First ever DNS...

I had the dubious distinction of a firstever DNS – 'Did Not Showup' of my running career this weekend. I had registered for the Hyderabad marathon on 30th August hoping to finish my FM streak with a 13th consecutive one in the city where I started it over a year ago. Unfortunately the flu that struck me the day before the Urban stampede 2009 on 21st August 2009 turned out to be quite severe. I do not quite remember the last time I was down with high fever like this. With temperature staying more than 102F for over 3 days and severe cold I had one of my worst weeks runningwise since mid 2003. While I was still wanting to go for the run in Hyderabad the family and several friends advised against it. On Thursday 24rth August after I had recovered form the fever I did a 6.5K run to test my stamina. It was a struggle and took me over 40 minutes and left me quite exhausted at the end of the run. That is when I made the hard decision to bail out of Hyderabad . It was not an easy call to make. There are not too many well organised road races in this part of the world. So one hand I thought it might still be worth going for the race to enjoy the atmosphere and comraderie of fellow runners and trying to do a slow finish. However, on the other hand I felt apprehensive about doing my slowest marathon finish in the very city where I did my best ever finish in India last year. I felt quite miserable throughout the day and for the next couple of days. I was missing a good marathon event and on top of that had a complete washout of a week with just one poor run in the last 8 days! Just goes to show what an equalizer life is and the role that luck plays in it. I was extremely extremely lucky to have managed 12 months of injury and illness free running and now perhaps this is a divine message that I should slow down for a while. I was anyway planning to take it easy for a couple of months from marathon running after Hyderabad . I have also decided to take a couple of months off from the strength conditioning training at Manipal Hospital. While my next 35K+ run will probably be in the second half of October in preparation for the ultra on 15th November I do hope to get back to running 3-4 days of running starting tomorrow.

Urban Stampede 2009

The 2nd edition of Urban Stampede organised by Runners For Life at Olde Bangalore resort on 22nd August 2009 was a huge success! With 139 teams from 56 companies and 10 non-corporate teams this was by far the largest ever RFL event. Three teams from Mformation participated in the event - 2 in the mens/open categaory and 1 all women team. I was part of Mformation team B. Though I was feeling perfectly fine when I left work on Friday 21st August evening I got hit with severe cold and sore throat later that evening. I did not sleep well at all that night. I left home around 520am and after picking up a couple of colleagues reached Olde Bangalore resort just before 630am. The place was buzzing with activity with runners everywhere. With overnight rains the weather was very pleasant. I volunteered to run 4rth in my team instead of 2nd. My goal this year was to better my last year's timing of 24:34 and if possible try and run below 24 minutes. However, with the cold and body ache picking up even before my turn to run came I knew this was going to be very tough. The run started punctually at 7am with the first set of runners taking off to huge cheering from their fellow runners. I walked around for some time chatting with lots of runners including a few that I did not recognize by name. Waiting for your turn to come in a relay specially when you ar enot feeling well can be quite challenging. By the time I started my run just before 8:40am the first three teams in the open category had completed the race. These were two teams from Toyota Motors and a team from Hindustan Unilever. Deepak Mhasvade ,a great RFL runner,finished his 5K in 22:09 to lead HUL to 3rd place.

I took off very fast and covered the first half Km quickly but had to slow down considerably soon thereafter. Even then I managed to get to the turn around point just after 12 minutes. However, I started to tire quite quickly and managed only a 25:33 finish - almost a minute slower than last year. I was quite disappointed with my timing - it was also one of those few runs that I did not enjoy too much. Considering that I am in much better running form now compared to last year and also managed a sub-49 minutes in Sunfeast 10K I can only blame the flu for the sub par run! Also, I guess I am more cut out for long distance running wherein I am able to sustain a certain average pace for a longer period of time rather than a fast pace for a short period of time. Overall most of the Mformation runners did well specially a few of them who were doing their first ever 5K. The Mfomation women's team finished second. The overall rank and timings of the 3 mformation teams:

• Mformation Team B: Ashish- 26:18; Ravi- 37:14;Sridhar- 36:39;Bhasker-25:33; 2:05:44 finishing 60th in the open category


• Mformation Team A: Sharan-41:44;Sanjay- 38:53;Dwarka- 33:43;Gaurav- 33:43; 2:28:40 finishing 81st in the open category


• Mformation Team C: Kalai- 36:32;Navya - 35:52;Ranu-45:22; Shilpa-41:14 2:39 finishing 2nd in the women's category

Click here for complete results and here for the pictures of the event.

