Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson - my fastest read

This book is written in such a style that it moves fast, small sub-chapters, each chapter focused on a topic from people to companies to technology to family to everything.

This blog post is just a few highlights from the book that I enjoyed and want to capture for eternity.

I will let everyone come to their own conclusions about his personality.

My fascination is for the products, companies and brands he has built. The book obviously is a non-fiction but reads like a fiction. Isaacson had a front-row seat to unfiltered information and interviews from almost anyone who had access to Elon, present and past, including Elon.

Elon doesn't sleep much, doesn't give importance to material things for himself, works seven days a week and amps things up to get things done or pushes things faster. His life reminded me of the movie 'Everything Everywhere All At Once". He creates multiple unique and disruptive companies, he has many relationships, many kids, makes decisions fast, and there is a huge part of his personal habits, behaviors, family, friends, and more. 

A few things I made note of, which can be applied to any industry, any business and any product. are below.

First Principles Approach:

The first principles approach, also known as "reasoning from first principles", is a method of problem-solving that involves breaking down complex issues into their most basic parts, and then creating new solutions from scratch. The idea is to ground yourself in the foundational truths and build up from there. 

This is his secret to his companies including SpaceX, Tesla, etc. 

Musk's Rules for Rocket Building:

1. Question every cost
2. Have a maniacal sense of urgency
3. Learn by failing
4. Improvise

Elon's Algorithm:

1. Question every requirement
2. Delete any part or process you can
3. Simplify and optimize 
4. Accelerate cycle time
5. Automate 

Idiot Index:

How much more costly a finished product was than the cost of its basic materials. If the product had a high idiot index, its cost could be reduced significantly by devising more efficient manufacturing techniques. 

Yes, I was seated next to a "door plug"

"Team of Rivals" - an MBA in Leadership

"Team of Rivals - The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln" is a #1 New York Times Bestseller by the Pulitzer Prize winner and Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin.

The Steven Spielberg movie Lincoln was based on this book.

I have seen Goodwin in several documentaries and shows, primarily when it is related to the US history and past Presidents. I have heard and read about this book in number blogs and articles on Medium for a long time but never got to read it.

When I saw the book in my local library, I borrowed it. It took me forever to complete the book as I am practicing 'slow reading' this year. I will read a chapter and go read another book, then return to the next chapter. In some cases, I re-read multiple chapters. This was just so good that I wanted soak in the finer details.

This is almost a 1000 page book. It is one of the most researched, fact-based, historical biopic that goes into depths of Abraham Lincoln's time during his first primaries through his re-election.

The book is so good that it doesn't try to paint anyone in a good or bad light, but rather what someone documented in their journal or captured in a news article at that time. It also clearly says whenever something is a hearsay or rumor.

The book goes into greater detail on some portions of Lincoln's life including his 1960 primaries, his rivals in those elections, each of their background, the civil war, Lincoln's challenges and friendships with various cabinet members and key individuals during that period, his re-election and the time leading up to his assassination. 

Key highlights that stuck in my head after reading this book:

• Lincoln always appointed his cabinet and other key positions based upon the qualifications even if they opposed some of his policies and views.  
• Lincolns empowered his people to the highest level. 
• He used humor more than what people expected. 
• He didn't really care about the appearances but rather was focused on being his authentic self. 
• Lincoln was a congressman, lost many small and big elections, then very unexpectedly was nominated as the Presidential candidate for the Republican party. 
• Lincoln grew up in very humble circumstances and continued to live with humility.
• Lincoln never reacted with emotions like anger or disappointment whenever someone made him angry or disappointed him. 
• Lincoln visited the army during battle consistently which really made him the favorites of those who were in the battlefield even if they didn't agree to all his policies. 
• Lincoln rarely overrode his subordinates and when he did, he provided the reasoning and ensure it was clearly communicated.
• Lincoln didn't react to news headlines, rumors, bad behavior, or, when he was misunderstood. 

There's a lot more to unpack in this book. In some chapters, I almost felt that I was reading a fiction, as some of his leadership habits are almost unreal and somewhat hard to imagine in today's world.

