I did it - my new Half Marathon PR - sub 2:30!

It was my American River Parkway half-marathon last Saturday - the 2nd official one of my life. I was so excited about it since Shavi was going to pace me. I wanted to do it in less than 2:30 hours, which meant a pace of 11ish. I had been training for the last 3 months at 12:30 pace but I was least worried with Shavi pacing me. I had been hydrating myself very well since the last week to avoid cramps; resting myself well; loading myself with carbs 2 days before; keeping it light the day before and tried to have a good sleep as well.

The race day was supposed to be very warm - high in late 70's and low in mid 60's. And believe me, it was hot!! I could feel it, especially in the last 2 miles when there was no tree-shade. Since I was running at a faster pace than my normal pace, I could hardly talk, indicating that I was indeed running at a faster pace.

I am thankful that Shavi paced me. It gets so much easier when someone else is doing the pace calculations for you and watching the garmin gps for you, carrying the water for you and even stopping at the aid stations to get you water. I had the mp3 player but I hardly used it. One thing that really helped was when Shavi poured cold water over me. It was such a relief in the sun even. I was resisting to water earlier but after Shavi did, it felt sooo good! I did not take any restroom breaks, took a few 1-min walk breaks when I felt super-tired.

I was very happy on completing the 13.1+ miles in 2:26 hours, which was an improvement of 15 minutes from my last half-marathon time. Unlike the last time, my shins did not hurt, only the calves were tight. In fact, I felt so good after the run that the next day we went on a strenuous trail of 3 miles in Muir Woods, San Francisco. At the end, I would say that training, hydrating and massages helped me achieve my new PR (Personal Record). And hopefully this does not stop here....

For this run, I cannot thank Shavinder enough!:)

Here is the Garmin graph for my run: Garmin

Anu - the new runner

Here comes another runner in the family! Anu's first long-distance official race: 10-miler on April 29, 2012 (Sunday) in Virginia, called Parkway Classic. It is a rain or shine run but Anu really wishes that it should not rain. She has done a 10K before. After having signed up for a 10 miler instead of 10K accidently and knowing about it only a month ago, Anu had to go through a training program designed by Shavi. She did well on the training schedule. Since the course would have some elevation trails, lets see how it goes for her.

Next would be my second half-marathon, American River Parkway half on April 29, 2012 (Saturday). I have been training with Sacfit since January 2012. I really want to do under 2:30 hours. My last one was 2:41 hours. Shavi is going to be pacing me so that I can do my PR. I am very excited about running with him since I hardly get to do that. It is like a teacher guiding you. He will have to run much slower for me. Thanks Shavi! Hope it doesnt get hot that day though I know it will:( Even then, I am super excited!!!

Quick checklist for Anu:
- Hydrate well (very well) few days before and during the race to avoid after-run cramps.
- "Gu" after every 45 minutes and at the start as well to energize your muscles and prevent them from cramping.
- High carb diet (like chicken or turkey, pasta, potatoes) 2 days before the race and light dinner the night before (little or no fats).
- Sleep well 2 nights before the race since sleeping well the night before can hardly happen because of waking early and due to anxiety.
- Wear sun-shade and sun-screen. Have sun glasses ready.
- Do not forget the mp3 player, if allowed.
- Eat well after the race after stretching.
- If you get injured, apply ice packs after the race. Take ice bath for at least 5 minutes after the race to avoid cramps.
- Trim your Toenails 3-4 days before the race so that they don't hurt on the race day.
- Last but not the least, when you feel tired or not wanting to run anymore, remember Shavi who ran 50 miles. Keep your will power up!:)

Good luck, Anu!!! I am sure you will do great:)

Update (post race): Anu did great. She finished strong, running the 10 miles in 1:54 hours. Good job, Anu!!

Link to her Garmin graph: Garmin

Shavi's craziest endeavor - the 50-miler endurance run (AR50: American River 50-miles)

Finally the day arrived and it was such a proud moment for both of us! Shavi finished the 50-mile run in high elevations in 10:33 hours. Even though "they" say that sleeping well 2 days prior to the race is very important, none of us could sleep properly due to anxiety. We were both up at 2:45am that day for all preparations. I had 4 bags and ice chest ready for him since I had to meet him at most of the accesible points during his run (0 miles at Start point, 3 miles at Guy West bridge, 8 miles at William Pond Park, 23 miles at Negro bar, 26.5 miles at Beals Point, 31 miles at Granite Bay, 41 miles at Rattlesnake bar and then 50 miles at the Finish line at Auburn Dam Overlook). The bags contained everything one could imagine including food, first-aid, extra set of clothes, shoes etc.