A High 'Runners High' at Southbury, Connecticut

I made the choice to move back from the US to Bangalore over 15 years ago.And from a professional and family perspective I have never regreted the decision. One of the few times that I feel that perhaps I should have lived in the US is when I race in an event here or do an outdoor long run in this country. Today was one such day. I am visiting my Edison office in NJ for a few days. And during the trip I spent this weekend(8th/9th August) at my sister's place in Southbury Connecticut. I had intended to do a 20K training run this morning . I ended up doing 26.5Km in 2hours 35 minutes running solo and I enjoyed the run thoroughly. I started off from my sister's place just before 7am. Though there was hardly any shoulder space in the road that I took there was virtually zero traffic. At about 19 degrees Celsius and partly cloudy the weather was very much like Bangalore weather. I ran about 5Km to reach the Kettletown State Park - did not encounter a single car or human being on the way. On the way I was jolted by a loudly barking dog in front of one of the houses. However, there seemed to be an electronic fence and the dog did not venture onto the road. I ran multiple criss-crossed loops totalling 16Km in about 90 minutes inside the park. There was hardly anyone in the park even at 8am. I thoroughly enjoyed the greenery and the pollution free environment. The air was so fresh and energising - it was extremely enjoyable. I probably hit a High 'Runners High'. I heard lots of chirpy birds and observed a number of large squirrels going across the orad and up and down trees. The route itself was quite tough with several steep gradients. However, I was able to manage a decent pace throughout. On the way back I saw quite a few cars. I was running on a single lane highway - the car drivers kept a good distance from me and did not honk even once. I wish runners in India could get treated with similar respect - it often does not happen even in a road race leave alone during a training run. As I was not carrying any water with me I got quite tired and slowed down in the last 2Kms. However, had I carried water I could have gone on for a few more Kms. Overall I enjoyed the run tremendously - did not feel bored at all running alone.. The fact that it is much easier to do long training runs in this country and that there is encouragement and coaching at school level is probably why there are so many naturally faster runners in this country!

What Next?

After completing 12 marathons in 12 months I have registered to run the 13th one. This is the Hyderabad marathon on 30th August where I started the series in August 2008. It was a wonderfully organised road race last year and this year's edition is expected to be even better. After this I plan to take a couple of months off from marathon running till the Bangalore ultra in November 2009. My focus is then going to shift from quantity of marathons to quality that is do fewer marathons and look at steadily improving my timings. I intend to run maximum of 4 FMs per year and focus on being able to do sub 4 FMs consistently – I have done only one so far and never in India. I see this as a much bigger challenge than running 12 FMs than 12 months – it is far easier to do more number of slower long runs than to do faster and faster runs. Running faster also increases the chances of injury, especially at my age. My goal is to do a sub 4:10 in Mumbai 2010 , sub 4 in Hyderabad 2010 and Mumbai 2011. And then shave 5 minutes each year in 2012 an 2013 to get to 3:45 for Boston qualification!!

Looking back at 12 in 12..

A week after completing the 12th marathon on 12 months I thought it was time to look back at the past year and then look at ‘What Next’ in a subsequent post.

Inspiration :
The inspiration for doing 12 marathon in 12 months came while reading Bob Fletcher’s book in April 2008. Here’s the mail that I sent to a few of my fellow runners on 2nd May 2008 and some responses from them.