Almost everyone thought he was not suitable to be the President at the beginning. And almost everyone ended up respecting him for the way he treated them and his thoughtful long term strategies and approaches.

I am keeping this post short, so that if you are a book reader and haven't read this book, you can enjoy it as I did. 

"AMP IT UP" or Fail.

I listened to the Chairman and CEO of Snowflake, Frank Slootman, in the 'This week in Startups' podcast and was immediately intrigued by him. 

Maybe it is the immigrant in me, maybe I share some of the ideals he shared in the podcast, but his straight talk connected to me. And many of the ideas he shared was right out of what has been in my mind for a long time

I immediately put his book AMP IT UP on hold with my local library. I support my local library, but that is a totally different podcast. And got it within a few days. 

The book's title is: 

AMP IT UP. 

Leading for Hypergrowth by Raising Expectations, Increasing Urgency, and Elevating Intensity.

Frank Slootman was the previous CEO of disk storage company, Data Domain, that was acquired by EMC and now part of Dell Technologies.

He was then the CEO of the service management SaaS company, ServiceNow, taking it to a $100B market value.

Slootman is now the Chairman and CEO of the Data Cloud company, Snowflake, hovering at $75B market value during the writing of the book. 

The author breaks down the book into the following sections:

1. Amping Up
2. Raise Your Standards
3. Align Your People and Culture
4. Sharpen Your Focus
5. Pick Up the Pace
6. Transform Your Strategy
7. The Amped-Up Leader 

The themes of the book, while sounds familiar, are not usually discussed in other books. My take on the book is split into the following ideas:

1. Product: the author talks a lot about architecture and getting it right.
2. Leadership: the author just wants the leaders to take the ultimate ownership and be assertive.
3. Sales: There are a few chapters dedicated to various ideas behind running a good sales organization.

The entire book boils down to what I picked up in his interview:

"If someone says they will get back next week, ask them Why not tomorrow? If they say I will get back tomorrow, ask them Why not today?"

Basically, the author advises leaders to focus, increase the sense of urgency, reduce waste and delays, and most importantly deliver value to customers. 

"It's hard to beat any leader who combines great resolve, persistence, mission focus, and clarity about what is and is not important. 

It's hard to beat any leader who truly amps it up" - Frank Slootman.

One Takeaway From Viktor Frankl’s "Man's Search For Meaning"

My all time favorite book is Viktor Frankl's Man's Search For Meaning.

This book was recommended to me by a friend many years ago and he also gave me a copy to read. Since then I have recommended this book to almost anyone who would ask me for a book recommendation.

I also noticed that this is one of the highly rated and most recommended books in many blog posts and forums on platforms like Medium and Substack.

This book is the author's true life experience from the most difficult chapter in his life. This book does not fall in the category of business or leadership or fiction. Though it is biographical, it is a portion of the author's life. 

The author wrote this book while in the concentration camps during World War II. While we all have ups and downs in life, and I have faced some serious hardships myself, nothing compares to the author's experience in this book.

He wrote this for his own journaling and hid it while in the camps, most of it was destroyed and he had to re-write from memory. He did not intend for this to become a book, let me a best selling book in many languages.

The author talks about his companions who had positive thoughts and survived the hard conditions. He also talks about folks who gave up hope and ended up dead. Some portions of the book are really hard to read, but it portrays the reality of those camps in a first person perspective. 

He always envisioned getting out of the camps and giving lectures and curing people as he is a doctor. 

Author writes quotes like, "If there is a meaning in life at all, then there must be a meaning in suffering. Suffering is an ineradicable part of life, even as fate and death. Without suffering and death human life cannot be complete".

The one takeaway for me is: 

One cannot control what happens in the outside world and what happens to them. But one can definitely control how they feel and how they react to the outside world no matter what happens. 

This is a simple but powerful life lesson that resonated with me and millions who read the book. If you are curious, and haven't had a chance to read this book, highly recommend it. 

