Rave Run

Every week I will try and write a post about a 'rave run' that I have had (thank you, Runners World).  It might be related to the scenery, quality of run, length of run, spirit of the run, or challenging my running karma.

Karma is formed by thought, word and deed.  If you want to know the causes you have created in the past, look as the effects in your present.  If you want to know your future, look to the causes you are creating in your present.  My running karma is not brilliant, but with a little work (emphasis on little), I was starting to get to a good place.  And then 2010 happened.  I have no idea why things went so screwy, but with the 20/20 vision that hindsight brings, I had the opportunity to change some small aspects of my running karma.  When I was feeling down I could have forced myself to go counter-tendency, and go for a run.  When I was having a poor run, I could have challenged myself to demand a bit more.  But I did not.

Nothing is ever in vain though, and the suffering of this year (missing my goals, poor performance etc) has strengthened my determination to try and create some new causes that will manifest stunning effects - not that I am trying to trivialize the concept of cause and effect.    You can change your karma - especially your running karma, and this was what I had decided after Philly.

The first opportunity came this evening.  I was in a bad place when I got home.  But the thought of the responsibility I have committed to, as well as the desire to create some good mojo, forced me out of the door.

I did 1000 steps in 35 minutes.  It was good.  There was a degree of lung burn involved, but it was a small price for a huge return!  And this was my rave run.  I do the stairs without music as I am trying to focus on, and think about what I am doing.  Now all I need to do, is repeat!

Japanese Garden in Montreal

A New Challenge - Run up the Empire State Building

On 1 February 2011, I will run up the Empire State Building - 86 flights, 1576 stairs - to the observation deck.  I am doing this for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) to raise money for cancer research.  I work for a biotech company, and more specifically I work on cancer drugs.  It has always been a bit abstract, since you think about the science, and how to get the drug to patients, but since moving to the US I have met so many people who are affected by this disease.  Over the last year I have had a colleague who passed away, another one who is in remission, and finally at our company meeting earlier this year, I heard Elijah Alexander speak, telling us how he battled this disease, and thanking  us for what we do.  Two months later he passed away - just like that.  His spirit was amazing, as was his love for football.  He told us about his life growing up in the South, in a really poor family, and what it meant to him playing in the NFL - even though he was "only the fourth round pick".  He transmitted his love of life that day, and I felt profoundly touched.  

Recently I did some research on cutaneous t-cell lymphoma (a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma), which attacks the lymphatic system and compromises the immune system - the effects of which are horrendous.  I think the combination of all these things has made me want to do something more to help find a cure, and in my small way, I would like to raise some money for the MMRF.  Hence my run up the Empire State Building.  I have committed to raise 2500 USD for them, and if you have some time (and wish to make a small contribution), please visit my homepage for this event: http://www.active.com/donate/2011MMRFRunUp/RUNUPNShunmu .  

Today was the start of my training for this event.  I climbed 800 steps but it took me half an hour! I need to climb at least double that in less time.  Well, I am focussed and committed to this goal, and so have no hesitation in going to the max.  This is too important to me, and I want to do it right.  I also managed to squeeze in some weight training, and finally ran a 10 minute mile.  This is also a great opportunity, how terrific is running up that gorgeous building?  My annual stair climb here in Boston falls on the Saturday of that same week, and I am thinking about maybe racing that one competitively.  It is a much smaller climb (only 789 stairs), but I would certainly like to improve my time!  I did it in 10:29, and the winner of my age group did it in 6:37 - I know with some work I can beat my time.  Interestingly enough, I did my training without music, and enjoyed it much more.  Sometimes I think the music might help me along, but I think it distracts me somewhat.  I think I prefer being without it....anyway, I only use it when I run on the treadmill.

