Gwen's ramble on November 13th, 2005

Hey everyone!!

Well, it felt a little strange to be back over in Green Lake after our Madison Park runs, but the change in scenery was welcomed. 12 miles seemed like a piece of cake after our 20, 17, and 15 mile runs! It seems so funny to say that 12 miles seems easy, but that’s what those long runs do, I guess. Great run to Golden Gardens, the Ballard Locks, Freemont, and back to Green Lake—running with quite a few of the Asha runners. David takes off like a rabbit at the start, which is great for me, because I’m slow to start. Rick keeps me going in the middle with great conversation about his trips around the world. By the end, we’re all trying to keep up with Sumanth, who should post a great time! I’m adjusting to eating the chocolate flavored Goo, and Rick keeps me supplied with Sharkeys—very cool little gummy candies. How is everyone doing on the mid-week workouts? I’ve added in some bike rides in order to keep the pressure off my joints. Can’t believe the marathon is almost here!!

Some announcements:

Funds raised so far:

We wanted to congratulate all for reaching our first major milestone in terms of fund raising (20% of our total goal). We have raised $10,131.55 ($6101.55 from online donations, $430 from our various booths and $3600 from Individual donors for our training). Leading the pack is David Salesin who has already crossed his stated goal of $2000. Yea David!!! Great, great job everyone. This is really exciting to surge forward like this. David gave me some great tips for fundraising while we were running. He said that it always works to ask people for more money than you think you’ll receive, and to send a reminder email to everyone a couple weeks or a week before the race. So, send those reminders!

Updates on the website:

We will be doing some changes on our homepage in next couple of days. The idea is to make these pages more project specific. Ideally, we want to demonstrate how the donor’s money has brought about changes in the lives of the marginalized in the society.

T shirts:

We have confirmed ETA on the miles4smiles t-shirts. We will be receiving the t-shirts on November 15, 2005, and you can pick up yours from Tarun on the 19th (that Saturday run).

Parties:

We are planning to have both a pre marathon and post marathon get-together (Yes! Running is all about parties these daysJ).

The pre marathon party would involve a carefully prepared carbohydrate dinner on Friday evening appropriate for pre-event preparation. Furthermore, we will also have the Asha ‘gu’ station volunteers joining us on this event – may be all of us as a group can prepare some banners or posters calling your name.

Further, running a marathon is a great achievement for all of us as a group – as an individual accomplishment and for the cause that we have been working for. So, we have good reasons to get together on the evening of November 27th, 2005.

Details to follow!!!

So, keep running, smiling, and fundraising!!!!

--Gwen

Gwen's ramble on November 6th, 2005

Hi Everyone!!!

Wow, yesterday was an intense day to run. The rain was definitely a consistent factor, and I was glad we’d run our 20 miler the weekend before. Rick and I decided to tack on the Madison Park hill at the end of our run, and while my gluts felt the burn, I was glad to practice it. One of the things I like about the Madison Park run is that we pass each other, or end up stop for water at the same places, and have an opportunity for encouragement. It’s so inspiring to hear something as simple as, “Great job!” For the marathon, I plan to put my name on a bib and pin it on my shirt. I did this for a previous marathon, and hearing people cheers for me was very important during the hard parts of the course.

Some announcements:

Brave hearts of the week: We started training with a small group and an “Asha” (hope) for education in hearts. The small group has grown as many committed people joined in this effort. However, some of the people who shared our commitment to the cause had to, unfortunately, leave in the middle of the training program due to medical injuries. We appreciate the motivation of Priya Winebrenner and Kathleen Malaspina who were the brave hearts to join in Miles for Smiles but had to drop out due to injuries. We wish good luck and speedy recovery to them.

Funds raised so far:

So far we have raised $­7995.55 ($3965.55 from online donations, $432 from our various booths and $3600 from Individual donors for our training). This is a huge increase from last week—over twice what we had! Think about how much we can raise if we double our efforts! I sent out another round of emails, and asked my father to present my email and the Asha miles4smiles program at the local Rotary (the Rotarians are very supportive of educational programs in places like India, South America, and Africa). I’m trying to think of other ways to fundraise, so if anyone has any ideas, we should definitely share.

