If you're planning to do the Marathon in Mumbai, you are bound to find something interesting here - Anuradha Nath gives you a first hand account of her own experience at Washington D C "Why on earth would you put yourself through this? Are you nuts? Do you know how long 26.2 miles is?" That's how most people reacted when I told them that I was training for the marathon last year. My Reasons For Running To be honest, it was a combination of two reasons - a great personal goal in terms of achieving a level of stamina that I could have only fantasizeded about, and I felt strongly about improving education in India. Asha for Education is a charity that is close to my heart. I was incredibly excited to hear about their 'Harbingers for Hope' marathon program that would provide free training for us, while we would have to commit to raise $100 for every mile of the marathon. The Difficult Training Period It was certainly not a piece of cake. There were many changes in my life. We were given running schedules and on an average, we needed to run about four to five times a week. We met every Saturday at 8 am for our long runs. This meant that I could not sleep late on any Saturday for six months. I stopped going out with my friends on Friday nights. I stopped wearing heels. After a couple of months, when the training got intense, I couldn't cook as often as I would have liked to, I couldn't spend as much time with my husband as I would have liked to and I had to stop my dance classes. In short, every week was action-packed! How I Ran The 26.2 Miles Due to the huge crowds, I started at about 8:40 am instead of 8:30 am. Miles one to eight were a breeze and at mile eight, I had my first powergel. By mile 13, I started to see people drop out to go to first aid stations, runners on stretchers, folks with drips, people passing out - all probably weather-related - it was hot, sunny and very humid! I wasn't feeling too good myself, and the prospect of another 13 miles was daunting, if not impossible. Vikram (my inspiration for this marathon effort) ran with me from mile 14 to mile 20. He kept up a constant chatter that did not require much input from my side, but kept me distracted. He started carrying water for me in paper cups, between water points, so that I was constantly hydrated. Mile 20 to mile 22 was one of the hardest stretches as it was on a concrete bridge, with the sun just beating down on you, and it made every mile feel like three. At mile 22, my husband Neet started running with me, and was with me until mile 26. When we got to the mile 25 marker, it was a huge psychological barrier crossed - what is 1.2 miles when you've already done 25? I ran the last mile faster than the previous few, as I just wanted to get it over with. Just before the mile 26 marker, there was a pretty steep hill that took a lot of the little energy that was remaining. Neet was pulled out at the 26-mile marker, as only official participants could cross the finish line, and I suddenly had only 0.2 to go. I started running a little faster, not even feeling my legs under me. It was just a constant pumping motion, almost an inertia, which kept me going. I finally saw the arch and I was almost in tears. I ran under it, and came to a stop in front of the marines, who presented me with a medal. After The Great Run Every muscle downwards of my hip was sore, especially my quads which became unbelievably raw. It was a great experience overall, and I dare say that if I had known it would be so hard, I may not have done it at all. I'm awfully glad I did, though. It is an achievement that I will brag about for the rest of my life. More than my physical achievement, I'm so happy to have raised this amount (about $4,000 so far) for the kids. What's 26 miles compared to that? Dos And Don'ts

•Marathon training for a first time runner takes a minimum of 20 weeks. Make sure to start well in advance so that you don't need to drastically increase your mileage.

•Train in a team of at least two to three runners. This will help on days that you are down, tired or just plain lazy.

•If you do not have a coach, use a reputable running schedule. There are many schedules available on the Internet: http://www.ingnycmarathon.org/training/trainingschedule.html is one of them.

• NEVER miss a long run. This is the run that pushes your limit a little more each week.

• A good stretching routine is critical. You must stretch for a minimum of five to seven minutes before and after every run. The Internet has a plethora of websites with information on stretching routines for marathoners.

• Drink eight to 10 glasses of water every day during your training. Replenish your salts with energy drinks.

• During the training period, eat 65 per cent carbohydrates, 30 per cent proteins and 5 per cent fat. Do not neglect your protein intake. If you are a vegetarian, make sure you get protein in the form of pulses and dairy products.

• Run every alternate long run, or several mid-week runs on a softer surface like grass, mud or gravel. This is so that the impact on your knees and back is reduced. Run the remaining long runs on a hard surface similar to your final marathon surface.

• Treat your legs well, and they will perform well. Stop wearing heels. Rest your legs as often as you can when you are not running.

• Stop all other sports with lateral movement like football, basketball, tennis, dancing, etc. You don't want to risk injuries after training so hard!

• Be aware of where your body is sensitive to friction. Many runners get nipple burn, and raw inner thighs and underarms. Wear clothing that prevents or reduces this friction.

• •First-time runners should never run the entire target distance in a training run, as one needs two to three weeks to fully recover from a run of this distance.

• Every runner has good days and bad days. Do not get discouraged. You can do it.

• During the longer long runs (!) ie more than 12 miles, make sure to eat something every six miles.

• Some runners have aspirin the night before or the morning of a long run, to prevent muscle pain pro-actively. Do what suits you. Consult a doctor before taking any medication.