I am using ChatGPT's training plan for the 2023 Chicago marathon (and let's see what happens)

I have run around 100 long distances races in the past decade (I need to count all my races one of these days). Definitely over 50 races that are marathon distance or more (over 26.2 miles, varying from 50k to 160 miles). I have run the Chicago marathon since every year since 2012 (except the Covid year). 

I used to follow the Hal Higdon's marathon plan when I started training for marathons. If you were a novice like me, you may have read his book or followed his free online training plans. 

Hal had various plans for novice, intermediate and advanced level runners. These training plans are from Hal's experience in coaching thousands of runners and running an online forum (remember LMS or ListServ?!). 

While they appeared to be customized for runners, they were basic and old school. You can get through a marathon if you follow the plan. Tens of thousands of runners have achieved their running goals through these plans.

Hal Higdon's Book

What was my plan? 

I stopped following training plans a few years ago. It served well for a couple years as it allowed me to not have the pressure of following a strict training plan, but train using my tribal knowledge (if there is one!). It is also called 'winging it' 😇🏃 

Last year, I ran the Chicago marathon with no training and wrote a blog about it. While I finished the marathon, it was not rewarding. It was painful and slow. 

This year's marathon training season starts soon. I was thinking of what plan would I follow. There are numerous marathon training plans available online, both free and paid versions. One can also hire a coach who can make customized plan for the runner based on their level. This year, I want to take my training seriously and improve my fitness, after a few years of lagging.

Enter ChatGPT

I have been learning about various use cases for ChatGPT and GPT-4. Most of my use cases are surrounding healthcare, technology, automation, efficiencies, etc. 

The thought of, 'Can I use ChatGPT to help me train for a marathon?' popped into my head. I played with it a bit and then got serious.  

I kept modifying the inputs to see if there will be a customized marathon training plan for me

Inputs varied from:

"Create me a marathon training plan"

To

"Create me a marathon training plan and a nutrition plan"

To a much detailed input like,

"Create a marathon training plan and a nutrition plan for the Chicago Marathon on October 8th 2023 starting on May 1st. I am returning to long distance running and would like to train for a sub-4 marathon finish at the Chicago marathon"

To this,

"Create a marathon training plan and a nutrition plan for the Chicago Marathon on October 8th 2023 starting on May 1st. I am returning to long distance running, a little out of shape and would like to train for a sub-4 marathon finish at the Chicago marathon. Include speed workout, temp runs, long runs, cross training, core workout, and any meaningful training needed for a fast marathon in the training plan and be as specific as possible on what train on a daily basis. The training plan can build mileage for 3 weeks and cut back after that. Include a keto like nutrition plan to lose 15 lbs during this training on what to eat healthy."

Yes, I wanted to bring my inputs as close to reality as possible and see how the training plan changed for each input.

Here are a few initial observations about ChatGPT's marathon training plan:

• Overall Plan:
• ChatGPT quickly spit out a marathon training plan. All good here.
• Mileage:
• A real marathon training plan will have 2 to 3 weeks of mileage build up and a cutback week. ChatGPT gave me long periods of mileage build up and less cutback weeks. This may not be good for novice runners as you need to vary your mileage. This is ideally not good.
• Rest and Cross Training:
• There was ample rest and cross training built into the training plan. This is good.
• Nutrition:
• For nutrition, ChatGPT advised 'against' a keto type nutrition plan and recommended a balanced nutritious diet. This was reasonable.
• Speed:
• I don't think the marathon training plan is customized for me, however it had elements to increase my speed for a sub-4 hour marathon. This is decently good.
• Duration:
• While I was able to continue my training plan beyond the word limits, all versions of the plans stopped short of the expected 24 weeks. There was a math problem here. 
• Disclaimers:
• ChatGPT has a ton of Disclaimer like language sprayed all over. Whether it is regarding regarding the mileage, nutrition or cross trainings. 

So, whats my plan?

