It was a pleasant surprise to see my Hutch Delhi Half Marathon 2005 report being posted on my company website. The event got a fair bit of attention amongst my colleagues, and some of them (5-7) have actually started training for running a half at Delhi (Dec 11th)!
Attached is a snapshot of the posted report.
Did I say that running is a journey and not a destination. I did actually, though I repeated these famous lines rather than penning them myself. Now that I have gone past my first stop on this journey, the Hutch Delhi Half Marathon, I guess this would be the right time to go ahead and reflect on how the experience has been, what have I learnt, what did I improve on, and most importantly, where does this road take me next.
Lots of questions, and some answers too. It has been an achievement of a big personal milestone. A belief that no matter what you goal is, if you keep taking those small steps in the right direction, you’re going to be there eventually. 21K was big for me, and having conquered that, the next very obvious step would be to progress to the more challenging, and most sought after distance, 42K, The Marathon!
I had decided earlier that I would do my first big run at the Singapore Marathon, Dec 4, 2005. However, circumstances have forced me to look at other alternatives. My running schedule in October would be difficult to adhere to, due to other personal commitments, which means, I need to delay my run. The economics also force me to look elsewhere. So, after giving due thoughts to the above constraints, I have finally managed to identify what my next Big One would be. The Standard Chartered Mumbai International Marathon, Jan 15th, 2005. Mumbai is one city I absolutely love. I started my career in Mumbai, and stayed there for almost 4 years, before shifting base to Noida. It would be a wonderful return to the beautiful city, one which I have been craving for some time now. And what the heck, I might even give another go at 21K at the Delhi Marathon on Dec 11th.
ehow.com is a wonderful source of information on all topics, including marathon running. I am including below references to some really good stuff.
How to Run a Marathon – eHow.com
How to Train for Your First Marathon – eHow.com
How to Choose a Good Marathon – eHow.com
How to Prepare the Week of a Marathon – eHow.com
How to Eat Before a Marathon – eHow.com
How to Dress for a Marathon – eHow.com
How to Eat While Training for a Marathon – eHow.com
How to Eat and Drink During a Marathon – eHow.com
How to Build a Base for Marathon Training – eHow.com
How to Prevent Blisters in a Marathon – eHow.com
How to Recover From a Marathon – eHow.com
How to Avoid Injury While Training for a Marathon – eHow.com
How to Improve Your Marathon Time – eHow.com
How to Predict Your Marathon Time – eHow.com
How to Succeed at Long Runs for Marathon Training – eHow.com
How to Pace Yourself Properly During a Marathon – eHow.com
How to Eat and Drink After a Marathon for Best Recovery – eHow.com
How to Taper Before a Marathon – eHow.com
How to Optimize Your Marathon Training – eHow.com
How to Wind Down From a Marathon – eHow.com
How to Prevent Cramps in a Marathon – eHow.com
Tips from eHow users on How to Train for a Marathon in 16 Weeks …
After a long long wait of about 2 months, I finally received my copy of “The Non-Runner’s Marathon Trainer” by Whitsett, et. al. from firstandsecond.com. This is the first time that any of the books I ordered from this store have been delayed for so long, most get delivered within 3 weeks. Anyway, the book is “the bestselling” book for first time marathoners, and is highly recommended. This is my second book on this topic, after Hal Higdon’s “Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide”, which I ordered before starting with my marathon training in August.
It is always difficult to pick a pair of shoes that suites you, with such a wide variety of brands and models available. It depends upon your foot structure primarily and there are websites that will help you in deciding what to choose. I got a basic Adidas Shore running shoe when I started running, and I am now considering getting another one, in time for my first event.
Here is the list of some shoes I considered.
And based on these, I have narrowed down to one of the following three for me:
I guess I will be bying the New Balance 766. It has also won the Road Runners magazine Editor’s Choice Award for 2005.