8 weeks to go

Greetings everybody. I write you with exactly 8 weeks to go. In 8 weeks, I will be getting up at some obscene hour, putting on my Dana Farber singlet (don't worry, it's not as bad as it sounds- it's only a shirt and not some type of weird onesie for runners), and heading out to the start line. This morning, as I realized it was only 8 weeks away, I started to get very nervous about the whole thing. I can't believe that I talked myself into trying to complete this crazy race. I think what I am looking forward to the most, once the race is over, is that sense of relief; that feeling that I stood in front of my peers, dear friends and family and said that I would complete the race. So, I am hoping this future mental image of how that sense of relief will feel will help me through the next couple of months!

This past week/weekend I have had to put training on hold while I recover from a pretty bad cold/cough. I ran a nominal distance on Saturday and am hoping that the time I took off will help me going forward. I am excited to get back to training and anticipate that I will have to be very diligent for the next two months.

Stay tuned...

Hitting the pavement on Memorial Drive (literally)

Yesterday I headed out with the intention of completing a half-marathon distance. I decided to try out Jeff Galloway's run/walk method (you run for a certain period of time and then walk for a couple of minutes). On the DFMC discussion board, our trainer encouraged us to try out walking 1-2 minutes after running 30 minutes. This method worked for me and has made a huge difference! For every 30 minutes I ran, I would stop to walk, drink from my fuel belt, and stretch out my legs for about a minute, then I would start up again.

I started out running towards the Museum of Science on Memorial Drive. I then looped around to the other side of the Charles River and ran to the River Street bridge. Then I turned around and did the same loop back. As I passed 10 miles, I felt really good and felt like I could really finish the distance with energy remaining.

Then I tripped at mile 11 and landed on the sidewalk on Memorial Drive! It was extremely disappointing. Thank god I didn't get really hurt, but my right knee started to hurt and was all scraped up. There was a runner who was behind me and I can only imagine what she was thinking. Before falling, I probably already looked rather amusing, wearing my fuel belt around my waist. But then to hit the pavement in such an ungraceful manner, must have been a sight! Ha!

On Kishore's insistence, I had my cell phone on me. I immediately called him and he thankfully came to pick me up. I was really upset though and was terribly disappointed at not reaching my goal. If it were marathon day, I would have picked myself up and continued running. But seeing as how I still have 2 months still to go, I didn't want to run on my right leg especially without first checking whether I had really hurt myself.

So that's how I ended up hitting the pavement on Memorial Drive. Believe it or not, it's not the first time that I have fallen on Mem. Drive! Hopefully that mysterious piece of raised sidewalk that I tripped over doesn't reappear during the Marathon :). Wish me luck!

Another 10-miler- GU Baby!

This past Sunday I tried to complete a longer distance than two weeks prior. The weather on Sunday was great and a huge treat. Though, with all of the snow and ice thawing, the running route on Memorial Drive was less than ideal with huge puddles and the occasional slippery surface. I set out running towards the Museum of Science. All was fine until about mile 4 when the outer portions of my knees starting hurting (I think my IT bands are to blame). I continued to push through and I started feeling much better around mile 6.

It was also during this time that I tried out GU for the first time. For those of you who are not familiar with it, GU Roctane is an energy gel that you take while running. It provides an athlete with quick and sustained energy, electrolytes, and caffeine to "tap more power and diminish pain" (according to the website). Eating this gel definitely helped me and provided me a with a much-needed energy boost!

As I neared the Harvard Boathouse, my legs started to hurt again and I talked myself into completing the remaining two miles back home. I realized that I probably could have gone on, but did not want to push myself unnecessarily. It's been interesting because this concept of the marathon has tempered my expectations. Where I would normally try my best to complete my running goals, I now try and manage my expectations because I still have 2 more months of training to go. Anyhow, I was happy with completing a little over 10 miles and hope that I can really start adding mileage this coming week/weekend.

An important and surprising donation

I wanted to share with you what I believe to be a very important and perhaps the most surprising donation of all. I am still very close to Amara Aunty's family. In addition to the overwhelming support of her children, Yamuna and Vinny, her husband, Adi Uncle has also showered with me much motivation, training advice, and support. Yesterday in the mail, I received a very kind donation from him. As I looked at the check, I started getting goosebumps. On the top left corner were both Adi Uncle's name and Amara Aunty's name! It took me by surprise and overwhelmed me with emotion. I feel like I have her blessing now and her unconditional support. Thank you Adi Uncle for giving me an added inspiration to run and complete the marathon!

Amazing display of sportsmanship

I digress a little bit from running, but sometimes, I often get inspiration from other sports including my favorite sport, tennis. I thought the trophy ceremony at the Australian Open Men's Final yesterday was absolutely amazing. One of the greatest players, Roger Federer, was brought to tears due to his failure to beat his arch rival, and good friend, Raphael Nadal and beat out Pete Sampras' record of 14 Major Grand Slam tournament wins. I thought that Federer's second speech was heartfelt and a wonderful display of sportsmanship towards Nadal. They have unbelievable respect for one another and this is one of the greatest rivalries in history....

A knee "snafu"

So I went for a 4 mile run on Saturday morning and everything was going as planned during my run. I felt great and was definitely hitting a nice stride at the end. However, as soon as I got home, my legs started cramping up and my right knee started to hurt.

I used to play tennis competitively in both high school and college and ran cross-country on my high school varsity team. And in all the years I did sports, I never once had any knee issues. So you can imagine the shock I was in come this past Saturday when my knee gave out on me.

I rested up for the rest of the day and tried not to put pressure on it. Walking down the stairs was very painful and I started to get really worried that I injured my knee really badly. On Sunday, I tried to do my half-marathon distance that I had wanted to complete this weekend. I got all dressed up in my outside gear and headed out the door. With my iPod on, my Nike calibrator set, I started running. I couldn't make it down my block. Almost in tears, I walked back home. I gave it another try but to no avail.

Last night, I went to watch the superbowl with my brother and a bunch of friends. One of our friends is also a runner and in medical school. She told me to start on an ibuprofen treatment, taking 600mg every 8 hours for about 4 days. I started it last night and this morning, my knee feels much better. I can walk properly and apply pressure to my right leg. She said that it was probably inflammation due to overuse. Anyway, I am praying that is what it is and that I can run properly tomorrow...wish me luck!