3.25 miles in 36:00 minutes at Bayonne Park

Ran for 3.25 miles between Mayor Richard Rutkowski Park and the running track at the Bayonne Park. The distance from the car parking area to the running track is about a mile. I ran 2.25 miles on the running track before heading back to the car parking area.

Today I took a minute's walking break after the first mile, and every half mile afterwards.

3.25 miles in 35:10 minutes at my community

Almost did not run today!

I was in the same situation as yesterday, leaving the running part to later in the evening , and almost winding up not having time to run before heading out on my other engagements. For a minute or so, I had eliminated the possibility of running today, and was on my way to declare a break down and start afresh from tomorrow. I probably would have gotten away with it as well earlier, but now I am made of sterner stuff!

All kudos to me - for my inventiveness - in turning the no-show to a spectacular 3.25 mile run by deciding to run in my community - right next to where I live, rather than go to the park.

Got out to run around 3:30 PM and ran through the streets of Society Hill - my gated community in Jersey City; treaded on many streets that I have never been on before!

A main motivation for me in running in my complex is to figure out if it is possible to organize a 5K race in my complex - a possibility I have been discussing with many people. The distance from one end to another is about a mile! It is possible to set up a route for a 5K by doubling up the path, and including many bypaths.

1.8 miles in 19:30 minutes

Completed part of the running required for today, as I was running late to an appointment in the evening.

Take away from today's reduced effort:
I will run first thing in the morning on the days I am supposed to run!

I will make up for the reduced effort today by adding .25 miles to the next two days 3 mile runs.

Second successful long run - 7 miles in 1:24

I can't believe it!!

I ran 7 miles in 1:24 minutes today as part of my Marathon training!! The longest I had run before this was a labored 1:15:02 10K at the Scotland Run in March this year. There wasn't much from my past efforts to prove that I will actually be able to run 7 miles and enjoy it.

I ran on the running track at the Stephen R Gregg Park in Bayonne today afternoon; went with the intention to run all of 7 miles (28 rounds on the 400m track) and try out my new Garmin Forerunner 305.

The first two miles were difficult; after that the run became easier and I was virtually cruising - laps and miles disappeared in the distance! And I had completed the longest continuous run of my life with a lot to spare!

I am loving this game! I can see clearly now the moment of my first Marathon completion!

I did this amazing effort without any external encouragement. Wonder how much better I can do if I had ZZ Top's La Grange or a Bollywood favorite blaring in my ears!

3 mile run on the Treadmill; 38 minutes

Ran 3 miles on the tread-mill today morning, to make up for the lost training session yesterday. Had to go very slowly after the first mile. Looks like the tiredness from lack of sleep caught up.

I have to implement the 10:30 PM Curfew period from now on; to avoid working late hours and consequently losing sleep and go around exhausted during the day.

Another concern that came up with the troubles I am having with training is that the remaining 13 weeks till the Self Transcendence Marathon will not be enough for my body to attune itself for the rigorous marathon run, and that I will be cutting corners and putting myself at the risk of injury and of losing the passion for running if I push myself to cram everything in a short time.

I will decide on this concern by the end of June - after completing 5 more weeks of training.

Breakdown in training plan

The training schedule required me to go on a 3M run yesterday. I did not. It is a breakdown in my preparations for the first marathon. I let circumstances determine how I go about it. I am not proud of it! By not running the requisite miles this week, I am jeopardizing my preparations for my first marathon.

I will make adjustments to my training plan and go running 3M on Friday morning - an off day according to the Training Schedule. The Gym opens at 5:00 AM - I will be there by 5:30 AM to finish the 3M as early as possible, so that I have time to recover and run this week-end's long run of 7 miles on Saturday in the afternoon.

I am the possibility of being unstoppable!! I will prepare for the marathon - AS IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE DONE, and not like AS I FEEL!!

Today, my semi-depressed mood because of the non-progress on my businesses, as well as the doubts about the presence of authenticity in many of my relationships - all undoubtedly started by the Vodka binge on Wednesday night with Edward S - made me postpone the plan to run the required 3M to later in the day, till I couldn't go running as it became too late.

I will go through with the trainings early in the day from now on!

3 mile run in Wall Street Area

I participated in the American Heart Association Start! Wall Street Run 3 Mile Race today evening. The 3 Mile distance was in perfect alignment with the training schedule for the second week week-day run.

Had fun running in the heart of the financial district! Took tons of photos ; check them out on my Flickr.

I finished the 3 Mile distance in 36.26 minutes - much slower than my personal best. The wet roads, and my interest in taking photos made it for a much slower pace.

1.5 hour mega workout!

As per the Novice training plan, today is a rest day.

I decided to treat it as the first training day of the week - to compensate for not running one day last week, as well as to accommodate the evening start in the Wall Street 5K tomorrow. Went to Bayonne Park in the evening, and ran 2 full miles on the running track there, and more than a mile in getting there and back.

On the way back, since it was already dusk, the authorities closed the walkway which connected the park to where my car was located. Trying to get to the car in an alternate route I ended up walking more than 45 minutes - finally walking back all the way home and then having Amrit drive me over to my car!

Everything in my body is aching! I have to ensure I park my car inside the Bayonne Park next time I go running very late in the day.

45 minutes Kayaking in Hackensack River

Kiran was visiting from DC yesterday; went kayaking with him in Hackensack River. Was on the river for more than 45 minutes, feverishly trying to reach the bridge a mile away and then turning back 2/3rd of the way as it became too tiring.

Great cross-training work-out on the day after my first long run!

Will have a pair of in-line skates for next week's cross-training! Chose in-line skates over bicycle as a bike is something I can always use in the Gym.

Why 2008 Self Transcendence Marathon?

I spent a few hours early this week exploring the marathon calendar for USA, and decided on running the Self Transcendence Marathon on Friday 22 Aug 2008 in Nyack NY.

Originally I intended to run a Marathon in December around Christmas. On reading the reviews about various Marathons on the MarathonGuide.com web-site, I was impressed with the user comments about the Self Transcendence Marathon.

Additionally, what made me choose this marathon is the Indian-ness of the event, and the fact that the race is nine loops along the same path.

I am sure having Sanskrit incantations (this is a Sri Chinmoy Race!)  and Indian faces in the crowd will make me more at home in my first Marathon.

The race being multiple loops also is a positive factor for me as I see it as a possible way to get myself to complete - telling myself I can stop at any point should I not feel like it! I am counting on Terrain-familiarity to pull me through the 7th, 8th and 9th rounds!

Good start to the Marathon Training

Started on the Marathon training this Tuesday.

• Ran for 30 minutes on Tuesday at Liberty State Park.
• Could not run on Wednesday.
• Ran for 30 minutes on Thursday at Liberty State Park.
• Completed the long run today; ran for 1:15 in Bayonne Park.

Good start to the first week of Marathon Training as per the Novice Program of Hal Higdon's Marathon Training Guide!!

My First Marathon

My First Marathon will be on Aug 22nd 2008 at the 2008 Self Transcendence Marathon at the Rockland State Park - near Nyack, New York.

I decided a few days ago that I will indeed go for a marathon; blogged about it on my Kathegalu blog; informed everyone I know of, and here I am starting on a new blog to record my journey towards completing my first Marathon.

Somewhere down the line, I hope this blog will inspire someone to take on this or some other challenge!

Bon Chance pour moi!