• I am planning to follow ChatGPT's marathon training plan as much as possible, and track it for the next 5+ months.
• I am going to take multiple outputs i.e., marathon training plans from ChatGPT and create a foundational plan. 
• Where the plan is not practical, too easy or unreasonable, I will modify using common sense and my previous trainings.
• I am going to track progress and report back on the results. 

Wish me luck! 

  

How to run a marathon with "no training"?

How to run a marathon with no training?

Spoiler Alert: You Can't :)

DISCLAIMERS: (I have 2)

1. I am not a coach, a doctor or your mom. So, this is not an advice column.  

2. I am a lifelong Formula 1 car racing fan. So, there could be some references to F1.

If you patiently read till the end, I may (or may not) have a tip or two on how to get through a marathon with no training :))

PRELUDE:

I believe running is a state of mind.

I am also a believer in hard work, grit, consistency and putting in the effort. 

This year's Chicago Marathon 2022 will be my 10th attempt to run this marathon, including 2020 when I ran it virtually.

While I had signed up for this one in November of 2021, I very unexpectedly had an injury with plantar fasciitis on my left foot that I am still struggling with. I had consulted multiple physiotherapists but none could put me in a program that would be a path to recovery. I am somewhat disappointed but that story is for another day. Just know that I have chronic plantar fasciitis on my left foot. 

In addition to that, throw in a busy family life, community commitments, work, travel... I can say, I did not train for this marathon at all by any standards. I will own it. It is not like I didn't have time, I just didn't feel like it. I instead spent time on things that brought me happiness like family, community, work, reading, writing and travel. 

You may ask, doesn't running bring you happiness? The short answer is Yes, but this season I just didn't feel like it. I had a lull. I let the entire summer skip by me without much running. And I will own it.

MARATHON TRAINING:

Running a marathon is not for the faint of the heart. It is a very long distance to run 26.2 miles (42.2 kilometers for my global friends). A marathon training is usually 18 to 24 weeks, depending on which plan you follow. It starts in early June and continues until October. Many folks join a training group, which gives you a plan, company and accountability. I used to run in a running group, I was also a pacer and group leader for many years. It was one way for me to give back to the running community.  

One needs to have base strength, stamina and training to start a marathon training. You need a lot of time and patience to get through the training. While the prerequisites are more of an honor system, you will see better results if you are already a runner and able to run shorter distances and train consistently. I have seen a ton of runner friends get through the training and succeed. I have also seen many get injured. Either they ramped up the training too fast or other individual reasons. 

My training taking a nosedive starting June

I was training decent miles until May. But since June, my training miles really took a nosedive. The longest run was 18 miles in mid-August, nothing before or after. I kept running 3 to 5 miles on a regular basis. But I also knew that is not enough. While it is not a marathon training, I spent as much time on my feet as possible. I also went on a diet 3 weeks ago as I had gained the COVID 15 (lb) and lost almost 8 lb. But again, none of this is a traditional marathon training.

PACKET PICKUP:

This is a tradition that I love. The marathon expo, where you collect your BIB number and race t-shirt is a fun thing to do the days leading up to the marathon. It is usually at McCormick Place for the Chicago Marathon. Nike and Abbott are the main sponsors that you can feel their presence there. There are also a ton of other sponsors like Goose Island, Biofreeze, etc.

First in line to buy race swag

I usually took the race transportation. This was a way to meet other runners. In many cases international runners. And get to learn about where they come from, what motivated them to run Chicago, etc. This year, I just drove in. I used to spend half a day at the expo. This year, I spent half an hour. Just in and out. It was the usual stuff, nothing exciting for me. But it is really fun if you immerse in the experience. 

PRE-RACE:

I usually am very calm leading up to any long races. People ask me, "are you excited?" , "are you nervous?". I am neither. "I am calm".

I didn't feel a bit that I am running a big race the following day. I gathered all the stuff that I need for the morning of the marathon, stuff for the race and post-race. I have the routine down that it doesn't bother me anymore. I used to watch a movie called The Spirit of the Marathon where they follow 6 runners training for the Chicago Marathon from various backgrounds, places, age and reasons. It was an emotional and motivating movie. But I don't watch it anymore as it is in a DVD format and I pretty much memorized the movie by now.

