Somethings Right and Somethings Not Right

With less than 10 days to go before we conclude the year 2008 and settle our accounts with the merchant called Time, it makes all the more sense to spend some time to take a retrospective view this year.

I'm sure its been an eventful year for most of us. The year 2008 has shown the glimmer side of the world to us in many ways and very tactfully hidden the positive side of things. From an economy perspective, the year woke up to the Startup Boom and slowly this got well consumed by the overpowering economic downturn in the Americas and the the rest of the world (ROW) countries.

While the hard work done in the last year paid off for some, some of us were subjected to a trough which has nevertheless made one wiser than ever before. From personal experience and from peoples' shared experience, we should bear in mind that Failures are the Stepping Stones to Success. In my mind, this is a cyclic thing - Without Success, one would not know what is Failure and without Failure, one would not know what the taste of Success really is!

Successes and Failures are two sides of a sinusoidal waveform that generates the energy to power the engine called Life. What really matters is how adaptive and resilient we are to this thing called Change. The quicker we react to Change, the faster we move!

Remember one thing - Life is a marathon...just run it! There are times when we slow down and there are times when we sprint. Slowing down does not mean that you will lose the race (unlike a short distance run).

The slower periods in life are like pit stops in the F1 circuit - As long as you use them wisely (to refuel), you are assured of a strong finish!

All I wanted to do in this post was just to tell my readers - You Are A Winner! Never Give Up! No matter what happened in 2008, you have become a wiser person! Use the lessons learnt to strategically plan your next move!

Wish you a Merry Xmas and a Very Happy and Fruitful New Year! As always, Stay Inspired!

My First Marathon - The Singapore Marathon (Part 3)

I'm splitting my First Marathon experiences to three different parts for the sake of readability. Should you want to download the full article in a PDF format, please click here. This is Part 3 of the three part series. You can read Part 2 here. Would love to hear from you!

Family Support…
Now my mind was looking forward for something – My parents, sister and my uncle’s family. I was closing towards the 30K point. I saw the drink station on my left and badly wanted some water. That was when I heard someone call out my name – Ah! That was my dad and my uncle with their camera flashing! Couldn’t have asked for a better fuel! I almost forgot to drink water. I told them that I cannot run anymore as my right knee was aching and I didn’t want to lose it completely! I was then told that the rest of them were waiting at a point some 300meters down the course. Not being able to wait seeing them, I started to run faster (as opposed to my earlier decision of walking the rest of the 12.195kms).

I saw my sister, mom, aunt and her kids and felt good to hear them cheer me. Wait, I saw someone else too. Was it Meera? Yes, it was indeed her! The feeling of guilt now went off. I was now sure that Meera was in safe hands. What better could happen? I had a burden taken off my mind and a lot of fuel added by seeing all of them. It was from this point that I started to steadily pace up.

The Ferrari Confidence…
I really don’t remember how I ran the next 5-6kms. It just went by so smoothly that it felt like I was teleported. It was about 3kilometers before the finish point that I saw this huge showroom of Ferrari cars. Ah, that was just in time. Ferrari is my favorite car brand! Thanks to my super fast imagination, I started to feel a hundred Ferrari’s rev up and rush out of me. This truly helped me to increase my pace once again.

There was no looking back from this point on. I kept running at a steady 8-9kmph and it was not long before I could sense and smell the finish line somewhere close by. Thanks to my Garmin Forerunner 305, the sensing became easier. It was just about 500meters to the finish line! The mixed feelings that spun through me felt really different. It was like smelling your favorite food being served hot somewhere close by after days of starvation. It was like seeing your long lost love after a long spell of loneliness. It truly felt great!

The Last Mile…
The final 500meters was the most memorable part of the run. It was like getting closer to the brighter side of a dark tunnel. It was like a big ball of highly positive energy pulling us towards it. It was like a thousand magnets pulling a hairpin. I could feel tremendous energy fill my body from all sides. I could feel the strength of a thousand horses in me. I started to pound the asphalt at an average of 13-14kmph. Before I actually embarked on such a speed, I wanted to get rid of the small mineral water bottle in my hand. I kept it in one cornerstone and started off on my final lap.

I could see the finish line at a distance not greater than 200meters. The crowd was cheering and I could see the timer on the finish line from afar. As I got closer I felt like an eagle effortlessly gliding down towards its prey. As I neared the finish line I could hear my name being called out and my completion time being announced. As I crossed the finish line, I felt like a dart flawlessly hitting the center of a dartboard.

Finish Line and after…
My eyes were searching. I was turning around to find no one near the finish line. I was a bit unhappy here as I would’ve liked too see people I know soon after I crossed the finish line. I slowly walked down and sat on one of the benches near the medal and tee collection area. I untied my left shoe lace to remove my chip and then walked towards the tent to collect my Finisher Medal. Then I walked down to the tee counter to collect my Finisher Tee. Walking out of the tent I still saw no familiar face there. Where are my parents and sister? Where are my uncle, aunt and the kids? Where are my Chennai Runners friends? I saw no one!