Going back 2 days from the race. It was Thursday evening and I reached home from office. At the door, I saw a familiar face and I thought I was hallucinating. It was Anu, my sweety sister who had come all the way from Virginia to surprise us for Shavi's AR50. Shavi had the same reaction when he reached home and saw her standing there to welcome him at the door:) Thanks to her for being a part of Shavi's proud moment and for all her help during the race that eased my stress.

The race day was Saturday - April 7, 2012. The last longest run that Shavi had run before this was 31-miles (Way To Cool) in March. He had gone through a very tough endurance training to get to this point. It was a rough day weather-wise, very sunny and of course hot. The highest temperature was more than 75 deg F. This made it worse for Shavi at around 25 miles but he kept going.

The runners were allowed to have 3 separate pacers. The pacer pick-up points were at miles 26.5, 31 and 41. The last 9 miles were purely elevation and very difficult. Shavi had two wonderful pacers, Leslie, who paced him for the first two legs of almost 15 miles and Paul who paced him for the last leg.

The signs we made for Shavi read:
- Only runners have balls, all others just play with them. Go Sacfit Ultra! Proud of you, Shavi!
- Beer, Nap and We are waiting! Finish strong Shavi. You are our Superstar!

Anu and I were waiting for Shavi at the finish line. We were anxious after Shavi had been feeling tight shoulder muscles and had needed a shoulder/neck run at all the points we saw him, after mile 31. He was really hot and needed lot of ice and water to ease the heat generated by his body. It was not just hard, but beyond hard. Good thing is that he was sane enough to realize that he needed to slow down his pace towards the end when it was a hilly terrain. The time was not as important as was finishing the run.

I had never been so happy to see Shavi as I was when I saw him emerging from the trails, amidst the cheering crowd, approaching towards the finish line. It was a sigh of relief for both Anu and me. I defintely have to appreciate the wonderful support to Shavi by our Sacfit running crew and all the others who were there cheering him. For me, it was simply a proud, unforgettable moment!

By completing the 50-mile run in under 11 hours, Shavi qualified for Western States 100 (100-mile run along the western state trails). Nope, he is not doing it at present but it is an honor to be qualified for it.

Looking at the results site, it is amazing to see that the first person to finish the race did it in 5:55 hours. Crazy! There were many people in the age group 60-67 who ran the race and finished great. What a special proud moment must have been for them! I could only see their happy, teary eyes at the finish line. 250 people out of the 900 people running could not finish the race. Congratulations to all those who finished and for those who did not, there is always a next time! Keep up the hopes:)

Here is the link to his Garmin graph: Garmin

Some tips:
- Eating "real" food and energy food to fuel your body at regular intervals is very important during such long runs. The aid stations and my sandwiches did a good job at this ;-)
- Beware - it could be really hot as it was this time. Ice pads for cooling and lots of water at aid stations to be poured over you can ease the heat being generated by the body.
- Changing shoes,clothes, hat during the run at meeting points for regular roads vs elevated trails is a good idea.
- Since those are trails, be ready to face Poison Oak/Ivy. There is always Calamine to fix it. Carry sanitizers and alcoholic wipes for injuries.
- Carrying a chair for the runner when he/she changes shoes etc.
- Having the right pacers who can keep you engaged while running is important.
- Have your aide carry an extra pair of mp3 player, GPS.
- KT tape Pro is great to relieve knee, shoulder, back pain etc. Remember to get KT Pro and not the regular one since the regular one doesnt stick for long.
- Use lot of Glide to prevent chaffing.
- During the race, never do anything new: clothes/shoe wise and food wise
- Fill up on carbs 2 nights before and eat light the night before. Relaxing for the entire last 2 days before the race is healthy.

Shavi's first 50 miler run is coming up!!!!

It is Shavi's first 50-mile run on April 7, 2012. We are both nervous and at the same time excited about it. Shavi has been doing a great job in training himself but even then, it is just not easy! The run is called AR50 (American River 50 miles). This ultra-marathon is a qualifier for Western States 100 Mile Endurance run.