Projects Sponsored:

Given our good performance with fund raising, we are planning to extend support to MUSKAAN (http://www.ashanet.org/projects/project-view.php?p=267) back into the list of projects. A description for both the projects (Muskaan and SUPPORT) can be found at http://www.ashanet.org/seattle/events/marathon/cause.php

We will encourage you to go through the details of these projects.

Further, the budget for SUPPORT and MUSKAN are online now and available on the CAUSE page. In case, you have more questions about the projects, please feel free to email Malti (maltir@hotmail.com) for SUPPORT and Ravi (ravi@u.washington.edu) for MUSKAN.

Updates on the website:

Profiles are online for every runner except Darren Massey and Mike Cohen. Make sure to check out your picture on your profile page, and let us know if you want to get the picture changed. Also, check out Rohan’s runner journal on miles4smiles runner’s discussion page.

Pictures Link: You can find the pictures of the kids for both the SUPPORT and MUSKAAN projects under this section.

New to the family:

A warm welcome to Jone Chung and Brian Carver from the miles4smiles team! Both the huskies are traveling the road less traveled – Jone has been training all by himself and Brian has vowed to do a half without trainingJ.

See you all next Saturday at Super Jock N’ Jill!
-- Gwen

Gwen's ramble on November 1st, 2005

Hey all!

This weekly ramble is a combination of efforts from Amit, Tarun, and Gwen. Now that the weather has turned, and the leaves are getting mushy, it’s time to dig deep and think about fundraising for the kids! I know that last Saturday’s 20 miler was a hard one for me. I was running with Steve and Samanth, and they were intense! I didn’t think I could finish in 3 hours flat, but thanks to them, I made it! And, the pain was worthwhile, as I see people responding to my email about Asha and miles4smiles.

Some announcements:

Runner of the week:

Lubdha for her consistency and meticulous planning with running. Vikas (ask Chuck to pronounce his name ;)) chickened out under the aegis of work at office, however, Lubdha still came out and ran. Also, it feels awkward to write about oneself as the runner of the week – however, I (Amit Saxena) have been awarded with the title of runner of the week and slacker of rambles.

Funds raised so far:

So, far we have raised $­­­­­2586.55 ($2154.55 from online donations) and $432 from our various booths and stalls. In case, if anyone is wondering why the funds raised so far has 55 cents in it – ask Ken at quasarandnemesis@comcast.net.

Talk up the marathon!!!! Our goal of raising $50,000 is an ambitious one, however, if we start sending our friends and contacts emails about this run, we will be able to make it. If you’re standing in line getting coffee or tea, make sure to mention your most recent run and how you are excited to be fundraising—or something along those lines. So, don’t wait anymore and start doing the fund-raising once your profile is up and ready to go. Further, we are working hard to get an exact bifurcation of the funds usage.

Updates on the website:

Profiles are online for Manoj and Srijan, Rohan, Satish, Gwen, Rick, and David. Make sure to check out your picture on your profile page, and let us know if you want to get the picture changed. Also, check out Vikas’s runner journal on miles4smiles runner’s discussion page.

Further, those who have not sent their profiles so far, your pictures are there. So, random people may remind you to send the profile to Tarun. (tarun.bhalla@gmail.com).

Booths of the week:

Ashita, Yogita, Tarun and Tulsi manned our tea and merchandize stall at “AllGoRhythms” this Saturday, October 22^nd 2005 at Kane Hall (U-dub). The booth brought in a whooping $308 to our fund raising effort – You can check out the pictures at the miles4smiles website.

Rohan did a brave job of drinking tea from us and not helping us – we were waiting for a helping hand from you runner!! Rohan has been advised by the doctor to take care of his foot, well Good Luck Rohan, hopefully we can still have you in our running team.

New to the family:

A warm welcome to Gwen, Mike, Zoheb and Amol from the miles4smiles team!

-- Gwen

Amit's Ramble on October 14th, 2005

The rambles are back albeit a bit late.

Kindly excuse the tardiness, the fall quarter is slowly grinding me to academic dust. The fearless leader has been fighting a losing battle with my academic lords and masters. But today, Friday the fourteenth, the rambler raises his head and taps on the keyboard again. So here we go, the pent up rants and raves from the last two weeks.

