Well into Fall and Running

Last I posted here mercury was shooting for the sky. The temperature has gone down, in Gainesville and most of the US, there is a cool breeze in the evening and sun has started going down before 9pm.

I have been out running almost regularly for the past 4 weeks. There is a local half marathon at Hawthorne trail in  mid-November. As tempted as I am to do the run, I think my first half marathon needs to be pushed to early next year. If I set the Hawthorne half as my target, I will go all out preparing for it. Between research and a billion other hobbies, I have decided to take things easy. So without pushing myself too hard, right now I am enjoying the runs. I am running 3 on Tuesdays and Thursdays and anywhere between 4-7 on Saturday morning at Hawthorne. So far the going has been good - I am injury free, running long distances and not feeling burnt out at the end of the run.

Here is the proof

The Reason

Let me clear one thing at the onset - I have never run before in the twenty something years of my life (well except for those few 100m races in 5th grade).  I am your regular graduate student at UF who spends hours pouring over books or sitting in front of her computer. I have always been an out-doorsy person - badminton, tennis, swimming, basketball - but just to tire myself out so I catch a good night's sleep. 

I learnt about Team Asha during my very first week in Gainesville in August 2009.

At the time, all these stories of people running 15kilometers sounded unbelievable. With all the seriousness of a new graduate student, I decided to concentrate on studying and left the running to the cool ones. But last year, in March, some of my friends in Team Asha ran the 15k Gate River Run at Jacksonville.  Seeing these friends run, some of them finishing in good time too, I was eager to join the group and start running.

15k suddenly became believable.

I started in August last Fall, and despite some minor injuries and major graduate courses, I have been running regularly with Team Asha. I have met some really nice people on the trail - every single person dedicated to the cause of educating underprivileged children in India. We volunteer our time and efforts and raise money to support organisations working for children's education in India. This in the first time I am putting my efforts for a good cause, and it feels great. Just thinking about the number of lives I will touch through this one run, is heart warming. I sincerely hope I can do many more of these races, and do my part for the kids back home. Thats the least I can do running here.