Somewhat disappointment with Zurich Marathon organisation

Little disappointed by Zurich Marathon this year - and I am not talking about the weather, but the organisation. Bottled water! Why? Why? That is so not Swiss to use plastic bottles instead of the usual paper cups. Not to mention it was so hard to drink from the tiny bottle, but the sheer amount of wastage! The finish line was a chaos, spectators completely blocking running track, and sometimes kids getting in the way of runners. And today I read in the newspaper that baggage claim was total chaos too, just 3 volunteers and runners had to wait more than 30min in the cold to get their bags back! Thanks to Asha volunteers our bags were ready as soon as we finished. I hope next year's organisation is better.

Back into running

Back into running again. A bit too late for Zurich marathon, but getting there. Did 4 miles on Sunday, Thalwil -Oberriden and back on Alt langstrasse - the hilly road. It was a good day to run though, perfect temperature.

12km day - conquered the hills

... ok, not exactly hills, but some parts with some upward inclination which we won't even consider a hill back in Seattle.

Today was 12km (7.5miles) day. After last weekend's tiring 9km, I was not sure we can do this, and this time I wanted to add the "hills" that Zurich marathon course has. So off we went, starting @10:10 from Tiffenbrunnen. The day was perfect, perfect temp around 8C, partly cloudly, could not ask for a better running day. We started slow, making sure everyone is together which was a really good thing. After everyone else left, we decided to speed things up a bit and face the dreaded hill. So we ran a bit faster and kms went by fast, and soon we were at the point of return. hmm, no real hills, what happened. Last year when I was cheering runners there looked like a terrible hill. We had gone through all of that and still going strong! I am sure it was the effect of slow start that gave time to warm up. All the statements about for best time start slow, make second half faster are true afterall. Quite pleased with the run today, looking forward to a strong 15km later.

Weekday run

Its that time of the year again when mountains are in snow (and so are cities) and you want to get out and train for next long run. I am trying to keep weekday runs on treadmill creating, and since I got the five-fingers, there is a new enthu to run on treadmill. So here is today's weekday run -

Theme was  hill workout -
3 min warmup to reach 7.2 km/hr pace and then maintain that pace for whole workout.
2 min @ 0.0 incline (rest)
1 min @ 4.0 incline
2 min @ 6.0 incline (stress)
Repeat the above 5 min sequence then,
2 min @ 6.0 incline (stress)
1 min @ 0.0 incline (rest)
Repeat the above 3 min sequence 2 more times.
Cool down for 3 - 4 min.
Total time ~33 minutes

Lachen

12 mile run after a very long time!! We started going towards ziegelbruke from lachen but then decided to run along lake Zurich to Bach.

Whidbey half-marathon 2010

Another half-marathon down, this time 2:28:49, could have easily shaved off 5 more min from it, but the course was just way too beautiful to run though. I had to stop every few miles to take in the view and enjoy it. This was the first marathon, I really totally enjoyed. The course is all full of rolling hills. The hills did not bother me at all since I trained for the worst in Kirkland. I stopped took photos, maintained a steady pace, never really strained, it was a easy glide through!

10.8 miles in Kirkland

Running in Kirkland is pure torture and only for the insane! But then so is Whidbey and I signed up for that insanity months ago. So here is a 10 miler in Kirkland which will train you for Whidbey.
URL for this route is: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3565044

But after the short hike yesterday (I don't want to talk about it!), I thought I would give myself a treat and go for a quick 10 mile on Sammamish River flats. Managed 7 bcoz was not prepared for the rain, but it was good in the end.

URL for this route is: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3500116

--
tuls

8 miles

My first 8 mile long run after the full marathon. Now that I live in Kirkland, I ran this in Kirkland and running in Kirkland is always a mistake. The killing hills were just too much for the first run.

Weekly running route

So I am hoping to do a 7.5 - 8 mile run on weekly basis till I start training for next marathon. Here is the weekly route -URL for this route is: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3217262 through beautiful Kirkland waterfront.

Fundraising

So, why indeed am I running. It all started with a goal to raise some money for Asha for Education. The achievement of raising $1000+ was even bigger than actually finishing the marathon. So this year when I decided to run the full 26.2 miles, I also decided that I am going to put 100% effort in fundraising. This is especially important because of the way economy is going, most non-profits are in a cash crunch.