Overwhelming pleasure…
In just about 5minutes I saw my sister out of no where and then slowly the rest of my family. It was only then that I realized that my uncle was waiting at the turning (soon after I kept my bottle on the cornerstone and started to pace up) with his Nikon D40 to take some final lap snaps. My dad and sister were apparently one of the spectators who gleefully cheered me when I crossed the finish line. I felt so bad and sad for having thought what I thought earlier – They were all more eager to be with me than I was. I was overwhelmed! I saw Shahid just then, only to realize that he also had a bad day with a 6:40 finish.

I changed my running tee and wore my running jerkin from the kit bag my sister was carrying. Slipped out of my running shoe into a pair of sandals from my kit bag and walked towards the foot massage tent. After just about 4-5minutes of wait, I was called in for leg massage. For over 10 minutes my feet and legs enjoyed the most relieving massage they ever had.

The Spirit of a Marathoner…
Though I completed the marathon in 6:47, this has been by far the best run I’ve ever had as I finished really strong (I could’ve run another 10Kms if someone gave me company), had my family by my side and of course completed a full-marathon! I finally did bring my dreams of doing my first marathon in 2008 to fruition. I have proved to myself and the world that NOTHING CAN STOP ME from doing something! I’ve always believed that marathoners have unmatched grit and determination with a NEVER SAY DIE attitude. I’m happy to me a marathoner! God Bless!

Attitude of Gratitude…
I could not have got here without any support. There is someone who started it in me, there is someone who has constantly driven me and motivated me, there is someone who has constantly endured all my demands and funniness and above all there are many who have wished well for me. I would like to specially thank a few people here –

Ram Viswanathan – He is a man who can make rocks dance. He can possibly motivate even snails to do ultra-marathons. To me, he has been more than a mentor. He was the one who brought me into the world of long distance running, and I could never have dared to dream of a marathon without him. Thanks Ram!

Harishankar – This is a man who comes with a great level of patience and enthusiasm. He can run a marathon and give a TV interview in parallel. There were days when he used to give me tips on running during our runs. He was the one who made me run my first long distance run of 28kilometers at a pace of 9kmph (this was close to two years ago). Thanks Hari!

My Parents and Sister – I still cannot understand how they are able to put up with my craziness! They have never questioned my craziness (especially when I get out of home in the early morning hours at 2-3am for a run). Their support during the Singapore Marathon just goes beyond words. Thanks Dad, Mom and Sis - You support was really great!

My Uncle, Aunt and the kids – They did get up early in the morning and come to the starting point. I still cannot understand – I would’ve slept! More so, they stayed on till I finished the marathon! Amazing support…couldn’t have asked for more! Thanks uncle, aunty, Shashank and Sudarshan (my kid cousins)…you made my day!

PDF Download link:
http://karthikvijayakumar.com/publicimages/My%20First%20Marathon.pdf

Stay Inspired!

My First Marathon - The Singapore Marathon (Part 2)

I'm splitting my First Marathon experiences to three different parts for the sake of readability. Should you want to download the full article in a PDF format, please click here. This is Part 2 of the three part series. You can read Part 1 here. Would love to hear from you!

The Marathon Day…

It was next morning (about less than two hours from when I hit the sack) when I went to take a quick wash, and I realized that my whole body was swollen with redness. I thought that it was some weird Singaporean Mosquitoes that did the damn job. I was getting ready that my sister (who slept next to me) woke up with an alarming voice – “Look, my palm is bloodied and I see these 6-7 dead insects here”. This was when I realized that I had just killed one such insect (thinking it was some sort of a cockroach) that was crawling on my sport jerkin a few minutes back. Immediately I realized – “They are those goddamn bedbugs!!!”

Scratching myself like mad, I headed to the cab and asked him to drive down to the address where my friend Hari was staying with his friend. After about 10minutes lost, Hari’s friend called me, only to realize that I had the wrong address! It took us another 5 minutes to get to the right address and pick up Hari. Together we drove down to a place close to the race start point. It was about 5:05am when we stepped out of the car. We headed to the baggage counter to deposit Hari’s kit and then trotted to the start point. My parents, sister and my uncle’s family had promised to be at the starting point by then, but I didn’t see them! I had to hand over the cell phone to them…that was the plan. It was 5:30am already!! I finally spotted them in the crowd after a series of phone call exchanges, and gave them the cell phone and hurried myself through the thronging crowd to the starting point.

The Starting Point…
By then time I was at the start point it was 5:40am, and already 10minutes into the marathon! I felt good physically, but was a bit not OK mentally. I had a mix of feelings in me – Happiness, Anxiety, Anger, and Irritation. I was also worried that I couldn’t hook up Ram’s kid daughter Meera to my sister and parents at the starting point due to this confusion. I started to pace at a decent 9kmph and decided to keep myself well hydrated all through the run. The weather was humid as it had rained badly the previous day. The very fact that I started the race 10 minutes late put me off a bit.

