Reflections

I finished the ING New York Marathon! In 5:54:xx. SIX hours of running in beautiful NYC in sunny/windy/cold weather.

So how was it, you ask? Extremely tough, more emotionally than physically. My soreness was not comparable to the ING Atlanta, where I couldn't walk the next day.

The pre-race staging is very elaborate and I was at the ferry port at 6:45 a.m. and didn't actually cross the start line till 10:47 a.m. That is a lot of time for anxiety! I met a few Lend a Hand India runners and we rode the ferry together. I spent the staging time with a couple, Jessy (LAHI runner) and Brian, so that definitely helped keep me distracted.

Mile 1: Jessy and Brian break away in about 5 minutes after the start. Lose my running buddies.
Miles 2-8: Ran with the 5 hr pacer who kept me occupied by talking and singing. This part was a breeze.
Mile 9: I had to stop and go to the bathroom, where there was a line, and I lost the pacer. I sprinted for the next mile or so before I realized I probably wouldn't catch up with her. This is where panic hits.
Mile 10: Probably one of the worst miles, because I started panicking and then kept getting cramps and had to walk a lot.
Miles 11-18: Decided to take Scott Cohen's advice (LAHI Run for a Dream coach)and just take it easy and enjoy the race. Slow running but I did love seeing all the crowds and the NYC energy.
Miles 18-20: Mentally tough - I think I psyched myself out of running the rest of the race. Why? Because I never made it this far in training, and going from a long run of 15 miles to 20 is hard enough, adding another 6 more? Crazy!
Miles 20-24: I actually did 50/50 walking and running. At this point it was really painful doing either. My feet felt like I wasn't wearing shoes. I could literally feel the white paint on the lane dividers... literally!
Miles 24-26: Decided to just run the last two miles. At this point, I was pretty much over the whole running thing, and it was just as painful to walk as it was to run. Transitioning from one to the other was worse, so it was easier to just pick running and stick with it.
800 yards from the finish line: FINALLY! The relief you feel when you see this sign counting down the end of the race is phenomenal. No energy left for sprinting though. Both Brandon and Laura were at the finish.

YAY Finish Line!!!

I am also officially done fund-raising for LAHI as well, with a few more donations trickling in. I will have reached my $2,620 goal with some to spare. THANK YOU to everyone who donated and supported the race and this runner!

Reflections on the race: While Laura (my running buddy) had an equally tough race, we came out of it with two different realizations. She said she is done marathoning unless she is able to BQ. (Running is an addiction, we'll see how this goes :-) ) I realized this is a very do-able distance for me if I could actually commit to the training. So no more marathons until I have the time to train so it won't feel like a death march.

Until then... see you at Atlanta's Thanksgiving Half-Marathon (11/25).

p.s. Pictures will be here soon I hope.

If it hurts so much, why do you do it?

I read this recently in Runner's World... and I definitely cannot give you an answer! Following my 15 mile run yesterday (11 miles at Chattahoochee River State Park with Laura Kittle - and 4 miles on my treadmill) I was fairly sore all Sunday but it wasn't too bad today. Which is probably a good thing because on race day I'll have to run an additional 11 miles! Yikes!

Since my training hasn't been going so great this summer - Atlanta's super heat wave mixed with LA Fitness not using enough A/C (south locations only) - I am pretty much following a last ditch training regimen. During the upcoming weekend I will aim for 18 (or 20?) miles, and then just taper for the last two weeks. I think if you trained hard all summer a month long taper would be essential, but in my case, I'm not so sure. Regardless, I will be completing the race, whether I have to mix in a lot of walking at the end or won't be able to walk the next day. Why? Good question!

On another note, fundraising is going really well. Waiting for some last minute pledges and sponsorships to come through so I can get a final tally. Thanks to everyone for pitching in!

Volunteering

From the Queen Bee of volunteerism, a report from the frontlines.

Last Saturday instead of running in the Lake Spivey 15K, I volunteered as a course monitor. In races, volunteers are key! Especially in a small neighborhood race like this, where everybody was spread out, making sure people didn't take a wrong turn in the twists and turns through all the subdivisions was pretty important.

It was fun watching the 'front of the pack' runners coming through. #1 was so far ahead, nobody trailed him for awhile. #7 was a woman with a stroller - always fun to see, probably less fun if you're being passed by.

I am signed up to help out at the Expo and starting aid station during the Thanksgiving half. Mostly for the fleece and sweatshirt, but whatever gets you out there. It's a good place to talk to other runners and should help with distracting me from any pre-race jitters. I always get anxiety before running - which shows I care I guess.

Goals for the weekend: Run 19 miles Saturday!!

Having such a busy schedule equals being very tired always and finding it hard to fit in a lot of runs... so I may potentially scale back to half-marathons for awhile... but you just never know.