The Saturday runs are going great and this Tuesday the hill repeats were fun. Manoj gave a war cry of `nail the ba*****d' and charged on the last fifty yards. That was a great moment.
Intrepid leader and Yogita slacked off on the hill repeat day. Ha!

On Sunday, Oct 9, our very own half marathoner Manoj Isaac and Yogita made some really delicious tea at the staged reading of "Sangharsh ki Oar" at ECC Theater (UW). Lubdha Khandelwal (House Manager for the reading), Asha, and Tarun helped out also.

The booth brought in $125 as profits. You can check out the pictures at the miles4smiles website. OK, onto business…

First, Runner of the Week… David Salesin has been very consistent and could easily turn out to be the fastest runner (Sumanth may give him some competition though!). His consistency, determination, and discipline are definitely exemplary. Well, he still needs to send his profile though ?.

The Absentee of the weeks and weeks are… Snigdha and Lavanya. Please wake up on Saturday morning before it's too late ?.

The Actress of the week goes to… Tulsi Keshkamat. She is not just a runner but also an actress. And Tulsi was in the "Sangharsh ki Oar" that was on Sunday, October 9th 2005. Cheers!

Another Asha event coming up… Asha is doing another major fundraiser, AllGoRhythms, a
Bollywood musical night. It is not something that you should miss. More details can be found at Asha's website.

And the updates on the website are…
Profiles are up for Team Casha, Lubdha, Vikas, and Scott. Check out your picture on your profile page and let us know if you want to get the picture changed. Also, check out Vikas's runner journal on miles4smiles runner's discussion page. Those who have not sent their profiles so far, your pictures are there. So, random people may remind you to send the profile to Tarun (tarun.bhalla@gmail.com).

See you all tomorrow, Saturday, Oct 15 at Madison Park.

Amit's Ramble on September 25th, 2005

Hello everyone
The rambles, with due nods to gracious Chuck of the ramble fame, are back. This is Amit, and I am here with Tarun, our intrepid fearless leader and co-author of this
newsletter. And we are going to rant and rave.

The first point of digression, please watch `The Constant Gardener.' It is an amazing movie and is beautifully done. I was beautifully done yesterday in the cold while getting to Madison Park. And I was very happy to start running, and keep running as a way to keep warm. Hey Chuck, is that actually part of the plan? Ha!
Chuck also gave a nice little talk to a bunch of us about the race day running.
He emphasized the importance of running together as a group on that day as that
will be like a `billboard moving through the race.' I agree. Also discovered, courtesy Theresa (hope I got the spelling right,) a dollar fifty for a pair of gloves at the Red Apple grocery store.

Very useful for running in this cold. The Dollar Store at Ballard also has them.
I bought couple of pairs yesterday and as they are super cheap, they can be discarded on the long runs.

In order to help out with Katrina relief, Art of Living Youth (an international
humanitarian non profit organization) is organizing a 5K run on October 9th, 2005 in
Greenlake. If interested, you can find more information at http://www.artoflivingyouth.org/run/. There will be a link for the same on miles4smiles homepage. Given the nature and organizational structure of Asha for Education, we cannot direct funds to Katrina Relief or anywhere else apart from India. So, we have decided to help out this way (by promoting other orgs on
our website who are working towards the Katrina relief). OK, onto business…

First, Runner of the Week… well actually now we have multiples as this ramble is
two weeks late so here they come. So from last week, it goes to Vibhavaree Gargeya
for running consistently and hard! No matter how hard it rains or how warm/cold it
gets. And from this week, it goes to Vikas Khandelwal and Rohan Shetty. Chuck is pretty hopeful that they may be able to upgrade from half to full. Let's see what they decide! And from my side, it also goes to one and only Tarun for going dancing dandiya after his 17 mile run. Woohoooo!!!! Party animal!!!

For the wonderful award of the Absentee of the Week, from last week we have
Pooja Taskar. After showing up for two consecutive sessions, she is again gone in
oblivion?. Come back to us Pooja!

And from this week we have Snigdha and Lavanya. After showing up for the first few sessions consistently, they are busy with their work?. The fearless one will be talking to their bosses soon. Beware!

