Abs Runs

Sunfeast World 10 K Bangalore

2009-05-31T06:27:00.000-07:00

I ran the Sunfeast World 10 K today in Bangalore. I hadn't really put in anything close to preparation for this run other than sporadic visits to the gym and I was pretty ashamed at how I approached this event. I really believe that a healthy respect is to be given to any activity which involves a combination of physical and mental application. I learned that the hard way in Bombay earlier this year. Machismo has no place in distance running and over confidence is the harbinger of disaster. Well...disaster for a serious runner that is. Clutching your sides while people are zipping by you counts for me as disaster.

So yes I felt extremely underprepared and I had mentally accepted that I would go easy and really guage the pace on how I felt on race day. The event itself was very smoothly organised. Smooth entry, easy baggage counter, decent holding area and on-time start. The race route too was great mainly following the route I have been taking for the last one year so I could count off all the familiar sights. I started strong and knew exactly when to push the right buttons and when to ease up to get that little bit extra later. It's amazing what a wise teacher Experience can be. I must also admit reluctantly that I did take a little bit of pleasure & pride in passing so many runners after the 5 K mark. I didn't have a timing chip this time so I got a 2nd priority start at the race. I must have been at least 15 minutes behind the timing-chip runners and after the 5 K mark almost every person I was passing had a timing chip clipped to their shoes. I ran a surprisingly strong race and if I had pushed myself a little more from the 8 K mark I should have completed with a sub 50 time. As it is, I finished in 52 mins and 55 secs and I didn't even feel out of breath as I finished. Not too bad for a 10 K. But my personal Everest still looms large and daunting, albeit distant in the form of finishing a 42 K in under 4 hours. Now that would be cause for celebration. For today, I'll have myself a couple of beers and contemplate a more serious training schedule from next week.

Recovery

2009-05-18T23:26:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a quick post. I really pushed myself last night on the treadmill...5 K in 26 minutes and eased up when I felt sharp pain in my left heel. Cooled down, stretched and went home. The pain got really bad in an hour and it felt like I'd need a week to recover from this. I woke up this morning and gingerly tested the ankle and heel for fear of that familiar shooting pain but there was only a dull stiffness and now I am walking almost normally.

I think this is testimony to the hard yards, exercise and stretching. My recovery period has improved dramatically in the last year and that's great news all around. More pleasing was the fact that I put in a 15 K tarmac run on Sunday morning and followed it up with this strong run the very next day. And right now I feel I can put in another 5 K easily this evening too. Shedding those kilos is the only thing on my mind right now and pursuing that with a vengeance. South Beach is king.

Gels

2009-05-16T22:18:00.000-07:00

After more than a month, I put in a good, long-ish tarmac run. I covered close to 15K in an hour and half. The finish was really strong and I felt very fluid. That was encouraging. I am still carrying a few excess kilos which are now becoming more than a mere irritant. Something will have to be done about that soon.

In another positive development of my running routine, the energy gels the Sethi got me from the States are simply magnificent! They taste like hell but I was warned about that by other runners. Its curious how the gels work: while 2 gulps of Gatorade really goes straight to your muslces and brain and gives you a real surge in step, the gels work slightly differently. The first 2 minutes or so you don't feel anything at all except for the synthetic, plasticky aftertaste of the gel. Then slowly but surely you feel more balanced and stability that wasn't there starts to come into your stride. It will be interesting to see once I start hitting the 30 K mark how these gels work but for now I am happy I have some to fool around with. I hope to complete the Sunfeast 10K in under an hour but lets see how I feel on race day. For now, another Sunday and another endorphin high. Cubbon Park was beautiful and I slowed down a little while going past Nehru's statue this morning...he must be smiling, whereever he is.

Refresh, again.

2009-05-04T04:35:00.000-07:00

I read this story from the newsletter of Runners for Life:

Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up.
It knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed.
Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up.
It knows that it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve.
It doesn't matter whether you're a lion or a gazelle
when the sun comes up you'd better be running.

(But, unless you're a runner, you won't understand.)

I was quite taken by imagining how Nature has programmed so many creatures into being fit and non-sedentary for their very survival and how humans have through a quirk of evolution, managed to avoid it completely.

