12th week!

The total miles I have run so far is 185! I am proud of my persistence as I ran a 7 mile this Saturday in rain and wind. I am targeting about 2 1/2 hours for the 1/2 marathon on the 30th of April. Hope I can make it.

Quotes of the week:

Carl Lewis -Channel your energy. Focus

Carlos Lopes, Portugal -Second place is not a defeat. It is a stimulation to get better. It makes you even more determined.

Chairman Mao -Long distance running is particularly good training in perseverance.

Cheryl Bridges Treworgy, member of five U.S. World Cross-Country teams -Taking charge of your body can help you take charge of your life. And that power can help you go wherever you want to go, every single day.

11th Week....

Probably a very positive week as for the first time I did a 6 mile and a 9 mile! I also ran 2 hours on the trail to complete the 9 miles. For the first time I saw flooding on the American River Trail! Lot of deer on the way. It was very stimulating. But I am giving up on trying to run fast for the 1/2 marathon. Instead I want to concentrate on being able to complete the run. I guess it will be a good preparation for the CIM.

It is amazing to see the timings of some of these runners! ( just over two hours for 26 miles!)

Now for the quote:

There are as many reasons for running as there are days in the year, years in my life. But mostly I run because I am an animal and a child, an artist and a saint. So, too, are you. Find your own play, your own self-renewing compulsion, and you will become the person you are meant to be. ~George Sheehan

10th week... I crossed 7 miles for the first time

I am learning to enjoy nature as I run. I love the birds, the clouds and the blue sky. I did not know that in spite of the aches and pains to can still have fun.

I did a 98 minute stint and a 75 minutes this week.

Moving on...

Quote of the week:

“We run, not because we think it is doing us good, but because we enjoy it and cannot help ourselves...The more restricted our society and work become, the more necessary it will be to find some outlet for this craving for freedom. No one can say, ‘You must not run faster than this, or jump higher than that.’ The human spirit is indomitable.”
-Sir Roger Bannister, first runner to run a sub-4 minute mile

9th Week... relatively uneventful

I did 2 long runs (one six and another five) but did not do enough this week. Hopefully my work will permit me to do better.

I definitely have to concentrate of nutrition and better running gear. I plan to take care of the running gear this week.

Quotes of the week:

“You cannot propel yourself forward by patting yourself on the back.”

“If you fail to prepare, prepare to fail.”

8th week - Visit to Central Park

Cannot believe that I lived for 3 years in New York and never actually went into this paradise. It was a beautiful Saturday and I ran a cool 6 miles inside the park and it felt like heaven.

One of the best things I have learnt from running is that it gives me time to think and enjoy my own time. When I travel, since in general I do not like parties (totally opposite to my younger days!) I tend to spend time in the room in front of the TV. Now, my new found hobby is keeping me engaged.

The only bad thing is after the run, I was so hungry for Indian food, I called Dr. Bala in Houston, an eminent cardiologist to give me some suggestions. He was nice enough to give me a good list of choices, but I chose the wrong one!

Well - so crossed the 6 mile mark this week!

Quote of the week:

"A lot of people run a race to see who is fastest. I run to see who has the most guts, who can punish himself into exhausting pace, and then at the end, punish himself even more. Nobody is going to win a 5,000 meter race after running an easy 2 miles. Not with me. If I loose forcing the pace all the way, well, at least I can live with myself."

I always loved running... it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs. ~Jesse Owens