Looking Ahead

A few races that I am looking forward to running this fall:

Lake Spivey 15K (10/02)
www.lakespiveyroadrace.org
$25 by 09/18
5K option
-- I did this last year through some beautiful neighborhoods. Support your local community!

Atlanta Thanksgiving Half-Marathon (11/25)
www.atlantatrackclub.org/Atlanta_Half_Marathon/htm
$55 by 10/31
5K option
-- This was my first half-marathon last year -- sticking with tradition.

Join me for a run?

Halfway there...

... both in miles and money!

This blog post is overdue by about two weeks. On Saturday (Sept. 4th) I made it to the 13 mile mark in my long run. Now to double that!

I also have passed the halfway point in raising money- almost at $1,600. Thanks to Sanjiv (my cousin in Seattle) and Sunil (my dad's college friend). You guys rock!

If you still haven't donated, now's the time!

65 days and counting!

Quick note on my earlier post about P90X- I had the blog address wrong. It's now corrected as http://www.ladiespressplay.blogspot.com/.

So today we got our New York ferry assignments- Staten Island Ferry at 7:15 a.m. They ferry you to the start of the race so they can have the course going through all five NY City burroughs. The countdown clock said 65 days till race day! The pre-race nerves kicked in :-/

Also, we bought our plane tickets. Anyone up for a Sunday evening NY night out? Everything's falling into place... everything except my non-existent long runs... talk to me after Friday, maybe that will change.

Last night did the bike so I could give my legs a rest. Tonight we're back on the run!

Thanks!

Just wanted to give a shout out to some of my recent donors! A big thanks to my parents' friends - Shailender, Hasan, and Kamla. Also want to thank all my friends that came out to the Sparkle fundraiser Friday night. We raised $200.00! Another step closer to the big finale. I will post pictures of that night soon.

In the meantime, running is picking up again. 3 miles on Monday and 5 miles w/ intervals on Tuesday. The weather is about to start cooling down, which means it's time to hit the trails/ streets.

Also wanted to tell anyone interested in P90X, my colleague at work has been blogging about her fitness journey: http://www.ladiespressplay.blogspot.com/. I will always support someone's jump into a healthier lifestyle!

Motivate please!

After two months of too much vacation, intense Atlanta heat, and capped off with a week-long wedding event... I need help getting myself back out there! I ran short runs Thurs/Fri/Saturday but all were pretty difficult runs for me. Sunday I managed 8 miles with no problems.

Any ideas for motivation or dealing with extremely busy schedules? All I've come up with so far is moving my work schedule up by an hour, so on days I have after-work activities, I can fit in a few miles.

Goals for August: Run 15 miles by the end of the month and raise at least $1,200! Friday night is the girls Sparkle cocktail party which should be really fun. Pictures will be posted.

Summer of 2010 = not a running kind of season :-)

Heat Index 105

After taking a week off of running to go to Miami, trying to jump back into a long run in the Atlanta heat and humidity didn't go too well. My long run attempt ended at 4.5 miles this past Saturday. Bummer!

This week I have a ton of wedding events for Sapna so I'll be busy with that and trying to squeeze in a run here and there. Last night I did 5 miles! Saturday I will be doing my long run indoors on a treadmill most likely... weather dependent. And then will celebrate by heading out to the main wedding day.

In better news, running partner Laura Kittle has been cleared for take-off! Looking forward to some good long runs together.

Training

July was a month of vacations galore for me! Which is very fun, but doesn't bode well for training. Neither does the hot hot heat. August will be my month to really push it and get some good consistent runs. So far the longest run I've done is 9 miles. According to our team training coach, Scott Cohen, he would like me to get up to 15 miles this month.

Also, my running partner Laura Kittle (www.onehundredtwentythreedaysoftrai.blogspot.com) is going to the doctor today to see if she has a stress fracture, which would mean she couldn't train at all this summer. Fingers crossed we get good news!!

Let the training begin!

Run for a Dream

The organization I've picked for my charity is Lend a Hand India (www.lend-a-hand-india.org). They are New York based but do their work at different places in India. Their mission is to create better access to education, vocational training, career development, employment and entrepreneurial opportunities. You can actually go check out any of their worksites to see what they're doing and even lend a helping hand.

Your donation will be tax-deductible and any amount is appreciated. The website to go to for donations is www.runforadream.kintera.org/nyfull2010 and then search for Sonia Sharan. Thanks to everyone who has already supported my cause!

What is this all about?

I am running the New York Marathon November 7, 2010. I need to raise $2,620 for Lend A Hand India this summer. So far I'm almost at $800.00 so we're off to a great start! This blog should help you guys keep me on track with my training and fundraising efforts.