I also recently finished the last few pages of Murakami's "What I talk about when I talk about running". I have been savouring this book for over 6 months now believe it or not. I was extremely reluctant to ever reach the end because I don't think I have enjoyed any book as much as this one. The connection between what the author is saying and your personal experiences ran so deep as to be almost a reflection of your own life, if you know what I mean.

A combination of that little story and Murakami's conclusions about running has revealed again a profound sense of meaning to me not just in terms of running but in terms of what simple action means to all creatures and how there is so much meaning and fluidity that can be derived from mere action, how our senses and surroundings are revealed to ourselves in sharper, brighter colours. More than ever, I am determined now to squeeze out every ounce of whatever it is that running has to offer me: the gap between mind and body is only increasing and this is my prime. They say youth is wasted on the young: well not this time its not. I feel a sense of rejuvenation that is hard to explain. And more than ever, I yearn for early morning, slanting rays of the sun and the road.

10 K

2009-04-28T04:18:00.000-07:00

Email I got today:

Dear Abhijeet,

Congratulations!!!

Procam International Ltd. takes a pleasure to confirm your entry to the Sunfeast World 10K Bangalore to be held on Sunday, 31st May 2009.

Details of your confirmed entry are as under:

Race Type : Open 10k
Running Number :1106
Reference Number: 126
Birth Date : 1981-03-30
Gender : Male

Your Acceptance Letter will be sent to you shortly with all the details related to collection of running number.

I am unable to decide what time I should target for this 10 K. I have not put in the kind of training I would have liked but I think a time of 55 mins or under is realistic. Maybe.

Smooooth

2009-04-14T08:08:00.000-07:00

I've put on a few kilos which are more of an irritant than anything else. My flexibility and strength is down which is a big concern. But today I had a simply brilliant, fluid and smooth as honey 5 K run. I purposely slowed the pace to about 10 K/hour and around the 4 K mark I couldn't believe the way I was floating. What a sensation. You should try it some day :-)

For now I have 6 weeks for the Sunfeast 10 K run on 31st May. The shape I am in right now, I would probably have a dismal run if it was next week but 6 weeks is about enough time if I am able to put in about 20 more runs like I did today.

Love it.

2009-03-16T02:33:00.001-07:00

test

Again

2009-02-23T22:23:00.000-08:00

So It's a little over a month since my first marathon. The euphoria has faded and cold, hard facts stare me in the face. I received my official time certificate yesterday and 4:52:52 seems like an eternity. After all the effort and pain, I can't believe I finished in this time. My split times (taken at 14K, 23K and 32K) also tell the story...I slacked off way too much in the first 14 K. But no point brooding.

What is clear is I can't go around for too long with 4:52 as a finish time. What is also clear and dauntingly so is the comparative increase in everything that will have to be done to achieve a time commensurate with personal satisfaction levels.

To begin with I need to lose about 8 kilos / 15 pounds. No other target for the next 2 months. I may start a weekly tarmac run from March though...and so we begin.

Sub 4?

2009-02-02T07:58:00.000-08:00

So here we are again. As I was driving home on Sunday night after a soirée of sorts, it struck me that I was at a crossroads...or should I say a fork in the road. On one side I see the warm glow of friends, many soirées, lots of merriment, lazy weekends, raising jars....on the other I see jibes, prods, reproaches, pain, struggle and perhaps...just perhaps exhilaration: pure, unadulterated and maybe even a little enlightenment and clarity of vision in the transcendental sense.

Two roads divulged...and as I was driving on I felt that this was the moment...we all have times when a question pops up in front of us...one that we'd rather have not been confronted by for maybe another few weeks or months.

I have, to borrow a line, chosen the one that wanted wear.

It's begun

2009-01-27T07:36:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday (18th January) I ran the StanChart Mumbai Marathon. I spent 3 days in Goa soon after where I discovered Turtle Beach thanks to Lama Jr. I took the opportunity of a near empty beach to jog up & down the beautiful stretch twice over. I'd never ever run on a beach and the feeling is incredible. But that was about 15 minutes.

This Monday (26th January) I put in my first serious run post the marathon. A good 35 minute run with a strong finish. It felt awesome. No pain. No effects of all those beers. Dull pain in the knees later but I'm going to build up slowly.

