Summer Holiday 2010

Monsoon, Bryan and I embarked on our vacation to Germany and France, with the first stop being Wurzburg where we were to run races ie Bryan and I. The flight itself was smooth because we were flying Luthhansa straight to Franfurt, a relief from changing flights at airports with long stop-overs. Visa formalities were a breeze as we all had travelled several times to Europe already. We took a train to Wurzburg, armed with our Eurail passes. The journey lasted just 80 mins and we were soon welcomed in one of the small family owned hotels. Our room was spacious with mother and son plonking themselves on the bed and directing father to the cot that was placed on the side as "additional bed for child":-) Well, I'm known not to be too particular about these luxuries, so I just plonk the lugguage and settle down with a can of "Guiness"; an insult to the Germans:-).

Wurzburg is a small town in Germany (so much like what John LeCarre described when I read the book as a teenager). It had those narrow cobble-stoned streets with sidewalk cafes and a serene river front. We strolled around in the town square and ate German sausages with hot chocolate, cafe mocha and of course "Wurzburger Hofbrau" beer. The marathon itself was an exciting event replete with German revelry and tradition. The race that we ran has already been described in the blog earlier.

Our next stop was Heidelberg, which was very breath-taking with its ancient castle and church spires and typical German homes with chimneys, sprawled all over the town. We took a boat cruise and enjoyed German cuisine, actually Monsoon and Bryan did, while I sipped on fresh German beer off a tap. The castle grounds reminded us of raging wars in Europe in the 15th century with knights in armour and tales of gallantry. I again brooded on all this while surreptitiously sipping "Kirsch" (a German schnapps) from a hip flask, which I'm sure was not allowed on the castle grounds. Our evenings were spent eating at a Vietnamese restaurant which was a big boon considering that the three of us cannot survive without rice for more than 3 - 4 days:-)

Our sojourn continued on the high-speed TGV (Train a Grand Vitesse)into Paris, from whence we made a panicky dash for the metro as we had a connecting train to Lyon from Paris, Gare de Lyon. We lost valuable time in trying to figure out the ticket vending machines and gave up to settle alongside people standing in a queue to purchase tickets from a woman at a window. We made it in time and settled into our seats as we waited for our heart rate to settle too. The arrival in Lyon whilst initially less interesting than Heidelberg, we were soon to discover the bustling city centre and French Joie de Vivre. Lyon is supposed to be the food capital of the world with its delectable cuisine and choice wines but we rice eaters were not too impressed as we again discovered a Lebanese joint that served us rice with showarma:-) Bryan was particularly thrilled as he states, "I can eat Doner Kebab all year round!" and I of course find wine tastes like piss (yes I actually drank it once:-)). Our visit to the Basilica of Fuviere was very fortuitous because we ran into, what we believe was a God send, a nun who apparently grew up at Takhshila in Andheri(E), a stones throw away from our appartment! She showed us around the Basilica that was built to commemorate our Lady for her miraculous help in saving Lyon from the Plague and two wars. It seems the feast is celebrated on the 8th of Dec and entire Lyon is lit up with tiny lights; a sight I am sure I would like to see once, in the future.

The next stop was the very purpose of our vacation; to visit the shrine at Lourdes. We reached Lourdes late evening at 10:30pm and hurried to the shrine as we were to leave the next day by the train at 11:15am for Paris. We were blessed to hear mass at the grotto of Mother Mary; the place where she appeared to Bernadette. It was serene and peaceful and I felt stress drain out from my body as I prayed in quite contemplation. The next day being Sunday was even better because we were able to attend mass said by an Irish priest, in English, at a chapel on the grounds of the shrine. Our visit was deemed absolutely successful, in that, we were able to collect souvenirs of our lady' medallions, rosaries and water from the "water-way", besides of course the good fortune of two masses.