This year I was torn between 2 causes. Recently I got a chance to attend some International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal (ICJB) programs and also got to meet with couple of people visiting from Bhopal, including a 14 year old girl who is heading the Children for Bhopal campaign in India. This got me really thinking about the cause and I wanted to get involved and help.

I am sure most of us know that nearly 25 years ago, a Union Carbide (now Dow Chemical) pesticide factory in Bhopal sent a cloud of poisonous gas over a sleeping city and killed thousands in one night. It is one of the biggest industrial disaster to date. What is harder to imagine is that, after all of these years, second and third generations of Bhopali children are still being poisoned by toxins left at the factory that have been steadily seeping into their water supply.

* International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal is a organization working in US, India and several other countries to spread the awareness, build pressure on Indian government and Dow Chemicals to fulfill the basic demands of the victims.
* Sambhavana clinic is a free medicial clinic working to treat the victims.

I have set a goal to raise $2620 for the cause. Help me reach my fund raising goal by donating for my marathon. The donations can be made by:

* Check made to "Pesticide Action Network North America" with ICJB in memo. Check is preferred as it saves the organization 3% credit card fee. They can be mailed to me.
* Online credit card donation from PANNA's secure site - https://www.panna.org/system/give/onlineDonationICJB.php. Please add "Tulika Agrawal" to comments in Section 2.

Finished!

Done! Finished! Over! The marathon is finally over! And I completed it in a respectable time of 5:24:07. All the 6 month of training definitely paid off. I did not find the course that hilly, heat was also not that big a problem. Biggest problem was definitely the distance!

The part of course till mile 9 was quite good. We ran from Tukwila to Seward park. There was only one hill which I did not even feel until someone said you are almost at the top, and I was like top of what!! Having run the course once helped. From Seward park it was Lake Washington Blvd. Nice cool and in shade. I have run that multiple times and I was overtaking people left and right. It was great!

Then we went on I90 about which I was really excited. That bags both 520 and I90 bridges for me. I was exciting to see Rainier and other mountains around. The excitement was short lived though as I soon realized the full blast of sun on the bridge. It was getting really hot by now. Returning from the bridge we get into a tunnel which was nice and cool. Still looking good. From there we soon reach Qwest Field for the first time. It was around mile 14 and feeling great to be more than half way there.

From Qwest field, we go upto Aurora bridge. This is where I hit a rock and fell and grazed my knee on pavement. Luckily it was not bad and I could get up and keep running the same. By this time there were other aches and pains that knee did not even feel anything. Ran couple of miles till a medical station and got it cleaned. Tried to get a bandaid on, but it won't stay. Now was the really looong rolling hill stretch on Aurora Ave. This stretch was full of rolling hills and there was almost no shade. Definitely the worst park of the course. It was suppose to be beautiful, with views of Puget sound and view from high Aurora bridge. But there was no time to enjoy any of that. By the time we come back to Qwest field, I was really tired. It was already 22+ mile by then so its understandable.

Once back near Qwest field, there was another to and fro stretch. But before starting it, I could see the 26 mile marker, and it was all downhill. This felt great! But there were still 4+ more miles to go. The trip to was difficult but managable as it was mostly downhill. I managed to run it, though much slower. By now everything was hurting and I had decided this is the last full marathon. Then reached the final turn around point and it was about 2 more miles to go. This was definitely a stretch. I could feel that I am really pushing myself. I was focusing on somehow getting to the beginning of the downhill and then it will be done. It was mostly flat to 25 mile marker and I managed to run it. Just after 25, there was a hill. Well, we ran downhill before, so! But it was totally crazy, what sane organizers put hill at 25 mile! I ran walked this one. There was no way I could muster the courage to run it. By this time, definitely close to my edge. If I stopped, I could feel everything revolving. I have no idea what and who was around it. It was pretty much like, keep running, one foot in front of other and you will reach! After runwalking the hill, took my last sip of water and then decided to run the last one mile and finish it off. This was easier as it was mostly flat or downhill and 26 mile marker was visible.