Instead, I watched The Redeem Team on Netflix about the 2008 USA Basketball Olympic team. It was good and exciting enough to pump me up.

MORNING OF THE RACE:

RealFeel 37F

3:30 am wake up! Though I had the alarm for 4.30 am, my body just woke up at 3.30 and I was on the move. Got ready and left the house at 5 am. I was at the race venue by 6 am. Walked a mile to the L stop, took the L train to downtown and there I was. 

Since 2013, the security has been beefed up at the marathon. It is a bit unsettling but you also know that they are taking all the measures to keep the runners and spectators safe. Went through the security scan, all the way to the gear check area. But I had more than 1.5 hours and was not ready to check my gear. 

I went through the pre-race rituals, eating the pre-meal, emptying the stomach and hydrating. It was Real Feel 37F in the morning. I intentionally had only one layer. No hat or gloves as I wanted my body to get used to the cold. I knew it will be cold at the start of the race but will warm up.

Empty train at 5 am

This year, we had the PERFECT weather. It was cool the entire time, got a bit hot towards the end at 63F. Not much windy and no rain. Clear blue sky. The runners couldn't have asked for a better weather day.

Security screening

Most important pre-race ritual

Resting his body before the race, Smart!

I like to not listen to anything the morning of the race. One reason is to preserve the battery charge in my phone and AirPods. But also to take it all in. I like the sounds of the morning leaves, the train, people in the train, the runners going through the entry gates and preparing. I like listening to various chats and languages. I just want to take it all in. 

MARATHON:

I decided to run this marathon and enjoy the experience. Not going for time or distance. Oh well, the distance was predetermined.

I enjoy the Chicago Marathon. The race course goes through 29 neighborhoods. You can soak in the city, its people and various cultures. From Downtown to Old Town to Lincoln Park to Lakeview to West Loop to Pilson to Chinatown to South Loop and on and on. It is really awesome to see over 40,000 runners on the streets of Chicago and almost 2 million people come out and cheer for you. There is not a single location where you won't see spectators. 

When the whistle went off, I was running like a F1 race car at lights out. Balls to the walls. 

While I thought I was pacing myself, I was actually booking it. You run the first 10 miles with your adrenaline, second 10 miles with your training (which was none for me) and the last 6.2 miles with your heart.

My brain, heart and various body parts were sending signal back-and-forth.

The first 13 miles went by fast. I was just clocking the miles, at a much faster pace than I would run. This happens at all the races, and you suffer later.

When I passed the Half Marathon distance (13.1 miles), I suddenly felt a cramp on the right calf. It was a familiar feeling which had threatened to end my other races. I have had multiple years where I would cramp up real bad around mile 17 or 18 which is near UIC. But this is way sooner. One year, I cramped with 800 yards to go. The course marshal who saw me struggle told me kindly "Just walk it off buddy. The finish line is just around the corner". If the medic sees you suffering, your race is pretty much over. This one year, my friend Tim, had a full body cramp and crashed right before the finish line that they had to take him to the ER which was the end of his race.

Mile 13.1: Right Calf cramp 

I slowed down a bit and tried to assess the situation, my cadence, nutrition, hydration. All looked normal. I am running this with plantar fasciitis on my left foot. The only thing I can think of is, maybe I am overcompensating on my right leg. 

PIT STOPS - "BOX, BOX, BOX":

Due to excessive hydration before the race, I had to do a quick pit stop. But I don't want to be like the Ferrarri this season. They had the best car in the circuit and the best driver, but the worst strategy. But I am now like the Williams team. Not a good car, or strategy, or drivers. If you are reading and a Williams fan, I am sorry, I am just going by the stats man.  

I check the line up of porta-johns, all red. Meaning none of them are open. So I keep going. Around mile-5.5, I see green. My brain sends the signal to my legs, "Box, Box, Box", meaning it's time for a pit stop. I was in and out in 20 seconds. Thats a great pit strategy. I had to repeat the same in around mile 21. "Box, Box, Box".