Have been wanting to mail this to the group ever since I finishedreading the book "Spaghetti Every Friday: The Story of Running 50Marathons in 50 Weeks, by Bob Fletcher. 2002, 2nd Ed., " a few weeksago. checkout the review at :http://www.michiganrunner.net/other/spaghetti1102.htmlThe book does not have too many tips on running but is a greatdiary/log of guy who went from no excecise to doing this within 3years. This was in 1981-82 when he ahd to write to the race organisersby post , get the entry forms and send them across!! And he did not runto finish - his goal was to finish first in his age group in all theraces- he did that in most of them with finish times between 2:45 and3:15. He was extremely disappointed when he finished around 3:25 in acouple of races!!This book is inspiring me to plan my running as I approach the age ofbig Five O myself ! While there is no way I can do something as crazyas 50 marathons in 50 weeks (even if there were events available inIndia to run in0 I am looking at doing(and in my case finishing under5 hours in all of them would be great) 12 marathons in 12 monthsbetween August 2008 and July 2009 which is probably crazy enough!!. Inthe months that there is no event I was thinking of doing a trainingrun of 42K. Still in thinking/planning stage - have not shared thiswith the wife yet :) but following are the events I am looking at so far:

Aug 2008 Hyderabad trail marathon

Sept 2008 Bangalore intl marathon?

October 2008 KTM

Nov 2008 Ultra

Jan 2009 Mumbai

Feb 2009 Pondy

July 2009 Tibet or thane varsha marathon

Any thoughts/suggestions?

Regards

Bhasker

Response from Rajesh Vetcha:
Dear Bhaskar,

No wonder it is inspiring.
As for your 12 marathons,12 months, it is doable for you considering your endurance level, planning and commitment.

My only issue is that you should take your wife's consent to begin with. If that comes through, we will all support you.

Response from Partha Roy:
BhaskerI am on it with you. I also need to get off my behind and do something. It's bit easier and if we have a long term goal like this. I totally concur with Rajesh, that get your wife's consent and make sure kids know this. There could not be better way to discuss this but over a slow long run. Cheers

Partha
Of course it would have been impossible to achieve this goal without the understanding and support of my wife and children. While the initial reaction was that it would be too much effort and that I was carrying the running stuff a bit too far they were accommodative and flexible to enable me to make the time for the long runs and the marathons. Being an ardent supporter of Dream A Dream I also decided to do extended fund raising for the organization. It was Vishal Talreja - the co-founder of Dream A Dream who suggested that I track my runs and the associated fund raising progress via a Blog – I took the idea one step further and decided to start writing a running related blog.

In the beginning of May I went to the Manipal hospital Department of Sports and exercise medicine for consultation and discussed my goal of 12 in 12 with Doc Rajat Chauhan with some apprehension. Doc very positively reassured me that I would be able to accomplish this. He also suggested that I do some strength conditioning. I am very happy that I followed his suggestion. The strength training has played a very significant role in enabling me to achieve my goal and stay injury free during this period. Click here to know more about my take on strength conditioning.

Summary of the 12 runs:
Six of the twelve runs were official events with five of them in India(of which one was the Bangalore ultra marathon) and the sixth in Washington DC. The other six runs were done as part of RFL organised runs. Click here to see a summary of all the twelve runs – in fact all the runs I have done to date in nearly seven years of long distance running. I was able to finish 3 of them below 4:15 including a PB of 3:56:49, had 3 finishes between 4:15 and 4:30 and kept all of the full marathons below 4:45. In doing so I certainly surpassed my own expectations. Of these runs I found the RFL Hennur run the toughest due to the uneven terrain and the warm weather. The RFL Kanakpura road course was the most challenging one I ran on ,I struggled the most at KTM and I had the most fun at Auorville. Though I spent a few nervous Saturdays on the eve of many runs , I stayed highly motivated during the run itself. Not once did I think of giving up without finishing.