It was about 6:25am, and I was at the 5K point. I sipped half a glass of water and continued with my run. The entire running experience was a bit new to me as it was so crowded with almost one feet (or even less) of shoulder space. I had to run zigzag till about the 10K point when the crowd started to get scattered.

I had missed all my Chennai Runners friends right from the starting point, and I felt a bit lonely. Having someone by your side is always a lot of fun and takes off your attention from what you are doing. Especially during longer runs, a good running buddy helps one to increase pace and stretch the limits.

The Kenyan Spirit…
It was slightly past 13K mark when I saw one of the Kenyan runners (was the winner) running in the opposite direction (in the return loop) about 500meters from where we were running. The feeling was like watching Michael Schumacher drive the F1 lanes when we are driving in the roads of Chennai or Bangalore. The runner’s posture, pace, strides, charisma was so astonishing that I started to pace faster than before without my knowledge!

A Little Encouragement and Company…
I was thoroughly enjoying the run. The water points, the cheering crowd, the school bands playing – every bit of it was so wonderfully organized. There was this point around the 15K point when I started to feel uneasiness in my right knee. I fortunately found a lady offering the pain rub ointment and decided to pause for a bit to get that stuff on both my knees.

This is when I saw this young Singaporean gentleman who had stopped for the want of the pain rub ointment. He was telling out loudly “Why did I have to subject myself to this torture? I’m going to just walk the next 5K and stop. My knees can’t take it.” I heard him and thought “He should complete the marathon! I should probably do something…can I? Let’s see…” I started off a casual conversation with him and we went on to talk about my knee injury. I just told him “If I can run with an ITB on one knee and a knee pain in another, you should definitely run as you are just giving up mentally” After about 5-8minutes, we started to resume running and my this gentleman was now doing good, pacing at 8kmph.

Now my mind got another doubt “Have I run the right direction? Why is that I did not cross any Champion chip scanner? Why is that there were no cameras to take my pictures?” This was around the 20K point, when I saw a point where they had the scanners on both sides of the running path. After a few meters, there was this camera that was probably one of the cameras taking pictures of runners.

Happy to have got past the 21K point, I decided to slow down a little bit and keep going (but not walk). Surprisingly, I never felt an ounce of tiredness! Just the soreness in my right knee was a bit troubling me. I was now running through the ECP (East Coast Park), and it felt like I was in heaven. I saw people walking, jogging, tenting up and lazing around. I saw some shops that rented cycles and rollerblades for those who wanted to enjoy going round on wheels. This was the place I wanted to be!

More in Part 3. Stay Tuned...

My First Marathon - The Singapore Marathon (Part 1)

I'm splitting my First Marathon experiences to three different parts for the sake of readability. Should you want to download the full article in a PDF format, please click here. This is Part 1 of the three part series. Would love to hear from you!

With less than 1% of the world’s population indulging in running marathons, it’s not too often that one gets to write about marathon experiences. I’m glad to have entered the elite One-Percent Club of long distance runners with the completion of my maiden marathon in Singapore last week.

More than just sharing my experiences during the course of the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon, I have decided to go a little further. In this article I have made an attempt to write about my experiences in the past 4-5 months, to see how it impacted my race day performance, and my life.

The Beginning…
The year 2008 started with a lot of serious running. I did the Chennai half-marathon in February 10th followed by the Auroville half-marathon in February 17th. I was covering about 40-50kilometers per week in a maintenance phase till about April. With the onset of summer, I had decided to take it easy.

I was in New York in June, and the very next day I joined by friend Ravichander for a short 5K run organized by the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) along the Hudson River Parks. This was my first ‘organized’ international run, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. It was when I thought – “If a mere 5K run was organized so well, how much better can a full marathon be?” The very next week I joined my friend and his Asha NYNJ chapter runners at the Central Park, only to end up with a strong determination to do one full marathon by the end of 2008. It was in July that I heard about the registrations for Singapore Marathon being opened, and I was tempted!

Last year was when I got into running seriously, and for some reason, I missed the Singapore marathon deadline. I didn’t want to make the same mistake again, and immediately registered myself for the full-marathon by paying $80 and completing the registration form. I went to Runners World and got myself a nice 16week training plan. After a week’s training, I was feeling good…really good. Thought I must look forward to completing the Singapore one in less than 4 hours and 30 minutes.

The Brick Walls…
This is when the dark clouds started setting in. A spate of frequent travel came my way, and there was this time in August when I was in Pune. It was raining very heavily outside and I didn’t want to compromise on my training either. I decided to head to the gym in the hotel I stayed (Sun ‘N’ Sand) and run on the treadmill. I started trotting at 6kilometers per hour speed and the sheer imagination of completing a marathon made me unknowingly increase the speed all the way to about 14-15kilometers per hour. I was running like a horse for more than 25minutes, and suddenly I landed a little bit heavily on my left leg. To be frank, that did not feel good! I started to reduce the speed of the treadmill until it eventually stopped.

