Chicago Marathon and opportunities

[vinodks]

Hey guys,
I am running chicago marathon on 9th Oct and will be there for 3-4 days. I was wondering if any Jat bhai(Jat bahan bhi chalegi can give me accomodation (was hopping to avoid hotel expences) and give company(if possible, not necessay) to hang around during that time....

I was interested in knowing if anybody else is running any Marathon (Marines corps, NY, chicago etc), if you know anyone please forward me the contact. I was also thinking if we could use Marathons to raise funds for charity organizations for Jat like NAJC(North American Jat Charity). Lots of fund gets raised every year through many organizations in these events where around 40000 people run and around million people cheer up; Indian orgn like ASHA also participate.

How does fund raising work?
Basically a group of people who run marathon(main incentive to participate is personal development) run for a orgn and ask everyone around, in friend circle and relatives, to donate for the cause which is so close to their heart that they go through 3 months' hard training to run 26 mile for that orgn. Then they run wearing that orgn's T-shirt and that orgn sponsers the participants taking care of their expences. But this model is for very professional orgns. In our case we can give all money to the charity.
Even if somebody is not running this year(as all the tickets are booked long back) but want to participate in future lets know. This would atleast give profession outlook to orgn like NAJC etc. and encourage youth to participate if not in monetary sense atleast as volunteers......

it was just a thought...
-vinod

 

[haryanajat]

Hey guys,
I am running chicago marathon on 9th Oct and will be there for 3-4 days. I was wondering if any Jat bhai(Jat bahan bhi chalegi can give me accomodation (was hopping to avoid hotel expences) and give company(if possible, not necessay) to hang around during that time....

I was interested in knowing if anybody else is running any Marathon (Marines corps, NY, chicago etc), if you know anyone please forward me the contact. I was also thinking if we could use Marathons to raise funds for charity organizations for Jat like NAJC(North American Jat Charity). Lots of fund gets raised every year through many organizations in these events where around 40000 people run and around million people cheer up; Indian orgn like ASHA also participate.

How does fund raising work?
Basically a group of people who run marathon(main incentive to participate is personal development) run for a orgn and ask everyone around, in friend circle and relatives, to donate for the cause which is so close to their heart that they go through 3 months' hard training to run 26 mile for that orgn. Then they run wearing that orgn's T-shirt and that orgn sponsers the participants taking care of their expences. But this model is for very professional orgns. In our case we can give all money to the charity.
Even if somebody is not running this year(as all the tickets are booked long back) but want to participate in future lets know. This would atleast give profession outlook to orgn like NAJC etc. and encourage youth to participate if not in monetary sense atleast as volunteers......

it was just a thought...
-vinod

I used to run long distance for my school back in India. I am interested in marathon running. Right now I run around 10 miles about 2-3 times a week at a speed of of about 8 minute a mile. I guess that is not sufficient. What is your average running time per mile? How often do you run? How are you preparing for this? Thanks.

 

[anujkumar]

Very good idea/post.

Vinod, Do let us know in detail.

Did you get professional training? Previous background.

I think fund raising, like ASHA does, can also work, they generate very large amount of money. I think, if NAJC get involved, couple of thousands dollars would go a long way.

If let's say, you get 5-10 peoples, each Jat would have 10-20 non Jat friends, who can contribute, who otherwise has no possibility of doing so as NAJC can not target Indians here in general.

 

[gaganjat]

Binod 9 oct ka mera janam din hai bhai, khoob jor ki daud layie.
Ar baat sun doodh ar choorma kha ke jayia, daud laan tahi.
Manne bera hai tu ek din 'Milkha singh' ka record todega.
All the best!

Hey guys,
I am running chicago marathon on 9th Oct and will be there for 3-4 days. I was wondering if any Jat bhai(Jat bahan bhi chalegi can give me accomodation (was hopping to avoid hotel expences) and give company(if possible, not necessay) to hang around during that time....

I was interested in knowing if anybody else is running any Marathon (Marines corps, NY, chicago etc), if you know anyone please forward me the contact. I was also thinking if we could use Marathons to raise funds for charity organizations for Jat like NAJC(North American Jat Charity). Lots of fund gets raised every year through many organizations in these events where around 40000 people run and around million people cheer up; Indian orgn like ASHA also participate.

How does fund raising work?
Basically a group of people who run marathon(main incentive to participate is personal development) run for a orgn and ask everyone around, in friend circle and relatives, to donate for the cause which is so close to their heart that they go through 3 months' hard training to run 26 mile for that orgn. Then they run wearing that orgn's T-shirt and that orgn sponsers the participants taking care of their expences. But this model is for very professional orgns. In our case we can give all money to the charity.
Even if somebody is not running this year(as all the tickets are booked long back) but want to participate in future lets know. This would atleast give profession outlook to orgn like NAJC etc. and encourage youth to participate if not in monetary sense atleast as volunteers......

it was just a thought...
-vinod

 

[vinodks]

Thanks guys for response.
Gagan bhai, dhanaywad aur pahle se hi janam din mubarak kar deta hoon, us din shayad bhool jaun..

