0" /></a>After a couple of shots of Amino-Vital, we were off again. Mile 9 was out fastest yet at 9:33 and Martina checked on us to make sure we were doing fine (which we were). Miles 10-12 flew by and pretty soon we were nearing the halfway point and Los <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">Gatos</span> high school.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span>Bharath Prabhakaranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08944238649789860219noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734591733600076728.post-87386090040622869552007-11-11T08:39:00.000-08:002007-11-12T23:27:36.105-08:00Adventures in Downtown San Jose (aka the SV Marathon Expo) & Carbo-Load LunchThe Hilton on Almaden was our destination - seemed like an innocuous enough task right? I mean, how many engineers does it take to figure out how to get there? Let me backtrack for a second.....<br /><br />The SV Marathon expo was on Nov 3rd, 2007 (Saturday) at the Hilton in downtown San Jose. The Motley-Crew (oops I mean the Mountain View group - Kiran, Gurpreet, Karthik, Coach Martina, and myself) had decided that we would carpool from Landells school in Mountain View (our usual stomping grounds). We all got there around 10:15 am as planned - that was the last thing that went according to plan!<br /><br />So, we all get into the car and get settled - Kiran was driving. Then someone says - 'So, do we have directions on how to get there?' A deafening silence issues and one can hear crickets chirp!<br />'Well, Kiran, you are the designated driver - so we thought you would have them' followed by 'Why don't you have GPS - after all, you are a pre-IPO VMWare employee' and then, 'I thought Martina would have the GPhone prototype being that she works for Google and all', and then 'We'll figure it out as we go along' (kind of sums up our marathon season :-)).<br /><br />The thing you have to realize is that Kiran is a Formula 1 driver wannabe (one can spend hours trying to figure out his theory of how one should actually speed up on a winding exit ramp with posted speeds of 25 mph - something about centripetal or centrifugal forces) and he drives his car like a Ferrari (of course barring the minor problem that it is actually a Toyota Corolla). He gunned the engine (in as much as you can gun the engine on a Corolla) and sped out of the parking lot tyres screeching (OK, I made that bit up).<br /><br />So, we decide that we will take the 280 freeway and it should take us there. Gurpreet has a sudden idea - let's call Sathya (our mentor) and ask him for directions. So, the call is made, and we have to take the Vine/Almaden exit and then a few turns later - Bada Bing, Bada Boom - expo, here we come! Easy enough right?<br /><br />Not quite - Kiran 'Schumacher' Kamath speeds by the exit so fast that we miss it. 'I guess, we can turn around at the next exit and take 280 North to the Vine exit'; 'Well, there is no such exit in the other direction'. More frantic calling ensues to Sathya. Meanwhile, Kiran has taken some random exit per some one's direction. Finally, we make the one sensible decision for the day - we stop to ask for directions (on the phone though - still, no mean task in a car with 4 men and a lone woman! I mean, Men and asking for directions? Didn't Martina know that we men all have pre-wired inherent GPS systems with global maps in our brains with a fail-safe compass based navigation scheme as backup? :-)).<br /><br />Anyhoo - Sathya is summoned - cross-streets are given - and after much more 'Your left; No, I mean the other left' and near fisticuffs/strangulation between some of the parties involved, we finally get to the Expo and park.<br /><br />You see, all major odysseys need to have a worthwhile goal at the end - that makes the tough journey and overcoming obstacles worth it. The SV Expo however, was certainly not in that category - to sum it up in one word - 'Underwhelming' !! I mean, you can't really call something that takes up all of one ballroom in a hotel, an Expo can you? There were like 10 vendor stalls and a pretence of a line to pick up the race packet. Of course, this being Silicon Valley and all, it was so high-tech that we had not been emailed our bib numbers in advance; so, we had to go look at notices stuck on the wall with names and bib numbers (brought back unpleasant memories of looking at examination results and grades in school!). So, it looked like there were about 900-950 full marathoners registered and about the same number of half-marathoners. The Chicago Marathon veterans in our group (Kiran, Gurpreet, Martina) snickered derisively - I mean 2000 runners and a 1 room expo? Karthik and I didn't take this lying down though (after all, this was our official marathon for the year and a home one at that) - 'Well, at least you'll get to finish this one, and hopefully have enough fluids on the course!' - ouch (the Chicago Marathon fiasco was after all fresh in every one's mind).<br /><br />We had budgeted 1.5 hours for the expo - you know, we did really have a plan (get to the expo by 10:40, leave around 12:30 to get to the Carbo Load lunch at 1 pm etc.). 20 minutes after getting there, we're already ready to leave! We run into Raghav (the Boston Qualifier from Team ASHA this year also know as 'The Kenyan in Indian clothing'). In order to kill time, we potter around for a bit. I pretend to be vaguely interested in the sales-pitch being thrown at me for some online health-point allotting website (a really sound business plan from the looks of it - just the kind that attracts tons of VC funding like the current crop of social networking Web 2.0 startups :-)). A couple of group pictures ensue (with the objective being to induce an optical illusion in the picture so that the expo actually looks bigger!).