Friday, April 1, 2016

For Chico! The Markets 4 Miler

Dear Chico,

Thanks so much for the donation! It was a good kick in the pants to get out and get running after some frustrating sleepless nights. The recipients of the Ty Taylor Memorial Campship will have you to thank for their experience at YMCA Camp Miller. I know you love the outdoors, so I know that you realize how important it is to raise the money necessary to make this a yearly, recurring campship.  Tell you other dog buddies that they can donate too, and they'll get a dedicated run like yours! They can click here - http://www.ymcacampmiller.org/donate/ty-taylor-campship-endowment/

I trust you're having fun on your new running trails. Your owner did recently show this photo on his social media feed. It looks really nice.


I am a little curious though, about the blue sky and the grass. That must be quite a switch for you, no? Do you miss the dust? Coming across a squad of horses, or camels, or elephants? Is the pastoral European landscape too boring for you? I suppose it must be. I'll tell you all about the run I did on Friday, so you can relive the Delhi Experience.

The first thing I noticed when I opened the door was the heat. It's been cooler in the mornings, but Friday morning, there was almost no difference in the air temperature inside the house and out. I certainly wasn't wearing a fashionable red jumper. Shorts and a t-shirt for my run. The second thing I noticed was the darkness. Do you still run in the dark? I wanted to do a run for you that was evocative of the great old memories I had with your running partner, but our epic Washington DC route (check the archives!) seemed a bit out of the way.

As I headed out wondering what I'd write about, it became clear early. Dogs. I mean, you're a dog. It makes sense. Especially as my run basically began with dogs barking at me and cramping my style. This first dip at Mile 1 was the first dog I got a chance to explain your run to. He agrees with me that you're very generous.
The next exciting thing that happened was the complete lack of street lights on the flyover. Running into the glare of oncoming headlights made me glad that I was on the wide sidewalks of the NDMC area. 

It's puppy season here in Delhi, which is nice, because we runners can use them as a warning sign for overprotective mamas. The first litter was at Mile 1.7 just opposite of Begum Zaidi Market. This mama dog was like you, calm and collected. She didn't even bark. The next litter was at Mile 2.4 across from Basrurkar Market. Their mama was not as uninterested in me. In fact, she let everyone know that she was not happy about my cruising by. 

As I came back out on the Shanti (Hindi for peace, as you know) Path, I wryly observed a group of four men walking with canes (but not using them for walking) and the ubiquitous Delhi dog-whacking sticks. They were only steps behind a group of about 7-8 dogs. I chose the street for a hundred meters or so, passed the lot of them and hoped for a peaceful resolution.

The final stretch home was uneventful, except that I was able to negative split my last mile.

Thanks again for the donation, I appreciate it.

Love,
jason

PS. Tashi says, "Bark, bark, woof." I don't speak dog, so I hope that's not offensive.

RUN STATS
Distance: 4.04 miles
Duration: 31:17
Temperature: 73 degrees at 5:09am
Soundtrack: The Killers - Hot Fuss

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