==== UPDATE======

I've got a month. One month until my marathon in Nashville! So far, I've made it up to 18 miles, which is, again, ridiculous. I don't know what I'm doing, but I can say for certain I didn't really expect to be here and I'm going to keep on pushing myself. The picture is from the Coed Spring Fling Beirut Tournament Fundraiser that Brandon and I put together and turned out to be really successful. -Ashwin, 3/24/2009.

==== UPDATE======

It's the beginning of February, and I'm getting back on track. I'm about to be up to 12 miles, which is ridiculous. This has been, as expected, tough, but I'm looking forward to the next few weeks of training! The picture is from a fund raising event! -Ashwin, 2/3/2009.

Racing to Save Lives

In high school, I would work out with friends following a motto of a poster in my gym "Pain Is Weakness Leaving The Body." Nearly 6 years later, I tend to follow the "something is better than nothing." Quite a change and I'm not too happy about it. I wake up with back pain, I can't run without shin splints, I sometimes get tired after jogging up the stairs in my office - needless to say, I'm tired of this and don't like the bad habits I've developed over the past 5 years. So what have i decided to do? I am taking drastic measures as I have joined some friends and signed up for the Country Music marathon in April. yes, a marathon.

I don't even think I can do this, but I am challenging my body, and most importantly my mental toughness. Each time someone donates to this cause in my name it will motivate me further not to let other people down, rather than giving if I were just trying to "get back into shape on my own." As much as I am being selfish and doing this for myself, I am running for a serious cause that has affected people I know indirectly and directly.

The training I will be doing over the next 5 months is as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team In Training. All of us on Team In Training are raising funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives. I am completing this event in honor of all individuals who are battling blood cancers. These people are the real heroes on our team, and we need your support to cross the ultimate finish line - a cure!

Please make a donation to support my participation in Team In Training and help advance LLS's mission.

I hope you will visit my web site often. Be sure to check back frequently to see my progress. Thanks for your support!

Ashwin

Also, there is a blog - it contains our group information, and tracks our progress mentally, physically, emotionally, etc: http://gonnarunfar.blogspot.com/