Auroville Marathon - Here I come!

Wow, its been ONE FULL YEAR since I did my first official half marathon. I did my first half marathon in Chennai on 10th February 2008, and the Auroville half marathon on 17th February 2008. These two runs tipped off a great (and eventful!) running year 2008 from me.

I've been doing lesser and lighter runs ever since I did my Singapore marathon in December last year. And now, I've planned to kick-off this year's runs at the second Auroville Marathon that's happening on the 15th February 2008! I'm running a half marathon at Auroville this time too. Though there are multiple reasons for one to run the Auroville marathon, to me, its more to do with the place itself. The serene and pristine surroundings in Auroville is something that has to be experienced. The place (and its people) had created a magical spell in me last year, that I decided to start my 2009 runs at Auroville.

There are many things special about the Auroville marathon. But personally, I enjoyed the unique pasta party, the fruits and fresh lime juices on the run, the ride to Auroville from Chennai with my Chennai Runners friends and the awesome foot massage after the run. But this time, I have been pleasantly surprised by a very unique aspect of Auroville marathon - I gotto "pick-n-choose" my BIB number!!! No, I'm not kidding. Thanks to my Chennai Runners friend Balaji, I got a VIP privelege to choose my BIB number. Balaji has been based out of Auroville for sometime now, and has been assisting Chandresh with the organization of this marathon. Thanks, Balaji!

Chandresh, who has been the key organizer of the Auroville marathon, had done a tremendous job last year. The organization was by far the best I've seen for a first-marathon! Chandresh is a long distance runner and a marathoner himself, and I'm sure he put himself in the runners' shoes before chalking out the route and organizing the run. Chandresh - I'm looking forward to a wonderful time at Auroville!

Having been running very scantily since my Singapore marathon, I'm looking to take the Auroville one pretty easy with the focus just being the completion (in a decent timing). I'm going to be running for Asha this time too. So, do contriute to my run and join hands in educating several underprivileged children in this country.

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!

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!

Marg Chennai Marathon - Organizers need to first get Educated on Running!

Organizing a running event is not like organizing a mela! Its not about colorful balloons and celebrity speeches. Its not about hoardings and advertisements. Its about dedicated understanding of the sport - Inside Out.

Marg Chennai Marathon organization is like selling an expensive car without any after-sales support and service! The organizers got sponsors, advertised really well, reached every school in the city, reached every household. But they miserably failed to concentrate on the actual event - The Run!

Based on inputs and observations, here are some reasons for the failure of the event -

1. Starting time was really really late - 6:45AM is NOT the time to start a 21kilometer run in the Chennai weather - It was humid and hot
2. Political and Celebrity intervention was unnecessary - It just increased the support ecosystem to get them safely to the event start point
3. There were no enough water stations during the course of the run - Its a best practice to have water stations for every 2 kilometers (atleast!)
4. Water stations were too crowded - they were literally like swarmed beehives!
5. Water stations had nothing other than water - Its best practice to have other energy drinks and fruits, to say the least
6. Organizers' support ecosystem was absent towards the end of the three-hour period
7. Certificates were missing!
8. There were no refreshments available for runners at the finish point - water is the least they should have

Doing the following could've made things better -

1. The celebrities could've cheered to the crowd over a video conference showcased on a large screen
2. Started the half-marathon at 5:30AM
3. Have water stations for every 2 kilometers
4. Water stations should've been well manned by people who were associated with this sport (running)
5. Stocked water stations with fruits andenergy drinks
6. Sought the sponsorship of energy sports drink companies
7. Provided proper certificates for participants

NDTV 24X7 and the organizers made a bold claim that this event might've pulled more than a lakh participants - This is good marketing! Remember - QUALITY IS BETTER THAN QUANTITY! Number of runners DOESN'T matter. Event quality DOES matter!

The other claim was that Chennai Marathon was bigger than Delhi and Mumbai. In my opinion (and so would many of my fellow long-distance runners would say), this is NOT EVEN CLOSE to any other running event in the country. Recently, the Hyderabad Runners organized a marathon. It was one of the well organized marathons of recent times. They did not concentrate on marketing, but on the event organization. We at Chennai Runners have been doing ECR Runs every two months. We've never had a problem till date. Our participants have always enjoyed every bit of it.