The day went past and so did the travel. I was back in Chennai, and decided to do an evening run on one Thursday. After about 3kilometers I felt a little strain near my left knee, and I decided to walk a little bit. Not being able to withstand a snails pace, I resumed my running and there was this point at about 4kilometers when I was forced to a screeching halt! I felt excruciating pain outside my left knee.

This is when it all started. My experiences from this point till the race day on December 7th are something I’ve shared in my earlier blog posts mentioned below –
5 Days and 16 Hours to go…
http://blog.karthikvijayakumar.com/2008/12/5-days-and-16-hours-to-go.html
Getting Back to Fitness…
http://blog.karthikvijayakumar.com/2008/11/getting-back-to-fitness.html
Looking at the Brighter Side – Patience and Perseverance is the Key
http://blog.karthikvijayakumar.com/2008/10/looking-at-brighter-side-patience-and.html
It feels good to be back in action!
http://blog.karthikvijayakumar.com/2008/10/it-feels-good-to-be-back-in-action.html
Injury – Another Brick Wall
http://blog.karthikvijayakumar.com/2008/08/injury-another-brick-wall.html

The Race-day eve…
Most of you would definitely agree with me on how important the day before the D-day is. Be it exams or interviews, the day before the D-day greatly impacts your final performance. It’s the same case with long distance running – Especially when you got to cover 42.195 kilometers by foot the next day!

Running (and completing) a marathon tests both the body and the mind. The course of 42.195 kilometers is a test of grit and determination. A marathon tests one’s character, attitude, strength, weakness and courage.

It was December 6th in Singapore. I had spent most of the day shopping (which involved a lot of walking). It was about 9:30pm when I got back home. That was when I realized that since I was sharing the room with my parents and sister, it was good to have all my race-day essentials kept aside so that I can get myself prepared in the restroom the next morning. I had got almost everything ready, and the clock was showing 11pm. I decided to hit the sack as I had to get up the next morning at 3:15am to get ready for my run.

For the first time in more than a decade, I felt butterflies in my stomach. I was both excited and anxious! While on one side I could feel the energy across the finish line against my chest and my name being called out with applauses, I feared my knee pain hitting me during the race. In about less than half an hour’s time from when I hit the sack, I suddenly found myself scratching my legs and arms. I thought it was just yet another manifestation of my anxiousness, and forced myself to sleep. But it never happened, and it was already 1am in the morning. I could not take it anymore and decided to walk out into the hall and sleep in the couch.

More in Part 2. Stay Tuned...

5 Days and 16 Hours to go...

With just 5 days to go before I hit the asphalt to embark my first full-marathon in Singapore, the anxiety is increasing more than ever. It's been raining in my city for the whole of last week which eventually flooded the roads with atleast knee-deep water. This fluffed my training and now, even worse, I've been struck with cold and wheezing.

Generally, any health problem above the neck is something that can't stop me from running. But, its been over three years since I was struck with wheezing, and it feels like a new thing to me now....and....it's below my neck! Will that force me to stop running? Nay....infact, it's now time to add some exceptions to my earlier rule of thumb!

Now, I've tweaked the rule to include a new clause -

You can run if you don't have a problem below the neck. BUT, you can run even if you have a mild respiratory infection if you have a marathon in less than 15 days time. Just don't overstrain!

Well, these are the Brick Walls that tests one's commitment. These are the testing moments that measures the body's and mind's limits. So far, I've had these brick walls in the form of knee injury, flooded roads, cold and wheezing. The accompanying side-effect of these problems has been the increase of body weight, which has been the other brick wall which I've managed to fight with some decent success.

Overall, everything is looking good - Brick walls are good to have....they help us discover A Better ME. Never say die and never give up! Stay Inspired!

Spirit of the Marathon - I finally watched it!!!

Early this year (on Feb 21st) I'd expressed my desire to watch this movie Spirit of the Marathon. I had to wait for 8 long months to get this opportunity. And, a BIG Thanks to my running pal Shahid for having shared the DVD that he recently got his hands on.

Yes, I finally got to watch this movie. I would paraphrase the movie as an Inspiration Bomb to a wannabe marathoner (or, any sportsman). 'Spirit of the Marathon' is truly first of its kind in more than one way -

• This movie has no actors - there are only runners....including the director Jon Dunham!
• This movie is not targeted at a commercial audience
• It's a non-fictional movie -Yes! All characters are real, and they did run the Chicago (and, you get to see it too!) marathon
  
• This is not a movie with superheroes! This movie shows mere mortals - first-time marathoners, serial marathoners, Boston aspirants and the world record holders - All of them in one movie!
• What you see is the reality - Nothing is an act

I foung the Spirit in the movie title to be the key. The movie brilliantly exemplifies the capacity of a group of people to pull together persistently and consistently in pursuit of a common purpose - Run a marathon (specifically the Chicago one). This brings out the "Spirit" (as in Esprit de corps) of the marathon.

