Countdown to Sunfeast World 10K 2009 on 31st May

Life has been extremely hectic the past couple of weeks – and I have not been able to make time to catch up on the pending posts – definitely hope to do so this weekend after the Sunfeast 10K on 31st May. Based on the pre-race publicity in the media it looks like the second edition of this event will definitely be much bigger than the first one and hopefully at least as well organized. I consider myself more of a long distance runner specializing in Full Marathons and I have been able to improve my performance at this distance in the last couple of years. I have typically not been able to do very fast 10Ks or HMs. However, I did enjoy last year’s Sunfeast 10K and am looking forward to it again. Especially after my ‘personalised’ running bib and the goodie bag got delivered to me a couple of days ago – courtesy Bangalore Cares and Dream A Dream – the excitement has been on the rise. Again several of the family members are participating – my brother Chandru is running the 10K – while my son Rahul and my brother’s son Akshay are doing the Majja run. My Chennai based brother Mahesh and his wife Lakshmi are pulling out of the race as Mahesh has been transferred to Mumbai from Chennai and is busy with the related logistics.

Last year I missed my target of doing the 10K in 50 minutes by about 30 seconds. This year I am definitely in better running form - however the impact of all the running I have been doing the last 10 months is beginning to show. Ideally I should have done a couple of fast 9Ks at close to 5 minutes per Km pace after the FM on 17th May. But I have not been able to make the time to do this. Nevertheless, I remain positive that my target is achievable- one lesson from last year is to breakaway from the crowds early and get a faster start. The 8:10 am start instead of 9am should also help. If it turns out to be a not too warm a day then I don’t intend to make too many water stops. The intent is to focus on the run and give it my best and see what happens.

I am also making a final push to raise funds for Dream A Dream – will be wrapping up my efforts for this year the week following the Sunfeast run. I am quite overwhelmed with the support I have received from friends and family around the world. I am still some ways from meeting my target of Rs 1 Lakh – I welcome anyone who would still like to contribute and help me meet the goal. Contributions can be made via check or Bangalorecares(INR) or GiveIndia or Paypal – see the RHS of this page for more details.

Summary of 3 posts to come..

Its been a while since I posted here there are three pending topics- Have been extremely busy trying to balance the four dimensions of my life - work, family, running and working with Dream A Dream. This is a topic I have been meaning to write in detail and will post soon. The second thing is that I completed my 10th marathon in 10 months in the RFL run at EGL on 17th May. And finally I bid Au Revoir to my regular running route of last 15 fifteen years in CV Raman Nagar as we moved home from cV Raman Nagar to Domlur layout. More on all these topcis hopefully soon...

Make an Impact - Contribute to Dream A Dream!

I registered for the Sunfeast World 10K (open category) today through Bangalore Cares - a non-profit organisation that acts as a bridge between NGOs and the rest of society. Bangalore Cares is the official charity partner for the Sunfeaast World 10K 2009. I have signed up as a Care Participant in the Care Champion category. That is, I have committed to raise Rs 1 Lakh for my favourite cause, that is, Dream A Dream. I have been associated with Dream A Dream since 2006 - as a fund raiser and as a volunteer. I have worked with children in the IT program as well as a mentor. The passion and commitment of Dream A Dream employees and the impact they make on the lives of the under-privileged children is tremendous. Raising Rs. 1 Lakh in 5 weeks is a challenging task - however I am going to try my level best and with support from friends, ex-colleagues and family members around the globe I hope to get there. I am close to the half way mark of my target and request those who like the cause and can spare a small amount of money to contribute. Any amount - large or small- will be highly appreciated. Contributions can be made by check or online via Bangalore Cares(INR only) or GiveIndia(INR OR USD) or Paypal(USD only). See the RHS of this page for the relevant links.

If I do manage to hit the target of Rs 1 Lakh ofcourse I will be extremely happy and satisfied. Plus as a bonus I am entitled to

• Official event kitting (T-shirt and cap)
• A personalised running number bib
• VIP marqee invite and parking pass on race day

Last year I missed my target completion of 50minutes by 39 seconds. I am in a much better shape this year - so unless something unforseen happens between now and then I hope to do better this year! Of course, I still have to run a marathon before that.

Solo weekend 'long' run

There is probably no standard definition of the long run. Personally I consider any distance greater than the Half marathon distance of 21K as a long run. Long runs need some preparation in terms of proper hydration the previous 24-48 hours, greasing up to avoid chaffing and water during the run. Even during the cooler months in Bangalore it is difficult to run beyond 15Kms or so without drinking water. I needed to get in a 25K run this weekend (midway between my April and May marathons). Due to personal constraints I was not able to drive over and join other runners for a run during this weekend and decided to do a solo run locally in the CV Raman Nagar area. Since joining Runners For Life over 3 years ago one has got used to having company on long runs - solo runs of over 20K have been very rare.

I set off with a couple of bottles of water in my hand at quarter past 5 on May 1st(a holiday for labour day)- it was still quite dark and not great fun running down Old Madras road towards BEML road. I was quite relieved when I crossed the railway track into the CV Raman Nagar area. I hid the water bottles in the bushes behind the statue and had a very decent run keeping pace around 5:55. I went upto the HAL walkers park next to the HAL hospital, did a couple of loops there and came back and did the usual loops around Bagmane Tech Park. Was pleasantly surprised to see quite a few runners out there- running is definitely picking up in Bangalore. I was quite satisfied in doing a comfortable 25.5K in 2 hours 30 minutes and happy that I could still do solo long runs if I needed to- though unlikely that I will ever be able to do 16 loops of 2.5K again like I did when training for my First full Marathon in 2002. I am as ready as I possibly can be for the next marathon two weeks from now in the RFL run on 17th May. Once again the weather will be a big factor and hopefully this time I can start around 5:15am.