Since this is one of the last posts I will be putting up before both my second fund-raising run and my birthday, I thought I would take the opportunity to get this important message in. 

If by any chance you were going to get me a gift this year (even those of you planning to buy me hand cream- you know who you are), can I suggest that you direct a cash equivalent here instead: http://www.justgiving.com/user/47235534 
Anything at all will be very much appreciated and will make my 21st birthday even more special than usual. 

Of course, if you have already donated, there is no compulsion to donate again and you will still be invited to my happy birthday party on the 14th when we can all get together and travel back to the year 1994 when I last had one. What I will say is that it will be lots of fun; I was way cute back then. 

In other news, I am fairly certain my calf muscles are going to gather up some of the other nearby muscles and give me another surprise gift of excruciating post-run pain for my birthday (they think this is funny for some reason) But! little do they know that this time I will be better prepared and fully intend to foil their evil little plans, with a little help from my new friend Deep Heat. (You may meet him at the party, he smells a bit funny but has a great personality) 

Like George Bush Jr once said and I quote: There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on, umm..shame on you. Fool me, umm.. you can't fool me again. 

2 days until raceday! Wish me luck. Thanking you and good night.

Greetings, people. For the benefit of all you fellow runners out there, I thought I'd take a few minutes out of my World Cup-watching schedule to share some things I learned from my first 10k run last month. If you are signed up to do a run in the next few months, I hope you will take a few minutes out of your World Cup-watching schedule to read them. 

While these aren't intended to be 'pro tips', and are therefore unlikely to have any significant impact on your overall performance, the hope is that they will help make your first run a more enjoyable experience. I am also hoping that by putting these in writing a month before my next run, I will be more likely to bear them in mind myself. If you are someone who has never tried running before, maybe this will even encourage you to give it a try. 

For more practical advice, you are strongly urged to read articles and blogs by people who actually know what they are talking about. Also, always consult your race pack. 

So, here they are, in no particular order: 

You may struggle to get to sleep the night before your first run, but force yourself to do so. All the preparation that's gone beforehand will come to nothing if you're not well rested. 

At the start line, with just a few minutes to go before the run begins, most people find themselves being swept up by a strange sense of euphoria and sudden feelings of meaning and purpose. As a result, many are happy to have a chat or at least wish you good luck for the challenge you are about to collectively undertake. Some, however, will be staring very intently either at their shoes or far into the distance. These people are either trying to get themselves into their 'zone' by mapping out every inch of the track as part of their latest assault on their Personal Best, or they are wondering what they did with their house keys. Either way, it's best not to talk to them. 

Along the route, you may notice paramedic/ first-aid staff with their arms outstretched and with some sort of white substance on their palm. You may think it is some sort of refreshing gel, but it is in fact paraffin to prevent chafing. If you would like to amuse yourself buy attempting to grab some of this while running past, by all means do so. Be aware, though, that rubbing this all over your arms and body will make you resemble an otter in the middle of an oil slick. On the plus side, you may not need to use any sort of cream on your body for weeks after the race. Seriously, you can moisturise rhinoceroses with that stuff. 

Do not, under any circumstances, give in to the temptation to spit while running. 

Smile and wave at, or at the very least acknowledge with a nod of the head, people who cheer specifically for you. The only time you are exempt from doing this if you are in the leading pack of runners and on track for a new world record, and even then it's a little bit rude. 

When you start to show the first visible signs of fatigue (involuntarily clutching at your sides, shoulders dropping, knees buckling) fellow runners may come up from behind and yell something motivational at you. This is normal. Try not to panic. 

Constantly try to envision the finish line as being just 20-30 metres away. This way, the crushing disappointment you feel when you realise that it is not in fact 20-30 metres away will hopefully be countered by the fact that you are now 20-30 metres closer to the actual finish. Repeat this throughout the run. Your brain will hate you for mercilessly messing with it, but your body will be grateful in the end. 

Pouring water down your head is good. Drinking some of it before pouring it down your head is even better. 