HUMANS:

I should mention the most interesting thing about the marathon is us humans. The 40,000 runners at the start line. Each one of them have their own goals, ambitions, motivations, purpose and willpower. People of all races, ages, nationalities, causes... it is actually overwhelming. I have seen numerous languages, signs, country flags, and causes that runners carry with them during the run. I was trying to make mental note of countries I saw starting with US, Canada, Mexico, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, South Korea, Japan, China, India, Pakistan and more. I met a couple of runners at the start line who flew in from Hyderabad, India to run the race. 

These two runners are from Hyderabad, India

At around mile-16, an elderly runner just fell face planting on the road. Two runners helped him to get up. I immediately went behind him and signaled to other runners so that they don't trip on him, like a human STOP sign.  He stood up with help, he was wearing an international runner, his lips were bleeding. And let the helpers leave him and started a brisk walk ahead. It was really something. What drives this person?

YOU CAN, YOU WILL

BECAUSE, F*** CANCER

Starting mile 10, you can see runners cramping, limping, walking, crying, hobbling but you rarely see runners stopping. This increases as the miles increase. I saw a girl completely crashed with the medics around mile 23.

There is something I learned in ultra-running. To cheer other runners. For some reason, I don't see much on road races of shorter distance. But it may also be because ultra races are usually in the woods or trails where you rarely see runners, so you may want to cherish them. I tried to say "good job" with a thumbs up or pointing my index finger to the sky to boost them up. 

I stopped maybe 8 to 10 times to ask if the runner is doing Okay, if I see them in the struggle bus. They usually say "I am good, I am good". I gave salt tablets to three runners to help them out with cramps. It is so rewarding to connect with other humans. 

He must really like Cats (cat t-shirt)

A big part of the Chicago Marathon are the spectators. You get between 1.5 and 2 million people. And the energy is electrifying. There is not a single moment in the race that you are lonely. All kinds of funny signs, costumes, drinks, snacks, music, bands, and cheering runners. Many runners have their names written on their t-shirt. "Goooooo Katieeeeeee", or "Steveeeeeeeee, almost thereeeeee". It's really fun.

My family and a friend came to cheer me at mile 14.5. It was really fun to see them, take a couple of pictures. It lifted my mood. I saw my coworker Nick at Miles 2 and 9. I saw my running friend Megan at mile 8. I saw our friend Andrea at mile 25. Apart from this, met a ton of running friends before the race, on the course, and after the race.

Nick at mile-2

A special mention to my PATH Projects buddy Flo. He had come in from California and was in the first corral, fast guy. I met him before the race and it was really fun to meet someone who you had been talking to virtually for a while. 

Met with Flo from CA, PATH Projects

BACK TO THE RACE:

Mile-18: Right Quads cramp

Mile-21: Right Hamstring cramp

Mile-23: Left Calf cramp

Mile-25: Left Quad cramp

Reaching the Finish Line, almost there

It feels like my body was shutting down on me. I had significantly slowed down but did not stop to walk. As an ultra runner, there is one thing you learn. Adjusting to the race. I learned it by running thousands of race miles that you just need to adjust your race strategy in run time (pun intended) and keep moving. Stopping can only make it worse. I felt a slight cramp on my right bicep around mile 26. I was like, 'I am almost at the finish line. I just need to hustle it to the FINISH.'

Getting excited for the finish, 800 yards to go

MUSIC:

I had put on music early on in the race but only in one ear. I had a playlist of mostly Bollywood songs with some other favorite pop songs. For some reason, in the last mile of most of my races, the shuffle gets to the Macklemore & Ryan Lewis song "ceiling can't hold us" from The Heist:

"Little bit of humble, little bit of cautious...

We will fight until its over...

So we put our hands up like the ceiling can't hold us...

Yeah, I am so damn grateful...."

THE FINISH:

I pushed it through the Finish Line. I was delighted to have finished this race. Super content and happy. I can say, despite the physical cramping, mentally I thoroughly enjoyed the race. This is one of my favorite races. 