Mumbai marathon has chip-based timing, medals and certificates, is one of The Greatest Race On Earth, good crowd supprt, amazing number of water points with well stocked sports nutrients. Did Marg Chennai Marathon have even one of this properly?

The list can go on for ever. But the request I'd like to make to any running event organizer is -

For God's sake, PLEASE STOP CONDUCTING RUNNING EVENTS FOR CHARITY OR ANY OTHER PURPOSE. You can associate a run with a charity, but not a charity with a run. PLEASE DON'T RUIN THE SPORT EVEN BEFORE IT STARTS IN CHENNAI.

My request to the kith and kin of aspiring runners -

Please DO NOT discourage your loved ones from running. The accident that happened today in the Marg Chennai Marathon was due to mismanagement and can also be due to the runner's lack of knowledge on running. Running is absolutely safe and very good when practiced and trained with guidance. Our country and our city has the potential to produce champion runners.

Keep Running! It's Fun!

Chennai Marathon 2008 - It Happened Today...

The Chennai Marathon finally happened today. I've never seen a crowd as big as this in Chennai ever before! There were loads of runners at both, the half-marathon starting point and the 7-kilometer race starting point. The latter was filled with more school and college kids. With my injured knee, the only thing I could (and wanted) to do was to cheer my Chennai Runners team. They were all there when I went there at 6:05AM, ready for நம்ம சென்னை run.

The drizzle at about 5:30AM played the spoil-sport. The weather got very humid, and I expected the run to be a taxing one (looks like it indeed was so). As I'd forgotten to take my camera with me, I resorted to using my mobile's camera. It's only today that I realized that Nokia E90 indeed has a really good camera! Below are some pictures...



Overall, the crowd was good. For the rest of the news, do check out www.ChennaiRunners.com shortly.

Update: From feedbacks received so far, I understand that this event was not well organized. Moreover, a 21 year-old runner apparently died in this run.

Update: Here is the link for the news on this unfortunate event.

Update: I understand that there was no adequate refreshments provided for runners. Sad to see such an unprofessional organization.

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

Chennai Half-Marathon - Round 'D' Corner!

I'm happy to see the Marg Chennai Marathon pulling great attention from the media and the people of Chennai. Infact, it's the first time that my parents asked me "Is there a marathon happening in Chennai on 31st Aug?" They have not asked the same question when the Chennai Marathon was held in Fedbruary this year. I'm also happy to see that the organizers Marg and Tamil Maiyyam, have taken a lot of care in putting together a good website.

All said and done, it still makes me wonder why the organizers call this a marathon, as the maximum distance it offers to the runners is just that of a half-marathon. There has been a lot of questions from friends, relatives and readers on what is a marathon distance. And, it took me a lot of time to explain to these people - what is a marathon distance and what is the maximum Marg Chennai Marathon distance. I just wish we could call this something else...say Chennai Half-Marathon? Organizers! What do you say?

Well, still, I give all credits to the organizers for having successfully created a buzz around the city. I'm waiting to see how the run goes off. We have more than 50 runners from Chennai Runners participating in this run. I'm not running because of a serious left knee injury. With another 3 days to go, I certainly do see a lot of people getting prepared to hit the asphalt on the D-Day. Good Luck to everyone...especially those First-Timers who have made up their mind to start a healthy life!

Run Chennai, Run!

Singapore Marathon 2008 - The preparation just got started..

In my opinion, a full marathon is a test of persistence, grit and determination. Though I haven't run more than 32 kilometers in one shot, I've decided to take the deep dive and run a full marathon (42.195 kilometers) this year at the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon.

A full marathon, even today, is considered an extreme sport. This is going to be my first full marathon, and I'm looking forward to completing it in less than 3 hrs and 30 mins (no, I'm not kidding!). My training plan looks like this. I would be upgrading my training plan as the days go by, as I continue to consult veteran marathoners like Ram, Jacob and others to whom I have access to.

Wish me good luck! I will certainly look forward to updating this space as things progress.

Rocky . Pasta . Running

That might sound very intriguing. Who is Rocky and what does Rocky have to do with Pasta and Running? That reminds me that there is something really common that the three share...Rocky the "Italian" Stallion, Pasta the "Italian" food and running!....well..the "Italian" marathons in Turin (April) and Pisa (May).