Anuj, you are right its very feasible to raise funds but unfortunately this year's tickets for all marathons are sold out so we have to plan it ahead for next year. However if we can get atleast 2-3 people for this year it will be good start.

Jeetendra, your running capacity i.e. 10 mi thrice per week is excellent and I would say you could do very well in marathon after training. In my training right now I am currently running the same distance(5 days a week) with 8mi/hr. But its difficult to keep that speed for whole 26mi stretch. So after 15 mi people generally settle down ~6mi/hr and if one can complete 26mi in 4hrs(avg speed 6.5mi/hr) it is supposed it to be good. If you can complete in 3hrs you qualify for Boston marathon which is the best marathon in US and only good runners go there.
If you don't have a ticket already then you have to wait till next year. All marathons are generally in Sept, Oct and Nov and their tickets sold out in July, august. However you might have some local half-marathons in your region. I am member of http://www.terprunners.com/ club in my campus, there will be local clubs in yr region too. Following pdf manual guide for runners is nice

http://www.terprunners.com/marathon_manual/marathon_manual.pdf

Other links: chicago marathon
http://www.chicagomarathon.com/
other marathons can be looked into by googling their names....

Vinod

 

[haryanajat]

Thanks guys for response.
Gagan bhai, dhanaywad aur pahle se hi janam din mubarak kar deta hoon, us din shayad bhool jaun..

Anuj, you are right its very feasible to raise funds but unfortunately this year's tickets for all marathons are sold out so we have to plan it ahead for next year. However if we can get atleast 2-3 people for this year it will be good start.

Jeetendra, your running capacity i.e. 10 mi thrice per week is excellent and I would say you could do very well in marathon after training. In my training right now I am currently running the same distance(5 days a week) with 8mi/hr. But its difficult to keep that speed for whole 26mi stretch. So after 15 mi people generally settle down ~6mi/hr and if one can complete 26mi in 4hrs(avg speed 6.5mi/hr) it is supposed it to be good. If you can complete in 3hrs you qualify for Boston marathon which is the best marathon in US and only good runners go there.
If you don't have a ticket already then you have to wait till next year. All marathons are generally in Sept, Oct and Nov and their tickets sold out in July, august. However you might have some local half-marathons in your region. I am member of http://www.terprunners.com/ club in my campus, there will be local clubs in yr region too. Following pdf manual guide for runners is nice

http://www.terprunners.com/marathon_manual/marathon_manual.pdf

Other links: chicago marathon
http://www.chicagomarathon.com/
other marathons can be looked into by googling their names....

Vinod

Dhanyawaaad Sangawan Bhai. I think I will start with half marathons in my area. Right now I run along with my friends father (guy retired at 50!!, was a captain in american army, he too takes part in half marathons). Thanks for the guidance.

 

[ramsarya]

Dear Vinod: It is a good idea to get NAJC involved in one of these races. Before your next race, we should talk abt it.

 

[itsnavin]

It's a pity that I am in France. I could have participated as well. 3 weeks back, I was ran in half marathan and completed it successfully. Basically I am not a marathan runner but running is my best time pass. I run approx. 10 kms(no miles here) 3-4 times a week...My next aim to complete a full marathan..let's see when.

Navin

 

[jtsagi]

Karma Karma Karma Karma Come on Lets Run!

I have been away for a while but was really excited to see this post from Vinod. Good to know that there are other Jat folks who are measuring the roads up and down like I am....... After all, "Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOW! What a run!"

There is a very articulate website "Runners World" which has all the information about training, race calendars with locations all over US, nutrition, shoe and gear and all the motivation one requires to be a marathon runner. They also provide an online personal trainer who can help beginners get started with a customized workout plan based on an individual's strength and abilities. They also have a magazine if anyone wants to subscribe for that. Here's the link:
http://www.runnersworld.com

The idea about getting NAJC involved is a good one. Maybe Kapoor Singh can shed some more light on that.

I will be running the Philadelphia Marthon later this year. The registration for that is still open incase anyone else wants to get high off running.
http://www.philadelphiamarathon.com/

Let me know if you still havent found anyone to give you company during your stay in Chicago and I will make sure that some arrangements are made. Wish you all the best for your run! If nothing else, you will be satisfied that you were atleast able to run a marathon as only a very few people can boast about running a marathon in their entire lifetime.