Final story of the week - a very good colleague and friend is moving to Chicago, so we bid her farewell.  The upside is that she suggested that I run the Chicago marathon next year.....hmmm not sure yet, as it gets pretty cold there!  Still, it is something to look forward to, and I know that they have an extreme stair climbing event in Chicago - and I don't mean the Hustle up the Hancock  nor the Willis (Sears) Tower Climb.  I mean the Presidential Towers Climb - running up all 4 buildings for a total of 2340 steps in between sprinting from 1 building to the next!  Seems like a good reason for a visit - after seeing my friend of course.  Farewell Nurit, and see you soon.

Working it out

First things:  On Thanksgiving, I went out for a short 2 mile run.  It was pretty cold, but it was good to be out and running for the sheer hell of it.  Today, I went out for my usual long run, and did 6.2 miles for my participation in the Black Knight's virtual race.  I enjoyed it, and put the finishing touches to some of the new goals I have been thinking about.

As I mentioned previously, things have been really stressful, and to dissipate some of that stress, I started doing a jigsaw puzzle I had lying around for ages.  It is The Beatles White Album cover.

The process is very therapeutic and gives one the chance to think about things.  I thought quite a bit about my running this year.  Although I tackled 2 new events (half marathon and marathon), it seemed as though my running had regressed in other aspects.  My 5K pb of 26:03 run last June seemed a million miles away - let alone the 10K.  No triathlons either - and it seemed that every challenge I started seemed doomed right from the start.  I had signed up to run 1000 miles in 2010, but no sooner had I signed up, when I stopped running and I cannot even remember why anymore.  I have had some moments of joy whilst running, but the enthusiasm and joy I experienced over the last 2 years, has been completely missing this year.  I slogged through my goals, and completed most of them, but in a lacklustre kind of way.  It seemed as though I had lost my running mojo, and I just could not work out where, when or how.  Nor could I work out how to get it back.

Choices, choices: Perhaps part of all this hearks back to the question I was faced on the day I missed my Hyannis marathon way back in February:  did I want to follow the path of biotechnology or anthropology?  I skipped the marathon as I had an interview scheduled that day, at a very crimson-coloured university.  It went well - very well, as did the others.  Long story short, I decided to stick with the biotechnology stuff as I did not want to start all over again - then began the doubts which have hounded me this year:  did I make the right choice?  I went back and forth, back and forth, and I am still not that sure, but sometimes when you set your mind to something (forgetting about whether you "like" it or not), the results can surprise you.  And yes, I have discovered that I am not science-phobic after all!

My Aha Moment:  After Philadelphia something clicked, and I think I understand partially how to move forward.  Over the past 2 years  I have covered 5Ks, 10Ks, stair climbs, sprint triathlons, half marathons and a marathon in this time. But what does that mean?  Firstly that I can do it.  Next?  Now that I know I can do it, I can step it up a notch.  This might not seem that important, but initially doing all these things meant ticking them off on my to-do list: one down, on with the next challenge. Since this year has been such a struggle, it has made me question whether I am really a runner.....but I suppose to bastardize Descartes, I run....ergo I am a runner.  If nothing else, this year has taught me sheer dogged persistence!

Next Steps:  Now that I have taken a step back to mull things over, my goals for next year are slightly different.  It is not the race, but rather the preparation it will take that I am setting as my goals.  My first event comes up in February, and I will reveal all in my next post.  My second event comes up a few days after that.  My goal is to follow the programme and train hard.  I like this event, and I know I can do well.  I owe it to myself to improve.  I see next year as a 'building' phase, meaning that I want to build on the base I have acquired over these past 2 and a half years.  Now I want to build up my endurance, stamina and speed - in that order.  The key to all this will be FOCUS.  A buddhist story tells of a general whose mother was killed by a tiger.  One day he thought he saw the tiger and shot an arrow at it.  On nearing the tiger, he saw that his arrow had fully penetrated a rock.  Even though he tried shooting other arrows at the rock, they all bounced off.  The upshot of the story is that when your focus and belief is clear, you cannot miss your goal.
In conclusion, to this rather long post, I think I am slowly starting to work it out..........