Finally, for the last tip (this may be the most obvious, but might be the most important): Whether you are running for charity or just for fun, enjoy every step of the run. It is likely that while you are running, all manner of thoughts will waft in and out of your mind. Reflect on them; allow the miracle of your existence to wash over you like the cool breeze blowing across your face. Relish the feeling of euphoria when you catch your first glimpse of the finish line, bearing in mind that while the line signals the end of the race, it is also the point at which real life resumes. That is where you must resolve to re-focus your energy, so that in the final reckoning you can say, like the Apostle Paul, 'I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.' 

That, regardless of the size of your finisher's medal, is the greatest prize of all.

Godspeed.

10 (yikes!) days to go...

Why, hello there. It's been a while, hasn't it? I'd like to explain the silence by saying I've been training like a beast, completely cut off from all technology and other distractions of modern life, all in preparation for this most physically demanding challenge of my adult life. But, of course this would be mostly (ok, fine, completely) untrue. 

In reality, I have been so busy recovering from a flu whilst simultaneously tweeting about the Indian elections that I haven't even noticed that we are already half-way through May. (yikes!)  And so, for a quick update: 

The offical London 10k race-pack has now arrived in the post, just as my six-pack has disappeared. (All that post-Lent meat has not helped; it swiftly took up residence around my waist- seemingly on a long-term contract.) 

Just when I thought things couldn't worse, the situation took an ominous turn when I came across this line in aforementioned race-pack: 

'Please remember that is very foolish to run if you have had any sort of virus or fever in the past four weeks...' 

So now I must weigh up my desire to complete this epic run against my equally strong desire to keep living. (I realise this is slightly dramatic on my part- but this side of me should come as no surprise to anyone who has read more than one post on this blog) 

Having taken the wise counsel of my family on board, we have now decided that I will do a trial run in the next day or two, and if I have not started frothing at the mouth after a few minutes, I will gradually build it up towards 10k until raceday- 25th May. (yikes!) 

In the meantime, if you haven't yet donated to one of the two very worthy causes I will be representing, please would you take a few minutes to do so now. Come on now, we're talking life-and-death stuff here. And not just my own. Link to donate is here.

Thank you so much if you already have donated. See you all on the other side.

First day of training

In other news, training for Fundraising2014 (more details here) officially kicked off this morning. Let’s be clear, if I was doing this ten years ago, at the peak of my physical prowess, and I was going to tweet about the experience, I would have said something like #TrainIntheRain or #BornToRun or maybe even #PainIsYourFriend. 

Today, however, if was inclined to tweet, it would just be #%*!* and even that would only be half the word because I would have passed out while I was still typing. 

Many people, and I suppose writers are some of the main culprits, often live in a parallel universe consisting of romanticised versions of the real thing. Sometimes they do this as a defence, and sometimes just for their own amusement. Either way, the question is not whether reality will eventually bite, but where it will bite, and how much it will hurt. 

And so late last evening, I pictured myself waking up this morning with the first light, gliding through the park with a gentle breeze at my back, and the sound of birdsong in my ears. The fact of the matter was there was no sun, no breeze and, after roughly ten minutes, I could not figure out whether it was mucus or saliva that had covered half of my face. 

So, after returning home (and lying down for a few hours until my breathing returned to normal) I have got straight down to work. Firstly, I have discarded the romantic version of the race itself- one in which I pictured myself in an epic one-on-one battle with reigning Olympic champion Mo Farah for first place, eventually pipping him by mere millimetres with a stunning lunge for the finish line at the last possible second. 

Next, I have come up with a running plan. As of today, there are exactly 13 weeks until the first run so this is what I have resolved to do: 
Weeks 1-5     = 2 runs a week 
Weeks 5-10   = 3 runs a week 
Weeks 10-13 = 4 runs a week 

This will give me a total of (I think) 35 runs before raceday which sounds about right. I figure if the running distance remains the same but I increase the frequency, it should have the same effect as increasing the distance because otherwise I would have to measure my distances with some new-fangled piece of technology which I would prefer to do without. 

