Happy New Year

Wish all the readers of my blog a very happy new year 2012.

2011 was the best year of my life thus far. I did most things I set out to do at the beginning of the year - read a bunch of books, write a bit and qualify for the Boston Marathon. It was made possible by two of the best people in my life - Tony Fong, my running coach and Jerry Pinto, who was my best friend in Mumbai, in addition to pushing me to write down my story.

I quit my job and started working for myself as a running coach and a freelance writer. The next few months will show how that decision works out. But I have had great fun so far. I also had a big scare in the form of jaundice, just weeks after I quit my job - thereby leaving with no job, no outlook on the future (since jaundice is a stubborn disease which doesn't go away quickly) and the very basis of my business model - "me" in poor health. But then things turned around, a little slower than I wanted, but surely.

My family made it possible for me to experiment with all this - my brother who has been my generous sponsor and my parents - who went thru a tough patch while I was running to my heart's content in the US.

In general, 2011 was largely fun due to the wonderful & generous friends both in India & the US, who had a role in every nice thing that happened to me. Thank you all.

Here's hoping for more of the same in 2012.

Just like quite a few runners worldwide, I was upset with the death of Sammy Wanjiru who redefined how marathons would be run. It was like the death of Jimi Hendrix if you are a rock buff. I was mostly too shocked to say much when Sammy died as suddenly as he did. Of the several notable personalities who died in 2011, Sammy's is the one that affected me the most. He was a fearless, strong and graceful runner. He apparently had a dark & troubled side too.

My commiserations to those who lost someone they admired & loved. Lets hope for a better year ahead.

Stay healthy. Stay happy. Keep running!