The movie shows the first-timers on one side and the champions like Amby Burfoot, Deena Kastor, Daniel Njenga on the other side. Jon has beautifully brought out the message that different people run for different reasons. While Leah takes up the sport of running to get over from a broken marriage, Deena (a 2004 Olympic Bronz medalist) runs to win the race. Different people have different reasons to run a marathon - But the result is the same - It increases your self esteem and sets in the sense of accomplishment....of doing something that not most of the world's population does not dare to do - Running a Marathon!

To me, the Spirit in the movie title is like the "Spirit" (sometimes used interchangeably with the word soul). The movie infused a powershot of super-high inspiration and energy into my body and mind, that I felt like I was possessed!

Not sure if this sort of a feeling is because of my love for running or the injury-driven force that has kept me away from the road for a long time now. With my knee pain really nagging me even during a couple of runs last week, I have been a bit depressed.

But I really don't know what took me by force yesterday when I got this DVD home. I set out for an evening 6K run and returned with absolute zero discomfort! This was not a one-time occurrence. I did a pain-free 6K today too! So, yesterday it was the power of possessing a copy of Spirit of the Marathon DVD, and today it was the power of having watched the movie?!!?!

The movie is a very comprehensive one. The Telly Award winner and marathon runner Jon Dunham has covered every single aspect of running a marathon in this movie. From training, to injuries, to family management, to diet, the director has very nicely brought out the nuances from every perspective. He has also covered the pre-race-day preparation! (what to pack before you leave to the starting point).

Overall, this movie is a MUST WATCH! I would strongly recommend any wannabe marathoner (or, any sportsman) to watch this movie. Even non-runners who have always wanted to do something big and achieve something big should watch this movie! The picture on the DVD wrapper (picture on the left) has the finish line depicted with the following lines -

When you cross the finish line, it will change your life forever

Stay Inspired!

Is your mentee expecting too much?

Sometime back, I'd written very briefly about mentoring, where I did talk about a couple of good things my mentors taught me. But wearing a mentor's shoe, I've faced this other challenge of managing expectations from a mentee. Some people think that having a mentor is all they need to do to become successful. But, one should always remember the adage -

You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make him drink

A mentor is one who will guide a mentee with the right set of information. But it's up to the mentee to ask what they want. There are times when a mentee asks the mentor to almost do everything (making the horse drink). I did a little bit of searching in the internet and landed up at this simple website called HelpYourselfTherapy.com. They've very beautifully written about "expecting too much". I urge you to read on...

THE CURSE OF EXPECTATIONS

We pick on ourselves when we don't meet our own expectations. We feel sad and angry when others don't meet the expectations we put on them. And even when our expectations are met we don't feel very good about it. We just say: "I expected it anyway."

If we would just stop expecting things we could save ourselves a lot of unhappiness!

WHAT IS REASONABLE TO EXPECT FROM OTHERS?

It is only reasonable to expect that people will do what they say they will do. This is all we can reasonably expect - that people will keep their word.

Sometimes even expecting people to keep their word is unreasonable. People who break their word regularly aren't trustable. We'd be wise to have no expectations at all about them.

WHAT IS REASONABLE TO EXPECT FROM OURSELVES?

The only reasonable expectations are those that come from agreements or contracts. And since contracts are always between at least two people, making a contract with ourselves is impossible! When we refer to "agreeing with ourselves" about something, we are actually agreeing with the air!

When people make an agreement with themselves they are talking about something that they are trying to change and that they are only hoping will work.

EXAMPLE:
We can say "I'm going to lose ten pounds this year." We say this because we feel a need to set a goal to overcome our consistent pattern of eating and exercising.

It would be more honest to say: "I'm expecting to eat and exercise the way I always do,
so I'm going to TRY to pay attention to these things during the next year and I only HOPE that I will lose 10 pounds."

It's only reasonable to expect consistency from yourself. Everything else is just something you are HOPING for and TRYING to accomplish.

SO ARE YOU SAYING THAT EXPECTATIONS ARE WORTHLESS? Yes I am!

THE CURE FOR EXPECTATIONS ABOUT OURSELVES

The person who wanted to lose 10 pounds would be wise to:
1) Admit that they really want to continue to eat and exercise the way they always did.
2) Know that they are totally acceptable this way.
3) Experiment to find new ways of eating and exercising that they actually like to do.
4) Keep doing the new things they like to do until they no longer even have to think about it.

SUMMARY (PLEASE READ THIS!!)

FIRST - Know what you really want.
SECOND - Accept yourself as you are. (Picking on yourself only reinforces worse behavior!)
THIRD - Try new behaviors to see if you might actually want to do them.
LAST - Repeat the new behaviors until they are habits. (This takes six months to a year.)

THE CURE FOR EXPECTATIONS ABOUT OTHERS

Directly ask people for what you want. If they don't give a clear answer, ask again.
When they say a clear "yes" or a clear "no," accept it.

BUT WHAT IF I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WANT?

Then you can't expect anyone else to know what you want either. Nobody can guess what you want.

We learn what we want by reading our feelings well. If you need help noticing your feelings and finding out what you want, that's a therapist's job!!