<br /><br />The only saving grace from all this is the guy handing out the samples of Popped (not fried or baked!) potato chips - those were delicious and helped Gurpreet get over a hunger pang (when does he not have one :-)). Martina says 'Starbucks' - of course, since we all live in a 'Starbucks World', there was one right inside the hotel (and I guess if you missed it, across the street, down the road at the next block etc.). We managed to kill some time over there while Raghav imbibed the nectar (or poison depending on point of view :-)) and decided to head back to Castro Street (Mountain View) to congregate at - you guessed it - another Starbucks (since Martina does not drink coffee at Starbucks locations without ambiance and elevator music (this one certainly had none)).<br /><br />We get to Starbucks in Mountain View where Kiran has another adventure trying to parallel park ('I've never lived in a big city and needed to do this') - maybe this wasn't part of his driving test? I guess you don't really need to parallel park in the F-1 circuit (unless you count crashing your car against the barrier and coming to rest parallel to it, parking!) We wait for a bit and are about to leave for the carbo-load when Martina saunters in. Some more time is spent chit-chatting and we then move over to the lunch venue.<br /><br />The Carbo-load lunch is at Pasta-? (or as Gurpreet calls it - Pasta Kyon!). We get in and sit at the table and surprisingly (by ASHA and Indian standards) there are quite a few people on time. We get settled, wait a while for more people to show up (and the coaches), a few speeches and last minute words of advice are doled out, bread is served (the only thing served for the first hour plus :-)), more bread is consumed, and finally the pasta shows up. It's decent and people dig in - however, Gurpreet only eats one plate as apparently this is not as good as the previous carbo-loads (where he approached 'Carbo-Overload' with 2-3 plates :-)).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf4HwA4_KDQnygC59FtEorJ4hsHFji6PzKOJmWWFHMXgxfpvUkIke2VoC7rDh6d1d6mUivFWqgTOzZPQRXl8S3wWyo6G5s9MeTMuEGB9lA3PAdcL4RLNMpyfvgFOFplPpTv4uJ9ltUAu4/s1600-h/carboload1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf4HwA4_KDQnygC59FtEorJ4hsHFji6PzKOJmWWFHMXgxfpvUkIke2VoC7rDh6d1d6mUivFWqgTOzZPQRXl8S3wWyo6G5s9MeTMuEGB9lA3PAdcL4RLNMpyfvgFOFplPpTv4uJ9ltUAu4/s320/carboload1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5132223172208897618" border="0" /></a>And so ends an interesting day, which by all means should have been dull and boring - but as I have learned, no day can be boring when one is in the company of the Motley-Crew!Bharath Prabhakaranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08944238649789860219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734591733600076728.post-70927650302381245522007-11-01T14:56:00.000-07:002007-11-02T11:01:17.996-07:00Base Camp - 3 days to go to D-DaySo, have been tapering for the past couple of weeks and think I am reasonably well prepared mentally and physically. Here are my goals for the SV Marathon (in order of importance):<br /><br />1) Finish the damn thing!<br />2) Finish the damn thing on 2 legs!<br />3) Finish under 5 hours! (or more accurately - between 4:30 and 5:00).<br /><br />So, count down with me folks and wish me luck! Between now and Sunday, we have the Expo and Carbo-load (Pasta anyone?).<br /><br />Will sign off for now and be back with a race report next week - stay tuned!Bharath Prabhakaranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08944238649789860219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734591733600076728.post-70024330534448516902007-11-01T14:17:00.000-07:002007-11-01T15:18:54.776-07:00No Pain, No Gain - or How I got hooked on long-distance running!Of course, like with all contracts or agreements one signs, it did not take very long for me to question my sobriety at the time of signing said agreement :-)<br /><br />You see, the first 2 weeks is the easy part - sort of like those warm and fuzzy commercials you see about joining the army or marines :-) We ran 2-3 times a week and only about a mile each time (I think the first time was like 10 minutes or so). Since I did not pass out at the end, I decided to press on (not realizing what lay ahead :-)).<br /><br />1,1,7,9,9,9,12,15,17,19,21,22,18,20,22,13,<br />23,30,21,33,36,22,32,35,22,34,28,16,9<br /><br />No, I'm not making up my own Fibonacci series or my own arithmo-geometric progression! This is in fact what I signed up for - my mileage log from Week 1 to Week 29 of the program - all 556 miles of it!<br /><br />So, what was it like? (the short and sweet version - this is the internet age after all; no point writing a masterpiece :-)):<br /><br />The Highs - Too many to mention:<br />- The awesome coaches (Tony, Martina, Rajeev, Raman - you know who you are :-))<br />- The amazing organizers and volunteers - bagels, bananas, muffins after each long run, water, Gu, and gatorade at every water stop (Chicago marathon organizers - take notes here :-)), volunteers at every water stop in the pouring rain on the Oracle Trail one weekend - we runners owe you big time!<br />- Experiencing some of the amazing natural beauty and trails in the bay area (Sawyer Camp - spectacular!)