LIVERPOOL begin the 2009-10 season on a low note

The 2009-10 BARCLAYS Premier League has begun with full gusto with each team battling it out,some to stay alive in the most coveted league of England,some vying for silverware and the others playing for the sheer revenge and humiliation they suffered against the other teams last season. Liverpool travelled all the way down to London,to take on Tottenham Hotspurs in the first game. Liverpool's bench strength was weak compared to Spur's but the main team looked pretty strong. With Xabi Alonso leaving for Real Madrid this summer there was a big dent in Liverpool's midfield. Harry Redknapp started off with Keane and Defoe,leaving Crouch (former Liverpool) and Pavlyuchenko on the bench. Both teams payed homage to the late Sir Bobby Robson before kick starting the match.

The first 20 min of the game lacked lustre from both the teams,Liverpool playing in their typical defensive style. Spurs had a couple of chances to score in the first half,Keane failing to convert a lolly pop header from a superb cross by Luca Modric into the six yard box.Kudos to Pepe Reina for showing some goalkeeper instincts. Keane also had another chance of taking Spurs in to the lead but superb keeping skills from Reina kept Spurs at bay. Liverpool's lone striker Torres wasn't impressive at all,failing to control the ball leave alone put it at the back of the net. Liverpool's best chance in the first half came when Captain Courageous (Gerrard) tried to score from outside the box into the far corner of the post but the ball just went wide of the post. Tottenham had another chance from a corner when Jermaine Defoe was unmarked and headed in a powerful header which just went wide. With half time nearly approaching and both teams locked in at 0-0 it seemed as though the game was heading for a goalless draw. In the 43rd minute Spurs got a free-kick which taken by Huddlestone but he made a complete mess of it,rebounding off the Liverpool defensive wall but Ekotto took the return shot and slotted it BANG into the net,giving Reina no chance to stop the ball or rather get a hand to it. With half time gone Spurs were leading 1-0 at White Hart Lane.

Liverpool started the second half with more aggression and desire to equalize first and then then to score a couple of more goals. The pressure was on them because out of the 'Big Four' the other three had won their opening fixtures and to win the title this season no slip ups would be acceptable to them. Johnson made a timely run into the penalty box,going past the Spur's goalkeeper,Gomez only to be tripped by him and winning Liverpool a penalty kick. Steve Gee stepped up and slotted the ball neatly into the back of the net. Liverpool were now level , charged up, invigorated and stepping up the tempo and pushing forward for another goal. But Spurs responded positively with another goal from a free kick and this time it was Sebastian Bassong who headed the ball past Reina,into the net and giving Spurs the vital lead. Liverpool tried hard to equalize but of no avail, substitute Benayoun doing some amazing tricks and trying to score a few goals for Liverpool.

The match ended with Spurs winning their opening fixture comfortably. The guys from the back had won Spurs their opening game,doing an amazing job. Liverpool's hopes of the title, which has eluded them for nearly 20 years looks jittery but there is still lot more football to be played and I do hope that Liverpool would shed back this bad memory and start their next game on a positive note.

My 20Km run down the ECR (26 July 2009)

The 'Chennai Runners' organize 'The ECR' run every year sometime around July or August. This time a couple of people from my office (regular runners) got interested and roped me in too to participate. I was excited and gave my name for the 20Km category. I am regular runner(mostly long distance running) and doing a 20Km won't be cumbersome task for me. Of late I have been regularly doing 5km and 10 Km runs,building up my stamina and strength for the big ones like these. Just before the D day three people out of five back out and only myself and Mr. Saravanan (Special Director,Ashok Leyland) are left. The information bulletin sent by 'The Chennai Runners' said the run would start and end at MGM beach resorts. Quite excited about the ECR run I quickly do a google map search to get directions to MGM,not that I didn't know but just wanted to confirm that I don't miss it during my drive the next morning.

The D day finally arrived,I woke up at 3:30 am,freshened myself,packed water bottles and lime juice in my car and hit down the road by 4:00,driving at a leisure pace. This is the first time that I have done my running so early; normally I for a jog only at 6:30. Before jumping into my car I put on my GARMIN forerunner 305 and switch it on. The GPS in this watch is pretty cool,and its an excellent companion for training purposes. I drive past VGP golden beach,green coconut and many other restaurants before reaching the starting point (MGM beach resorts). I was there by 4:50 and collected my bib number which was 119. I take out my t-shirt ad pin the bib number carefully onto it,making sure that I don't prick myself in the process. The organizers set out with water packs and isotonic drinks to their respective places down the ECR to cater to the needs of the participants.

I do my usual warm up exercises,stretching my limbs and body, little bit of squats and knee bends. I tie my long kerchief across my forehead to prevent sweat from dripping on my face and also to make myself look cool. At 5:00 am sharp the 25Km & 30Km participants kicked off with their race, the others cheering and wishing them good luck. My run started a 5:30 and there were about 25 people totally taking part in it. I set my watch for the 12.42 miles so that I can keep track of how much distance I have covered and how much is left. I slowly begin my jog, the rest of the pack surging ahead,leaving myself and a couple of others behind. I knew that the 20 km would be a tough one to complete and that conserving as much energy as possible was vital so that I am not completely drained at the end of the run. At 2.5 km I see the first water point, but I didn't stop over there and continued with my run. My going was getting better, I could feel a factor motivating me from within,pushing me further towards my goal. I run non stop until I reach the second water point which was at 5Km. I quickly drink a little of water to keep myself hydrated and continue with my run. Let me tell you some facts here. One should not drink too much water at these water points because it would make your stomach heavy,fills it with water,causing discomfort while running. Secondly you might have to take a nature's break which might hamper your rhythm and lastly drinking more water while running would cause the hear to pump diluted blood to ones body thereby preventing the muscles from receiving a good amount of oxygen. So take a few small sips just to keep yourself hydrated.

After covering the 5Km mark I am slightly tired and i slow down my pace, continuing like that for a kilometer or so before picking up again. At the 7.5km mark I quickly grab a small portion of isotonic drink ( this is an electrolyte,so replenishes your lost nutrients) and march on to the 10Km mark. During the course of my run photographers were doing a wonderful job of capturing each and every runner in their cameras and I posed for the cameras with aplomb. I now reach the half way mark where Tiger was waiting with the drinks ( Tiger was one of the volunteers and member of the Chennai Runners). I grab some gatorade and turn back to complete the remaining half of the run. The good thing about this run was myself and another guy,Venkat from Bangalore kept running together. Though we didn't speak during the first half of the run we were kind of motivating the other silently, to keep up pace,push further beyond one's limits and complete the run with a decent timing.

The second half was getting tougher because the Sun had come up and traffic on the ECR was increasing. I completed 14 Km when I could feel the heat of the sun and stiffness of my shoulder muscles. I quickly slowed down myself and started walking at a brisk pace, stretching my shoulder and neck muscles so that my back doesn't get stiff and completing the run. I decide to stop at just one of the water stations on my way back,grabbing a small bottle of water,sipping and gargling water to keep my mouth and body hydrated all the time. My GARMIN forerunner ws one of my key motivators,telling me the distance left to cover. I completed my run in 2:43:00 , the organizers cheering at the finish line.

The feeling of completed the 20Km run gave me immense pleasure and satisfaction. We had breakfast at the beach resorts,munching on vadais,bread and idlys. I gulped down a couple of glasses of grape juice after breakfast and received my certificate for completing the run. I thanked the sponsors for organizing such a wonderful event and the amazing experience I had. I got behind the wheel and drove back to reach home at 9:30.

Great running and good experience indeed!