Finally, 26 mile! And then around the block to finish line!

Splits: 5 Km 10 Km 9 mi Half Way 30 Km 24 Mile Finish
Times: 35:14 1:12:43 1:47:03 2:35:29 3:45:35 5:05:05 5:24:04
Pace: 11:21 11:43 11:54 11:52 12:07 12:43 12:22

Saturday - 70 F chance rain

The temperature was Sunny 80F couple of days ago. Then it was 70F and 20% chance of rain. Now its 68F and 20% chance of rain. At this rate after practicing in perfectly sunny weather, we will be running in cold. Thankfully I have done practice runs in 3 different outfits, one for each weather.
4 day to go.....

the hills of Kikland

So today was last practice long run. It was not really long, probably ran close to 6 miles, but it was tough, tiring. I decided to run in Seattle, finally see the neighborhood. Since I am suppose to avoid running on hard surface, I decided to go and run at Bridle Trails State Park. ya, there is a state park smack in the middle of Redmond/Kirkland/Bellevue. Running up the the park was mostly uphill, not very bad. There is a footbrdige to cross 405. The view of Lake and Seattle was awesome from the bridge. I also saw a glimpse of Space Needle. If it was a clear day, view of Olympics would have been great too.

The State Park is really a jungle! As soon as I entered the park, it felt like I am in a jungle, no sign of city anywhere and any momemt a wild animal will jump on my path! Once I reached the proper trail, it was better. The rain from yesterday had made everything very wet. Soon I figured out the different between trail running and street running. Trail, though softer, but still is no level and there are stones, things on the trail which needed to be avoided. Few minutes of running lead to the main entrance and a map. Now I was a bit confused where I was. So I ran in one direction, it did not seem right, the trail was narrow and feeling overgrown. So then I started in the other direction, this also did not feel good. So I gave up, its better to just go out and run on the pavement. While going out, I changed my mind and decided to finish at least one loop. It was looking nice wide trail. That was a mistake. Few minutes on the trail, it climbed steeply. That must have been the hill between 116th and 120th Ave. After the climb, it leveled off and surprisingly I reached the junction of couger and some other trail. First I thought I would take Couger trail as originally planned, its 3.5 mile into the park. But I was feeling claustrophobic by now, surrounded by too many trees. So I decided to just get out of there. That's when panic began! I am lost! Its a labyrinth of trails and with so many trees just cannot figure out where u r. I started in one direction and it did not look right. So I thought lets just retrace your steps.  But then there was a junction and I did not at all remember from which direction I came, everything was looking the same. Finally I chose one way and it looked about right. I was so happy to finally get out of the park!

Next I decided to run down to Kirkland waterfront. Open lake would be a good change. The way from 108th ave down to water is all steep downhill. I cannot believe that we actually live on a hill. Whole of kirkland is a hill! If this city was not there, this would have been a beautiful forest area which we would have been hiking to get to lake washington :). alas! its all been destroyed now. Once reaching the waterfront, I was nice. I ran along the water for a bit. Took a 10 min break near the lake, just relaxing. After that ran all uphill back to the apartment.

better better

As you can see from frequency of blog post that my training has reduced so I suddenly have a LOT of free time at hand. Today finally got back on the treadmill. It felt apprehensively good. Leg was fine mostly. Ran / walked for 30 min. It was good to feel that I can still run! Took extra precaution to warm up for 10 min, then stretch the calf muscles. Then ran for 20 min @5, the normal speed. That did not even come close in intensity to regular workout, but it gave me some more confidence that I can go out and do my 8 mile run tomorrow.
After that to complete the cardio, decided to bike for 20 min. uff! its hard! Whatever doubts I had in my mind about trying STP are totally cleared now.
Hopefully off to 8 miler tomorrow!

getting better

Maybe I am speaking too early, but at least today morning there was almost no pain while walking down to office. Maybe its the shoes, I switched back to my Nike walkers for whole day walking, they are in really old shape now, but I have total trust on Nike now. Maybe its the mustard oil which I have been applying religiously to the foot now. Or its just time and rest, or its fake! Anyhow, I decided not to run again today, so that's 5 days in a row without running. Instead worked out on eliptical, no where close to the usual workout I was getting. The big decision now is what to do with Saturday. I am support to run 8 miles, and I want to run 8 miles but where. Is treadmill any better than road? Where am I going to find non-paved road trail to run on.

