Half-Marathon!

The half-marathon was a week ago, and it was awesome. It was a cool, slightly rainy day - perfect for running. George R. Brown Convention Center was packed with energy at 6:00 in the morn. I met up with some of my Asha friends (Ravi and Ankur) and we made our way to the start line. The starting canon boomed, but it was another 7-8 minutes before we finally go to the start line. I started out a tad slow, 11-12 min/miles, but picked up the pace when my friend Andrea caught up to me. She helped keep me going at around a 10:00 pace. Somewhere after mile 10 or 11, I accidentally lost her, and also suddenly had a burst of energy (maybe due to the crowds, maybe due to Gu). I raced the last 2 miles or so and was able to average almost exactly a 10 minute mile. I'm pretty happy with that. I was also really happy to see my friend Satish cross the finish line of the full marathon later that day. He survived muscle cramps during the run, but in the end, he showed the marathon who was boss.

The whole event was so much fun. A great day for running, and a great day to break some records too. Despite the pain in my right knee (IT band) which lingered for about 2 days, I really want to be involved next year. I'm not sure I'm in shape for the big show, but I definitely want to do the half.

Props to all the fans and supporters out there who made the whole event really special. A special thanks to Betty, Vickie, Thomas, Team Asha, Masa, Masi, Mom, Dad, and Arti, for your cheering along the way.

If you're interested, you can see my finish line video, photos, or race results.

no excuses

I remember about a year ago that I used to make a lot of excuses not to go running. After 6 months of heavy-duty training, I realize there are no excuses to skip a run aside from torrential downpours or sub-freezing temperatures. And those are lame excuses at best.

"Its too cold" - Your body will warm up after a few minutes of jogging. (A hat and gloves are especially important as your head and hands have very high surface area to volume ratios. That means you lose the most heat through these body parts.)

"Its raining" - Rain is cooling, and running in mud is fun.

"Its dark" - Its also peaceful - be sure to be in a safe place, and be wary of branches, roots, and other stuff on your path and you'll be fine.

"Something came up" - Wake up 45 min early and run in the morning. You'll feel good all day and you won't be tempted to skip an evening run.

I'm not sure I'll be doing any marathons in the future, but I will keep running way into my old age. I may have to run with a cane, but I'll do it.