The gym schedule is set now. Lots of boring, monotonous gym work lies ahead. Lots of work on the Core lies ahead. Lots of cardio lies ahead.

Let's get started. Destination 2010.

The Finish!

2009-01-22T21:19:00.000-08:00

Epilogue

2009-01-21T07:05:00.000-08:00

I was asked several times by several people in the lead up to my first marathon, "Isn't the weather going to be a factor?" or "Doesn't it get really hot in Bombay?". At these times, I would do what any pig headed, resolute idiot would have done which is to say that nah the weather matters only so much and that there's lots of water stations along the route so let's just focus on the distances I'm running now shall we? Little did I know...

But let's start from the top. I think I set some traditions in place (2 years counts as tradition doesn't it?) and accordingly, I went to the Marathon Expo on Saturday morning in Cuffe Parade, picked up my running bib (yes that's what it's called), my time chip (a quite cool time chip too this time) and my goody bag full of stuff I didn't need. After this I went to Pizzeria and had myself a good pasta lunch. Further carb loading happened with the Blahs soon after and I was all set.

I couldn't sleep very well and was quite anxious. Not that I didn't expect to be but it was still distantly troubling. However, I woke up without the alarm at 4:15, caught the train to Churchgate at 5:20 AM, had a friendly conversation with Glin, a British national who was attempting his first half marathon on the journey to Churchgate and found myself lining up to enter Azad Maidan for the start.

And that's when that feeling of tingling anxiety and nervousness and adrenaline pumping started...just jostling with the crowd to get in it hit me finally that here it is. 6 months of sweat and focus and pain and frustration and struggle all culminate now...right now. I hadn't felt like that since turning out for Joseph's or the state team in one of those cracker jack games but what I also felt this time around was a degree of calmness...I began to breathe easier.

The gun went off at 06:45 AM exactly and I made it to the start point a couple of minutes later...my timing chip ensuring a loud beep as I crossed the start point. I immediately slipped into my zone...just like that *snap*. The tunes playing loudly in my ears kept away all the noise and random bollywood numbers being played and a few people shouting...I blocked everything away and settled into a nice rythm almost from the start.

By the Oberoi turn (2 km into the race) I was already sweating profusely. To me that was a complete shock. I normally don't start sweating until the 5 K mark but I didn't dwell on that too much...as scary as it was. I didn't want to go down that path just yet and too damn right I didn't! The weather was simply brilliant and I glided along passing the 5 K mark, then 10 K and then the 15 K mark. I enjoyed passing all the familiar landmarks: Haji Ali, the juice centre, Kemp's Corner and Worli seaface. I ensured I kept drinking water regularly and broached my first gulp of Gatorade from the bottle I was carrying around the 12 K mark.

By the 20 K mark, I had clocked 2 hrs 15 mins which was almost bang on target. I felt a surge of confidence that all the training, all the preparation was paying off right here. That feeling of elation is incredible...really. Magical almost.

Then came Bandra Reclamation and with it the heat and hunger. I began to feel that very familiar creeping dread that if I didn't eat and eat very soon, this marathon would be over before I knew it. Almost bang on I found a family distributing lime juice and another family giving out bananas. Big thank yous and I gulped down both. I got to the turn which is also the 23 K mark with a surge of confidence. A lot of people there egging me on helped and my time chip beeped in agreement.

That's when the heat started to kick in.

I kept myself hydrated, ate biscuits again being handed out by a kind lady, kept drinking glucose but the heat just kept getting worse. However, I still felt in very good nick and saw no reason to slow down. Big mistake....huge mistake. I hit the 30 K mark again bang on target at 3 hrs 20 minutes and I really really believed at that moment that "Damn I am going to finish this marathon in under 4 hr 30". How wrong I was. To put it simply I hit the 32 K mark at about 10: 20 AM. The heat suddenly climbed to unbearable limits, my body couldn't absorb anymore sugar or I couldn't feel the difference, my calves more or less gave up and 42 seemed a world away.

