Week 2 Day 1

Only had to run 2 miles today but I had to stop after the first mile. I got killer shin splints & I think my body is still recovering from Saturday. Def realize I have to cut down on the late nights & the activities involved =/

Week 1 Recap

Things got a lot better after that horrible first day; ran the 2 miles on Wed and 1 mile on Thurs without stopping and losing breath. Saturday I missed my 3 mile group run & was busy the whole day with my friend's engagement. Made it up on Sunday but had to walk half; body was worn out from the late night...

Week 1 Day 2

Today is just cross training so nothing really to write about.. I'll just be doing OnDemand cardio and yoga videos.

But I do want to mention, I have been feeling really bad about what I said in my first post(And so it begins...)about my family. Yesterday my friend said, "In your families defense, I think them seeing you do something so new and different is hard from them to take it so seriously and comment or support thoroughly, but I'm sure as days or weeks go by and see your hard work, believe me they will be by your side with immeasurable support."

I totally agree with this! I would react the same way if someone close to me did something out of the ordinary. Actually, just before going to my uncle's housewarming on Saturday, my brother (who hates dressing up) came into my room with a sports jacket on; he looked so handsome! But when he asked how he looked all I did was laugh because I was so surprised to see him out of torn jeans and an oversized Nike t-shirt.

So family, if any of you ever read this, sorry for bashing on you... I know you have my back no matter what... I'm just extra sensitive sometimes!

Week 1 Day 1

So my first day was pretty sad... I completed the mile, but I felt nauseous half a mile in and had to walk the rest. My insides were really killing, felt like there was a rusty knife churning away; still does! 

This seems abnormal to me given I was consistently working out for almost 2 hours a day up until the week before Halloween & I never felt anything like this..

I'm pretty sure the below factors played a part in this -

1. Lack of sleep - I literally only slept 2 hours last night, from 1:30AM - 3:30AM
2. Lack of food - All I had to eat today was a PowerBar 15 minutes before my run-turned-walk
3. Lack of exercise - Not only have I not worked-out for 2 weeks but it completely slipped my mind to stretch before I attempted my mile...

So yeah, all silly things that can be worked on. At least I can't go down from here; there is only room for improvement! As my TNT Coach Les said on Saturday, "The hardest part is getting to the starting line, not the finish line."

Fundraising website is up!!

Please help support this great cause!! Even a small donation of $10 will go a long way...

Please click on this link My Fundraising Page

or copy & paste 

http://pages.teamintraining.org/nj/dipihalf11/rshaho 

into your browser.

Thank you!

And so it begins...

Today marks my first day of half marathon training for the next 105 days! A half marathon consists of 13.1 miles; if you squint your eyes you can see I start off with 1 mile... For many people this is no biggie; for me this is the first of many fitness obstacles I plan to conquer. I'm pretty sure the last time I ran a mile was 6 years ago, as a high school gym requirement! In all seriousness, high school was probably the last time I even got any exercise until 2 months ago. 

So why is a athletically challenged girl like me trying to run a half marathon?? Few reasons...

Lets rewind back to July, I was living in Boston and quit my job at a leading global financial services company and moved back home to NJ. Yes, I really quit in this economy... Hated my job that much; which is why I am leaving the company unnamed. Anyway, back to my story. I moved back home and could not find a job so I tagged along with my parents on a trip to India for my cousin's wedding. Before I proceed, let me mention my whole family is very blunt. They just blurt out observations about people, not intending to be offensive; just keepin' it real. As soon as I stepped off the plane, all I heard was comments on how much weight I had gained. This continued on the whole month I was there, from numerous relatives in 5 different cities. I mean, this was no news to me. I went to college out of state and lived a typical lifestyle - lots of beer and late night cheese quesadillas, mMmm! Always too 'tired' to workout the next day. After graduation, I worked in Boston for 2 years, refused to accept growing-up as parallel to receiving my degree & led the same unhealthy lifestyle, adding on even more lbs. 