Overall I lost 2Kgs during the 12 months going from 65Kgs to 63 Kgs. In the period between August 2008 and July 2009 I clocked a little over 1900 Kms at an average of 160 Kms per month consuming two pairs of Addidas Supernova cushion shoes. My training pattern between two marathons was typically FM, 12K , 25K, 15K , FM or FM,12K, 20K, 30K,15K, FM depending on whether the interval between two FMs was 4 or 5 weeks. I raised nearly 2.5 Lakhs for Dream A Dream with spurt in contributions around the Mumbai marathon and the Sunfeast World 10K.

Note of thanks:

Here's the note I sent out to a few fellow runners on 27th July morning the day after completing the 12th marathon.

Hi All

Please accept my heartfelt acknowledgement and appreciation of the moral and physical support provided by you all that helped me achieve the goal of running 12 marathons in 12 months. The T-shirt and the plaque at the end of yesterday's run are mementos that I shall cherish for a long time! These were unexpected and left me quite overwhelmed and speechless! Thanx very much for this wonderful gesture. 6 of my 12 runs were done in RFL organised runs. Manoj and Deepak did the FM with me at Kanakpura road in Sept 2008, Deepak and I ran the Bellandur in Dec 2008. Dharam, Manoj and Uday ensured that I was almost never running alone during the Hennur road run in April 2009. And then Rishi and gang helped make the last 3 runs (EGL May 2009, Bellandur June 2009 and Olde Bangalore July 2009) a breeze! And numerous other runners cheered me on in all of these runs. Last but not least kudos to Nikhil and A2 and the RFL support staff - who kept the course and water stations open till well past 10am in these RFL runs.

Thanx once again.

Bhasker

Meanwhile life has moved on:

During the 12 months one has survived the downturn caused by the drastic change in the world economy. We moved home from CV Raman Nagar to Domlur Layout and my duaghter has joined St Josephs College of Commerce and started her CA course.

12th in 12 months...a great morning!

After a nervous weekend spent hoping that everything goes off well I am pleased that the day(26th July 2009) went off fantastically well. With the help of a very large number of fellow RFL runners running along side and cheering me on and also aided by the wonderful running route at Olde Bangalore and great Bangalore weather I managed a very comfortable 4:29 finish in my 12th Full marathon in 12 months. Thereby I accomplished the goal I had set myself about 16 months ago April 2008. The high point of the day was unarguably the enthusiasm and support of fellow runners specially from the Red Dragon Gang and BHUKMP runners. The two cool and unexpected gifts: a T-shirt and a wooden plaque listing the twelve marathons (see pictures below) left me quite overwhelmed and speechless. I shall truly cherish these mementos for years to come !.

I started from Domlur layout at 430am and after picking up Rishikesh and Amrita at Brigade towers and connecting with Vasu, Nari , Chandra, Prasad and Ram at GKVK we reached the resort just before 530am. We started running at 535 am just as dawn was breaking out. We ran out from Olde Bangalore resort on the route of the Urban Stampede , went past Prakruthi resorts and at the T-junction took a right and ran up to the point of 7.5Km from Olde Bangalore. It was a fantastic route – pollution free, traffic free with chirping birds and greenery all around. We did not see even a dog for a long time. The route so good that had we carried water with us we would definitely have continued on for a few more Kms. However, without water we did not want to take any chances of risking cramps later in the run. On our way back to the resort as we hit the water point at the 2.5Km point we were joined by a number of other runners: Pankaj, Praveen, Meher, Shantanu, Partha etc. So a much bigger gang set off on the second loop from the water point in which we took a different road. This area turned out to be a great area for running and cycling with numerous peaceful roads crisscrossing around. By the time we returned to Olde Bangalore we had done about 22.7Kms in 2 hrs 20 minutes.

Rishi and I then decided to do two loops of 10K and 9.5K respectively to compelte the FM. I was accompanies by Nitin Gupta for these loops. Though the pace slowed down a bit as the weather warmed up I was feeling very comfortable and able to keep the target of a 4:30 finish well in sight. With Nitin and Manoj pacing me I managed to complete just under that time to cheers from A2, Nikhil, Praveen, Pankaj and others at the finish point. Felt really wonderful at the end to have accomplished my goal . Rishi, Prasad and Amrita also crossed the finished line a few minutes after me. After celebrating with the T-shirt, Plaque and a birthday cake for Pankaj Rai and a hearty breakfast we started the return drive around 11:15am with myself pretty much on cloud 9!.

