Let's go Sparky - Under 24 Hrs to Go ...

With less than 24 hrs to go before the starter's gun, Ive started to get pretty amped up. I'm not feeling any of the niggles n sniffles I've been carrying, and am now only focusing on keeping my mind clear for the race.

The only last minutes tweaks I'm allowing for are resorting the playlist on my iPhone, and deciding what brand of chocs to carry along the way (leaning towards CDM - pure and effective, but sticky as all hell). Perhaps I'll have Subs old on to them so I don't have to run with them in hand.

At this point I wish the race would start right now, since the waiting's unbearable. Fortunately I have a dear friend's cocktail night to attend (don't worry I won't be drinking), so that should keep my brain from getting fried with this excess anxiety.

Anyway, I do expect that this'll be my last post before the show get's on the road - look forward to seeing some of you during the race, either on or off the track. Will be back soon with all the gory details ...

Childline - The Cause That Took Up My Cause

Now that the die is cast, and there is no backing out, I'd like to give a shout out to Childline, the cause that came through for me, when the regular channels of registration failed, and gave me a shot at running the SC Mumbai Marathon (also Micro Housing Finance Corporation (MHFC) which is supporting Childline). It wouldn't feel right to solicit support on their behalf if I couldn't manage to keep up my end of the bargain, but I'm on and feeling great!!

CHILDLINE 1098 is the largest national, 24x7, emergency, toll-free phone and outreach service for children in distress. Once a call is made on 1098, a rescue team reaches a child within 60 minutes. And because it’s free, children of all ages from the poorest situations can pick up the phone at any corner, any time, and say, ‘Hello Childline?’ knowing that help, if they need it will reach them within an hour.

I realize that many of you are already very generous in terms of making donations to Social Organizations, and I'm not in a position to dictate your social giving strategy. However I would appreciate it if you'd extend further generosity towards a noble cause an to me - one that is dear to my heart on account of it's mission, as well as has given me a second lease of life at the SCMM, please do contribute as mentioned hereunder.

Donations can be made either by cheque drawn in favour or of "Childline India Foundation" and collected by me, or online on http://www.unitedwaymumbai.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=146&popup=1&template_id=280 (less preferred, since the money is shared with United Way). An easier approach, if you are not looking for the tax rebate, is to inform me of your intent to donate via:
a. Blog Post Comments
b. FB Comments on FB post
c. FB Wall Posting
d. Twitter.com/gouravgr 
e. SMS
e. eMail
Request multiples of Rs. 1000 if possible, to keep it simple. I'm happy to make the contribution on your behalf, and then follow up with you to square off offline, which gives us an excuse to reconnect as well. Open your hearts - the more you give, the more you get!!

Sputtering like Thomas the Tank Engine

It's been a few days now since the onset of flu, and I'm not as weak as I was. However short runs in the past few days have only helped to sort out exactly where I'm at. My legs are pretty game, but my chest congestion is another matter altogether.

At the end of the run, I come up gasping for air like I've been underwater too long - basically once  stop running I can't restart. Now this is a bit of hitch since I'm not one to reel of 21k on the trot.

My trusty doc has plied with a pile of pills - steroids and the like to get me clear - and has certified that I should be good to run the course (God bless her )!! Needed that external validation since friends and family have been recommending discretion as the better part of valour, however this one clean chit makes it all good!!

I just need to manage a moderate pace, since whenever I up tempo, the sputtering kicks in, and i feel like Thomas the Tank Engine on a Smoggy Winter day.

Laid Low by the Flu

It's been two days, since I've been stuck carrying a bad case of the flu, and suddenly all does not feel well with Team Chariot. Alternating fevers and sneezing bouts, have sapped some of the energy to run, and I'm feeling like pretty worn down. At first I figured it would just run it's course, but I'm starting to worry that I'm no going to be able to just shake-it-off!!

I have managed to get in a 15K run last Sunday (alright not necessarily run, more like a run-walk-run-walk ...), but I'm now reasonably confident of finishing the 21K, and the last thing I need is a spanner in the works.

My docs put me on the usual cocktails of antibiotics, rest, soup n steam, and I've got my fingers crossed that this won't impact the outcome any. Crap ... this would be the cruelest cut of all.

I Surprise Myself - Pentathlon Gold

I must say through all this running, I haven't forgotten that I once had some sporting pretensions ... and although I gave up on any hopes of sporting glory man, one can forclose, but one never forgets.

And so it is with much pride and joy that I lifted the Bombay Gym Pentathlon trophy played across football, tennis, squash, badminton, sprint, snooker and swimming (each competitor drops one resulting in a best of 5 situation).

The fineprint is that I won in the 35 to 40 age group, but I was feeling good to dominate across groups (since I didn't have to we'll never know if I would have :-)

Mary Kom was a the awards ceremony, and I was itching to get the award from her. Classy lady who lets her hands do the talking - unf she tired after the first few, and the honors were handed out by some honcho from Tata Housing. No matter, I got my 5 secs in the sun!!

I Retire the Treadmill

I will never be running on the treadmill. Just for kicks (I was actually too lazy to drive down to the race course), I figured I'd get in a quick run on the building treadmill. First off, it wasn't quick ... it was interminable. Second off, after running outdoors the treadmill just doesn't cut it for sheer joy and diversity. And finally, my feet have become accustomed to following their own pacemaker. It's near impossible to rein them in and have them run at precisely 9.3 Km / hr.

So bye-bye, miss american pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,
And threw my treadmill in.

ISHTRIIIIDERS!! at the PDP 10K

The calm of early dawn was rent by the loud war cry "ISHTRIIIIIDERS"

At 6 am in the morning, a few hundred sleepy Mumbaikars assembled at the PDP Grounds to brave the 10K PDP Run. Most were limbering up, going through elaborate stretching routines, waiting for the show to get on the road. Some broke away into little groups to catch up on a busy week gone by.

I was just trying to keep my plums from freezing - 6am on a Mumbai winter morning isn't exactly the chill zone, but can be pretty bracing. As mentioned earlier, the calm of early dawn was rent by the loud war cry "ISHTRIIIIIDERS."

I sea of runners,as if held together by an invisible thread began easing toward the central lawn. Other runner, bystanders, curs and yours truly parted to make way for this flowing mass. This group then proceeded to warm up in unison, Suzuki style while the rest of us watched agog. Apparently STRIDERS are one of the larger running groups in Mumbai, and this commune like behavior is not uncommon in running circles. 

In fact the running group phenomenon is so pronounced in Mumbai, that most are surprised if one is not part of a few groups. Dear friends are always recommending groups to join, but to be quite honest I'm under enough stress just getting myself going - additional peer pressure I do not need. Perhaps next year if I manage to clear the Half this time around.

The run itself was uneventful apart from the 35-degree Manek Jivan upslope which some nit thought it would be fun to set up as the first hill on the race. Was downhill from there, though and that worked out just fine!! Still struggling to eradicate the ISHTRIIIIDERS wail completely from my head!!