The journey to Paris was most exhausting because we were hurtling along at 300 kms/hr for 6 hrs in the TGV. Paris was not new to us as the three of us had visited the city in 2003. We had the feeling of deja vu as we visited the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. The highlight was the Thai restaurant that we ate dinner at in the evenings, like starved souls:-) I had my last fill of German and french beers before we said "Au Revoir". A nice holiday in Germany and France. My plan is now to run a marathon in Edinburg, Scotland because I can see the course wind thru' streets where wayside bars are shown serving scotch. According to Bryan, I will abandon course to stop over for a "Single Malt". The young lad really knows his dad:-)

Wurzburg

I am not sure what it is that helped me achieve a great timing. I can only assume it was the strength training I was regular with. The Wurzburg Marathon in Germany was an unforgetable race for the power I felt in every stride, even though I experience the pain that I do in every earlier marathon. It is also a special marathon because Bryan did his first 10K race (actually 10.55K) and finished within a minute of my crossing the finish line. His race started 3 hrs after mine and whereas I took 4 hrs for my full marathon, Bryan took a little over an hr and hence we met each other with 700m to go! It was an emotional experience for me.

I threw caution to the winds and quaffed some beers, unable to abstain from relishing the bitter-sweet after taste of the local ambrosia, the colour of sunset. The marathon expo itself was an exciting event with a percussion band in full Brazilian regalia, thumping a beat that got you to tap your feet.

I collected my bib and looked out for a race for Bryan but there was just the 3K for 8 – 12 year olds and the 10.55K for those above 16. Bryan was not yet 15 and I had to approach the organizers for special permission and after much deliberation they consented provided I sign a special disclaimer. This got Monsoon worried as Bryan had never done a 10.55K race. I counselled Bryan on pacing and an article in the “Distance Runner” copy that was handed with my goodie bag, almost played spoilsport; it warned of “Sudden Death”, a phenomenon well known in distance running. This enhanced the anxiety of father, mother and much to the chagrin of Bryan, the son.

I went to the race start and squatted on the floor in the enclosure that held the runner’ bags. I brooded about my race plan; I had none. I had only checked on the net as to what pace I would have to run for a 3:59. I had put in none of the statutory 20 milers in the last 7 weeks before this event. In fact, most of my long runs of 22 – 26K were finished in a wasted condition. I visited the washroom for a final leak and went to my coral. It said, “Full Marathon 3:30 – 4:00”. I looked at the man carrying a balloon with 3:59 written on it and placed myself about 10m in front of him.

The count down started with a “zen, neun, acht………drie, zwei und” and the Samba went “Bhuppa Bhuppa bhup…….”. The runners were now dancing in place to this contagious rhythm and I was off with “show time Dan!” after crossing myself. I went thru the 5K mark in 28:23 and watched my RPE for signs of distress; there were none. I crossed 10K in 56:28 and wished Ashok well for his 10K race in Bangalore, next Sunday. I then didn’t bother to look at my watch until the first half marathon. As I crossed the 18K mark I was thrilled to note that a wayside band was playing “Proud Mary” – I grew up on this tune and could have stopped to do a jiggle step I crossed the first half marathon in 1:58: 35.

I was on pace now and suddenly found that almost 60% of the 6000 runners had turned in for the half marathon finish. I was now following just three runners, with my attention focussed on “Anne”, who looked lean and reminded me of Ann Trason. I felt that if I followed her, she would lead me to a 3:59; it was a good decision. I realized at the 25K mark that fatigue was setting in. You can tell this if you have been listening to your body in races. At the 27K mark I saw a guy lean against a tree and thought he was stretching his calves but then he turned around, placed his back against its trunk and sank to the ground. He had thrown in the towel.

I now was focussed on just reaching the 30s where I had to come face to face with my fate. I cruised threw 30K in 2:49: 43 and focused on putting one foot in front of the other. Anne was now 100m in the lead  I reached 32K in 3:01:07 and knew a sub 4 was just about possible – but would my reserves last? I felt the pain setting in as always as also the raspy breath that indicates the going will be tough I bit my lips and kept my foot strikes even for what I felt was my target pace. I dare not look at my watch now. The pain was now unbearable and I kept asking myself as to why I always insist on “racing” a marathon. There was no time to answer the question. I had felt a sense of elation at 35K as I realized that “3:59 balloonwalla” had not yet overtaken me. This meant I was still on pace. I had now reeled in “Anne” by the 39K mark and left her behind.

