Shirshasana (Head stand) at the Black Mountain Top ( elevation 3200')

I got to share this event with you even though this occurred  on July 4th 2010. I was training for San Jose Rock N Roll Half Marathon with  Dale Schmitt, my good friend and a popular personal coach (www.bodybydale.com)  from Cupertino YMCA. We set out early in the morning in the foothills of  Rancho San Antonio Openspace  reserve located in Cupertino/Los Altos. There are numerous trails here at Rancho from relatively flat to extreme difficulty. We chose to run 16 Mile run that starts from the valley floor near the parking lots/rest rooms and reaches to the top of the Black Mountain which is  approximately 3200'  above the sea level and about 8 miles from the start.

I have done this trail several times in the last 10 years but this time I had a major goal to accomplish at the top of the mountain. I had planned on performing a SHIRSH-ASANA Yoga (Head Stand) at the top of the mountain. I knew I would be tired as it was hot summer day (90 F) and it took us about 110 minutes for the climb to the top of the mountain. Sorry, I wish I had my  Garmin 405CX HRM then to show you the details of the trail and its intensity. May be next time I do, I will publish the link.

The best part was when I reached the top.  I requested  Dale  to capture  a few pictures of me  when I did Headstand posture. See below a few shots which I later published in my face book and got several thumbs up (likes) and comments that were memorable. I weighed about 148 lbs in July but now I am 5 pounds lighter after the OM Marathon training regimen which I started in Mid December 2010.

If you read this far I am sure you must have been impressed with me and now you may donate to my cause of raising some funds for the OM Run on my home page. http://chinmaya-seva.org/ompage/index.php/44   THANKS and please comeback soon to read more blogs

Longer Runs coming to an end and Tapering down

OK, its about 2 weeks to go before we march to the Avenue of the Giants Marathon in Humboldt County in Northern California.  http://www.theave.org/Info.htm . Did we do the long runs that trains our mind, body and spirit in preparation for the big day? The answer, of course  is YES. While an elite marathoner might run two workouts per day and over 100 miles per week while training for a marathon, the body of most mortals like us in the OM Run team, could not take such pounding (and who can find that time anyway?). In general, the important components we used in our  marathon training program came from Galloway's 

• Gradually increase the overall weekly distance until two to three weeks before the marathon.
• Use interval running 4:1 or 5:1 schemes
• Include two long runs spread across the week, perhaps one midweek, the other on the weekend.
• Include one day of faster running and/or integrate pickups into  regular runs.
• Try to run  3-4 days per week.and off days in between
• The runs between long runs do not need to be any longer than 3-6 miles.

Our body won't get used to running long distances, unless it has run those distances on a regular basis. But, the body needs rest between those runs, which is why our team did no more than two long runs per week and moderate distance on the other days. At the beginning of our training program, those long runs were about 6 miles each. Then, as the weeks went by, gradually increased them. Perhaps week two would see the long runs as 6 & 8 miles, week three 7 & 9, week four: 7 & 10, etc. Gradually increase these until our two runs are closer to 12 and 18 miles. At this point we had built an excellent base. Then we did  at least 3 20+ Mile s in the last 3 weeks.

Now we are tapering down to the last weeks of the training. Actually it feels good that we don't have any more Long runs. It all looks easy but then we need to be focussed on keeping our body and joints moving in the last two weeks before the run. We need to have balanced nutrition, hydration and ample sleep so our bodies get well nourished and ready for the big day with energy and enthusiasm.  More on tapering in the later blog.

My Marathon training Run in Washington DC on March 20, 2011

So, why am I blogging my run completed 3 weeks ago in March when I was in our  nation's capital for a few days? Simple answer is I was lazy. I was visiting my daughter Chai and her husband Tej  and my son Chetan for a few days.  I was running every day to keep my Marathon Training running schedule in tact. Other day, I saw comments in my Blog from Chai and Chetan asking me to provide updates to the blog. So, here I am and will do my best to give a few details of a most memorable run while I was in DC.  

It was Sunday March 20th and weather was cool early in the morning but was sunny and warmed up by 9 AM. [I read reports of very bad weather in California that weekend]. Started out at 7.45AM and  I ran about 18 Miles along the beautiful trails of Rock Creek Park which skirts DC along Beach Drive.  Click my Garmin link if you like to see my run on a detailed Map.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/74108932

      I started out near Tacoma Park area of DC close to Walter Reed Memorial Hospital.  I did go all the way to the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts before turning back to Tacoma Park. On my return path, I ran through major city streets in the Capital including  the famous Dupont Circle. 

         Rock creek Park was nationally in news In May 2002, when the remains of missing Federal Bureau of Prisons intern Chandra Levy were found in Rock Creek Park. Police had been searching for her for over a year.

Some history behind Rock Creek park is now due (I got this from Wikipedia). The main section of the park contains 1,754 acres (7.10 km²), or 2.75 square miles, along the Rock CreekValley. Including the other green areas the park administers (Glover Archbold Park, Montrose Park, Dumbarton Oaks Park, Meridian Hill Park, Battery Kemble Park, Palisades Park, Whitehaven Park, etc.), it is over 2,000 acres (8.1 km²). The major portion of the area lies north of the National Zoo, and was established by act ofCongress made law by President Benjamin Harrison on September 27, 1890, the same year that Yosemite National Park was established. A later addition of the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway extended the park along a narrow corridor from the zoo to the mouth of Rock Creek at the Potomac River.

Recreation facilities include a golf course; equestrian trails; sport venues, including a tennis stadium which hosts major professional events; a nature center and planetarium; an outdoor concert venue; and picnic and playground facilities. Rock Creek Park also maintains cultural exhibits, including the Peirce Mill and Civil War fortifications, such as Fort Stevens and Fort DeRussy. Rock Creek is a popular venue for jogging, cycling, and inline skating, especially on the long, winding Beach Drive, portions of which are closed to vehicles on weekends. It is also the path of a major traffic thoroughfare, the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway, especially along the portion south of the zoo.

Beach Drive in the fall

The parklands follow the course of Rock Creek across the D.C.-Maryland border to connect with Rock Creek Stream Valley Park and Rock Creek Regional Park in Montgomery County. .

The Rock Creek Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 23, 1991.

I was hoping to see one or more famous law makers of Congress or House,but I didnot. May be I should have run in the Mall Near National Monument, White House. I will add that route when I visit DC next time around which is going to be soon. Because, Chai & Tej announced in this Trip that they will soon be parents  [estimated date of the new baby will be September 2nd week this year. SO I will soon be a "Granpa" !!  and will be visiting them more often. Next year, I will probably run with grand child in a baby stroller along the same trail :-)