Those last 10 kms took me 1 hr and 35 mins or so. It was by some distance, the most gruelling, difficult and doubt ridden 1 hour and 35 minutes of my entire life. This is what makes marathon running unique. It strips you bare. It brings you face to face with yourself, your character and there you are...it is so easy to stop...walk into the aid station, ask for an ice pack and say that I've had enough. Just say the word...the race volunteers are all over looking out for exactly my kind of runner...they don't want me to die and only want to help. I stop at one aid station to ask for anti-inflammatory spray...my left knee is twice the size of my right. I find this strange...in that dazed moment I can't comprehend what's going on so I just babble...spray please and start walking again. I hear the volunteer sharply shout at me to wait, to rest for 2 minutes and then resume. I continue...hoping they don't run after me. Am I in that bad a shape? This is when you are faced with yourself: there is really nothing at stake...no prize to lose, no promotion to let slip by, no good karma to bank away: it's only you looking at who you are and deciding what to do.

I can't be very articulate about this because that moment or that time stretches for ever or seems to anyway but still cannot be fully expressed. It has to be experienced.

Those 10 K split me open, left me bare and I came out...dragged myself on but I never stopped except to stretch my calves. I knew stopping meant death. There were some runners around me whom I kept company for those last 10. Sometimes I would fall way behind and suddenly they would fall behind me. We were all employing the same pace-change strategy ...the only strategy left to runners who've hit the wall hard. This means you jog, you then slow down almost to a walk, slowly pick up again...till you feel the world crashing in, slow down and start the process all over again, while all the time looking for those red KM markers. All kinds of thoughts went through my head then...images of all the people back in Bangalore who had patiently heard my endless babbling about this very run, all the support from those same people, thoughts of how I would face them when I didn't finish...when I saw the 40 K marker in front oh boy oh boy. That was something...not until then, not until THAT POINT did I feel I could finish. Upon seeing the 40 K marker I knew I was home. That sense of inevitability which I had at the start came flooding back and I was smiling as I slowly, painfully jogged down Marine Drive to take the turn towards Fountain. I knew I was home. That's also when I guess those unknown reserves of strength man finds in himself during times of adversity came to the fore too. I knew that a finish over 5 hours would mean a finish for nothing. I couldn't even then bare to think of telling anyone I ran the marathon in over 5 hours. The energy kicked in...I sprinted the last 500 metres ...how I don't know but damn I did.

I clocked 4 hrs 52 mins 52 seconds by the official chip timing.

The aftermath was another story. I stumbled into the medical tent, got hold of an ice pack and kept staring at my left knee which had become like an egg. Suddenly I saw my ankles too were like that but that's when I also realised I was laughing out loud. I couldn't believe it and I still can't. The feeling is unmatched, like nothing I've ever known. I am privileged to have experienced this and I think I will many times over in my life time.

As I read somewhere earlier...what can I say after this experience? Never again...until the next time!

Primed

2009-01-15T09:55:00.000-08:00

I finished my final warm up run in the lead up to the Mumbai Marathon earlier today. I put in 4 K in 25 minutes and didn't feel a thing. I had a good stretch after that, smiling quietly to myself as I saw some Red Bull girls walk around the gym and con poor, unsuspecting guys into drinking that filth.

I'm ready. No pains, no aches, good stretches and nice rhythm.

This has been fun. Over and out.

5 days left...

2009-01-13T03:16:00.000-08:00

Imagine how Liu Xiang must have felt standing in front of the whole world, especially millions of his adoring countrymen, standing in front of all those cameras and saying he will not be able to defend his 110 M hurdles gold?

I nearly broke down myself as I heard him speak...watching Liu Xiang run the 110 and 400 hurdles was something I was looking forward to with an obsession reserved until recently only for watching Warne bowl. Such was Liu Xiang's presence and mastery.

I thought a lot about Liu Xiang last evening.

I caught a viral infection over the weekend and I am now on antibiotics. 5 days before the marathon. The one place I did not want to be: under the influence of soporific, energy sapping drugs the week of one of the most important days for me in my entire life. Seems grandiose and overstated but not too far from the truth that. I've put in over 5 months of time, energy, pain and sweat. I am not going to let a viral infection stop me from running of course but I am also not stupid enough to ignore the fact that I will not be a 100% on Sunday.

I thought about Liu Xiang and how he delayed his announcement of not being fit till the last moment...hoping somehow he would be able to run. One cannot even begin to fathom how he must have felt, indeed still feels at not performing in front of his home crowd at the peak of his abilities.