A big welcome from the Miles4Smiles family to Rick, Gwenn Forrest, Vikas, Lubdha, Rohan, Vishal, and Neha. Some updates on the website: Profiles will be up in next few days for Sumanth, Aki and Kathleen. If you have not sent your profile so far, send it soon to Tarun (tarun.bhalla@gmail.com). Pictures of the hiking trip shall also be available on the website soon.

And with this, we wrap up this ramble. And I am off for some hoppy brew forlunch. Hope you guys have a great week, good runs, and see you at training.

-Amit

Amit's Ramble on September 5th, 2005

Hello everyone

This is Amit, and I am here with Tarun, our intrepid leader and co-author of this newsletter. And will rant and rave, digress, and hope for your indulgence.

So the week has been mixed. The news from New Orleans, and still coming in, has been bad and likely to linger on for a long time. The disasters, in different forms, have made appearances with frightening regularity: wars, earthquakes, tsunami, and hurricanes. All the disasters, whether natural or manmade, have affected all of us globally. In these circumstances, it becomes more vital than ever to think deeply about what hope means to all of us. And being associated with our own hope, Asha, can help us in being more thoughtful and aware of the world around us. So back to Seattle, Greenlake, and Eastside…

First, Runner of the Week, is being shared by Manoj Issac and Yogita for consistency, and for getting better and better every week. However a moment of pause in this season of Asha, for here I throw in a dash of goody goody spice. Since Asha, Manoj's new bride is in town, hmmmm… let's hope for consistency. Keep it up Yogita! Keep it up Manoj! Make sure you get Asha to run for Asha .

For the wonderful award of the Absentee of the Week, I have had a hard time
deciding. So many of us to choose from, it is getting difficult week after week. The choices are overwhelming. Due to the long weekend, not many people showed up for training. Very understandable! However, for the first time runners, it's very advisable to get into training before it is too late. Half marathon training has already begun; make sure you are consistent throughout the training.

A big welcome from the Miles4Smiles family to Tulsi Keshkamat and Rajiv
Balachandran! They are the new half marathon participants. Rajiv is going to join Chucks' training session from next week onwards. However, Tulsi is taking the road less traveled, she is going to train all by herself on the Eastside.

And now some updates on the website:
The group-run picture has been uploaded on the website http://www.ashanet.org/seattle/events/marathon/updates.php The Webmaster team has been working very hard to get the profiles online and they would be able to get it online this weekend. Profiles of Yogita and Rahul shall be up sometime during next week (thanks for sending them through.) Further, check the events and updates page for more pictures of the run. If you have not send your profile to Tarun
(tarun.bhalla@gmail.com), please do it soon.

On the social front, we have a get-together coming up next weekend (Sunday,
September 11th). It will be a moderate hike (easy enough to do with family and kids.) Details have already been sent.

And finally Chuckit updates:
The training on Saturday, from next weekend, will be in Madison Park. A reminder
mail would be sent midweek regarding that. Some of the Miles4Smiles'05 runners are
going to run the Super Jock'n Jill Half Marathon as a preparation for their full marathon in Seattle.

These good people are:
Sumanth Donthi (thetallman63@yahoo.com)
David Salesin (salesin@microsoft.com)
Vibhavaree Gargeya (vibhavaree@gmail.com)
Amarpal Monga (amarpalmonga@yahoo.com)
Tarun Bhalla (tarun.bhalla@gmail.com)

Here is wishing them a good, strong, and steady run.

And with this, Amit and Tarun bid you adieu and leave you to your own particular
Labor Day activities. Have fun and see you at training.

-amit

Amit's First Ramble on Aug 29th, 2005

Hello everyone

This is Amit, and I am going to be your rambler for this week. I am running the Seattle Half Marathon, first timer, and slowly settling into my aches and
pains.

So before I start on y'all, let me vent out some of my aches and pains of the
week. First, drink lots of water during the day to avoid cramps. That is a lesson hard learnt after thinking that other beverages would do as good for dehydration. As our Coach Chuck says, `if you play, you pay.' And believe me, you do pay.
But, but… it is fun to play also.:)

Please compliment Chuck on his distinguished face fuzz. He is very proud of it.
Our compliments will enrich the luxuriance. Other than that, the Saturday long run was pretty good. A big thanks to Yogita, Manoj, and others for a good group run. Thanks to Kerry, assistant coach, for setting a good steady pace.