At the 40K mark, I found the pain and my breath was causing a roar in my ears. Then I heard the same band and this time they must be bloody joking; they were playing “Ballad of John and Yoko” How very apt!!
Christ you know it ain’t easy
You know how hard it can be
The way things are going
They’re gonna crucify me

As luck would have it, the balloonwala overtook me at the 41st km. I realized that if I did not keep pace with him my sub 4 would evaporate. I tried but my legs would not respond. I met Bryan at the 41.5K mark and felt emotion overtake me. He had made it in this race and his performance was more commendable then mine. He was underage for this distance and he had done it! I cruised through the finish in 4:00:43. I tried hard but the sub 4 was elusive. But then I had run the race of my life; there was nothing more for me to give. I was completely exhausted. Bryan came thru’ about a minute after me and we embraced even as we saw smiles from families around, nodding understanding. Aufweidersehen Wurzburg!

Crap Taper

I have a race coming up and have one of the worst tapers in the offing. I was on tour to Vijaywada for five days wherein, besides not running a single km, I suffered the debilitating effects of food poisoning and I tried to kill the virus with alcohol:-) I seem to be incorrigible on this front wherein I throw caution to the winds. Well, I am not sure why it happens and have stopped caring too much about it.

I thought I would then make up for it all by putting in a 20 miler at the National Park group run but as luck would have it, the weather played spoilsport and it was the worst 22K I had ever done; I was completely sapped. Imagine doing 22K in the taper week. How in God' name am I going to have a "cutting edge" to my training? I seemed to be doing well in the Aarey group runs until the humidity and heat took away the 20 milers that I relished.

Two weeks to go and I hope to do a medium long run mid-week to provide some semblance of endurance and race preparation. I am in the dark about race plans and strategy on this one but as usual, I'll play it by ear. Cheer up Dan.

Revelations

I wrapped up things a little early at work and as I headed home, I realized that it would be a while before the sun sets; enough time to put in a short run. I needed it to clear the cobwebs in my mind. As I wore my shoes, Dojo sulked and growled disapproval. Minoti gaped in awe and smiled at this dsiplay of emotion and exclaimed, "He is protesting! Look he understands!" Of course he does; dogs have keener emotions than humans and display them without inhibitions.

I began hesitantly with a shuffle because this was a "two-a-day" run and I don't want to exhaust myself, especially in this hot weather. As I found a little strength to my stride while crossing New Zealand Hostel, I mused about the vagaries of my business group and the undulating graph of revenue, very much similar to the course I was running. When its down the difficulty in facing board members is trying, to say the least. There comes a certain deeper sense of responsibility as an SBU head and this revelation stops you cold and makes you ponder. The lives and ambitions and families of the people working with you are dependent on your performance. Cash flows are required to pay duties and taxes and expenses and yes, salaries. It is fine when companies have cash flows that are in excess of these requirements; but, when it dries up, the real crunch and hollow fear sets in. I am glad I experienced the worst of this last year and was at the helm to understand how difficult it is. The forthcoming board meeting is going to be stressful - like it is for all who are at the receiving end. Fortunately, I have rounded up the year with a y-o-y growth that should be commendable.