WHAT TO DO ABOUT EXPECTATIONS YOU HAVE ABOUT OTHERS

1) Decide what the other person would have to actually do for you to be satisfied.
2) Ask for these specific behaviors from them. (This usually includes teaching and giving concrete examples.)
3) Examine your standards: (Can you change your standards to make them better for you?)
4) Accept that things are what they are (after you've done a good job of #1 and #2).
5) Be responsible! (For either staying in this situation or for finding a better one.)

COMMON EXPECTATIONS

Which of these common expectations do you have?
___ "I expect fair treatment at work."
___ "I expect equal work around the house."
___ "I expect help from family and friends."
___ "I expect to enjoy being with my friends."
___ "I expect to be loved."
___ "I expect good sex."
___ "I expect enough cuddling and hugs."
___ "I expect people to be honest ."
___ "I expect people to like me."
___ "I expect people to want to be with me."
___ "I expect people to leave me alone."
___ "I expect children to obey."
___ "I expect my therapist to help me."
___ "I expect children to listen."
___ "I expect children to learn."
___ "I expect my cat to use the litter box!"

Now think about each item you checked and decide how to use # 1 through #5 in the last paragraph to work toward actually getting what you want.

So, just remember one thing - Speak Out! Don't expect an answer without asking the right questions. And....always remember that everything comes with atleast a little hardwork - Don't expect your mentor (or, anyone!) to do everything for you!

Good Luck!! As always, Stay Inspired!!

Chennai Runners on Chennai Live 104.8FM!!

It was indeed a special moment for Chennai Runners yesterday. Though we've been on many printed media publications (from newspapers to magazines), it was the first time we were ON AIR! Yes, in light of the ECR8 that we are organizing tomorrow, Chennai Live 104.8 FM, a part of the Muthoot Group invited us to their studio in Egmore, Chennai, for a talk show.

This group launched Chennai Live in July this year. The most unique aspect of this FM station is the fact that they are more focused towards rendering 'theme-based' programs to the Chennaiites. They have this morning breakfast show where they do a 'theme-based' talk show with noted personalities on the phone line and the RJ (Radio Jockey) facilitates a discussion around a subject.

Shahid, Hari and myself went to their studio at about 3PM yesterday. We were welcomed by an every-smiling Sonali, who hosted the show for us. I must admit one thing - hosting a radio show is not a joke! Yes, Sonali perfected the art of talking and more importantly 'steering the discussion' in the way she wanted it to proceed. We spent over an hour and a half at their studio, but it felt like a very short time.

After a cup of coffee, Sonali lead the three of us into the studio where we were welcomed by the sound engineer (he does a real good job with those bunch of gadgets in the studio!). We were made to sit on one side of the table, while Sonali and the engineer took their seats in the studio 'cockpit' (ah...its the name I gave...looking at the bunch of mixers and other controls). After a brief about how the show would go on and an explanation of the 'technical terms' that's used to denote a break and a recording, Sonali started off the show.

Pretty much in line with my expectations, the show was more like a talk show. We ended up having a lot of short conversations (which is termed as a 'link' in their parlance) which were recorded. We had longer conversations between these 'links' which was more of an informal chat. The show was centered around the ECR8 Run that we are organizing tomorrow on the ECR Road (starting from Mayajaal). We covered almost everything we wanted to - from the ECR8 to our history to our vision, we covered every single topic in this show (Yes, we did even talk about the 'runners and the dog chase' problems!!).

We really missed Ram, KK, Vidyuth and others on the show. It would've been a lot more fun to have you guys in the same room yesterday. Personally, I loved this experience of being on a talk show at Chennai Live 104.8's radio station. I've longed for this experience ever since I've heard the shows on AIR (All India Radio) 15+ years ago. Overall, it was a very good and a pleasant experience!

See you tomorrow at the ECR8!! As always, Stay Inspired!

Looking at the Brighter Side - Patience and Perseverence is the Key

Its been a very challenging period for me since August 21st this year. That was the fateful day (the details of the run, taken from my Garmin is on the right side) when I badly injured by left knee due to running with overconfidence. After a few physiotherapy sittings, I was asked to try out running a short 3 kilometer distance. But it was only then did I realize that the injury was pretty severe as I could hardly run after about 3 kilometers. This is when my confidence started to shatter.

I had never experienced a feeling like this before. With my Singapore Marathon training schedule completely shattered (I have a new schedule now!), my confidence level started to slowly reduce (though I comforted myself with optimistic thoughts). There was a point when I was limping around, without being able to climb stairs nor sit with my knees bent in an acute angle. Even then, there was this ray of hope that was always telling me that the colorful side is yet to come.

It has actually been two days now, and I've started to properly run. When I say 'properly', I'm referring to a run that has not resulted in any pain on my left knee. This morning's run (details from my Garmin is on the left side picture) was the best after a very very long time. I was able to do a 6 kilometer run at a pace of 10:47! I feel like a free bird! The joy and happiness with which I finished today's run is something that's really unexplainable.

