The Pl(r)easures Of Running

It is a lazy Sunday morning. It's raining and the weather is quite cold - perfect for snuggling in right? Wrong. I am leaving for the gym, to do nothing less than a 1 hour run. I have no one else to blame but myself for this and this is how it happened...

My first run was the Mumbai Marathon in 2005. It was awesome to participate in. The crowd, the people, everyone running together... I went again in 2006 but couldn't complete because of leg pain. I kept the bib (running number) though and even took it with me when I left Mumbai for Chennai. No runs there although my boss was a member of a running club and it quite intrigued me. I just didn't have the energy or drive to get up really early on weekends and go running.

After coming to Bangalore, the first run I went for was the Sunfeast Marathon in 2008. I told everyone that I was going, practiced for two weeks and somehow managed to complete 5.7 kms in about 32 minutes. The satisfaction I got from a) running the whole distance and b) crossing the finish line was awesome. That's when I got serious about running. So I took my bibs out and put them up on my office board. In a way, it was inspirational and reminded that I just needed to focus and pull along and I could achieve things. I have since then added three more to it, the last one being the Nike 10k Human Race. I completed that in 62 minutes. Yup, very proud ;-)

The pressure part comes from the fact that I feel that I have to up the distance. So from 5 kms I went to 10 kms and now on Nov 15th, I am going to attempt 25 kms at the Bangalore Ultra 2009. Plus, timings do matter you know. Also, people in office keep coming up and saying things like - Wow you run, that's cool or Lets go for this event or that event. So now I really have to keep running. But I don't mind no sirree. It keeps me fit. Its brought down my paunch. And like I said, its great fun, addictive even. So I'm really looking forward to Sunday morning even if it means no partying on Saturday, getting up at 4am and driving out in the cold.

It's Dangerous To Drive At Night In Bangalore

Around a week back, Dad and I were driving back to my place at around 1.30 am. The traffic obviously was very light and we were happily chatting away. I was approaching Cubbon Park from the Hudson Circle side. Normally, both the gates (next to each other) are open and I was surprised to see one closed. I slowed down to take the slight curve and I noticed that there was a man standing outside the gate. His head and torso were covered in a blanket and I was thinking that it was strange for a watchman to stand there. As I came closer, he suddenly pulled out a stick. I slowed down a it more and as I was passing him, he slammed the stick on the car!! Luckily it missed the windscreen and the side window. Both Dad and me let out surprised noises and I managed to bite back some abuses.

I continued to drive off thinking what to do next. I kept watching him in the rear view mirror but he was motionless.
I asked Dad "Is he a cop?"
He said that he was not sure.
I said "Not likely though as he was alone and normally cops are usually at least in twos. Anyway, why would he try and stop us in such a violent fashion?"

As I kept driving I kept thinking that if Dad was not here, I would have probably stepped out to see what the **** this guy was up to. Anyway, I didn't want to worry him and so I kept quiet. We got out of the park uneventfully and reached home. On checking the car, I was relieved to see that there was hardly a scratch. As I walked in home, I suddenly realised - Muggers!! Shit, if I would have stopped and stepped out, probably two more guys would have stepped out of the trees and stolen my money or worse. Wow, thank God Dad was there because of which I kept driving.

So I am putting this one up to make you guys aware of the dangers of driving in a lonely place even in the heart of the city. Couple of other gimmicks I have heard of are
- Someone hidden throws a stone at your car. As your attention is distracted and you take your eyes of the road, another person jumps in front of the car. You probably have already slowed down but this person pretends like he got badly hit. His accomplices join in and start demanding that you pay up money.
- Another car bumps you from behind. You are pissed, you stop the car and get out to yell. You get mugged.
- I would also advise that you do not stop to answer that call of nature.

Here are a few sites that give you lots of tips on how to be safe, on the road or off it. I read it because before this incident happened, I too never thought it could happen to me
http://travelmalaysiaguide.com/tips-on-driving-a-car-in-malaysia/
http://www.maketraveltrip.com/travel-safety-india.html
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Travel_safety_tips?open

Completing the TOI Bangalore Midnight Marathon

Vini, vici, vidi baby. As I said, it is a great feeling to complete the run. However, I nearly gave up a couple of times before the run. Here's the lowdown on what happened...

