Where's your Road?

Last week I managed to swing in a 21K after a few months. It wasn't a I-crushed-my-PB run but glad I got over the mental inertia that had crept in during the time.

Long runs are special. They offer an extended period of solitude and personal time, and allow us to witness a variety of life events.

As I spent over 2 hours running through the lanes of my neighborhood, I saw various hues of life and some flashbacks as well.

Such as students waiting on their school transport. Some jumping around playfully, some starring into blank spaces waiting for their eyes and mind to synch up, and perhaps others, like me in those days, gathering their wits on how to handle that dreaded teacher or subject.

Youngsters cleaning and polishing their scooties and bikes, making them worthy for the rider and the designated pillion for the day. Some inquisitives ones, like me, experimenting with their machines - tuning up the engine or loosening the "wind pipe" for their bike to make the right kind of noises.

Budding couples catching up on the street corners, or just a safe distance away from their neighborhoods, for a temporary union before going to their dreary work schedules. Some lucky enough have extended "meeting sessions" in the park.

Such as those early movers of India's Silicon Valley making an early drive or catching the first bus to office, either to impress the boss or beat the traffic. I reckon it would mostly be the latter though.

So whether you are looking for a trip down the memory lane or in a mood to reflect or absorb the world around you, go take a long run or, heck, even a long walk out there. You will carry back home visages - some new or some old.

The Active Company

I got collared last week by some of the readers for adding up on the overdose of politics. I was told they have enough of that coming through TV and other websites. Not through GonetoRun. I accept the nudge and shall refrain from mixing politics with the pleasure of running.

Couple of weeks back it was a busy weekend at home. I was part of the organising team that put together this year's sports meet at our apartment complex. The scale was much bigger than ever and the event spanned across two days and multiple sports disciplines. Of course, it was aptly titled Gardenia Olympics.

The enthusiasm and the energy over those two days was palpable. The entire community - from grand parents to grand kids - were outdoors. Participation was phenomenal and competition was of..hmm..Olympian proportions.

5K run saw as many as 40 men, women, boys and girls at the start line with most of them making the finish as well. Highlight of the run was the final 200 m dash by a band of 3 boys pushing for a photo finish. That they had enough left in them to go the last 200 m on full throttle was amazing itself but the fact that these boys were between the age group of 7-8 years made it all the more awe inspiring. Phew!

It wasn't just about the boys. Mums and Dads also showed up wearing their mojo as they went full drive for 70m and 200m dash. A number of them later confessed to me that this was their first venture on to the track and field after school time.

Grannies and Grandpas turned up too in full gear for their walkathon. Later that evening while it was great to see senior enthusiastically waiting for their names to be called out to the winner podium.

Besides organising the event, no surprises, I ran the 10K as well. At the start point was a competitive field of 17 men and women and an early morning fair weather, even by Bangalore summer standards. Surprise package turned out to be a relatively lesser known runner who literally sped-off to 10K in 50 minutes. I was humbled to the 3rd position by another fellow runner who typically runs a more steady flow but this time perhaps had a nicer dinner the night before.

The event took just over two months to plan. In the end it was well worth the effort as the entire community came together to have fun.

As they say, you are known by the company you keep. Mine is an active one!

The Summer of Discontent

In marketing lingo, I think they call it lack of brand attribution. I can’t name the brand but can clearly recall the video in which they show the Sun piping out energy from earthlings before, of course, the said energy drink replenishes the tank.

 

Well, that is exactly the sort of weather in Bangalore now. Sapping.

 

Gone to run last Sunday and by the time I finished the weekend 21K I had picked up a heady feeling. Or was it more like some buzzing behind the ears? And this is with a 0615 hrs start.

 

Weathermen, like our politicians, continue to make fake promises. The rain is nowhere to be seen yet.

 

If the current spell persists I am considering starting early, naturally, to beat the Sun. Though I am a bit wary as this is fraught with the risk of pounding on the tail of a relaxing dog. I hate that they come mostly in shades of anti-reflective black and brown, making it hard to spot in twilight. And god forbid I bump into a groggy bunch during the last few miles – there is no scope to out-run them either.

 

There is a positive side as well to run in the searing heat - Builds up a good excuse to enjoy some chilled ones later in the afternoon. Dehydration be damned!

 

While I am it, I will buzz on another Summer topic. Holidays are on and kids are in full bloom. Which is all good except that they have virtually taken over the shuttle courts and the pool. I wish parents let kids enjoy their holidays with extended sleep hours, and let us enjoy some solitude in the sports arena.

 

Running for Office

Election fever has reached feverish pitch. And, everyone is running around.

Last heard, a number of people are running to join BJP and quite a few people are running away from Congress or refusing to run for their existing seats. On the other hand our friends at AAP, having run away from their earlier job, are back in the market running for a new one.

It isn’t easy to escape the election hullabaloo even if you want to run away from all of this. Last week gone to run at Lalbagh Botanical Garden and there it was staring at my face early in the morning. Ran into morning walkers and some joggers in brand new T’s carrying with them a message for Nandan Nilekani - Together with Nandan. Smart strategy to connect with people who have proven stamina to withstand the sweltering Bangalore Sun come April 17.

