20 miles

This is it. This is the last long mile that I do before the marathon. It was hard.I had to be there at Children's memorial park at 5am sharp. It takes 20 mins to commute from my place to there. I woke up several times in the night fearing that missed the alarm. But I didn't. I made it there on time. The first 5 miles, we were running on the path, west of the park and back. I wanted to make best use of the absence of sun. So, I went ahead everybody. Lack of light didn't scare me. The rest of the 15 miles was from park (little west of Oracle) to craycroft and back. The funny thing is, I finish it and I drive all the way back on River and it takes me 20 min by drive. At the 16 mile mark, I started to think that I am crazy and I should give up!! Last 3 miles, my feet was aching. Every other part of my body could handle it except my feet. So, I walked the last 2.5 miles. Dipped my feet in ice cold water that the team had. When I finished, the coaches held a ribbon for me to run through. I sprinted the last 30 yards to run in. It was worth it to stick with it and finish it. I am going to do the full!!

Ran 18 miles today!!!

I ran 18 miles today. That was a huge jump from 13 miles which was the farthest until today. People say aim for the stars, you will atleast land on the moon. It worked the reverse for me. I was going for 17 but I did 18!!!
What more to say? I just did it. I was able to do it today because of words of encouragement from Louanne, Fatim, Ravi, Jason to name a few. I really needed those because I was feeling less confident until today. I want to thank coach Glin for running with me and making sure that I am capable of doing it.
The distance on River road is 5.5 miles + oracle to swan and back!! I feel great. I got up at 4am and started to run at 5:10am. I was done with the run at 10:50am.
Next week, it is the small run which is 10 miles back at Sabino canyon. The week after that I am going for 20 miles - thats 5.5 miles + Oracle to Craycroft and back!! Who wants to volunteer to pick me up if I crash during that run? Just kidding!! The coaches take care of me.

10 miles on Sabino Canyon

Since we are nearing the race, we are changing the schedule. We are going to alternate the short runs and long runs as we increase upto 20 miles. We will do shorter runs which will be anywhere between 8-12 miles at the hills in Sabino Canyon and the long runs will be as usual along side the river.
Today I did 10 miles on the hill with considerable ease. Its always a pleasure to run at Sabino canyon with the water running across several times during the run. Annual pass at Sabino canyon seems worth it now that I have gone there 3 times already.
It was nice to be up early and be done with the run before the sun comes out. I was up at 4:45am and running at 5:45am. I was done and back at home at 9am. It is nice to be able to elongate the weekend by getting up early. We can never get enough of that.
I did not do 14-16 miles as promised last week because I couldn't it. My shoes were getting old. They weren't giving as much support to my feet. So, it was best for me to stop at the 13 mile mark. Now, I put some my new shoes on and suddenly everything is right.
Next week I am going to try and do 16-18miles!

Gift from Grandma

Something really sweet happened yesterday that touched my heart. My Grandma, who is living in India insisted on talking to me on the phone. When I called her, she had an array of questions because she has a lot of concerns about me participating in the marathon. She asked me if I am eating alright, whether I am sure that I can do this and also if I can promise her that I won't take up formidable tasks like this in the future.
After hearing assurances from me, she said that she wants to donate Rs. 5000. That amounts to about $110. I was caught by surprise. I couldn't accept it because she is 78 years old and does not have any source of income. She was willing to give this amount from her savings. Our family was involved in the conversation and we tried to convince her that even if she gives $10 it will be great.
But she refused. She said she wants to make a sizable contribution so that I can meet my goal faster. I somehow convinced her to donate half of the original amount she had in mind. She continued to advise me on eating right and not straining myself too much. The phone call was very gripping.
Today I ran 10 miles with much more commitment. I am very grateful to the amount of support I am getting from my family and friends. My parents have been very supportive. Me participating in such a event is quite unique and them being able to support me inspite of living so far means a lot to me. My sisters have been actively supporting in the fundraising. It just feels great to be doing this.
Today at practise, Lora met with me to say thanks for displaying Marisa's quilt at office. Somebody from TI is a relative of Lora and they told her about that. Lora was happy to see that the memory of Marisa still lives among her people.

Half marathoner all over again

Today I ran in Kansas city again. I went to spend time with my sisters. My sisters encouraged me to go for the training and even came to the park. Checkout the photo of me with my sisters!
This week I took up a big challenge. I only worked out once last week because of travel and sister's visit. I knew that it will be difficult to run today with very less workout through the week.
I still managed to do 13 miles today. According to our training schedule, Tucson team was doing 12-14 miles and we have been doing lesser miles for the last two weeks. Next week again it is lower miles.
I didn't want to miss out on the long mileage today so I went for it. It was hard but I have learnt now that everyday workout is very important and I plan to stick with the schedule until the final marathon in October.

Sabino canyon 10 mile

Today I did 10 miles in the canyon again. I was happy to be back there and enjoy the scenary. The run felt easier than the last time. The streams had more water than last week.

I was more excited that my sister, Vidhya trained with me today. She lives in India and she is a big supporter of my efforts. She is visiting me for a week. Many of her friends have donated and offer support for my fund raising. She loved the scenary today that she walked in her own pace and completed 7 miles. At one point she got so amazed by the scenary that she didn't notice a big rattle snake 1-2 feet away from her. It hissed and scared her away. I missed the snake and she didn't get a photo of the snake.

Next weekend I am going to run in Kansas city again! I am going to do 14-16 miles.

Ran in a canyon

Most of you in Tucson would have hiked at Sabino canyon at one point or the other. Sanbino canyon trail is a well established trail. Inspite of all the land slides and washes, this place is well maintained and used most part of the year.
The trail is well paved for about 4 miles to enable transportation via buses for disabled persons to enjoy the nice view of the Catalinas. The park also has trams running on this road to transport people who cannot hike to the 4 mile mark.
I have usually gone to the Sabino Canyon in september when there isn't much water. But today, it was a totally different experience. There was lot of water in the streams that cross the trail several times. They are diverted under the road since the road is built on small bridges over the low-lying areas.
Twice they managed to reach the top of the road. Everything about it about the streams was beautiful. The area looked much greener than I remember. The rustling sound of the water was very pleasant to hear. The small falls in the course, the tropical green colour of the formed puddles were breathtaking. I ran through them and got my feet wet four times during my 10 mile run there.
The run was challenging but it was better than what I had imagined. Definitely less steep than Tumamoc hill. Thank God that hill is closed for two weeks! At Sabino, the climp is very gradual and it doesn't really climb that much. It was definitely doable.
I ran with my coach Glen for 2 miles. He is a ex-military man. His pace was cruel. I was sprinting to keep up with him. But I felt like a real runner during those intervals.