Though I've motivated a lot of people and kept many inspired, this was the first personal experience in the recent past which has made me motivate myself and keep myself inspired. Should you find something challenging, don't give up! Stay put on and you will see the challenges slowly dissolving into happiness and joy. Always look at the brighter side!

It feels good to be back in action!

After a really long break from running (50+ days) due to my left knee lateral collateral ligament strain, I finally got to hit the asphalt last evening!!! Trust me, I'm running short of words to express the happiness and joy that was gushing when I completed the run without any pain. It feels so good....and I'm happy to be doing this.

With the Singapore Marathon (my first international marathon) exactly 60 days 15 hours 32 minutes and 19 seconds away, the level of ramp-up is much higher than what it was 50 days ago. The training plan that put together 50 days ago is now invalid! Based on how my body cooperates in the next 6 days, I'm going to come up with an All New training plan. I know that it's going to be pretty tough (and foolish!) to ramp-up to do a sub 3 hr 30 min completion. Given my bad experience with injury that resulted out of sheer over-confidence, I'm not going to be trying anything outlandish for this marathon.

I'm going to be training to complete the marathon (possibly in less than 5 hours and 30 minutes...is that too high or too low?) Well, my fastest 10Km has been 54 minutes and my fastest 5Km has been 26 (or, 24?..forgot!) minutes. I just landed in Bangalore this morning, and will look forward to sneaking a few runs in the next few days...till I get back to Chennai on 10th.

Nevertheless, the injury was just another brick wall, and I'm happy that it's presented me with yet another brick wall of a a 60 day training plan for my first marathon! Challenges are nice to have. The greater the Challenge, the sweeter is the taste of Success!

Stay Inspired!

What My Mentor Taught Me

Kim Nash has written very well on this topic at CIO.com. Based on my personal experience with my two mentors, I'd like to add two more points to this list -

1. Be bold in letting the world know what you think: "One of my mentors taught me that if you think something is right, and have the right reasoning behind it, you should let the world know. Critisisms are always bound to be there. But always use your experience and judgement to take the decision you feel is right". I've realized that people love to work with leaders who are bold enough to voice their thoughts, than with leaders who take things as they come by.
2. Select the right set of people and give them smaller chunks of the larger work you are assigned with: "Another mentor of mine gave this piece of advise to me. I used to do everything myself...however big the work was. This piece of advise impacted me in a very big way. Its taught me how to select the right people to assign work. Its taught me to trust people and has hence given me the time to focus on larger challenges.

The Network of Knowledge - A Secret of Success

The success of many key people has always been a sight to watch. The way they get to face and address the most challenging of problems (so to say) is always worth a 'replay'. We all have this curious open question in the top of our minds "How are successful people successful?"

As mere mortals, its next to impossible to know everything beneath (and above) the sky - Let's accept this fact. Often people get caught in this Catch-22 situation when they vehemently pursue a dream of Success by trying to know everything. In Tamil, there is a famous Thirukkural that goes this way -

கற்றது கை மண் அழவு, கல்லாதது உலகழவு
The meaning of this amazing verse is - What one has learnt is just about a fistful of sand, what one has yet to learn is as vast as the universe

Even successful people have these mortal limitations. How do they overcome this? Here is the answer - They surround themselves with a very intense and valuable network of people. In the IT (Information Technology) parlance, this is similar to the internet - You have access to all the information as long as you stay connected to the internet. You are not bound by the limitations of your hard disk (brain) or your system performance (the human ability).

So, how are human networks formed? In the simplest form, there are two ways -

1. the information seeker gets a information source(s) (viz., a Mentor(s))
2. the information source voluntarily reaches out to an information seeker(s)

How can you be successful in the pursuit to seeking and creating a good network? Here are some tips -

• Firstly, keep your inhibition factor and the ego factor at its lowest - Don't feel shy to seek help. Neither should you let pride take control over your actions
• Stay on the lookout for a good Mentor. Mentors can be people who you might treat as a role-model or a person, who you think, can help you think the right way
• Believe in your network
• Don't get contented with the size of your network! More people you know, the more information you have access to
• Utilize your network - There is no point owning a Mercedez and not using it!
• Join networking groups - in any form
• Ask questions (however dumb it may sound) - It's not a sin!

Remember, Rome was not built in a day. So is a good network. It's a evolving thing.

A good network is like a Golden Banyan Tree. As years go by, the value keeps increasing as much as its foundation gets stronger. The number of points of connection to the earth (the world of information) just keeps increasing. The tree just gets stronger!

Stay Networked, Stay Inspired!

Affirmations - Works Wonders!

Do you want to wake up every morning with a certainty of a bright and colorful day? Wrap yourself with the positive vibes of nature. Affirmations are the key to achieving this. Here is how you do it -

Sit in one corner of room (preferably a silent place). Close your eyes and breath heavily 5 times. Continue normal breathing and try to concentrate. Visualize a peaceful and serene lake and the sun rising on the horizon. Many thoughts will come and go. Don't resist them. After a few minutes, you will experience the perfect silence.