I am not complaining though. Roads have either got a fresh coat of tar already or are in the process of getting one and footpaths have a fancier look. Generally roads have gotten wider, though I suspect some of this is got to do with gradual diminishing of school buses off the road on account on summer holidays. Unbearable as the heat may be I look forward to the open and empty roads during this time of the year. No more speeding up and down the crossroads to make way for that Yellow bus.

Sports Ke Side Effects

I had intended to write this as a parting note to 2013. I never got there as December turned out to be a windfall at work. It is another coincidence that this post goes up just as the movie Shaadi Ke Side Effects (Unintended consequences of marriage) is being released.
 

Sports Widow is a commonly used term for a wife whose spouse is alive but non-existent through a sport season due to preoccupation with TV and Beer. I don’t want my readers to construe any gender insensitivity here so this could very well apply to husbands as much.

 

My wife might argue that Sports Widow applies to her and others like her whose husband spend a good part of their weekdays and a large part of their weekends partaking in various sporting activities. I confess. I am usually out of home - gone to run or on the squash court - for good 2-3 hours both days of the weekend.

 

Sometime late in December 2013 I was lamenting to my wife that I have not been running regularly and definitely not anywhere close to 60km/week target I had set for myself. As ever an encouraging soul, she was quick to retort that I was being unreasonable and hard on myself. I was doing just fine, she said. Having learnt wisely many times over not to argue with the lady of the house using words such as logic and rationale, I still went on a limb to pull out some “facts”.

 

Courtesy Garmin 410, here’s what the numbers showed. 

• Gone to Run 1248 Kms through 2013
• Gone to Run only 42% of the days available last year
• Gone to Run an average 24 Kms/week only - way way below the target

So dear honey, for bad or for worse, I will be spending a few more hours outdoors this year! I rest my case.

 

On a totally different topic, I chanced upon this interview in the UK Sports magazine.

http://www.sport-magazine.co.uk/337/sport-deconstructed-5564

 

Worth a read if you’ve been wondering why Kenya produces a large proportion of long-distance runners or if Bolt is a freak of nature.

 

Go, take a walk!

"The wound is the place where the Light enters you."

                                                                               - Rumi

I have a number of excuses for deserting this blog for quite some time. Allow me to offer none, for now. I will come back to those in a later post.

Couple of weeks ago, for a change, instead of running I had ‘gone to walk’. It was a rather long walk, admittedly longer than what I thought I could endure. A runner friend of mine called one day and invited me to join the team of four walking 100 KM at Oxfam Walkathon. Rules are pretty simple – 100KM. Team of Four. 48 hours (max time to finish). With no plans for the R-day weekend, I found myself accepting the invite. Truth be told, I reckoned this would be no big deal for someone like me who runs regularly.

We flagged off from the starting point Friday morning. By the time we finished Saturday noon, Bangalore Sun had baked me completely, and the trail and roads through these 100 KM had opened up my eyes to some lessons. Here are those.

Walking & Running = Chalk & Cheese

Go take a walk, all the runners. There were a number of patches in the 100KM route where I felt I would rather run than walk. Even as late as KM 90 I ran for about 800 meters and would have clocked more if it wasn’t for the neighborhood dog who decided to make a dash for us. In particular, I found running downhill easier than walking downhill. I guess the gliding action while running helps release the pressure from the front foot faster than it does while walking and thus reducing the probability of blisters. So next time you are going through a hell like this, run rather than walk.

Pain, too, has a limit

The first sign of pain popped up between 40-45KM. Having walked for over 6-7 hours by then and Sun beating down heavily, I had begun to get a burning sensation in my feet. At every checkpoint thereafter I’d put my feet up to let them cool off. By KM 56, blisters had made grand appearance around the ankles and on the fingers. I carried on nevertheless.

Somewhere between KM 85 and 90 I hypothesized that the pain at that time seemed no different than it was at KM 70. By KM 95, the mind and body had unequivocally accepted the hypothesis. Having accepted that pain had reached its outer limit, my last 5 KM, I reckon, were probably fastest on the route. So, contrary to the popular belief, the last mile wasn’t as difficult as patches between KM 48 and 56. That was where I thought I have had enough.

Keep walking

This might sound like a commercial for Johny Walker. Finding the extreme pain point is crucial for endurance and in a walkathon the only way to find one is to keep walking. Looking back, my mind and body were vulnerable around 50-56KM when I felt it was easier to sign-off for the day and hop on the support vehicle for a chilled beer. However I was also aware that it was getting dark and a tad cooler, and a night halt was expected soon. If I carried on for another 8 KM to the next checkpoint I knew I could get a decent rest and a shot at making it all the way through.

Group dynamics work

While running, I like the quietness - the sort of demilitarized space where you can speak to your inner-self. However, I am not sure if I could bear the same quietness while walking. A number of “teams” at Oxfam Walkathon melted away during the journey, leaving quite a few participants to walk solo for the last 40+ KM. I was fortunate to have a team that pushed and pulled one another. Otherwise, going solo through a long journey like this could be very taxing and at the least no fun at all. I am going to try running in a group to see I can exceed my PB on time or distance, or both.