 

[poonam]

After all, "Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOW! What a run!"

Terrific Jatin ...

All the best to Vinod

 

[vinodks]

Thanks Jatin, your link was helpful and it was good to know that you are also running. I talked to Kapoor Singh and we can discuss possibility of fund raising. Since there is 6 week gap between Chicago and Philadelphia I might join you in Phily marathon, but am not sure right now.
And yeah, we got arrangement to stay in chicago(with relatives of my friend). chalo will keep in touch..

vinod

 

[jtsagi]

Sounds like a plan. Running is more meaningful when it supports a cause close to your heart and what could be more meaningful than helping our own community. I am sure we all can figure something out about the fund raising part.

Your running capability of 10 miles per day (8 mile per hour 5 times a week) sounds great. I am doing 40 miles a week at about the same speed as yours. Are you competitive about your running?
I think that I'm competitive with myself. For me it's like, hey, can I do it. And as you said, if you can do the marathon under four hours that'd be great. I just sort of gave myself parameters and most importantly I just told myself to have fun. Run like a horse. Be dumb. Have fun.

What got you started running initially? What was your motivation?
I started running religiously summer of last year when my cousin who's in the US army was visiting me for a week. He runs 6 days a week (that's part of his job) and I kinda tagged along with him and enjoyed it. Since then I have been running. Have already run few 5k, 10k and 15K runs in the local circuit. The motivation for running the marathon came when I read more about Lance Armstrong who had been a triathlete in the earlier stages of his career, his fight with cancer and how he made a remarkable come back. The only tactics I admire are do or die. So, I told myself let's do it. Dammit!

Do you prefer to run solo or with a group?
Depends on whether it's a good day vs. a bad day for me. If I am in the mood to listen to other people bitch about their lives, work, wives etc I run in a group else I prefer it solo. Jokes apart, I think you form some special friendships when you run with people. You stay motivated and feel good about yourself as long as you are not running with Kenyans. I did the mistake of running with a bunch of Kenyans one time. Never again. I had to yell at them, "Are you trying to kill me here or what?"

Do you mix it up? Do you go faster or longer?
I like to run on different terrains sometimes the hills, trails, track, city street, sidewalks, sometimes by the water else it can be very monotonous, boring, hard work. That way it's easier on your knees as well as eyes. I absolutely hate the tracks though because running in circles makes me go bananas.I virtually have never used a treadmill. That would be a last resort(only when it snows but then I prefer indoor tracks). I think it's a completely different experience.
I prefer distance over speed anyday but still you gotta maintain a balance between the two.

What's the best part of the run for you?
The best part is probably the middle--when you're warmed up, feeling good, your mind is doing whatever it's going to do. And it feels normal. That's one of the remarkable things about running--with all that activity, all that expenditure of energy--at certain points it seems like an utterly natural human motion, in the way that walking does. There's a sort of effortlessness to it that is extremely appealing.

What's the greatest thing about running?
One of the great things about running is its simplicity. You don't need a building, you don't need a racket, you don't need anything. All you need is good running shoes. That's it.

Make sure that the marathon is your only girlfriend and give her everything you have.

Waddle on, friends.

 

[vinodks]

Hey Jatin,
That was awesome, looks like a team is budding up. I share with you your philosophical attitude towards running as summarized in "Run like a horse. Be dumb. Have fun."

What got you started running initially? What was your motivation?
I used to run cross country in college days but it used to be 7-8km. My inspiration for running is my father who fought with his arthritis and now is national champion in veteran race(age 60) 100m & 400m for last 2 years. Still he does 400m within 1:00min which beats me:-(((( Anyway I started for marathon only 2 months back with a friend of mine.

Do you prefer to run solo or with a group?
While running with others I have to match my speed with theirs and I don't like talking but my friend is muter than me so we are fine.

Do you mix it up? Do you go faster or longer?
Yeah, for max output fast in beginning then I settle down to most enjoyable part of running when you are warmed up and feet just don't stop, earth seems come up to receive each foot graciously and then muscle strain and I have to drag foot by foot...and I don't run 10mi per day, that was written by mistake, I run every day but total miles in week are around 28mi right now. I'm beginner.

What's the best part of the run for you?
Same effortless middle part, which, as my yoga teacher says, can be used for meditation too. Prayanam technique like kpalbhati trains you to breath from stomach, running incites the same deep breathing, which opens blocked kundlis(gates of energy) in body. Then just don't think anything. Just be.

What's the greatest thing about running?
Straight-forwardness. I like what one of the greatest marathoner, Emil Zatopek said just before starting a marathon "Friends, this is the day we die a little."

Make sure that the marathon is your only girlfriend and give her everything you have. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Dost, I tend to differ here)))))) Anyway will talk to you.