I was now on my return leg of the loop and had fallen into a groove. I felt lighter as I pondered other revelations. Those on my running sites, that display puerile antics: solicitations, fake IDs, sabotage, one-upmanship, cheerleading, misleading posts on profiles etc. I am saddened by it all. I am sure all of this requires a lot of time and it amazes me that there are people with such "disposable" time. I learnt very early that jibes should be met with plain silence and blatant confrontation with fitting rejoinders. I miss my runner friend Mahesh; not because of the eulogies he utters in sychronous strides but because of his simple minded nature and humility. I am above flattery and even as I reach the end of my run, I recall Fermino' joke that evinced guffaws, some 30 years ago. We used to play carrom at the Goan Institute, more popularly known then as "Hall". Fermino commented mid-game saying, "Gordon is the second best player in the Hall". To this there was admiration, dejection, anger and hope in varying proportions in the rest of us, as we waited with bated breath to learn of who would be named "first best". When we heard Fermino say, "First best is rest of the "Hall"", there was an explosion of laughter and relief. Well, I learnt my lessons then and take any compliments with guarded modesty. You never know who is going to be "first best" :-)

I reached home and lay spread-eagled on the floor much to Dojo' joy of seeing I'd returned in an hour. He came over and flopped on the floor next to me, hugging his body as close as possible. I tickled him on his belly and smiled as I realized that I'd sorted out a lot on my mind. It was time to take a break cause I am tired now. With renewed vigour I set about my other pending tasks. Time to wrap it all up.

Sapped to the core!

It is important to emphasize the "core" in the subject because it is "core temperature" that did us all in today, in our medium long run. There were just 9 runners and we already had our Tee-shirts stuck to our back as we assembled and greeted each other at 6am. My legs felt stiff from the previous two days' consecutive workouts.

While coming in for the finish in the first loop itself, I realized, as I saw everyone reduced to a shuffle, that doing the second loop would be like finishing a 20 miler. I took in some water, ate a date and gestured that we should begin the next loop. Even as I covered 1K, I realized that, had I been alone, I would have returned from New Zealand Hostel, a meager 3K loop. But then, what is this group for, if not for goading each other to "over-reach" in our training?

When we reached the half way point in this second loop, I saw exhaustion writ large on Amit, Srinivas, Mahesh and of course, must have been on my face too. We stopped at the temple and poured cold water on our heads and joked that we were deceiving the body' thermostat, situated in the hypothalamus:-)) Mahesh and Amit had a good cackle on that one. Physiologically it is true that we did just that because the brain gets tricked into thinking that the core temperature has gone down. I told Srinivas that I need to walk and he was amazing in his "soft-voiced motivational pushes". He said, "At least lets jog to the base of the hill Dan" and I found new energy (there is always a reserve that we do not tap into) as we trudged on.

We stopped and drank some cold milk from a store at the bottom of the hill and I told these guys thru' gasps that I am done! Then Srinivas, the Psychiatrist, steps over to me and says, "Dan, lets just shuffle up this hill and then its down hill again - and you are the best at downhill running because of your quads:-))". I smiled and gave in and lo and behold, I reached the crest. My heart was now doing crazy things inside my chest as we sprinted down for about 500m and then Srinivas sees my absolute exhaustion and says, "Lets just jog up to where that man is standing" and I shake my head because I am going to collapse. However, as I said, there is always more that we can give and I did just that and then we were thru' and they (Mahesh andn Srinivas) zipped ahead like milers the last 600m while I was content doing what I felt was temo pace - where the hell did that muscle fiber recruitment come from!!

I will remember this run forever because I experienced something I have not experienced before - a mind-body connection in which the switch can be flipped either way - depending on how you train it. In conclusion, this blog is not complete without mentioning the deep bond I have with my Aarey runners like Mahesh. My mother is in hospital and he calls me up in Ludhiana to say that since I am travelling, he can easily make himself available for any running around that may be required, at the hospital. It stirs something inside you - truly like a blood brother - thank you my friend. Gotta rush to office and then do a beer at home, before I sink on the couch for a much needed nap.

Sukhna Lake

It was one of those business tours that I dread because I get hit by several double whammys. The tour was to north India and the weather is oven hot. I did a road journey from Chandigarh to Patiala and then to Ludhiana, on the first day, arriving my hotel at 10pm. The next day was spent meeting customers with long waits in reception rooms. The third day was the worst with a journey from Ludhiana to Kathua (near Jammu) and then to Chandigarh; a total travel time of 13 hrs! Then there is the rich Punjabi food and the endless rounds of "cheers" in the evenings. All of these calories that I load on the inside and the calories from the hot weather outside, play havoc with metabolism; end result? Blubber!