Garmin Forerunner 305 issue with saving History data

About ten days ago I realised that data was not getting uploaded from my Garmin Forerunner 305 into the Training center application on the PC. On further investigation I found that the problem was actually different - my device had stopped storing data in its memory almost exactly 2 years after I started using it. I used the device for the first time on 4rth July 2007 and the last hirstory data in the unit was for 28th June 2009(my 11th FM in the current series). All data after that date was lost. As per the user manual the unit is supposed to overwrite history data once the memory is full. I tried deleting the history data but was unable to do so.

Having become addicted to my Garmin Forerunner 305 and uploading and analysing my workout data on a weekly basis I was quite disheartened with this malfunction of the unit. In despair I wrote about the problem to Garmin support and got the following response a few days later.

'Dear Bhasker Sharma,

Thank you for contacting Garmin Europe.These problems can usually be solved by updating or reloading the unit software and then performing a hard reset. Please be aware that this process will clear all of your data from the unit so ensure that if possible it is backed up to a computer.To update the software on the unit the Webupdater can be used, which canbe obtained from: http://www.garmin.com/products/webupdater/. Download and install this then connect your unit the computer. The webupdater will then check for available updates and download as necessary ? if theupdater states that you have the latest version then please select the option to reload current version.To reset the unit turn the unit off, hold down the mode button and turn the unit on. When the unit asks if you want to erase all user data, select yes. After resetting the unit, leave it with a clear view of the sky for about 30 minutes to acquire the satellite almanac.

If there is anything else I can help you with then please let me know. Alternatively you can search for a solution here: http://www.garmin.com/support.'

I followed the above instructions and downloaded the Webupdater software using which I updated the Firmware on my device from V2.6 to V2.9. Then instead of reseting the unit as mentioned above I turned it on and was prompted to delete the history data. I was able to successfully delete the history data and thankfully all is back to normal and my workouts are being stored again!

Countdown to the 12th..

Just about a week from doing the 12th marathon in 12 months on 26th July. My confidence level is pretty high with a few good training runs under the belt while at the same time I am a bit nervous. A lot of fellow runners and family members are aware that this is the 12 th run putting somewhat additional pressure - I hope everything goes well and I am successfully able to complete the mission that I sent out on 12 months ago! Running wise I am in as good a shape as can be. I did a 2hr 23 minutes 25Km run on 11th July. Followed by a couple of good tempo runs of 9K last week and a decent 12K with Rohit today. Nevertheless, I am not looking at pushing myself to achieve any specific timing - I would be happy to complete between 430 and 445.

The RFL run on 26th July is going to be a mock relay run to practice for the Urban stampede on 9th August and is at the same location of Olde Bangalore resort starting at 7am. As has been the case in the past few marathons done in the RFL organised runs, I hope to start running around 530am with the goal of completing 15K before the start of the RFL run at 7. And again I am expecting the company of RFL runners throughout the race including those of several runners from BHUKMP who are planning to do the full marathon.

Comfortable 11th at Bellandur on 28th June

A bunch of us completed the Full Marathon at the RFL Bellandur run today. Besides myself the other runners who did 42Km+ were Rishikesh, Amrita, Prasad and Deepak. My 11th FM in as many months(and 22nd overall) turned out to be an easy comfortable run - without pushing hard and without undue stress I ended up doing 43Km in 4 hrs 43! Unlike the previous two marathons the run upto this one was not very hectic - I still was not very confident of a good run - my apprehension this time was due to a cold that lingered on for over two weeks and also a niggle in my left hamstring and calf post the Sunfeast world 10K on 31st May.

