Run for water 2009

It was a foggy November Monday. It was the day for the "Run for Water". I woke up in the morning about 5 and found myself kinda relaxed, definitely not as excited as the Austin Half of Feb 09. I had driven to Marble falls with my family the previous day, and visited a winery on the way. I guess the serene atmosphere in the vineyards calmed me. Anywho, up at 5, I got ready and religiously did the trigger point rolling as I do before every long run to prevent my ITB from flaring up. Got my iphone and earphone all setup for the run. Ate a very light breakfast and drove to my friend Anuranjan's place. We met up with Patrick, Gaurav and Sanjay there. We drove from there to the Silicon Labs parking lot where Anuranjan let us park. This was really good as we were really close to the start/finish line from the parking lot. We reached about 10 minutes before the start of the race and I did not have any time to think about the race. I was'nt even aware of the race route. Had I seen the route was I would have sat up all night worrying about it.

Blissfully unaware of what was coming up I started the race on a strong note. After about 1 mile, Patrick and Sanjay left me behind, but I kept up a healthy pace. At the end of the 3 miles I saw the time and it was only 33 minutes (which is a little faster than i usually run). I guess the first 3 miles were the easy part :) . Soon after I turned onto Pecos street and noticed hill after hill. Going on pecos and scenic drive I kept tackling one hill after another, but there was no end in sight. Luckily the houses were fabulous and I had some good music to distract me. And the view of the lake on that foggy morning was out of the world. I guess that is what got me through the hills. Before I knew it I came down the hills past Hula Hut and noticed some relatively flat terrain. I kept telling myself I am close to mopac and its going to be over soon. There I see good old ASHA volunteers and they raised my spirits. I guess once you ream with Team ASHA, you cannot think of running without their support, thanks guys, you rock.

A mile more and I cross mopac and realize, the end cannot be far now. Last 2 miles, I started getting tired and hungry, but the thought that it was going to be over soon, kept me going. There I see the first street bridge and some more "red-shirted ASHA cheerleaders" waiting for me. I sprinted past the finish line.... Timed at 1 hour and 52 minutes. Overall a good race and good time. Next race is the Austin Half Marathon.