I caught a large part of the movie "Seabiscuit" over the weekend. I first saw it in 2003/4 in Rotterdam...in a near empty theatre with 6 other people for company. If ever one needed to see an example of triumphing over adversity, this was it.

I have 5 days more to be ready.

Frío

2009-01-11T20:57:00.000-08:00

Again, bang on target I catch a big cold and all symptoms of the flu 6 days before race day. I am scared as hell right now and hope this damn thing goes away...running with a running nose and parched throat is not going to help me finish, especially in the Bombay humidity. Damn.

Bombay meri jaan

2008-12-30T20:59:00.000-08:00

I am trying to learn this by heart. I have a big blister/corn on my left heel which keeps dully pounding away every now and then reminding me that I am up against it now. Lots of fear that I will break down on race day but at the same time, I am not going to let 5 months of hard work be forgotten because of pain. No game of cricket I ever played did I approach like this. I am so pumped.

START and FINISH opposite Chhatrapati Shivaji Railway Terminus junction.

Dr. D.N. Road past Fountain to Veer Nariman Road; Left on to Marine Drive towards The Oberoi hotel; Round The Oberoi hotel and back on to Marine Drive up to Chowpatty; Right to Babulnath Marg and left past N.S. Patkar Marg over Kemps Corner Flyover to Haji Ali junction; Left on to Lala Lajpat sRai Marg to Dr. Annie Besant Road and left under Love Grove Flyover/Mela Restaurant; Straight down till end of Worli Seaface; Turnaround at the INS TRATA Round-about; Left towards Thadani Marg; Left on to Dr. Annie Besant Road (Podar Hospital); Straight past Glaxo, Ceat Mahal, Siddhivinayak Temple; Straight along Cadell Road passing Shivaji Park, Hinduja Hospital, Mahim Church Junction; Straight on S.V. Road (i.e. Mahim Causeway); Left towards Bandra Reclamation; Straight till the end of the Bandra-Worli Sea-face link; Turnaround back toward Mahim Church Junction using same carriageway; Right towards Cadell Road; Right on to Thadani Marg; Left on to Worli Sea-face heading towards the Love Grove flyover; Back on to same route up to Veer Nariman Road; Left towards Fountain and back to the Finish.

Injury

2008-12-26T02:08:00.000-08:00

Almost right on cue, 3 weeks before Bombay, I develop a serious niggle on my left heel. I attribute this completely to my own stupidity of course. Us humans are gifted with a resilience not common to any other species but that resilience is offset with an ego that can undo anything good.

After a fantastic, near perfect run on Sunday, I went into the gym on Tuesday. That was mistake number 1. Idiot.

Mistake number 2 was continuing to run despite feeling something wasn't right. That too for some reason I decided to put in some uphill. Compounded stupidity.

Result: a swollen left front heel. Lots of Voveran and ice and a large dose of fear. Real fear right now. There's not much pain but the swelling is still very real. Rest, ice, more rest. Pray.

Why I run - reason no. 47

2008-12-24T03:04:00.000-08:00

This is after the preface to "The Myth of Sisyphus" by Camus:

"O my soul, do not aspire to immortal life, but exhaust the limits of the possible."

- Pindar, Pythian iii

Overwhelmed

2008-12-22T03:40:00.001-08:00

If I've said this once, I've said this a hundred times. But I still can't come to terms with the overwhelming response a simple email or note gets. I was trying to explain this to a friend the other day, how everyone wants to contribute and share their success, how deep down all of us people are actually good and kind and caring. It's hard to imagine but I still feel it's true. I sent out my 2nd round of notes to people on Facebook, talking about my run for a cause and within 30 minutes I had 4 people coming forward to contribute. Just like that. It's unexplainable, humbling and all in all a delightful feeling.

I've raised Rs. 62,000 so far and I hope to touch the 100,000 mark again like last year. I think I will.

Ready

2008-12-21T22:30:00.000-08:00

I think I've peaked as far as training for this marathon goes. I completed about 33 K yesterday and although I almost lost it around the 25 K mark, some bananas and water did the trick: I was going strong when I pulled up at 09:45 AM...I'd been on the road for exactly 3:30 minutes with no stops save to buy the water.