Eight of us started running at 530am. There was some trenches dug up in the route and the RFL markings were still not in place - thanks to Jugy and Sunil who also started running early we were able to take the alternate path without any trouble. Ran mostly with Rishi in the 1st loop; Uday joined us as we were returning to the start point. Just about 1Km from the start point we started seeing a stream of RFL runners. We completed the 1st loop at an easy average pace of 6:20 and did 21Km in about 2:20. Each loop was 5.3Km out and back with about 2Km consisting of a trail and the remaining tar road going through a sparsely populated area with open fields all around. Its not a flat course - there were a couple of gradual longish gradients. It was great to see several familiar RFL runners and many new ones too! Ran most of the 4rth loop with Partha - he joined the run for that loop and ran at a good pace. Trying to keep up with him the 4th loop ended up being faster than what it would otherwise have been. I did not realise when my Garmin hit the 42.2K mark and I continued running towards the start point. Ended up with 43Km - very satisfied with the effort- though my previous FM in December 2008 took 4:29. During the run I hardly thought about my niggles. The two factors that made it all very easy were the constant company of some wonderful runners and the fantastic weather. Only after 930am, in the 2nd half of the fourth loop did the sun come out. The support of the RFL staff was also very helpful.

All in the timing..

No – I have not become a timing freak. Though after several years experience of distance running I am now much more timing conscious and am setting some stretch goals to improve timing. However, the title for this post is the April 2009 Runners World article which discusses the history and challenges of the qualifying times for Boston marathon . Qualifying for the Boston marathon is among the most sought-after and challenging goals for serious marathon runners around the globe including myself.

Two interesting sections from the article are reproduced here.

Below is the history of changes in the qualifying standards over the years.

• April 19, 1897—OPEN-Fifteen men run the first Boston Marathon, open to any male 19 or older.
• 1970—4:00 To control crowds, the first qualifying standard is instituted. "This is not a jogging race," say organizers.
• 1971—3:30 BAA lowers the time restrict field to 1,000; 1,067 enter.
• 1972—3:30 Women, now allowed officially to enter, are kept to same time standards.
• 1977—3:00 New time is instituted for men 39 and under.
• 1980—2:50 Due to record number of entrants, standards tighten for men 19-39, 40+ (3:10), and women (3:20).
• 1981—3:20 New standard for men 50-59; men 60+ and women 40+ get 3:30.1984—3:50 As the ranks of "masters" women rise, new time set for women 60+. (Women 50-59 must run 3:40.)
• 1987—4:00 The BAA eases times for all women (from 3:30 for those under 40 to 4:00 for 60+) and men 18-39 (3:00).
• 1990—4:20 Five-year age groups (from 35 to 70+) are instituted with relaxed standards, including 4:20 for 70+.
• 2003—5:30 New time for women 80+. BAA softens standards for runners age 45 and over, and adds new age groups for those over 70.

And for runners like me hoping to qualify for Boston within the next few years here is a list of US marathons with % of runners qualifying for Boston along with dates for the next edition of the race. Personally, it is heartening to note that the top two races are in the North East region not too far from the area that I travel to a couple of times a year in my current job.

• Bay State, Lowell, Mass. (34.1%), Oct. 18
• Mohawk-Hudson River, Albany, N. Y. (33.4%), Oct. 11
• Inland Trail, Elyria, Oh. (29.7%), Nov. 1 Last Chance for Boston 2010
• Columbus, Oh. (27.8%), Feb. 14, 2010
• California International, Sacramento (26.6%) Dec. 6
• Tucson (26.2%), Dec. 13
• Newport, Ore. (24.8%), June 5, 2010
• Tallahassee, Fla. (24.6%), Feb. 7
• 2010 Run for the Red, Poconos, Penn. (24.5%),
• May 16, 2010 Wineglass
• Corning, N. Y. (24.2%), Oct. 4

Of course the Boston Marathon itself produces the highest number of (re-)qualifiers ie 37.5%.

