Running with nothing!

The title may seem like "nothing on":-) but I guess I know better than to streak in the rain at this age. It seems like ages when I recall the time when I was told by Fr Bonet that a guy and girl had actually streaked across the basketball court at St Xaviers, in 1976! Well, its time to stop reminiscing and getting back to what I meant.

I slept just about 4 hrs and woke up coughing due to the mild chest congestion that has afflicted me from too many runs in the rain. I then decided that since I was sick and short on sleep, I might as well find out whether its possible to run without even having my morning cuppa. It seems like self-flagellation but I guess I like to do this to myself so that I can live some "spartan" moments in my own life.

I ran an easy 45 mins and returned in time to kick start my "bullet" and take Bryan to his school-bus stop. It felt nice to do the run before dropping Bryan. I could then enjoy my morning breakfast at a leisurely pace rather than the frenetic pace at which I go about my chores and end up eating in the car, on the way to office. The run must certainly have dropped my blood sugar but I guess I did not feel it cause I ran for just 45 mins. Dan, why don't you cut out the crap about spartan existence and just admit that you are doing a retake on what went wrong for you at Thane! Well, now that you've confronted me, I must admit its true; but, how did you know? Elementary my dear Watson.

Vacillation, Confusion, shouting and a truce:-)

It started at 8:30pm last night when Bryan announced that he has to play a football match and was to reach 'Mcdonalds' at 7am! There were arguments about Mumbai' floods, uncertainty on traffic conditions, reminders that his parents work and would be worried etc etc. He, of course, had his own reasons for first negotiating, then pleading, then shouting; saying that his coach would throw him out of the team if he didn't turn up. I understood his problem; it had to do, not only with his coach' ire but, also with acceptance in a peer group comprising the school team. What if they turn up and he doesn't? They'd call him a "durpoak". The arguments went on till 10pm and since I wanted to do a 1 hr run I was wondering how I would handle reaching him at Andheri station.

I reassured Bryan that if it did not rain heavily, I would drop him at Borivali (the venue of his match) by car and go to office late. He was relieved and called his team to announce that he would turn up. I guess he slept well:-) I woke up about 6 times last night and heard the roar of a heavy downpour. I realized that Bryan would have to miss his match. Heck! maybe his match would be called off. Well, he woke up at 5:30am and sauntered to the window. He asked, "Can I go for the match?". We watched the news which didn't sound very encouraging. Then there was confusion! Monsoon, stated that neither would he go to school nor go for the match in "this heavy rain". Bryan sulked and argued and...God!

Finally, I had this bright idea. I told him that if my driver turns up, he could go with driver and play his match - I would take leave from office. All of the furore settled and there was the truce:-) Well, the driver turned up, Bryan went and played his match, got accepted by his team for turning up and I went for a 13K run with enough time on my hands. Sometime the solution is simple - but it involves giving:-) Dojo was equally delighted to see that I had not worn my office clothes - how these animals understand!

Conversations in the rain

I woke up at 4:40am with a sudden start and realized that, given my chronic insomnia, it would be nigh impossible to catch another 40 winks before 6am, my scheduled wake up time. I decided to enjoy a hot cuppa tea and stare out the window at the falling rain. It was a rainy day alright and I wondered whether Bryan' school bus would make it in this downpour. Even as I watched Bryan getting ready for school, I saw that the rain was now a torrential rush. Time to take a call on whether to send Bryan to school at all. After much agonizing, I thought it best to ask him to stay put at home. He, of course, was delighted with the decision and broached running with me!

Well, that left me to decide as to what I'd like to do about my run:-) I wore my running attire deliberately and began steeling myself for the discomfort of running in this weather. A drizzle is nice; but, giant buckets of water from the sky and a roar of gusty winds? You gotta be kidding, right? Wrong Dan, you just take the lift downstairs and then we'll see. I shook my head as I stared out from the lobby, even as the watchman looked at me with a grin. I said, "one, two, three, here we go!", and I stepped out. There was no turning back now so I jogged along roads that had ankle deep torrents flowing across. I was now soaked to the skin in less than a minute and started feeling the warmth of my exertions counter the cold shower.

It took me a while to cross the JVLR road because there was a huge rush of waves, everytime cars went by - and there were many. I entered the environs of my beloved forest and suddenly I was transported to another world. A world that stood still and silent but for the chirping of birds; full of natural beauty and glistening raindrops and brown coloured rivulets in the mud paths. I grinned with deep satisfaction for having cheated my mind which had taunted me to call off today' run. I jogged the inclines leading to my route and felt liberated as I saw an overcast sky, narry a soul (except for the strays that shivered in the cold & damp) and God' voice in the wind. I finished a gentle 33 mins jog and came home to a yelp of joy from Dojo, who wondered whether this hombre, creating large puddles on the floor, had gone loco:-))))

Thane (Varsha) Marathon

I was well rested in the week of this Marathon but woke up on race morning feeling like I would not be able to eat anything. Due to a real bad experience on running a race with the wrong food in the GI tract, I decided that an empty stomach was a better option. Well, it turned out that it was a decision which was more between 'a rock and a hard place'.