Let me first put things right...Rocky was the movie I saw last Saturday, Pasta was the dinner I had last Sunday and Running was what I did the next morning (6th ECR Run with the Chennai Runners). Argh! What am I trying to say? Read on...

I've always been wanting to do a run with a good mind frame. And, last week has turned out to be the most satisfying of all. I've been a fan of Sylvestor Stallone all my life, and have always enjoyed watching his action movies. On Saturday, the 22nd March, HBO showcased four (of five) parts of Rocky, the famous 'cult' movie of the 1980's. The whole day was devoted to Sylvestor Stallone, with the four parts of Rocky followed by Night Hawks and Cliff Hanger.

So whats great about that? Well, the more interesting observation is yet to follow...

The character of Rocky Balboa has been a great inspiration for me for a very long time. The grit with which he trains for his bouts and championships, overcoming all challenges in personal life is something one should learn from. The theme of Rocky ("Gonna Fly Now") originally created by Bill Conti is the best ever music I've heard that totally brings to life, the emotions in a passionate and determined sportsman.

Having heard this music for close to 12 hours (almost) continuously that day, I started to breathe the Rocky way. That night (Saturday night) I hit the bed (forcefully!..to forgo watching Night Hawks and Cliff Hanger) by about 2300Hrs. I had to get up at 0245Hrs the following day to get ready for my 18 mile run. I had my pasta dinner at about 2000Hrs and my mind was totally prepared, and I was bubbling with energy. I could have run all night!

My run turned out to be one of the best ones I've had ever so far. It started to drizzle when I started the run at 0530Hrs, and it kept varying between a drizzle and a constant rain till about 0800Hrs. My shoes were heavy soaked in water and I had to eventually run a bit slower. But nevertheless, my bodymind was completely determined to finish the run and surprisingly, I never felt the tiredness.

This is yet another example of what tiredness is all about. Its the tiredness is in the mind that paves the road to failure rather than the physical body tiredness.

The mind is all-powerful, and its the supreme controller that takes charge of the human. Just spend some little time for yourself to take back control of yourself. The power of creativity, innovation and winning is all inside you...you just need to discover it the right way!
- Yours truely

Like how Nike's mantra goes - "Just do it!"

Ultramarathon Man - Another Marathon-movie I'm raring to see

I'm sure there are a bunch of people who made it to the Landmark Theater in Los Angeles today. I missed it! Yes, its a unique opportunity to watch the premiere show of a movie like this - Ultramarathon Man - 50 Marathons, 50 States, 50 days!

I'm going to wait to get a copy of the DVD (whenever it gets released!)

Spirit of the Marathon - I cant wait to watch this movie!

The buzz started some months ago. The D-Day has finally come and I can't wait to see this masterpiece. Unfortunately this movie is releasing ONLY in the United States. I just hope to get my hands on the DVD atleast (heard that its releasing this summer). Here is some information about what Spirit of the Marathon is all about-

Four years in the making, Spirit of the Marathon is the collaborative effort of three-time Academy Award winner Mark Jonathan Harris, Telly Award winner and marathon runner Jon Dunham and producer/marathoner Gwendolen Twist. Spirit of the Marathon is the first ever non-fiction feature film to capture the drama and essence of the famed 26.2 mile running event. Filmed on four continents, the movie brings together a diverse cast of amateur athletes and marathon luminaries.

As six unique stories unfold, each runner prepares for and ultimately faces the challenge of the Chicago Marathon. More than a sports movie, Spirit of the Marathon is an inspirational journey of perseverance and personal triumph; a spectacle that will be embraced by runners and non-runners alike.

Filmed on four continents and in five countries, the film stars legends such as Dick Beardsley, Paula Radcliffe, Bill Rodgers, Toshihiko Seko and Grete Waitz.

To drive your temptations higher, here is a list of athletes who you will see in this movie-

Ryan Bradley - Boston Hopeful As a recreational runner, Ryan Bradley completed his first marathon while living overseas with his soon-to-be wife Colleen. One child and five marathons later he has set his sights on qualifying to run Boston-A goal he previously missed by 11 seconds! But for both amateur and elite alike, training to become faster has a price. Determined to realize his goal in Chicago, a marathon known throughout the world for its flat and fast course and where runners frequently attempt to qualify, Ryan trains hard and ultimately experiences the marathon in a way never previously imagined.