I had various pains and scares along the way but I was able to set each of them aside, ignore them and hope they went away which they did.

I think I'll put in one more long run next Sunday before tapering off till Race Day. Good news too on the fund raising front. I've raised about Rs. 60 K and am hoping to bring in another Rs. 40 K in the next month.

Q over Q

2008-12-15T09:45:00.000-08:00

I didn't go through with my planned long run this Sunday as I had to be out late on Saturday night. However I decided to put myself through a decent run later on Sunday. I started off very easy and picked up the pace after 5 K or so. I put in a decent 14 K in 1 Hr 30. Again what I was pleased with was the ease and comfort which I felt throughout the run.

I have just about 30 days left before I board that plane to Bombay. The focus now is not on quantity but quality. No matter how fast or how far I run now, it will only improve my Bombay time by not more than a fraction. The important thing now is to experience 3 near-marathon runs before Bombay. Mentally I need to really capture the moments when my knees begin to hurt, to know exactly when my soles or ankles show signs of giving up, when my body is crying out for fluid, when my hamstrings begin to freeze. And I need to acknowledge all of these pains and neatly set them aside and continue running. That really is the key I feel to completing this race.

There is so much possibility I can feel once this first race is behind me. But that's looking too far ahead and right now I need to keep my eyes on the ball. Much like SRT & Yuvi did today. Inspiring stuff that.

The plan for the next 4 weeks is clear: short bursts during the week with the next 3 Sundays really being the dress rehearsals for the big day. If this pantomime had a theme song, it would be Collective Soul in the background, " Have I got a long way to run....Yeah I run..."

Already ready for the next try

2008-12-08T01:06:00.000-08:00

Fittingly I write this on Jim Morrison's birthday, or rather how fitting it might have been. For about 15 glorious minutes speeding through Cubbon Park yesterday, I felt that this was the day I would break on through to the other side. I already knew this was my strongest ever pace at the 15 K mark and I should have held back right there and then! But I chose not to and continued to let the endorphins get the better of me. The result: I started feeling the cramp around 20 K and couldn't feel both my hamstrings by 28 K. I could have sat on the jogging strip and beaten my fists on the floor...I didn't know what was making me wince more: the frustration of hitting the wall again or the pain of it. Both were very real.

It took me 20 minutes to walk back home...a walk of about 800 metres. I just could not feel my legs. The pain was excruciating. It took me until 5 PM to be able to hobble about again. I think it was a combination of not drinking enough water and of pushing myself too much too soon. If I had held back around the 15 K mark, it would have resulted in less pain, more distance. I broke a fundamental rule in distance running and paid for it. Sitting here right now it all seems so clear but how can I explain that feeling of complete control when pride & strength (albeit momentary) obscure reason and logic?

This is a classic example of what marathons teach you: humility, understanding & accepting your limitations and pushing yourself to achieve more little by little, bit by painful bit. There really is no substitute for perseverance and hard work. And there really are no short cuts. Momentary, fleeting impressions of power & supremacy are just that. Fleeting. They only serve to make you drunk and then send you crashing back down. This is true for everything we do in life. I think I am going through a self-improvement overload.

But all this is irrelevant. The goal is as distant as it ever was. I have 3 more tries at cracking the 35 K mark. I can't wait for next Sunday.

Counting down

2008-12-05T02:08:00.000-08:00

I spent the better part of this week in Delhi and consequently missed out 4 days of training. Of course this is inevitable and I had planned for this to happen several times. Getting back to home base today I look at the calendar with a slight tremor which begins at the base of my spine and somehow works its way all the way up to make my lips curl into a determined smile.

I have 2 Sundays in January where I am going to do light, easy runs of 10 K to stay fresh. Which leaves me with 4 Sundays this month. Looking at things as they stand, it is clear I am physically nowhere close to running a strong marathon and thoughts of negative splits (running the 2nd half quicker than the 1st) are but pipe dreams. I can think of a 100 things I should have done and another 50 I should have done differently over the last 6 months. But it's too late for recriminations. The 4 Sundays in December have to be used for 30 K plus runs. That much is clear. If I were brutally honest what is also crystal is that I need to touch the 37 K mark. 37 K...damn. :-)

Vamos.