Ok, now on behest of our intrepid and fearless leader, Tarun, I am going to say
nice things to people.

First, Runner of the Week, goes to Vidyanand Rajpathak. Vidyanand is the lone warrior who is striding forth by himself. Congratulations! Slackers, absentees take heart and notice!

The, Absentee of the Week, hmmm… I am tempted, very tempted to do unto the
intrepid leader what the intrepid leader did to me. For reference, look at the earlier ramble from last week. But as I want to spread love around, the award goes to everybody who has not turned up for training sessions. Please do come, it is more fun, and nicer when everybody turns up.

A big welcome from the Miles4Smiles family to Kathleen, Maureen, Binu, Arul,
Pradnya, and Ritu. Great to have you guys!

The Slacker of the Week, goes to… yeah!!!!, Srijan and Tarun for slacking on going out and getting sponsorships for the run. Get going busters!! :)

And now some updates on the website:
Profiles will be up in next few days for: Vibhavaree, Amit Saxena, Vidyanand,
Lavanya, Pooja, and Rohit. If you have not send your profile to Tarun
(tarun.bhalla@gmail.com), do it soon.

And with this, I finish my ramble rumble for this week. Have a great week and
see you guys at training. :)

Amit

Rambles on August 22, 2005

hi friends,

So, finally it begins, like it or not, but as the member of this
group, you have to be at the receiving end of my running rambles..
depending on the number of hate mails I receive, the frequency will be
adjusted (currently its once a week).

What's new on miles4smiles'05 front?

1). Beneficiary Project status: Folks in Asha Seattle meeting
respected the runner's vote and both our choices were approved with a
small glitch. SUPPORT has been approved as a beneficiary project,
however, Muskaan is pending approval as a project itself (as all the
questions about the project were not answered), but we will have the
second project in the next Asha meeting.

2). HELP CHUCK: The only time Chuck is at receiving end is this :).
Come out support other half marathon runners on the labor day weekend
for SJJ Half Marathon. Chuck needs some volunteers to help him with
logistics of the event. You will have to volunteer for 2-3 hours,
contact Chuck for the same at chuck@runchuckit.com. In return, Chuck
would make you run 2 miles less ;).

3). Web profiles: Having close friends in the Asha Seattle webmaster
team, 'yours truly' has done it again. Yes, I am the first one to have
my PROFILE up there and hogging the limelight. So, if you want to
share the limelight or better still not want your email box inundated
with my emails, send me your profile asap.
Sample profiles are available at: File : /miles4smiles05/sample Profiles/

4). Runner of the week: Well, the award goes to Sumanth.. He came, he
saw and he ran.. with a maximum run of 6 miles to his account before
coming to the first training session, this tall man had a point to
prove.. he RAN 11.7 miles at a speed of 10 minutes per mile and is
getting ready for making smiles by running 26.2 miles.

5). Absentee of the week: So, you thought cold calling was only for
classrooms, THINK AGAIN! Since, the Half marathon schedule has come
up, the half marathon runners are no where to be seen... Well, there
were many deserving candidates for this, however, the Award goes to
one and only Amit Saxena for missing only one session so far.

Hope, you folks do not take my rambles too seriously, all in fun..

cheers
-tarun

Tips for Running Marathons

Completing a 26.2 mile race can be one of the most exhilarating times of your life. Or it can be one of the most humbling and painful experiences you can live through. However, as our Coach says, if you are mentally, physically and emotionally prepared, it would turn out to be one of the greatest experiences. Further, if you have associated a great cause like that of underprivileged children’s education with it, the joys of the experience automatically grow ten times.

In order to ensure that you are prepared for the marathon experience, here are few things to remember before you train for a marathon:

Build a Base: The first thing to evaluate is your current physical condition. Many experts believe that a solid mileage base of 20-25 miles per week and a long run of approximately 6 miles is a must before you consider training for a marathon.