Leah Caille - First-Time Marathoner Picking-up the pieces from her crumbled marriage-A period in which she subsequently lost fitness and gained weight-Leah Caille found herself at an all-time low. Now a single mother to her seven-year-old daughter Adelaide, Leah started on the path to health and happiness by joining Chicago Endurance Sports' "Learn to Run" program. After completing her first 5k, she went on to dramatically improve her fitness, which led to several more successful races before she decided to take on the ultimate challenge by training for and running the Chicago Marathon.

Deena Kastor - 2004 Olympic Bronze Medalist Deena Kastor (formally Deena Drossin) is one of distance running's biggest superstars. As a professional runner for more than a decade, Deena has set numerous American and world records. In addition to her 2004 Olympic Bronze Medal run in the women's marathon-An event in which no American has medaled in 20 years-Deena is the reigning American record holder in the 8k (set in 2005 at the LaSalle Bank Shamrock Shuffle), half marathon and the marathon. After suffering a debilitating foot injury early in the year, Deena sets her sights on the Chicago Marathon, where she hopes to capture her first ever world marathon victory.

Gerald Meyers - Four-Time Marathoner While Gerald "Jerry" Meyers has been a runner since the boom of the 1970's, at 65 he had never seriously considered training for the marathon until reading an article about the event in the Chicago Tribune. Now 70, Jerry is in training for his 5th marathon only this one is a bit more special... Along with his 40-year-old daughter Rona, who became inspired to run by watching her father break six hours for the first time, the two are preparing to run all 26.2 miles together!

Daniel Njenga - World Class Marathoner A native of Nyahururu, Kenya, 29-year-old Daniel Njenga showed promise as a world-class distance runner at a young age. Today, he lives and trains in Japan, where he receives corporate sponsorship and races worldwide. The Tokyo International Marathon Champion, has run a personal best in the marathon of 2:06:16, which ranks him as one of the all-time fastest runners in the world! He not only loves to run, but performing well means enormous financial gain, which in turn is often reinvested in homeland infrastructure. Following the Chicago Marathon, Daniel will return home to Kenya where he will be reunited with his wife Monicah.

	Lori O'Connor - First-Time Marathoner Representing the latest boom in distance running, 26-year-old Lori O'Connor is a PhD student in sociology at Northwestern University. Continually setting high goals for herself, Lori has decided to take on yet another major challenge - to run her first marathon. During four months of training under the guidance of the Chicago Area Runner's Association (CARA) she reveals to us her motivations for taking on this challenge, which will include raising funds for Genesis of Pittsburgh, the non-profit adoption agency, which matched her with a family as an infant.

Featuring

• Dick Beardsley - 2nd place 1982 Boston Marathon (Duel in the Sun)
• Joan Benoit-Samuelson - First women's Olympic Marathon Champion
• Sara Mae Berman - Three-time Boston Marathon Champion
• John Bingham - Author Marathoning for Mortals, Runner's World columnist
• Amby Burfoot - 1968 Boston Marathon Champion, Executive Editor Runner's World magazine
• Tom Derderian - Author, Coach
• Hal Higdon - Author, Chicago Marathon coach
• Joe Henderson - Original editor Runner's World magazine
• Deena Kastor - Olympic Bronze Medalist, American record holder in the marathon
• Paula Radcliffe - World record holder in the women's marathon
• Roger Robinson - Author, Boston Marathon Master's Champion
• Bill Rodgers - Four-time Boston and New York City Marathon Champion
• Alberto Salazar - NYC & Boston Marathon Champion
• Frank Shorter - Olympic Gold and Silver Medalist in the marathon
• Kathrine Switzer - Women's running pioneer
• Paul Tergat - Former world record holder in the men's marathon
• Grete Waitz - Nine-time New York City Marathon Champion

I'm waiting..!

Duel in the Sun - A must read..

A must read...

The Story of Alberto Salazar, Dick Beardsley, and America's Greatest Marathon

The 1982 Boston Marathon was great theater: Two American runners, Alberto Salazar, a celebrated champion, and Dick Beardsley, a gutsy underdog, going at each other for just under 2 hours and 9 minutes. Neither man broke. The race merely came to a thrilling, shattering end, exacting such an enormous toll that neither man ever ran as well again. Beardsley, the most innocent of men, descended into felony drug addiction, and Salazar, the toughest of men, fell prey to depression. Exquisitely written and rich with human drama, Duel in the Sun brilliantly captures the mythic character of the most thrilling American marathon ever run—and the powerful forces of fate that drove these two athletes in the years afterward.