My Cause - Support it

2008-12-04T22:09:00.000-08:00

This is the email I sent out a few days back to most of my friends living in India. Last year I had raised close to 1 lakh INR towards my cause. This year to date I have only managed to raise Rs. 10,000. A big thank you: Abhinav, Archy, Chitra and Indranil for your contributions.

I have time until January 17th 2009 to raise as much as possible to support Dream A Dream.

***********************

Hi Folks,

I'm not really sure how to begin, even whether I should be sending this out in the first place but I thought about it for a while and I'm going to give it a stab anyway.

Like so many of you, I too felt quite deflated over the last few days. Empty. Numb. I felt all those emotions ranging from shock to anger & rage to a sense of helplessness. I think above all, we want answers. We want to know why and we want to do something. That's what got me thinking...

That's how all this began for me too. A few years back I too felt a sense of helplessness. I felt numb. I couldn't keep ignoring those hands that kept knocking on the window of my car. I couldn't keep driving away. I couldn't keep pretending to see through people, especially when they were children. So finally I changed track. How much that has helped or how much that will help in the larger sense is open to debate and question. Maybe in some indirect way what I do now will benefit those more in need. Maybe it won't. My work isn't unique nor would it probably be missed. But I still try and do what I can in the hope that it will help.

All our problems suddenly seem interconnected: education - jobless youth - social unrest - terrorism - greed - apathy - corruption ....the list goes on. But I think we can all help even by focusing on one small part of one of these issues. We can help either by getting involved or by helping those who are already in the thick of things. And that's the basic plea in this email. I am convinced that increasingly so many of the issues that plague us today are interconnected and by eliminating one we increase the chances of changing the bigger picture.

I recently attended a talk by Subroto Bagchi, a co-founder at Mindtree Consulting. He opined that transformational social change takes time...a lot of time. But also that such change has, throughout human history, been brought about by average people using simple tools. What I took away from that afternoon is the belief that we all can make a difference in ways big and small. I'm trying to make a change, albeit small. I feel Dream A Dream, an organisation very close to my heart, is slowly but surely changing the lives of some of Bangalore's most neglected children. These are children without much of a future, without much of a chance. But every day that they benefit from Dream A Dream's work, these children move another step away from the horror of life on the street or life without a chance to a life of independence, dignity and self-respect. This much I have seen myself, I have experienced to my own surprise and pleasure.

I intend running a full marathon on January 18th, 2009 in Bombay. The fact that I'll be starting from VT and then down Marine Drive in itself is going to mean a lot to me this time around. But what would give me a lot more satisfaction is if I knew that by doing these 42 kilometres, over 1000 children in Bangalore would have more of a chance of one day themselves drafting out such emails and sending it to their friends. That they too one day will sit at desks, in front of computers, have bank accounts, drive cars, eat in restaurants, see the world. Impossible some might say...but let's give it a try. Too much is at stake for us not to care. Not least of all because the smiles on those children's faces makes one forget all the strife, all our problems, all the reasons we fight about. It really is the most pure thing in the world. Let's try to ensure those smiles never fade.

You can contribute by going here. Only Indian rupee donations can be accepted. Please do forward this to your friends and family. If you want to write out a cheque, please address it in favour of "Dream A Dream". Contact me in case you want to know more or get involved yourself.

http://www.giveindia.org/give/pledgepage/abhimehta

Thanks for reading.

Abhijeet

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Push push push

2008-11-23T22:07:00.000-08:00

I put in a decent run this Sunday past. A good 28 K in 3 hours flat but the last 2 K were a struggle. I'm almost comfortable now running with a bottle of Gatorade for about 15 K. It is definitely adding a few minutes to my time but there really is no other way. On Race Day too I will carry a bottle as I am certain there won't be any Gatorade along the way which is ridiculous but that's how it is.

The other problem I am facing is looping around any one place after 20 K becomes too taxing. I am sure that if there was an open road I would be hitting 35 K right now. But mentally when I have to loop around a 1.5 K circuit, it is very easy for the mind to give up. I have 4 more long runs left. Two of those have to be 35 K. The climb suddenly got a whole lot steeper. I already know that the last 10 K from no. 32 to 42 are going to be something extraordinary. And the last 5 out of those 10 will be like nothing I've ever experienced. :-)