Obligatory Superman pose 

GOAL ACCOMPLISHED:

I had only one primary goal: to enjoy the race. And it was accomplished. I expected the lack of training will show up at some point, it did without fail. I had no cramping when I finished. No limping. I was able to walk to the train station normally, go up and down the stairs and walk back home. I may have put over 5 miles on my feet just walking before and after the race. 

Finished - Cheer Squad

NOW BACK TO THE QUESTION:

How to run a marathon with no training?

NO, not recommended. Someone might take this as a challenge and run a marathon with no training, which is fine. It is definitely possible to run with less mileage training, as long as you follow a plan, do significant cross training. 

I believe the reason I was able to run this marathon was my previous experience and will power to push it through. 

Don't do what I did. Train and run your race, whether it is a 5k, 10k, half or full marathon or more. You will be rewarded.

BEST WISHES!

Back on the train, now to shower, eat and Zzzzz

100 miles on a Treadmill for Domestic Violence Awareness

Running is a state of mind. This is a story of a small idea snowballing into a community event for a great cause. I can't thank West Cook YMCA enough for supporting me in this event. A huge thanks to all the supporters who cheered in person and virtually, and donated to Sarah's Inn to help the victims and families impacted by domestic violence. A special thanks to my wife, Amy, who did everything to ensure I had was in the best mental and physical state throughout the event. 

Dreadmill Challenge: I signed up to run a 100 miles on a treadmill called the Dreadmill Challenge early in the year. The challenge is to run a 100 miles within 48 hours in the month of December, all on a treadmill. I had almost forgotten about this until the Race Director sent a reminder email a few weeks before December.

West Cook YMCA: I visited the West Cook YMCA near my home and asked if they would mind I use one of the treadmills at the Y for a couple of days without interfering in their operations. Their President and CEO, Phillip Jimenez, readily agreed to allow me to do the Dreadmill Challenge. Little did I know that he and his team are master planners of events. They repurposed the babysitting area into the Dreadmill Challenge race course, as this space was unused due to COVID-19. It was at a corner of two streets with windows on both sides. Two treadmills were moved here, just in case if one fails. They moved two couches for my wife to hangout, two picnic tables for me to place my things while running, a refrigerator and a microwave. This is way more than what I had expected, but I am very grateful for all the arrangements. 

With Phillip Jimenez, President & CEO, 
West Cook YMCA

Sarah's Inn: I joined the Board of Sarah's Inn, a non-profit that provides free services to victims and families of domestic violence for 40 years in June this year. Having personal experience in my family with domestic violence, this is a cause close to my heart and I wanted to serve in any ways I can. I met with the Sarah's Inn team to suggest that I have signed up for this challenge. I expressed my desire to use the event to raise money for Sarah's Inn thereby bringing awareness to their cause. Sarah's Inn had events planned previously for this time of the year but they graciously agreed to support me in this endeavor.

Looking back at this moment, what started as a small idea snowballed into something much bigger and meaningful than I envisioned.  

Sarah's Inn team

Training: My training for this event was minimal to none. Though I have run some long races, I have hardly trained on a treadmill. I don't have a treadmill at home. I was really not sure what I was thinking when I signed up for the Dreadmill Challenge. As far as I can recall, I have not run more than 10 miles on a treadmill. I went to the Y the weekend before the event to train on a treadmill. I learned that the default settings is a maximum of 60 minutes and it shuts down. Yet another reason to train so that I can learn the various buttons and settings. The Y had removed this setting for the event so that I can run beyond 60 minutes. 

West Cook YMCA team

Race morning: We packed all the race stuff needed for two days and went to the Y at 8.30 am. I hadn't slept the previous night. So I was already tired before starting the run. I knew I have to be awake for 35+ hours at a minimum. Though the event has given me 48 hours, I wanted to complete in 24 to 30 hours. My fastest 100 miler was 26.5 hours, my longest race was 160 miles for 65 hours. So I knew I can push it but each race is different. 

"Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth" - Mike Tyson.