Breath consciously and relax. Imagine a golden white ball of light entering your body from above your head, and visualize this passing through your throat, chest, hands, stomach and through your legs. With each breath, try to push this ball of light from top to bottom.

Now, once you are done, utter the following affirmations in your thoughts. Utter these affirmations in your thoughts each time you inhale. Here they go -

• "Just for today I will live in an attitude of gratitude."
• "Just for today I will not worry."
• "Just for today I will not anger."
• "Just for today I shall do my work honestly."
• "Just for today I will show love and respect to all living beings."

You can do this every morning. I picked these affirmations from Reiki. Apart from these affirmations, you can use other specific affirmations to do something specific. Here is an example for those of you who've been trying to stop taking beer - "Just for today, I will not drink beer!"

Remember - "You Are What You Think". Thinking makes a man; so be careful about what you think!

Key to Success - Give Unconditionally

We all want to be happy and see success in things we do. Is there one thing that will guarantee success and happiness? Yes, there is! The keys to the doors of Happiness and Success is The Ability to Give Unconditionally. In personal life or in business, its the ability to give, that makes people replicate success and experience eternal happiness. Here are 5 things you must try everyday -

1. Wish a friend on his/her birthday (or) give them a surprise vist/party
2. Thank people when they help you
3. Never expect something from others when you help them
4. Feed a stray dog (or) adopt it
5. When you want to enter a new market in business, give your service/product for NO COST. Your product (and your goodwill) will do the rest of the talking
6. SMILE at others, don't be sombre (even when the going gets tough)
7. Help your wife/mother with the domestic chores at times
8. What you've learnt is meant for others too. Pass it on!
   
9. Trust yourself and People you work with
   
10. Speak the truth....always. This can give you the most of happiness and success!

Do you remember the story of the Wise Crow and the Pot of water? Our friend Mr.Crow was thirsty, and he found this tall pot filled with little water. He could not reach it, but he was patient and wise! He decided to drop stones into the pot and drink the water when it increased to a level he could reach. As he put stones into the pot, the water level increased. Eventually the water did come to the surface he was able to taste the elixir of life!

Happiness and Success is like the water in this pot, the ability to give is similar to the stones and the pot is comparable to our lives. The more (stones) you put into the pot, the more closer Happiness and Success (water) gets to you!

Newton had scientifically put this phenomenon in his Third Law of Motion as "Every action has an equal and opposite reaction"

Remember - What goes up, has to come down! Keep Giving!

PS: Ravi - Thanks for pointing the striking typo!

Injury - Another Brick Wall

This year and the last will be etched in my biography as the years with the most arduous and testing of times. My persistence and determination has been subjected to endless tests from all fronts. In personal and professional life, its been a test for survival of the fittest.

Now, it's time for health related challenges. Since more than a week now, I've been suffering from a severe knee problem due to a lateral-collateral ligament strain on my left knee. The pain-killer (Voveran) tablets has resulted in severe gastritis. I've always been allergic to voveran.

The result of this has been pretty intolerable to me - ruptured my Singapore Marathon training plan. I've been forced to stop hitting the asphalt ever since more than a week now. Not able to control the itch, I rushed to the road a couple of days ago. It only aggravated things. My knee now needs a rest for a minimum of 10 more days.

Well, the reason for the injury is not something I really want to talk about at this point. But one thing I want to tell you is - Never Give Up!

Life is an ocean and we are windsurfers sailing towards our chosen destinations. The winds are high and can pretty much take control of you. But you got to stick to the plan. Fight the winds like the firefighters do with fire. As long as you are clear with what you want to do, Challenges are mere Brick Walls which just test how badly you want to do it"

As the words go..

When the going gets tough, the tough get going

Just keep pushing...Never Give Up!

Brick Walls in Life

In life, there are times when we are subjected to 'real' challenges. Challenges that make us sulk and sink into our couches. Challenges that make us search for the nearest possible 'exit'. Challenges that really test our earnestness.
At such times, its Randy Pausch's words that should reverberate within our thoughts. In his Last Lecture, he said -

The brick walls are there for a reason. Right? The brick walls are not there to keep us out, the brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don't want it badly enough

If you are truthful to yourself and to the world, stand by your doings. Take full ownership of what you've done. Don't give into criticisms. Even when your own people lose hope, stay on. Don't give up. After all, it's your dream. You did it for a reason, a noble cause. Look into the eyes of criticisms and nay-sayers. Challenge their pessimism, run towards your goal. The brick walls would now seem to slowly disintegrate and give way to your persistent attempts.
- Yours Truely

Stay Inspired

No negative thoughts cross my mind on race day. When I look into their eyes, I know I'm going to beat them.
- Danny Harris

Negative thoughts in any walk of life is detrimental to success.

99% of Success is attributed to our thinking, 1% is for the luck factor. Never Give Up...See the Bigger Picture...Chase Your Dreams.
- Yours Truely

The Last Lecture

Randy Pausch has been an inspiration to many in the world of engineering. Here is a video of his Last Lecture at the CMU in September this year. He will surely be remembered for many generations to come.