So yeah, after being insulted in India for a month, I came home in mid-Sept and realized I had actually lost 8 pounds over there! I linked this to the fact that I did not eat meats and cheeses & consumed minimal amounts of alcohol. I was so excited by my weight loss that it motivated me to keep going. I reconnected with a friend who taught me to play tennis. After lessons, I would feel SO energized that I would go for a run to keep the adrenaline pumping! My tennis career was short-lived, but I continued to run and started exercising with OnDemand workout videos; by mid-Oct I had lost 6 more pounds. It's been pretty downhill since then... I stopped workingout but continued to eat healthy and managed to maintain my new weight. 

Last Wednesday, a campaign recruiter from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) emailed to ask if I was still interested Disney's Princess Half Marathon which I had inquired about a month ago. I got to thinking and said 'why not??' and registered for it on Friday. On Saturday, the New Jersey Chapter of LLS Team in Training (TNT) held a 'Kickoff Meeting' where they went into detail about what LLS does for their patients and how TNT prepares runners for the marathon; including group run sessions with certified coaches and one-on-one fundraising meetings with mentors. Also, there were a couple inspirational stories told by patients who survived due to funding from LLS. I must admit I did shed some tears, especially when one patient referred to the runners as her heroes. I want to be someone's hero! I was really touched to know my future efforts would be going to a cause with such amazing results. 

At this point, I was mentally prepared for this challenge, but I was insecure about my physical ability. I expressed my concern to 2 of the TNT coaches at the end of the session. They told me the average TNT runner is one with no running experience. They assured me if I stuck to the above 15 week schedule I would be more than capable of finishing the race in the 3.5 hours allotted.

In excitement, I posted the schedule on my Facebook wall as soon as I got in the car. I wanted everyone to know that this little girly-girl, who wore lipstick at 5, heels at 13 & hasn't worked out more than 20 times in her life, is going to achieve such a great accomplishment! I didn't necessarily write those words, but that is what I was thinking in my head, hehe. I got a couple supporting comments from friends. However, the support stopped there... 

When I reached home I told my mom where I had been and she laughed! Feeling discouraged, I defended myself and laid a guilt trip on her for not believing in me. Later that night, my extended family gathered at my uncle's new home for a housewarming. To no surprise, living in this world ruled by smartphones, everyone had already seen my post.

"Yo, you really think you can do that?" said my cousin.

"You have to be running for a long time to finish a marathon. You can't do it," said my uncle. 

Etcetera etcetera... Everytime I tried to back-up my ability with the coaches' advice I was immediately cut off with more blah blah blah. I just kept quiet until the topic changed. In less than 5 minutes my dream of becoming a 'hero' was crumbled up and tossed to the trash can. Don't get me wrong, my family is awesome in all other ways. I love them to death & would do anything for them. I even feel bad for bashing them right now, but I do wish they had more faith in me...

Fortunately, the next day as I was replaying the scenario in my head over & over, I became motivated again. I think my dream missed the trash can & found it's way to the recycling bin =] I now had one more reason to successfully cross the finish line - to prove to them that I can do it!

I originally looked into Disney's Princess Half Marathon, not only because I've loved Disney Princesses forever, but because my grandfather passed away from lymphoma 8 years ago. I want to complete the race in honor of him, my Nanaji, Kantilal Zaveri. Of course, staying in shape and getting an all-expense paid trip to Orlando are additional bonuses; but the feeling I will get when I cross the finish line is unimaginable. In a way I will feel closer to my Nanaji's spirit. I want to achieve this feeling and keep it with me forever...

So back to the question of why I set this goal for myself. I want to get in shape, raise money for a really good cause, prove my ability to others & myself, and most importantly in memory of a loved one. Pretty much your cliche reasons but valid nonetheless!

Well, so far it's been all talk & no action... time to tackle the first mile!  

Thank you for your support =]