All set to start running, with Amy

Start Line: My plan was to start the run by 9.30 am on Friday December 11th so that Amy can see me start and go to work. But there was a wrinkle in our plan. Sarah's Inn had notified the media. ABC News came in at 9.30 and were filming me run. Amy had to take off before I started. Once I started running for the filming, I continued to run. That became my official start. 

ABC News Coverage

Nutrition: My wife Amy did all the food purchase, hydration needs like Gatorade, Ensure, Coke, etc. An ultra marathon involves eating real food. In theory, I would have burned 10,000+ calories based on how much effort I put in.

 

Sarah's Inn staff were wonderful in helping with the update to the donations page indicating "Siva's 100 miles on a Treadmill Challenge". They also helped with the content for the social media posts, posters to be placed at the Y, QR code for visitors to easily go to the donation page. The Y had updated graphics and signage on their display TVs and walls. 

That is me in the background, for 2 days

Day-1 started well. I really didn't have a plan but decided to go with the flow and depending on how I feel. I was going to pause at major milestones like half marathon (13.1 miles), 20 miles, full marathon (26.2 miles), 50k (31.1 miles), 50 miles, 100k (62.2 miles), etc. and note my mileage. Amy had a white board on an easel where I could track "Siva has run __X__ out of 100 miles". This turned out to be the best idea of the event as the photos spoke for itself.

Tracking: The race logistics while easier than an outdoor event, I had to be mindful of the mileage tracking rules. I had to take a picture of the mileage with the current time for evidence. I emailed the pictures to the Race Director periodically. I had a white paper and a Sharpie to track the Time On (the treadmill), Time Off (the treadmill), Miles for that segment, Total Miles that I will note down every time I momentarily paused the treadmill. I was constantly worried that I am going to hit the red button on the treadmill and it is going to shut down on me, thereby not having evidence of that segment of the mileage. Luckily, this happened only once but I was able to capture the mileage before the treadmill reset.

 

Supporters: We had a quite a few visitors stop by including friends, coworkers, neighbors and strangers. Amy posted about the event in the local neighborhood Facebook page. At 6 pm, it turned dark outside and I noticed a father and his daughter were holding a sign saying "You are Awesome" in pouring rain under an umbrella. I thought it may have been Amy's student. But they were a good hearted neighbor who came to cheer me on.

My running friend Jung

Neighbors Paulie & Gussie
  

Entertainment: Slow Run podcast S2, Land of the Giants podcast S2, Room 2802 The Accusation Netflix docu-series, Netflix movie Ava, House of Cards S1, music from Cardi B to Bollywood.

Night-1: Amy came over after school, got me McDonald's lunch, tacos for dinner, hung out with me until after dinner. After she left around 9 pm, I was all by myself until 8 am. I didn't take much breaks at night, just kept moving. At 3 am, I felt super sleepy. I tried to shut eye for less than 5 minutes, but my mind was busy. So, I got up and continued running. 

Day-2: I had underestimated the power of a treadmill. The monotonous run, view and the same motion was mentally challenging for a few hours during the night when I was all alone. I felt a sharp pain on my left shin around mile-40. And both my IT bands and hips started to get very sore much earlier than it would in a long race. I tried to slow down to ensure I do not end up with a serious injury, like it happened last year. I couldn't shake this off. But I kept moving. I projected that I will finish around 4-5 pm on Saturday December 12th. My game plan was to not stop at all and keep moving. This worked out well. The countdown was motivating when I hit key milestones like 70 miles, 80 miles, 85, 90, 95..... 

Weather: I have run ultra-marathons in severe weather, in lightning and thunder storms, at 125F in the middle of summer in Death Valley, in the winter rain, in -20F windchill pulling my supplies in a sled for 3 days and 3 nights. Weather is one thing that I didn't have to worry about running indoors on a treadmill. 

The Finish Line: After 31 hours, I was finally DONE. 100 miles on a treadmill. It was a long two days, but whenever I hit a low point, the thought of supporting Sarah's Inn kept me going.

Now, it was time for a hot shower, Thai food and a good night's sleep.