Marathon #2 Done!

Marathon #2 - The ATT Marathon happened this past Sunday. I don't plan to write a full recap similar to what I did after completing Marathon #1 last October. But I do want to mention some things.

This marathon was a very tough one for me. I had all sorts of stitches-cramping issue. The weather became really hot and I kept getting dehydrated easily which resulted in me consuming a lot of liquids which resulted in more than planned potty breaks - and each time I stopped, it was a pain getting back started!! I was shooting to better my DC time by 20 mins and finishing in 5.5 hours, but I actually ended up taking 10 mins more than DC to finish!

BUT despite all of this, I had a GREAT race - and this was mainly due to the wonderful folks from Team Asha and my own friends!! I've been more involved with Asha this year than I was last year, and have gotten to know the core members a little better. And I have to say that I have never met a group of people more dedicated, enthusiastic and committed to a cause as much as these folks! They were there for us through the training months - and there for us throughout the race - all the way to the finish line - and there for us after the race as well! It was very exciting to see the Asha cheer squads along the race course - and served as an instant energy boost! Asha also provided pacers for all the marathoners - and I had 2 very wonderful pacers who accompanied me at different points during the 2nd half of the race! One of the pacers was from Dallas and I really have to give him a big big gold star for not only pacing me, but also entertaining me all the way to the finish line! :)

Besides the Asha runners, Areille, who will always be my favourite running buddy, accompanied me on the last 5K of the race, and when she is around, even the toughest run feels like a piece of cake! Areille also made the whole day tension-free for me by waking up early in the morning to give me a ride to the race and then driving me back home!! I cannot thank her enough for all her support through these last few months!!! She's just awesome!! I also have to thank Prax and Aparna who showed at the finish line to cheer me on!! That was a really pleasant surprise!!

Thanks to all of you who wrote to me with your words of encouragement as well!! It really did mean a lot to me!!

So overall, I really did have a fabulous Marathon #2! I plan to hang up my laces for a while to focus on some other stuff, but do have some Tri plans for this fall - so I'm sure they won't stay hung up for too long! :)

Tribute to Thalaiva.....

OK - Here's a non-running vetti post!! 2 years ago, a bunch of us did a cheesy "item dance" to the song Aasai Nooru Vagai - a Rajini classic! My friend managed to upload the video recently. By far, this is one of the most fun dances I have EVER done on stage! Hope you enjoy it as well!

Happy Monday! :)

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1596157383406530390

10 more days!!!

So in the last couple of days, I have started receiving "Good Luck", "You can do it" emails from folks - and each time I receive one, I am like "huh? good luck!! what for??".....I keep forgetting that I have a marathon coming up - in fact in just 10 days!! I have been so busy with everything else in my life, that I've totally lost track of time....I attend my workouts and long runs routinely but have not really been counting down to the big day like I did the last time round!

I need to re-focus....re-align myself....and quick! The worst thing that can happen on a marathon morning is not being mentally prepared for what's ahead!!

So this weekend - I am gonna go for a pre-race massage - just to "flush things out and loosen things up" like Coach Stephanie has recommended, run my easy 7 miles taper workout....focus on my nutrition and hydration plan for next week, and try not to do anything crazy the whole of next week - especially at the gym or all the dance practices I have for an upcoming show! I will also be attending the pre-race Asha dinner this evening - and Coach Amy, my DC marathon training coach will be talking about mental preparation. She is AMAZING at motivating and encouraging runners of all levels - so if not anything, that should definitely get me back on track!!

Meanwhile, my fundraising site for Team Asha is still up and running (I'm sorry - but I just HAD to add in my last final shameless appeal! :) ) - so please take a moment to look at it if you haven't so already (see the link on the right-hand side) and think about contributing something - anything and everything counts! If you any questions about Asha and its projects, feel free to let me know about them as well!!