The fourth and final day was a respite because a runner from Chandigarh encouraged me to run at a place that I was sceptical about, at first - Sukhna Lake. However, when I reached the spot at 5:45am, I was amazed at the sight; it was a serene lake set in a valley and a soft runners' mud-track went thru' wooded gardens. What was even more surprising was that the chandigarh administration had thoughtfully provided drinking water fountains every one km. And then there was the pleasantly surprising early morning cool nip in the air that made it seem like the track was air-conditioned. I ended up doing a zippy 12K followed by an unscheduled 8K walk back to the hotel. At least that got some of the blubber to melt:-)

On my way back home, I pondered my life and the inherent push-pulls of work and family. I came up with a plan to spend as much of my time teaching Bryan, as is possible. I feel that it will add meaning to my life, besides running, and allow me to enjoy the subjects that I once loved; chemistry, physics and trignometry. I have a lot on my plate this year, in terms of my work assignments, travel, running and of course, the time I have to make for the NIKE Run Club. I ought to take each day at a time and not wallow in the maelstrom of commitments. I also need to focus inwards even more now. Well, first let me look forward to the vacation I have scheduled with another international marathon on the cards. I have not done a single predicted-marathon-pace workout because the weather will not permit me to do one. Lets play it by ear - as usual:-)

Summer Capers

On the mountains of truth you can never climb in vain: either you will reach a point higher up today, or you will be training your powers so that you will be able to climb higher tomorrow.
Friedrich Nietzsche

I woke up to see the grey dawn and checked my "inner GPS" and it said, "You are going to get wasted today, Dan!" and so it was to be. I received further confirmation when I felt like lying down a wee bit after drinking some diluted juice. I had to force myself off the bed when I realized that Srinivas would be waiting for me. This was a long run with a group that has grown; we expected 26 runners today.

There were 22 runners when I reached the assembly point and it was a cheerful group that cocked a snoot at the suffocating heat and humidity that pervaded the Aarey forest. There was a group pic and then we shuffled off down the road, each wondering as to when they would throw in the towel. I was miserable from the start as I felt a dull ache all over from the strenuous strength workout I had pushed myself thru' yesterday. I was now certain that I would not be able to do the target 3 loops of 10.7K - it would be sheer lunacy - well not really:-)

Mahesh caught up with me on my second loop and smiled as he boasted, "Mein ne socha tha ke ek loop karun to bahut ho gaya, lekin upke saat daud ke mujhe be dekhna hai ke kitna kar sakta hun, aaj" I could only grunt at this compliment, too petrified to inform him that the mere prospect of holding a conversation with him was taking my breath away :-) Well, many of us did the compulsory two loops and I reached last because I was, well - wasted! They were all happily immersed in deep camaraderie and eating the sprout salad thoughtfully provided by Rajesh, thinking that if Dan is not doing 3 loops, lets call it a day. Well, I am only the excuse - they were well and truly wasted too!!

I took in some fluid and back slapped guys that were perched on a parapet saying, "Get up guys we are doing 5K now". I could see the misery and yet the embarassment of refusing me:-)) They dragged themselves ie Srinivas, Amit J, Mahesh (the eager beaver for Daniel Sir!) and Rajesh, who would have said, "Over my dead body", about throwing in the towel. We staggered and shuffled as I took them thru' a loop of 5K and then they added a spring to their stride when they saw that Pravin and Ashok were going to take pics - no one wants to look like they are walking! And then we reached the finish to gasps and "Oh God!" refrains:-) Such is the hard to find alloy called guts, that they discovered is what makes a true marathoner! Freidrich Nietzche' quote is apt - very apt - they'll find the "truth" when they race:-)