2024 Half Marathon: My 14 th Half at 63, A reason to Celebrate!

Happy to share that I finished the Houston Aramco Half Marathon today clocking 3:02:22 . This was my 14th Half Marathon and the slowest. Most of my halfs , I have completed in 2:30-2:45 range while my best time was 2:12:10 in 2001 when I did my first Half Marathon. This one was very special one as I ran with my son Nikhil who successfully finished his first half marathon. It was a wonderful bonding experience for both of us. I am very happy I finished it injury free as I practiced by running merely 9 times in 9 weeks before the marathon. I did experience excruciating cramps from mile 9 onwards and had to stop 4 times in medical assistance booth to get Biofreeze which worked like magic only for a mile each time. Yet I finished with a smile and feel good having raised over $7000 for the charity “ Homes for the troops” and created a new fundraising record for the charity. With quarter million people rooting for the 33,000 runners in the frigid weather , it was a very memorable experience. A special treat occurred at mile 8 when I spotted Ayodhya Jai Shri Ram truck managed by Sewa International and I visited it and was presented with a Jai Shri Ram Stole which I wore till the end . I believe it gave me blessings from Lord Ram so I could finish the Half Marathon injury free . When the going got tough in the end , I just remembered “ Run Doc Run “ And “Bhag Milkha Bhag” and felt the blessings of Jai Shri Ram from the stole I was wearing that I believe helped me complete the race injury free inspite of very little practice. I am extremely grateful to all the donors who helped me achieve the title of SuperHero by helping me create a new record. I am also very grateful to all our friends and my family for their Love , Support and Encouragement!!! Special Thanks to my son Nikhil Suneja for helping me train and urging me to get Garmin watch which is a true asset for every runner . Until the next Half Marathon , Happy Running!!! 🙂🙂🙂🏃🏃🏃 #drsuneja , #halfmarathon,#jaisriram