Balancing the Four dimensions (Warning: This is mostly not about running)

In today's fast paced environment, balancing work and personal life is a challenge for most professionals. In my case this has extended to four dimensions over the last few years as the personal life is broken down into three distinct components all of which I am passionate about: Family, Distance running and Dream A Dream.I have not been able to do much else outside of these four dimensions - in fact there have been times that I have struggled to keep up in one or more of these dimensions. Elaborating on these four:

Work:
I completed 4 years in my current job at Mformation India this week. Building a high calibre technical software delivery team and motivating them to work in a dynamic, rapidly growing environment of a small/mid-size technology company took a lot of time and energy during the waking hours of the last four years. From 4 employees in June 2005 the team has grown to over 150 - this period has not been without numerous instances of high pressure filled long days going well late into the night. Working evening hours mainly due to conference calls to accommodate different timezones is a common bane of the IT industry in India.Working with a East coast company means calls can go late into the night but on the positive side the mornings are usually free. Working with a West coast company as I had done in my previous two jobs can often result in calls both in the evenings and mornings. What has helped me cope is that I have been able to motivate myself to wake up and go out for a run or cycling on most days irrespective of the number of hours of sleep. In fact, the discipline of regular excercise has helped me better manage the stress at work. Also, it has helped that I do not travel too often on work - frequent travel can be disruptive to regular running.

Family:
I would not be able to spend so much time on running and running related activities without the support and understanding of my family members. I have been able to ensure that I make time for any specific school or family engagement. I do not believe that any major event or commitment was missed by me due to my running(though I have missed a few due to work). We have also been taking family vacations at a reasonable frequency. It has helped that my children are both teenagers and have not needed much help from me for their studies. As is typical of teenagers nowadays, they prefer to be left on their own rather than have their parents constantly look over their shoulders and they are not morning people. Many a times when I return home after a long run their day is usually just beginning. The last few months have been more stressful than usual: finishing up the flat in Domlur, College admisisons for my daughter and then the shifting of the home and settling down in the new place. Nevertheless, I was able to run the April and May full marathons after a very hectic day before the run and very little sleep the night before. My compulsive obsession with running is now kind of taken matter of factly in our family and everyone adjusts accordingly.

Running:

Marathon running means a high commitment of time during training and the actual event. In the last four years I have run over 20 marathons including the two ultra marathons in Bangalore organised by RFL. Many of these have involved travelling - I have been to Mumbai every year since 2004. I have also run in NJ, Richmond and Washington DC. I managed to take the family on a holiday to the US in 2006 and UK in 2007 while also running the NJ marathon and London marathon respectively. While for the last couple of years I have been doing long runs of over 25Km/two and a half hours regularly I have usually managed to keep myself free at least one of the the two weekend days. Besides the training and the running in events I have also been taking the time to help out RFL - in the organisation of the 1st ultra in December 2007 and then as an active contributor to the RFL core team. I also spend considerable time and effort on running and marathon related surfing on the web.

Dream A Dream :
I first heard about DAD in May 2006 when registering for the Lipton International marathon in Bangalore . After I met with Vishal and couple of their employees then and learnt about the work they were doing I signed up to raise some money for them. Ever since then I have been involved with Dream A Dream one way or another. And it has enriched my life and given me a tremendous sense of satisfaction. I have raised funds using my Mumbai runs of 2008 and 2009 and more recently as a Care Champion in the Sunfeast 10K at Bangalore. I am overwhelmed with the support that I have received from friends and family members from around the world. Of course, the fact that I have been volunteering with the organisation in the IT program and as a mentor has helped me talk to them with conviction about the tremendous impact they are making on the lives of under privileged children in Bangalore. The passion and sincerity of the employees of Dream A Dream and the various volunteers that I have met is quite amazing. Based on my experiences with DAD so far I am more than happy to contribute my bit to spreading the word on running for a cause specially Dream A dream. The story in Outlook moneyis a result of one such effort. I would highly recommend to all runners that they run for a cause that they like. I intend to stay engaged with Dream A Dream and do what I can to help scale the organisation over the next few years.