In case, you are not running that much, this does not mean that you cannot build a base. It is challenging not impossible.

Use the Right Equipment: As you move into your training and the weekly mileage and long runs increase, you need to decide up front what running equipment is right for you.

First, think about your shoes. Which type of shoes work best for you? Are your current pair comfortable? What is the mileage on the pair you are wearing? Will they make it through both the training and the marathon?

Socks are another area to consider. Which type work best for you (i.e. thin, thick, two layers, etc.)? A good pair of socks is crucial for your feet during a marathon.

Next, consider your running apparel. Chafing is a major concern especially during long runs and the marathon. Also consider how much and what type of clothing you need to be comfortable but not overheated (i.e. tights, long-sleeves, hat, gloves, etc.)

Beyond apparel, consider those items you might need to put on your body to reduce pain and inflammation during the marathon (analgesic creams for pain and vaseline/bodylube for chafing).

Incorporate Cross Training: An athlete can both rest and work out at the same time by cross-training? Cross-training gives you a break from the pounding of running while still receiving aerobic benefits. Great cross-training activities include cycling, swimming, cross-country skiing, strength training, and even some stretching.

Marathon training is a process where you break the body down so that it will rebuild itself stronger than before. In order for the rebuilding process to occur, you must give yourself the proper amount of rest. It is recommended that beginners schedule 2-3 nonconsecutive days for complete rest (no cross-training) while intermediate to advanced runners may want to incorporate some cross-training on two of the days that novices are resting.

Eat Right: Eating a proper diet is crucial for marathon training. Complex carbohydrates should make up at least 65% of your normal dietary intake during most of your training. In the final few days before the marathon, increase the amount of complex carbohydrates you are consuming. This is called Carboloading. It works by adding additional glycogen to your body which is the fuel your muscles will burn while running. Additionally, glycogen means more running miles without "hitting the wall".

There is more to the training tips and I have not covered all of them. However, following these would be good to start with. If you have any more questions please fell free to send me a note at tarun.bhalla@gmail.com

Some of these views are not entirely mine; I have used several web-resources and listened to Chuck’s training sessions to come up with this article.

Checklist for a new participant

1). Register at Seattle Marathon website: http://www.seattlemarathon.org/register.asp

2). Come to the training sessions with Chuck:

http://www.ashanet.org/seattle/events/marathon/schedules.php

3). Training Fee (Refundable): To be handed to Tarun Bhalla (tarun.bhalla@gmail.com) at the training sessions. The check should be in the name of “Asha for Education” for $100.

4). Subscribe to runner’s email list: asha-seattle-marathon@yahoogroups.com

5). Mail your profile to Tarun/Ashita for uploading: email at asha.seattle.marathon@gmail.com

6). Visit the Runner’s blog: http://miles4smiles.blogspot.com

7). Attend the monthly get-togethers: Emails shall be sent frequently.

Account of a new participant

I have recently started training for the marathon and I wanted to share my experience with all you folks.

I am not a runner and running a marathon is definitely not my cup of tea. I used to think that before I came to know about Asha Seattle Marathon and the cause that Asha is fighting for. I wanted to contribute my bit in supporting the projects started by Asha in India for the under-privileged children. It will be very fulfilling to know that my little hard work has brought smiles on the faces of these children.

So, I have decided to run the half-marathon. I never ran before and running 13 miles seems like a formidable goal but I am trying to take it as a challenge for a noble cause. A few weeks back I started training with Coach Chuck running 2 miles.

Chuck says you have to enjoy your running so if I feel tired from running I can switch to walking for some time and then run. I did that but I didn’t enjoy the run and ended up with cramps. However, the feeling of having completed a run of 2 miles was amazing. The exact feeling can be described as that of pain mixed with joy and a sense of accomplishment.

It would be difficult to digest, however running 2 miles was unbelievable sense of joy and I can imagine how the full marathon runners would feelJ. Now, I train at least twice a week and doing 3 miles. I have started enjoying running as well and I find a new energy in myself. The weather of Seattle also favors; refreshing me as I run.

Running 13 miles still seems like a daunting task but I am confident that I will be able to make it. Hope to see you in the training sessions sometime in the future.

Yogita Bhardwaj