Today,I found myself in retrospect. I was looking back to the years that had passed by. Life had been hard. That was good because it made me stronger. Life had been rejuvenating at times. That was good too, since it gave me the hope that there will be better times.

When I landed on this land of dreams, I was a starry eyed young kid, eager to enjoy freedom. I did that and more. Then life took more payback from me. I learnt for the first time how to fall down and get back up on my own.

Then there was a small bout of self indulged happiness. I got a job, made a career, did some travel, earned finer tastes in life and all that good stuff. I felt like I had achieved a lot back then. I even gloated about it. Then it became all silent.

I still hold a good career and other materially satisfiable objects but there was emptiness within. I felt I needed to challenge myself. Physically and mentally. Reach my bounds. See what I can do, not just for me but for others as well. That’s when I embarked upon a journey.

The journey took me through the limits of physical and mental breakdown points. I realise I am not the same person anymore. We change everyday. I feel joining Muay Thai and training for a marathon really changed the way I perceive life. Made it very simple actually. I long to serve others and derive happiness from that. That does not mean I have given up enjoying life on my own. I have not denounced small pleasures in life – I love to do what I like to do, but there is also a sense of deep felt satisfaction when I am able to help others as well. I ended up 3 years later, a lot more happier person. I still feel I can do a lot, to make my life more meaningful.

Someone once said to me “you are a very shallow person, you just have what millions of other women have – a job, some money and freedom. You are self obsessed. Thats not an achievement”. I was very angry upon seeing this comment. I felt offended. But I realized later that I should never let someone manipulate me by letting them tell me what they think of me. Simple fact : No one knows the truth about another person. So, to that anonymous soul out there, go find something useful to do! And thanks!

Therefore when I read that comment now, I have a satisfied smile grow on my face. Less than 0.1% of humans have ever completed a marathon. I proudly am part of that elite group. In that process, I helped raise funds for fighting blood cancer. Raising this money showed me how much suffering there is out there and how much kindness as well. I was drawn to a grinding halt by the amazing acts of generosity and volunteerism.

I slowly realise some things – life comes at you hard, life comes at you fast. How you react to those obstacles defines who you are. I want to be a good friend, a loving girl, a successful and dutiful daughter…but I realise, I have been all that. Now, I just have one simple policy – “live life fully, let others live theirs too”. I am a happy person today. Thanks Muay Thai, thanks to all of you who helped me train for the marathon and many many thanks to all those people who donated. You all showed me what one can do for another. I will carry the lesson with me. I am off to San Diego now. Wish me Luck…

I am so proud of myself today

I made a pledge 4 months back that I would collect 4000 $ to help blood cancer research. The money goes to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I reached that goal today. With one more day to go for the deadline. Thanks to everyone who helped me reach this goal. yes, one big THANK YOU!!!! More than me reaching this goal, you have helped those people battling cancer have a hope that they can survive longer. Yes, you are all amazing!

In return, I will be running the San Diego Rock n Roll Half Marathon.

I have been training decently well for the half marathon. I just need to do one more long run (12 miler) before the main event. Last weekend, I did the group run and was truly thrilled. I felt I had missed so much fun earlier. I should have done more group runs – its just so much easier on the mind, plus to get to meet and talk to great people, with similar wavelengths. I am seriously considering the famed NY MARATHON event this year in November. However, that discussion can be left for another day. Today, I am happy I reached one goal. A hundred more to go!

Me? Racquetball? After my school, I had never entered the racquetball court again. Me and my buddy were supposed to be playing tennis every monday. However, the last 3 weeks, it rained every Monday. I was about to give up on Mondays, and then it struck me. I should choose a game thats similar and can be played indoors, which could be used as backup for tennis

Racquetball was of course the quick answer and my buddy seemed interested too. So next Monday will be a ball game – be it tennis or racquetball. I was exploring the advantages of playing racquetball and here are a few surprising facts collected over the years:

- The average number of calories burned during racquetball play ranges from moderate at 640/hour [Prevention, 1995] to 794/hour [Men's Health, 1995]

- An average game will take 20 minutes, during which a player will run a distance of approximately 3,650 feet — or over two miles in one hour of play. [U.S. Olympic Training Center]

- Racquetball players work at a constant rate of 75 to 85% of their maximum heart rate for the duration of a typical racquetball game.
[USRA Elite Training Camp, 1992]

- Racquetball offers both aerobic and anaerobic benefits, with both sustained high level heart rate activity and quick bursts of energy required during play. It works nearly every muscle group, that increase calorie burn and reduce fat percentage.

For those of us who love running, the miles keep flying by. But how many times do we actually keep track of the runs? The mileage, the times, the hear rate are all important factors in achieving optimum running form.
I was looking for runner’s logs that can be maintained online and can be updated easily, that offer graphs and other such visual features, something that can be done at any system – basically a web 2.0 feature – thats available 24/7, on mobile and virtually any piece that can open a web page.
That’s a pretty tall list to ask for and I was pleasantly surprised by what I found

RunningAhead really captured my attention by its simplicity and ease of use. Log all your workouts such as running, cycling, swimming, and weight training. Create custom workouts to track your other activities in your active lifestyle. You can create running routes, measure your running routes and create elevation profiles. Their mapping tool is easy and fun. It is an excellent alternative to the expensive GPS devices. You can also analyze your data and visualize your training progress through colorful graphs. Find specific workout entries using different criteria. Track your shoe mileage to reduce injury.

Nike emerged as the leader in the “coolness” factor of their runner’s log – basically with a lot of graphics and other such stuff. The best part though is that the community for nike is worldwide, very expansive and comprehensive. They have a blog, public groups that get together for group runs and social events etc. All in all, Nike runners log gives you more than a log. It gives you the doorway to an infinite supply of running resources.

Runner’s World‘s Log turned out to be my favorite – it was a hybrid of nike’s cool factor and world class community with the simplicity built into it. They even sent me a hardcopy to maintain at home. They are hosting this in partnership with Adidas- My favorite shoe.

I was relaxing at home this Sunday evening, watching Food Network, all laid back. Bobby Flay is one of my all-time favorite chefs. Throwdown with Bobby Flay started and my ears perked up when I heard the throwdown was in NYC. I never miss the opportunity to visit a new food joint that has great food. For a change, this place supposedly had the best chocolate chip cookies. In NYC and….for Athletes…made by 2 tri-athletes themselves….how could I resist!!!

Levain Bakery is the name of this place. I am going to check it out this week and give the verdict on my blog.
Keep up the good work newyorkers!

By the way, they won the Throwdown…..Hands down…