<br />- The local MV running group - made of a fun assortment of characters (Gurpreet (he who is now qualified to write an encyclopedia on running injuries having been through most of them), Karthik (oh how I wish I could just give away my right ITB :-)), Kiran (blink and you'll miss him - oh wait, I'm not a morning person), our absentee mentor (thanks for the first month, and the tips and encouragement Sathya :-)), and above all, Coach Martina (for putting up with us and for her no-nonsense approach (20 lashes for being late etc.)).<br />- Finishing my first half-marathon: The San Francisco 1st half - 2 hrs 15 mins - after 3 months of training - not too shabby eh ?! Running across the Golden Gate bridge not once but twice made up for those wicked hill stretches!<br />- Managing to meet my Fundraising target - Woo hoo - thank you generous donors!<br />- As stated before, standing on a weighing scale and not getting the sneaky suspicion that if the scale were alive, it would be laughing at me mockingly :-)<br />- Getting the discipline to get up at unearthly hours (5:00 am anyone?) when the sun don't even shine<br />- Making new friends and being surrounded by a bunch of people questioning ones sanity (very useful especially when one is questioning one's own!)<br />- Many Many more....<br /><br />The Lows (not too many):<br />- Making Pain your friend - lest it looks like I am sugar-coating this whole experience, running is not a bed of roses :-) You need to make friends with pain. The Runner's high that one keeps hearing about, comes with a price - withdrawl (oops I mean Recovery) can take a while!<br />- Bad Foam Rolling experience :-) - without going into too many details, me and my foam roller are not on talking terms anymore after a particularly bad rolling experience! User-error they say - HA - I'm telling you - that roller was out to get me!<br />- 22 miler - running out of gas - If I were to pick one bad long run, that would be it. For starters, it was probably the Alameda trail... Man, I 'm telling you - that trail is jinxed (the Fremont running group vehemently disagrees). Both my long runs there were not my best. Compounding my misery was a bad cold - kind of hard to run when one can't breathe properly! Anyways, got through it and finished and it only made me stronger (cliche I know :-)).<br /><br />So, where does that leave me? At the threshhold of the frontier that I have been training hard to conquer, that exclusive club that one longs to get into (no, not the mile-high club :-)) - the <a href="http://www.svmarathon.com/index.html">Metro Silicon Valley Marathon</a> on November 4th, 2007 (Sunday).Bharath Prabhakaranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08944238649789860219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734591733600076728.post-4029962565232885752007-11-01T13:53:00.000-07:002007-11-01T15:03:26.785-07:00So what happened in the past 6 monthsDude, what happened?<br /><br />That's the typical response these days! I guess dropping 20+ pounds and a few sizes does get noticed :-)<br /><br />It was all going fine and dandy - work was great, family doing fine, all peaches and cream! So, what if there was a bit of a spare tire around the midriff - a sign of opulence right? Until, enter that villian, that anti-gourmand, evil incarnate -only, in this case, he wore a white coat, and spouted on about low HDL, high LDL etc. Oh the inhumanity - one actually had to watch what one ate, and things that tasted good were actually bad for you?! I did like his style though of getting to the root of the problem - he pats my spare tire and goes - 'this is the root of your problems' :-)<br /><br />So, here I am wondering how I can get back in shape when my friend Rajeev tells me about Team ASHA - a marathon training program for people who've never run and want to run a marathon in 6 months. 0 to 26.2 miles in a half-a-year. He must be kidding right?<br /><br />In any case, I go to the informational, sign-up to try it out (it's risk free the first few weeks you know - you can drop out if it's not your cup of gatorade). The coaches and mentors looked like they knew what they were talking about and generally made sense - you know running program, track workouts, VO2 max(?), gradual ramp-up etc. In return, they only want those extra pounds of flesh (works for me) and your first born :-) - just kidding... In return, you get to raise money for <a href="http://www.ashanet.org/">ASHA</a> to support the education of underprivileged kids.<br /><br />Sounded like a win-win. So, I decided to give it a whirl and there began a wonderful odyssey which I will chronicle in brief in my next post!Bharath Prabhakaranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08944238649789860219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4734591733600076728.post-42368022261599949292007-11-01T13:42:00.000-07:002007-11-01T13:50:48.353-07:00So I finally figured I'd get me one of dem der blogs!Ok - guilty as charged! It's taken me all this while (forever in Silicon Valley, 6 months into my training program etc. etc.) to get down to getting me one of dem der blogs! Call it a bad case of technophobia or writer's blog(ck?).....actually, the real reason is that strained ITB - oh wait, that's part of one's legs - never mind :-)<br /><br />Well, now that I've started, I figure I can use some cross-training for the hands and fingers and will attempt to chronicle my metamorphosis from a couch-potato to a newbie runaholic and ongoing experiences as a marathoner, long-distance runner type!Bharath Prabhakaranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08944238649789860219noreply@blogger.com0