Shin Splint!

The thing that most runners dread happened, and I don't want to talk about it.

Its called shin splint, though doctors give it fancier name to scare you even more. Mine is in on the upper part of the leg, mid-way between foot and knee. So I kind of know its weaker and stressed calf muscles, plus wrong footing, I don't know. Its the kind that gets better after you have run a couple of miles as the muscles warm up, and also the kind which comes back once the intense activity is over. I have been running through it for a few weeks now because it always got better in the Sunday. But not this time, less than 2 weeks for marathon, this is the last thing I need. Morale and confidence is at a all time low, even lower than what it was before my first 15 miler. For the first time I can see myself collapsing mid way with a broken leg / muscles / shin or whatever. There is also the doubt that what being out of action for almost 2 weeks will do to my fitness. Tried biking today as its non-weight-bearing thing that you can do, and man! it sucks! I just could not get my heart rate up to normal running aerobic level without killing my legs. I don't think I can do it 2 days in a row. I was sitting there on that stupid bike, watching this other person running away on the treadmill! Oh hell, I even miss the treadmill now. Will give running another shot tomorrow, and then Friday break and then hopefully a 7 - 8 miler on Saturday. Running outside is out of question, so its probably going to be on the treadmill.

13 miler

This week was 13 mile day as part of taper down. I decided to run in Seattle again, close to lake Union. This time the plan was to run it the other way, starting from Lake Wash Blvd to UW. Happy to note that I found the run easy. There were hills and flats, the usual of Seattle. After a 2 mile warm up, hills were not so hard. So I can run 13 miles easily, the real question is if I can still complete the full 26.2 miles!


Here is my route - URL for this route is: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2917188

the hills i hate

or like. I have had this hate - like relationship with hills since I started running. First I obviously hated them. Till I actually started running on absolutely flat grounds of New Jersey. That is when I missed them, and started liking them (note, its not possible to love hills, however hard you try). Hills are "good" change, they suddenly wake you up, you need to start putting more effort and concentration on running, as oppose to running on flat, where after a while its just mindless robotic action of putting one foot in front of other. And there is almost always a nice downhill to look forward to. Not to mention when you are on top of the hill, its a good sense of achievement.
But today the story was different. For whatever reason, it was not a day to run. I started half heartedly, though there was no reason for that. I finally had 8 hours of sleep. I should be up awake and refreshed. Still with every step, I just wanted to go back, call it quits. My left leg had started bothering again. I am sure more than half of the pain was imaginary! At one point, I started walking back, giving myself reasons that I need the rest, I can do this tomorrow, this Saturday is only 13 miles, I can do this on Sunday. Still somehow I managed to reach the start of hill. Good thing is that you start going downhill and then turn back to run uphill. So I managed to go down. Made the first uphill trip. It felt like a mile and I had to stop in between. Made a second trip too. At this point, all doubts were back and I wanted to call it quits. 3 is a good number. Still somehow managed to convince myself that if I did 2 more, I will actually be done with hill training for the week! So somehow I managed the 5 trips up and down the stupid hill.

I hope its better tomorrow.

15 miles

When running downhill becomes harder and more painful than running uphill, then you know you have had it! That was the experience in my last 3 runs of 18, 21 and 20 miles. No so today. Today was an "easy" 15. I wanted to make sure that I find it easy, so that I am not demoralized. So I chose to run the familiar Sammamish River Trail. Its flat, I have been there many times, its familiar ground. The strategy worked. For the first time I ran at a pace faster than 12, I finished my run in 2 hr 50 min as oppose to 3 hrs. I would not say it was easy. Nothing is easy beyond 13 miles. But it was not grueling or painful. I remember my first 15 mile run. After that I was almost dead, I had come home and slept whole day helucinating. This was nothing like that. I was in pretty good shape after the run, and spent rest of the day cleaning the apartment. The only nuisance throughout the run was waterbottle. I hate carrying it in my hand, and it keeps bouncing on the back.