Watch the video of Dick Beardsley and Alberto Salazar running the final stretches of the 1982 Boston marathon-


More reading on The Marathoner speaks to his God at New York Times.

My first half-marathon @ Chennai Marathon 2008

Dear Reader,
If you are looking for the MARG CHENNAI MARATHON happenings, READ THIS ARTICLE!

Best,
Karthik
Updated on Aug 2008

Finally, the Hero Ultra Chennai Marathon did happen! Contrary to my expectations, the marathon was far well organized. Shahid, Ramesh and I had planned to park our vehicles near Dimensions Gym in Abhiramipuram and run to the starting point at Anna Square on the beach road.Ram had the gut feeling that we should be able to park our cars near the lighthouse and easily pull out incase we decide to drop out of the run.

We parked our cars in the inner road near the lighthouse in Marina Beach and walked to the starting point (Anna Square). We, from Chennai Runners, were a sizable gang (about a dozen of us) at the race. The marathon pretty much started on time at 7AM. The half-marathon was flagged-off at about 7:15AM. The marathon was jointly sponsored by Hero Ultra, and they had their electric scooters that were plying through the course of the run.

As for me, this marathon was my first half-marathon and completed the race in 2 hours and 28 minutes. I was not too happy with the timing though. At around the 12-14th kilometer, I was desperately looking for a restroom. Not being able to find one, I was distracted and eventually had to cut down on my speed. After that I could never get back to the pace that I started with. I was averaging at 11Kmph (about 6.8mph) till the 12-13th kilometer. The brief spells of drizzle was a blessing. The last 30minutes was however very challenging as the sun was up and my legs were feeling the burn very badly.

The player version of my Motionbased trail can be found here.

After I crossed the finish line, I could feel the tiredness taking over and ended up taking a couple of bottle drinks (Limca) and treated my legs with cold mineral water. It felt like heaven.

Overall, the marathon was organized well (from what I had expected). The traffic was kept under control during the entire course of the marathon. Hero Ultra did manage to successfully advertise their new electric two-wheeler. It looks really good and also it is silent, and more importantly, its eco-friendly!

Net-Net, some points about this event -

The Good-

• Started on time (7:05AM)
• There were water points!
• Emergency staff (with Ambulances) were plying all through the half-marathon event
• Traffic was kept under control during the course of the half-marathon
  

The Bad-

• No enough water points (they were present for every 5kms!)
• No cheering from the crowd or the organizers (though the volunteers kept whizzing in the Hero Ultra scooters)
• No ice tubs present at the finishing point
• No refreshments present for the finishers - Not even water!
  
• Only participation certificates were given (Apparently, the person distributing the certificates asked me "How many do you want?")
• No timing on certificate (it did not even have my name!)
  

Special thanks to Ram for taking a lot of pictures of the team, event and me :)

My body is now sore, and I hope to recover in two days. I just hope to get back on track for the Auroville Marathon thats happening next Sunday (17th February, 2008). Will Karthik do it? Can Karthik do it? Wait for more updates..!

Auroville Marathon on 17th February

The next big event in the world of long distance running is slated to happen very shortly - The Auroville Marathon. I'm running the half-marathon at Auroville. A big number of runners from Chennai Runners are going to be running here.

Are you interested in running the Auroville Marathon too? Do call up Chandresh NOW!

ECR Marathon . July 15th 2007 . 30 kilometers

Fellow Runners...

Game to do a 30K marathon? How about running alongside the Bay of Bengal? Sounds interesting?
If so, here is something for you. We, at Chennai Runners, are organizing a 30K marathon on the 15th July. This is going to start from ECR Toll Gate and continue till Mahabalipuram.

For more information on this, please watch this space. You can optionally get information from my blog too.

Stay Tuned!

Chennai Runners . The Hindu . Caught in the act!

The Hindu featured Chennai Runners in action!

We had The Hindu meeting us yesterday at Anna University, after our regular Sunday 15K run down our Classic Route. Here are some pictures of the team we took yesterday at Anna University:

(Above)From L to R: Jayakanthan, Ram,Anbu, Ravi, Sundar, Shahid, Karthik (me), Senthil, Hari and KK

Run is fun!