I did 17 Kms today. It's the highest I had ever done. Feels nice. The rest of the team easily finished 20Kms. Their months of practice was very evident. The physical toll on my body is beginning to show. My knees and ankles hurt from the relentless pounding that they take from running on the tarred roads in the university campus. But I guess the body will slowly start getting used to this.

History of Marathon : The Marathon, as we know it today, commemorates the spirit and valour of the Greek soldier Pheidippides as he ran from a battlefield at Marathon, Greece, to Athens in 490 B.C. Legend has it that Pheidippides delivered the momentous message "Niki!" ("victory"), then collapsed and died. It was a fitting tribute to the legend of Pheidippides, when a 24.85-mile run was organised from Marathon Bridge to Olympic stadium in Athens in the first modern Olympics held in 1896. At the 1908 Olympic Games in London, the marathon distance was changed to 26 miles, the distance Windsor Castle to White City Stadium. The total distance was increased by an additional 385 yards so the marathon could finish in front of the royal family's viewing box. ( source : ChennaiMarathon.com/marathon.htm )

Recuperating day today. It's a must not to overwork the tired muscles especially in the initial days of training. The marathon training happens on Tuesday, thursday and Sunday. Big training usually is reserved for Sunday. For the other days, I plan on getting onto badminton. It's good to cross train. There are two courts in Anna university grounds and it's usually empty in the early mornings. Now I've got to buy a racquet and find a partner who is an early bird type.

Breaking the barrier : It's been an eventful day of training. Personally I broke the 12 km barrier for the first time. Wouldn't have done it if not for two wonderful people I met... Sunitha from RPG and Vincent from Service Square. It's amazing how motivated you feel when you run with a group. Somehow you feel the group absorb your tiredness and instill in you fresh dose of energy. Both are seasoned runners and have been training seriously for the last four months. Their goal, which is same as mine, is to complete the Chennai Marathon. That's a distance of 42 kms and 185 meters. We meet again on thursday at the campus of Anna University at 4:45 a.m