The reporting time given was 7.30 pm. Since I don't travel to Whitefield often, I was a bit apprehensive about finding the venue. It would have been helpful if they put some markers on the way. Anyway, I reached just after 7.00 pm. The race seemed well organised with stall outside for registrations. Inside the school grounds, there was a stage set up and chairs were laid out. Water was provided but there were no stalls serving food or drinks (I mean Gatorade kind of drinks). People started trickling in slowly. I think there were lots of spot registrations, very few people must have registered in advance.

At around 8.00 pm, I started warming up as the 5km run was to start half an hour later. It was a bit worrying to see that there was no activity at all from the organisers end. Finally, at 8.15 pm, an irritating lady MC came on stage. She announced that the race would start in a 'few minutes'. By the time it became 8.30 pm, the crowd became restive. Finally, close to 9.00 pm the inauguration ceremony started after some minister arrived. I was in no mood to listen as I was feeling pretty hungry and irritated with the delay and the cold. After a couple of crowd pulling gimmicks from the MC, two short speeches by Rotarians, 'The Minister' came on stage. However, RK Mishra (who was part of the gig) announced that after the minister spoke, we would start the race and people would have to start walking to the starting point 300 metres away. That's it - everyone started walking immediately.

As I was walking with the rest of the public, I started feeling good. People were all excited, chatting away, giving gyan and energy off. We reached the starting point. I was in the fifth row, looking at the minister who was to flag off the race. As he was preparing himself, people in front just took off!!! It was almost like people were saying that you guys delayed it but we are not going to stand for it any further. I also took off. The first 2 kms were fine but then I started to chant silently - where is the halfway mark, where is the halfway mark? I started slowing down as well and a couple of girls overtook me!! Nothing to do but to put one foot in front of the other. By the time, I completed three kms I was going pretty slow. My left shoe lace had come undone and a couple of people pointed this out. I just couldn't stop as I was scared I might not be able to start again. The only encouraging thing was that there was a pretty girl in white who would overtake me and then I would race her and then she would overtake me and so on.. Twice I mistook some poles to be the finishing point and when I saw it was not I almost gave up. And then the girl would overtake me. We did exchange a few remarks but nothing very significant. Finally the finish was in sight and I am happy to say that I finished with a burst of speed and my hands held high (no, I have not featured in the newspapers). I felt euphoric. I had a bit of pain in my thigh muscles and today my ankles and back are paining a little but it gives me complete satisfaction to know I have another run under my belt.

A couple of things I learnt
- In cold weather it is good to wear a bandanna especially to cover your ears. Also, I wore a sweatshirt (over a T-Shirt) which was good as it kept me warm before the race. However, the material was heavy and it started chafing my forearms so I had to roll it up. A long sleeved T-shirt would have been better. I was thinking that an old one could even be discarded if one was feeling too hot.
- I went alone and hence had to run with my car keys in my pocket. Also I don't have an iPod grip so that too went into my pocket. All the time I was distracted thinking either may fall out. I saw a lady wearing a money belt kind of pouch and realised that would ideal to hold these things.
- To keep your laces coming undone, I have come up with an idea. Stick Band-aids, that ought to hold them. I read on the net that flat laces help, its the round ones that screw up.
- Lots of good looking women turned up. Hmmm, gotta explore this angle further.
- Have a back-up plan in case your run is delayed. I still have to think that one through.

I hope the organisers too learn their lesson and improve things next year. Maybe then more people would stay back and enjoy the rock show and other activities they had planned.

Midnight Marathon on 10th Jan, Bangalore

I have registered for the TOI Midnight Marathon. It is being held on 10th Jan. My friends tell me - Dude, it is a Saturday night. You should be chilling out. Why would you want to run at that time??? Trust me, the temptation to not run is very strong especially since I haven't trained at all. Anyway, I am going for the 5km IT City Run so I don't think it will be much of an effort. Also, I feel a bit guilty about not participating in the Kaveri Trail Marathon. Plus hey, there is a great feeling of satisfaction after completing a run so here goes...

The site is fairly comprehensive and gives all details. A few key details are

TIMINGS
Full Marathon - 42.195 kms (12 : 30 AM)
Half Marathon - 21.95 kms (12 : 00 AM)
IT City Run - 5 kms (08 : 30 PM)
CIPSA Corporate Relay - 8 X 5 kms (01 : 00 AM)
CISCO Women's Relay - 8 X 5 kms (01 : 00 AM)

VENUE
The race is in Whitefield. WHY? Because it is being organised by Rotary Club, IT Corridor. The starting point is Ujjval School which is ahead of ITPL (you have to take a left at the junction ahead). The important thing is that I heard on the radio that there is parking available so it should be convenient.