AR50 is not going to be easy since it has hills in the second half but that what does not kill you, makes you stronger! Right?:)

There are so many side-questions:
1. Will the GPS run out of juice in the middle of the run?
2. Is it a good idea to change shoes in the middle of the run since half trail is asphalt and the other half is hills.
3. Will the mp3 player run out of juice? Should not, but who knows!
4. What if the KT tape comes off?
5. What if the Chaffing cream's effect doesn't stay that long?
6. Hope it's not too hot/sunny and doesn't rain either.

Well, all I have to remember is to give him a carb-loaded diet on Thursday and a low-fat diet on Friday since the run is on Saturday. Hope he remembers to drink lot of water the entire week. I also need to remember to help him pack all his stuff including running food and I need to be there at all the accessible points on the trail to cheer and support him. He needs to remember to only RUN and finish STRONG! You can do this, sweetheart!:)

His first ultra marathon (50 kms) in the books

Yet again, Shavi made me proud of him. He ran his first ultra marathon (50 kms) on March 10, 2011. The trail run called 'Way Too Cool 50K (almost 31 miles)' was in Cool, CA. The run involved an overall 9000 ft. elevation change. Shavi aced it by completing it in 5 hours 55 minutes.

After a very hectic training which he started much later than the others, after getting back from our India trip in mid-January, I think he did an excellent job. Even though he was expecting to complete it in 6 hours 30 minutes, he completed it in much less duration. He was impressed by the aid stations on the way and good arrangements by race management. And I was impressed by him and by so many other people aged 60+ running the 50 kms trail run. Shavi felt excellent after the run and had all the smiles:) Keep it up, Shavi!

Now, his next goal is AR 50 which is a 50 miler!! It starts at American River, Sacramento, CA and ends in Auburn, CA. He is still wait listed on the race but let's see. Until then, his training continues:)

Key to Long distance running: Fuel and hydration.

If you are into long-distance running, then here are some tips from my husband who has run several marathons and is now training for his ultra-marathon (50-km run) with SacFit group. He is a pace coach for the 9 min/mile pace group.

Before the run:

1. Do not run empty stomach. Have something like a toast with peanut butter or something which you digest easily.

During the run:

2. Power food: Our muscles need some fuel while running long distance runs. Try Gu. It is like a thick gel. Have it with water every 40-45 minutes of running. There are PowerGels for those who do not like thick gels. There are chews available too: Cliffshots and GU chomps. These will help the muscles to repair.
3. Electrolytes: Endurolytes by Hammer is like an electrolyte but has more than just sodium. It also has calcium, magnesium, potassium, B-6 and manganese. It is good to prevent cramping after the run. One at the beginning of the run and one every hour should be just fine. It all depends on how long you run and how hot it will be. The S-CAPs also by Hammer is just a sodium replacement.
4. Water: The important thing to remember is to drink water with whichever supplement that you choose.
5. Muscle food: After you are done with running, the muscles crave for food. So, within 30 minutes after you stop running, have some protein mix or chocolate milk. Have atleast 350 calories after running for a couple of hours.

After the run:

6. Snacks (These can be used during longer 2hour+ runs too): Some good running snacks include: Honey Stinger Waffles, peanut-filled pretzels, Pringles chips, Sports energy bars. You might also even want to try the after-running Sports drinks for recovery.
7. Stretching: Do not forget to stretch after running, before your body cools down. Click here for some stretching exercises.

How does he do it?

Running Marathons is for sure not easy. I wonder, how do you keep yourself engaged and concentrated for 26.2 miles!! Shavi ran his second full marathon this year (2011) on December 5. It was the California International Marathon (CIM). He beat his personal record (PR) by almost 1.30 minutes, finishing the marathon in 3 hrs 47 mins. Of course it required a lot of training and dedication. Waking up every day at 5am for training and running long miles for more than 6 months for sure requires a lot of determination. Running with a group makes it little easier. It is hard but seeing the 8000 people run this marathon and cheering Shavi was very motivating for me. These people are full of energy. Kenya's Monyenye won the men's marathon, finishing in 2 hrs 11 mins and 50 secs. Ethiopia's Serkalem won the women's race, finishing in 2 hrs, 33 mins and 40 secs. I am proud of Shavi and hope he continues with his running! Some day, I hope to get there as well!