Vinod

 

[anujkadyan]

Wow man impressive.. hats off to u guys

Well I was a very good sports person during my school days and used to run a lot..
Nothing compared to you guys..
Have been trying to motivate myself to get back to the same old mode of running everyday. It gives an amazing feeling !!! man I feel like doing it right away

And hey Vinod/Anuj I will send u a personal mail. Are u associated with any of the Asha chapters ?

Regards,
Anuj kadyan

 

[singhkapoor]

Jatin, Vinod and Anuj(s)

As has already been pointed out by Mr. Arya, NAJC is open to new ideas from young guns like you – Jatin, Vinod, Anuj Kumar, Anuj Kadyan, Raj Rathee, Nitin et al. Any organization would be in the danger of becoming stagnant for the lack of fresh ideas and NAJC is no different. That’s why we are always on the prowl to infuse young blood and vigor in to this movement. Please give us a buzz as soon as a new idea strikes you (even if it’s the middle of the night)….you know what I mean!!

Jatin, we are very happy for you!! It’s great to know that you finally have a girlfriend (marathon). When is the wedding? Jokes apart, it’s good to know that you are inching closer to your goal of running a full marathon.

As I was discussing with Vinod, running a marathon is a huge accomplishment; it takes a ton of grit, determination, and intrepidity. Although, I never trained for or ran a marathon I can attest to this fact based on my experiences from training for 400 meters hurdles races at the international level. Running is definitely not for the chickenhearted. You guys are troopers.

We wish you guys 26 miles 385 yards of good luck. You know the reason for that extra mileage in a modern marathon….remember the original race run from Marathon to Athens by the Greek foot-soldier was 24.8 miles.

Best Wishes

 

[gaganjat]

Do you prefer to run solo or with a group?
I did the mistake of running with a bunch of Kenyans one time. Never again. I had to yell at them, "Are you trying to kill me here or what?"

I asked my Kenyan friends about that ,they are all from Narobi.

They told me that kenya has lot of tribes and there is a particular tribe which live on hills. The hill tribe is the one who are into marathon and running.

The reason is: on hills oxygen is less than plains and the people living on hills can retain their breath and work with low oxygen longer than other people. (its natural in them)

They dont have snowfall on hills and they dont have 5 seasons in Kenya. The temperature stays between 25-32 degrees.

 

[jtsagi]

What got you started running initially? What was your motivation?
I used to run cross country in college days but it used to be 7-8km. My inspiration for running is my father who fought with his arthritis and now is national champion in veteran race(age 60) 100m & 400m for last 2 years. Still he does 400m within 1:00min which beats me:-(((( Anyway I started for marathon only 2 months back with a friend of mine.

Your father should be a source of inspiration for lot of other folks as well! Running 400m within a minute at his age is really commendable.

Make sure that the marathon is your only girlfriend and give her everything you have. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Dost, I tend to differ here)))))) Anyway will talk to you.

Vinod

This was only meant for the day and time slot that you were going to run the marathon. Make sure you take a real one along with you (preferably a cheer leader) who would be waiting for you waiving her pom-poms.

 

[bab_shinoo]

Hello all,
Its great to see so many people interested in Marothons and long distance running. I am not a great althlete,but surviving my way. Started taking interest in long distance a few months back. But I am no way close to the numbers and speed you all are talking abt ...I barly manage 4 miles at a go.
I have been advised by some people to work on my breathing technique while I jog ...If anyone has any suggestion, it will be great.
Babita

 

[gaganjat]

No need to work on breathing technique.
Dont keep your mouth open while running (keep it as a back up)
dont try to hold or realease breadth, let it go natural.
Dont even think about breadth.

Hello all,
Its great to see so many people interested in Marothons and long distance running. I am not a great althlete,but surviving my way. Started taking interest in long distance a few months back. But I am no way close to the numbers and speed you all are talking abt ...I barly manage 4 miles at a go.
I have been advised by some people to work on my breathing technique while I jog ...If anyone has any suggestion, it will be great.
Babita

 

[itsnavin]

No need to work on breathing technique.
Dont keep your mouth open while running (keep it as a back up)
dont try to hold or realease breadth, let it go natural.
Dont even think about breadth.

Exactly the same thing what I insist on! These french men are crazy runners and they run long distances as well. But I noticed that most of them run with their mouths open and they breathe from mouth(in & out). I asked many why they do so. Their answer is simple, it helps them run faster. I don't know how? It's really strange for me as I never breathe from mouth while running. Whenever I breathe from from mouth, it's gets dry very quickly and you feel tired.

Moreover, you cannot hold your breath while running ...u may faint someday if u try to do so.