A few other things- The main cause is to show that Indians and especially Bangalore folks are not fazed by the Mumbai terrorist attacks and are united against them. I don't see how this run will cause terrorists to back down (assuming they are tracking this marathon from their hideout). There are other causes as well but there are no details
- Registration is through Cafe Coffee Day outlets. This is painful because it is not online and hence you have to go to one of the CCDs that have the forms (list on site). The people there don't know how to fill the form or issue bibs. It took the person 20 minutes to complete my formalities. Thankfully, he called his supervisor halfway through and that helped. The fee is Rs 200/-.
- There is a prize money but not for the IT City Run.
- Manual timings are being done but not for the IT City Run (I am still going)

Apart from all this, before the main midnight marathon there will be a rock show and entertainment from folk performers. I have no details on this but I quote from the site - "Apart form various shorter runs, as mentioned below, culminating into Midnight Marathon, we will also have lots of entertainment and fun events including rock bands, folk art performers and entertainer along with food stalls to make this a family & fun evening. The route will be will lit, traffic free and decorated with various different kinds of lights." So come one come all, I am sure it will be fun.

Shivasamudra Falls - A Nice Drive from Bangalore

My friend, Kunjai has been staying with me for a little over two months. On Friday evening (15th Aug), we suddenly realised that we hadn't taken a trip to any of the spots around Bangalore. Our man was especially amazed because he is the kind who likes to take off with minimum planning, clothes and other essentials. So, we decided to go for a day trip on Sunday where the drive would not be more than 200 kms, we would spend around two hours there and head back. We short-listed

Bannerghatta National Park - ruled out cause it was too close

Bheemeshwari Fishing Camp - ruled out cause I had already seen Dodamakkali and was expecting Bheemeshwari to be quite similar

Shivasamudra Waterfalls - Okie dokie but we decided that we needed more info.

I called up a friend of mine who had been there with his mom. He said it was a good drive and the falls were very picturesque but there was nothing else to do there. Kunjai was of the opinion that without our respective moms to slow us down, we could go exploring hither and thither. I didn't exactly jump with joy at this proposition but decided to go with the falls sorry flow!!

On Sunday, we got up pretty late. After a hurried bath and breakfast, we packed a few frugal sandwiches, water and a box of chocolates and set out at around 12.00 pm. Shivasamudra falls on the same route as Doddamakali. It is about 125 kms from Bangalore. There are two routes which can be taken; via Kanakapura Road or Mysore Highway and turn off after Maddur. I decided to take the Mysore Highway as I was more familiar with it. The drive out of Bangalore was peaceful with virtually no bottlenecks. After heading out, I handed over the wheel to Kunjai. Well, I thought I had road rage but I can't hold a candle to this dude. After half an hour of listening to his abuses/rants/curses, we set some ground rules. If we were to have a peaceful trip, no more abusing the million other drivers on the road. Just after we crossed Maddur, we had to take a turn-off to Shivanasamudra. After about two kilometers, the road quickly turned bad and we had to negotiate through lots of potholes for about 15kms. Thanks to the slow pace, we made an amazing discovery - there is a New York in Karnataka. It's not a hoax - please look at the photo. I don't know what the significance of this is, so if anyone out there does do let me know.








We reached Shivasamudra at around 3.00 pm. On reaching there, we realised that there are two falls - Gaganachukki and Barachukki (which is about 13 kms ahead). We turned off to Gaganachukki. The approach is through the residential section of the dam officers. It was quite neat and had a channel passing through. About a kilometre ahead, there is a huge ground for parking and the attendants diverted us there. The weather was pretty hot and humid. Kunjai was extremely disappointed to see the hordes of families who had the same bright idea as us. We tried to stray off the beaten path but were stopped short by some vendors. They informed us that it was not allowed and that we would be fined. After a short walk with the rest of the herd, we reached the vantage point from where we could see the falls about two hundred metres away. As described by my friend, it was very picturesque. The falls are quite big and majestic. On the other side near the point of origination, we could see a huge ground where people had parked their cars and were walking up to the falls. On asking a vendor he informed me that was not Barachukki and that we would have to go further ahead to reach there. We clicked a few pictures and decided to head to BaraChukki. There was a restaurant near the vantage point but we did not partake of the food On the way, we found a turn-off that looked interesting. We found that it was beside the canal mentioned earlier. We stopped a bit ahead and beat a path through the bush. It was a pretty spot with lots of greenery on both side and hawks circling overhead. After Kunjai dipped his hand in the water and made like he had dipped in the Ganges, we unpacked the sandwiches and sat around for about half hour. At around 4.15 we decided to avoid Barachukki and head back to Bangalore. Overall it was a good break from the city and perfect for a short drive. We should have got there a bit earlier as we could have done some walking around and also seen Barachukki. It is also advisable to carry a picnic hamper so you can find a nice spot and sit around. Overall rating on the Mathew Rate-O-Meter - 2.5 out of 5 stars.