Of course, it is possible that some proper runner has just stumbled on this blog and is rolling on the floor laughing at my hopelessly inadequate running plan, before composing himself and posting this link on some running forum so that everyone can have a good laugh before climbing Everest on their lunch breaks, but hey-ho. I will just have to do what I can. 

And yes, this plan will only take me as far as the first run which is just half the job done. The second run is almost exactly 7 weeks after the first, so unless this particular regime spectacularly backfires for May, I will follow the same pattern for July. Then, and only then, will I rest. That's all for now, folks. Stay posted. 

#PleaseDonate.

Fundraising 2014 kicks off today!

Dear friends, 

Many of you gave so generously to my 2013 'Movember' fundraiser (which you can read more about here), in aid of prostate cancer. Along with the many kind donations, it was (somewhat justifiably) pointed out to me that growing a moustache for a month, despite the many challenges it presented to me personally, did not require much physical effort on my part. 

So, for 2014, I thought I would change this by attempting to do two 10 km runs, in aid of two different charities. While not a massive distance per se, I am well aware there will be many obstacles along the way, chief among them being my chronic lack of both motivation and fitness. Even so, I am determined to see these through- both for the sake of the charities involved, and the two remarkable women who have inspired me throughout my life. 

As some of you may know, my paternal grandmother (86 years old) recently underwent treatment for cancer and is now recuperating. So my first run on 25th May will be in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support, a charity that does a lot of important work improving lives of cancer patients in the UK. 
You can find out more about them and make a donation at this link: http://www.justgiving.com/ajayjacob

My maternal grandmother (96 years old and currently in poor health) has suffered from glaucoma and it has been passed on to my mother who will need to use eye-drops for the rest of her life. My second run on 13th July will be in aid of the International Glaucoma Association (IGA), a charity that provides crucial support for patients as well as funding research into a cure. 
You can find out more about them and make a donation at this link: http://www.justgiving.com/ajayjacob1

Even though the runs are still a few months away, I hope you will take a few moments to: 
1) Make a donation to one or both of these great causes. Even a small amount will make a huge difference. 
2) Forward this to any friends and colleagues who might consider donating. 

Thank you so much for doing either one or both of the above. You can follow my progress on either the individual JustGiving links above or on this blog here; I will post updates as often as I can. 

Very many thanks again for your support.

Run FatBoy Run

A couple of weeks ago, in a fit of uncharacteristic spontaneity, I signed up for not one but two competitive runs. Since then, I have spent a considerable amount of time thinking about exactly what it was I was thinking when I did this. 

One possible explanation is the running gene that supposedly runs (ha!) through my family. I have been reliably informed by my grandmother that my father started running almost as soon as he could stand unaided, and usually took off like a shot the moment he had the tiniest inkling it was bath time. The aversion to baths may have reduced as he got older, but the running continued all the way to the Kerala state record books for the 800 metres. 

My own short running career, while far less stellar, did have a few significant moments; notably the half-marathon at age 23 when I was all set for a silver medal until I took a wrong turn a couple of hundred metres from the end and was duly disqualified (there's a metaphor for my life in there somewhere, but we will save it for another day) 

Since then, both age and apathy have taken its toll and the only running I have been doing of late is running off with my imagination, running away from responsibility, and running after a train or bus when I am late (which is all the time). None of which actually counts as any sort of preparation for an actual run. So, come May and then July this year, I fear that any remnants of my youth will most likely lie scattered amongst the rubbish along the route in central London, waiting to be sucked up by a slow-moving motorised street-cleaner, which itself may overtake me around the half-way mark. 

The first run, on the 25th of May, is the BUPA London 10K, an event which has been won by reigning Olympic champion Mo Farah for the last five years. To be honest, there's a good chance I will be so Farah from him that he will probably be getting ready to start the Rome 10k just as I am completing London. 

All of which suggests that the outlook is decidedly bleak. Still, the most important thing in all of this is that it is all for a good cause. In the larger scheme of things, my personal and near-certain humiliation is a small price to pay in the pursuit of the greater good. I will be in touch shortly with links where you can donate to the very worthy causes I will be running for. Please give what you can. Both charities, and my bruised and battered ego, will be extremely grateful. Thank you and good night.