The race had all the confusion at the start and after, typical of political involvement. Meaningless speeches and announcements, runners in disarray, ridiculous requirement of "reporting" to a guy carrying a sheaf of papers and general uncertainty about the start time. Thankfully, they curtailed speeches and the race began at 8:20 instead of 8am. I had decided to run an easy long run in this race and was doing quite well upto the 15K point, when suddenly I found my pace dropping. I realised that this had to be due to low blood sugar, the result of not having eaten something solid that morning. I immediately reached into my pouch and sipped the corn syrup I had carried and which was actually meant to be ingested much later, to get me thru' the 30K mark! The glucose from the syrup had to take time to get into the blood stream and by then I had started walking with Aalok.

Somewhere on the 19K mark I felt a surge of energy which was the glucose making its way into my blood stream. I managed to run the next 2K at almost my tempo pace and crossed the 21K point. I then trudged on towards my objective of doing a 30K but had to negotiate a pot-holed 1K stretch thru' slums. The requirement of spiking my blood sugar with corn syrup again seemed inevitable and I was now walk-running after the 24K mark. When I reached the Nashik highway and the lonely stretch with no one around but pasing trucks spraying slush on me, got me to decide I'd had enough of this race at 27 K and a time of 2:52. I pulled out, walked and found an autorick to return to the start point and thence, home. I stopped at the local wine store and got myself two cold beers which I sipped even as I analysed what went right and wrong for me in this race. Until the next race then.

Nostalgia

Today is the day my mother gave birth to me in labor, just as God had decreed, when he created Man & Woman, "In pain you shall bear forth your child". While I do feel old now, I must admit that the journey has been a pleasant one so far. I woke up feeling refreshed and went thru' an unusual routine of immediately going for a bath. This is because I usually set out for a run or exercise at the Gym first. This special routine for today was dictated by my desire to go to church; something I used to do as a child and well into my teens. It feels very calming and reviving to do this; to thank God for all he has done for me, to pray for good health and happiness and to keep harmony and peace in the home.

I sat astride my "bullet" and since it nowadays starts with 'half a kick', I revel in its immediate acceleration. I "dud dud'ed" to the church at a gentle cruise and found the ambience with its lush greenery (we have a very beautiful church and parish), overcast skies, wet look and the grotto in which mother Mary' statue looks with compassion on her congregation, very soothing. I felt at peace as I made the sign of the cross on entering the church which was pin-drop silent. I sat in one of the pews and closed my eyes.

I then retraced my life, as clear vibrant images flashed thru' my mind, from the earliest memories when daddy took me to see the trains at VT station, to my wailing, whilst being dragged to school, when my eldest sister did not buy me a new eraser (she still recalls and laughs), to playing football with a piece of wood during recess at school, to the thrill in the announcement of school closure due to heavy rains, to making paper boats and letting them sway in the city floods, to the tension during Xth std exams, to my hey days at St Xaviers, to the nervousness of IIT entrance exams, to my hostel life, to my working life, to dating & parties & dances, to marriage, to Bryan' arrival as a new-born, the time of his growing up, my professional achievement, trials and tribulations, to the present moment.

I felt a sense of peace as I recited a "Hail Mary" and knew I was in good hands. When I returned home, Dojo was pleasantly surprised cause he had assumed that I had gone to office. I ate a frugal breakfast and carried 2 packs of orange juice, in preparation for the hydration cum carbo-loading phase of my fun race coming up on Sunday. I look forward to our family meal together this evening. No one can avoid aging, but aging productively is something else - Katherine Graham

Meeting of the spirits

I had completed my speed workout on Wednesday and felt the desire to take a break over the next two days. This was even more imperative considering that I have a Marathon coming up next Sunday and need to ensure that I rest up enough. While, I did go to Aarey riding on my pet ("Bullet") and soaked myself in the drizzle that came down from an overcast sky pregnant with clouds, I stretched languidly at leisure. Today was different; I rode my bike in a downpour that drenched me thoroughly and I got a few smiles from walkers that were huddled together under a tree, waiting for the rain to ease.

I arrived at our rendezvous; New Zealand Hostel and met up with Mahesh, Pankaj, his wife and Sohanlal. We pumped hands, touched base on our training, resolved to ramp it up in preparation for SCMM and planned on meeting at a restaurant in Goregaon at the invitation of Pankaj. Mahesh' father had a fall and was in critical condition. I felt sorry for Mahesh as he had to return from his touring job (with a leisure tour operator) and was now scheduled to go back to Manali on Sunday. However, my dear friend is blessed with good endurance genes; he comes back after months of inactivity and within weeks reaches the level of doing a 20 miler at 5 mins/km pace! Well, we all said our "see ya" and I returned home getting drenched all over again and a lingering fear that I might catch a chill. My mind was at peace as it usually is when I meet these uplifting "spirits":-)

Running with exhaustion and a bad stomach

After a hectic week of travel (on Friday I was on the road for 18 hrs!) with a stomach infection that I picked up somewhere in "Pollachi", I mulled the prospect of putting in at least a one hour run. I woke up at 5am on Sunday with a desire to dash to the Loo. When I'd settled down with a black coffee, I took stock. I found that my heart rate was Ok and I wasn't really feeling "under the weather". I pulled on my socks and shoes and set off on my 'Bullet'. The smell of rain and an overcast sky was enough to cheer me up.

I started hesistantly with a jog and watched my heart rate and breathing. All was Ok and I even managed to feel a spring in my stride. I knew however, that the dehydration from the visits to the Loo would catch soon. I met up with Diwakar, Priyankar, Aravind, Santosh, Sunil and Sohanlal; all fellow runners, most coming out of hibernation to gear up for SCMM:-) All in all a decent run considering that my physiological state was rotten.