On the way, we first stopped to take pictures of the 'New York' marker. Then we stopped at Mysore Mylai Hotel and had some decent South Indian food at a very decent fare. We reached Bangalore at around 8.00 pm, really surprised that there wasn't too much traffic. I wonder where the rest of the city went.

Its kinda weird in Bangalore

I have been in Bangalore for just over a year and the last weekend was pretty weird. I had gone out with the office guys for lunch on Friday afternoon and that's when we heard that three bombs had gone off in the city. By the time we finished, the count was up till nine blasts. However, there was no sign of panic on the streets. You could sense a bit of uncertainty and the phone lines got jammed but things were still pretty cool.

Most of the office folks decided to go home by around 4 o'clock but I hung on till 7, waiting for things to subside a bit. The streets were pretty empty on the way home. I went over to a friend's place and was expecting cops to be checking everyone but there was no activity at all. I got up pretty late on Saturday and headed to office around lunch. While crossing the main shopping area (Brigade/MG Road/Commercial Street), I found it pretty full. I guess people were taking advantage of all the sales happening around. I was out there because of compulsion but what about these guys???

On Sunday, I went out for a bit and man were the roads empty. It started pouring too and I was happy. It meant that power cuts may be staved off a bit and that I had an excuse to sit at home. Anyway, we decided to go out for a movie to Inox at Garuda Mall. I guess I applied the same logic as others that - Nah the blasts can't happen again in such a short time. We must have reached Garuda at around 8.30 p.m. and the place was pretty empty. The theatre too was half empty and I guess only people who had done advance booking showed up. I felt a little foolish but hey I am happy to say that you can watch Made of Honor safely. It was quite entertaining and feel good types. Very predictable though. Overall rating on the Mathew Rate-O-Meter is 2.5 out of 5 stars.

As of today, life seems to be back at normal. What I can't get is that it rained and I avoided it. There were sales which I didn't check out. The bombs went off and luckily me and the people I know were not affected. The weekend went off in a blink, just like any other. Did I miss something? Was there something between the lines? Weird huh....

Get Ready to Run (the) Kaveri Trail and Bangalore Ultra Marathon

This post is primarily to give you a heads-up on the marathons that are coming up in Bangalore over the next couple of months.

Btw, I surfed this really cool site called 42k195.com. It is powered by Google Maps. It gives you details of all the marathons being held in a particular place during a particular period. Course, if you have OCD, you can find all the marathons being held across the world.

Kaveri Trail Marathon – Like the name suggests, it is a run on the banks of the River Kaveri. This year, it is being held on Oct 19th. The location should be near Mysore. Ok Sarge, I confess… there seems to be no more info on the run on the net. However, there is a foundation called Asha that primarily works to support the education of underprivileged children in India. Asha provides training in collaboration with Runners for Life so that they can do fundraising. Asha Bangalore is organizing its second marathon-training program for the coming races, Kaveri Trail and the Ultra. The session is being held on Saturday, July 28 at 4 PM at 19th Floor, 'Target', Public Utility Bldg, MG Road, Bangalore.

Bangalore Ultra Marathon – Imagine running 78 kms. I can’t imagine it, unless it is spread over couple of weeks. Anyway, there are three categories in this race – 78 kms, 52 kms and 26 kms. The Kaveri Trail Marathon can be used as a training race for the Ultra. Bangalore Ultra will be held on 16 November, 2008; registrations open on August 15th.

Personally, I plan to start training for the Kaveri Marathon in the latter half of August. That should give me two months time. In the meantime, I guess it’s the usual cardio and leg muscles strengthening at the gym. Will keep posting as I receive any updates.