For Liz and Adam!

Saturday was the big day. It was a day that had been percolating like a pot of coffee in my grandfather's electric coffee pot.

The British History Half Marathon had finally arrived.

I originally planned this route in October of 2012 and had hoped to run it last year. The grand plan was a themed run inspired by the Siege of Delhi in 1857. I had traveled to the Coronation Memorial Park a few years ago and it just happened to be about 12-14 miles from campus. An idea was born. Why not do a point-to-point half marathon that started at the Coronation Memorial, passed through some major landmarks from the Delhi Mutiny and finish at school?

Sadly, the run never happened last school year. For various reasons, I couldn't inspire enough people to join me. But this year, things were different.

I started promoting the run on our running group a few months ago, trying to drum up interest and give people enough time to get up to distance.

One of the runners I hooked for this run was Adam. As a high school history teacher, Adam was keen to join. If you look back at the blog you'll see that Adam has joined for pieces of other fun runs. He was along for the Old Delhi Half, the Tughlaqabad 18 Miler and last weekend's Goodbye 10 miler. He's always been supportive of my themed runs, especially my Delhi sight-seeing runs and my historical tidbit runs. Thanks for the donation friend, I look forward to many more runs with you next year!

Today's other donor, Liz, has been a running buddy for a long time. Liz was very excited to join us and had been building up, getting ready, until she suffered some running injuries that have put her out of commission. Sadly, she's moving away, so our next run is a bit of a question mark. That said, in the world of international schoolery, I've learned that anything can happen. Thanks for your generous donation and thanks for being a friend. I've loved the running we've done together over the years!

The run starts from the Coronation Memorial Park. This park was the original site of the three Durbars that were held on the location. The first was in 1877 and commemorated the ascension to the throne of Victoria. Another Durbar was held in 1903. The durbar of 1911 was the only one attended by the King, King George V. The photo below marked the starting line or our run, the state of George V that originally stood in the cupola behind India Gate. It was moved to Coronation Park in the mid-1960s and it sat in an overgrown, weedy circle with other deposed British statues for years. 

The last time I was at the park, I had to creep through a half-open fence and wandered among the statues and empty pedestals. This time, I arrived in caravan with the 10 other runners to find that the park had undergone a significant face-lift. The statues had been repositioned in a circle surrounding the obelisk commemorating the 1911 Durbar. Extensive sidewalks and buildings are also being built, with the promise of an elaborate park.

We set out on the run, down a busy and dirty street. My run stopped abruptly, with water pouring down my back. My hydration pack had sprung a leak. My friends leapt to my aid as soon as I yelled "Help!" One was unsnapping my bag, another was pulling out the bladder and the rest stood bravely by, laughing, realizing that I wasn't in fact, peeing my pants.

After some adjustments we continued toward Delhi University. A crowd of people were on their way somewhere, a rally(?) - a party(?). We'll never know, because they went right and we went left. The first adventure of the day was under way as we all passed through a gate that definitely suggested that our entry might be restricted. It wasn't, thankfully, and we cruised through the quad.

Heidi and Tara. And Gandhi.

The next stop on the tour was the Flagstaff Tower. During the 1857 mutiny, the British wives and children holed up here waiting for news. I tried my best to recollect the story as I told my tour group and suggested they read more about it on my website - wikipedia.org

Great group of supportive friends!

We continued through the Kamla Nehru Ridge, again surprised at what great green areas there are in the city and we hit our first detour. After we crossed the road, entered a private nursery and were encouraged to leave, we were faced with the dilemma of choosing left or right. I took it upon myself to choose right and off we went. In a big circle. I probably added close to a mile with this wrong turn. Sorry team. Once we were back on track, we were running up a long hill (!) filled with monkeys. Sorry Ted. The next sight to behold was the Mutiny Memorial. We convinced a guard to let us in and it was time for selfies.

The Mutiny Memorial was the last stop in the Ridge, so we left, ran along a gnarly busy road filled with cars, dust and sun for too long, then turned off in search of the Red Fort. We missed the Kashmeri Gate, which was the entry point to the city of Delhi in 1857 and an important battle sight. We did reach the Red Fort, though and were able to run along its moat.

Preparing to leave Old Delhi, we stopped by the Delhi Gate for a quick photo, then off to the Turkman Gate. 

Near the Turkman Gate, we stopped for a drink break.

Pictured: Getting Drinks

Pictured: Nonplussed Observer

After finally leaving Old Delhi, we cut through Connaught Place (more selfies!) and then started the final leg back to school. At this point, we had covered almost 14 miles and I was feeling good. The pace had been relaxed, I was feeling strong and it was fun.

Getting back to school, we made sure to loop around so we could all finish together. Our half marathon had turned into almost 16 miles, so people were pooped. With only four miles to go to reach the 20 miles mark, I had to add another loop. I was feeling good, so I decided to go for it. Bernie and Ted joined. The first mile was great. When we hit the park, suddenly the heat came on strong. We were in full sun and our legs finally started talking to us. The Nehru Park Loop record is around 10:40, but it took us over 14 minutes that day.

We pulled up to school, the MapMyRun lady whispered 20 miles in my ear and I was satisfied. It was a great day of running and a great day with my friends. You guys rock!

This run belongs to Liz and Adam!

I'm dedicating runs to raise money for a campship in memory of our friend Ty Taylor at YMCA Camp Miller. Click here or here to donate. Please make sure you choose the Ty Taylor Campship option. And please let me know if you've made a donation so I can thank you!

RUN STATS:

Distance - 20.27 miles
Time - 3:02:43 - Over three hours of running!
Soundtrack - Death From Above 1979, Nine Inch Nails, Panda Bear, Hy Brazil Vol. 1 ...

For Anja!

Yesterday's run is for Anja. She sponsored this 4 mile training run, so I'm writing it up. You can inspire me to run more and write more just like Anja did by donating here.

I was lucky enough to be joined by my friend Jess on the run. It was the first official "Team Tinto" sub-continental training run! A group of old friends are running a half marathon this July in Oregon wine country. "We've got legs."  Get it? And yes, this 1/2 is in addition to my full marathon in June.

As we left school, turned left and Jess said, "I've never gone this way!" I realized that I had chosen kind of a funny(?) run for us. I created it in August of 2012 and wrote the following description:

A scary route with lots of monkeys (Simon Bolivar Marg) and too much traffic (Upper Ridge Road). I probably wouldn't do it again.

And I didn't. Until April of 2013. Then again yesterday. It's not a great route, but I feel like I need to defend it. Given my recent experience with monkeys, it's not as if this is the most dangerous monkey route. In fact, today there was only one monkey in the road. Normally, there are more, especially when devotees of Hanuman, the monkey god, drive through feeding them bananas. Which brings me to the first funny(?) moment of the run. There was a guy selling bananas on the side of the road, but the monkeys weren't mobbing him. Whenever I see a car creeping along the street, passing out bananas, the monkeys can't get enough. They're practically rolling the car and setting it on fire to get one more hit. But this guy was chilled out, no stress. I wanted to camp out on the side of the road and learn his secrets.

Speaking of camped out on the side the road, the next funny(?) moment was on the traffic-y part of the run. The Upper Ridge Road dead ends at Dhaula Khan, a major cloverleaf connected the NH8 highway and the Ring Road. As such, there's a fair bit of road traffic (buses, cargo trucks, commuters) on the road. Evidently, one of the things those drivers love is coconuts. There are at least 2 different semi-permanent coconut booths set up along the one mile stretch of road. As we ran past observing the detritus of the roadside coconut business (100 meters of plastic straws and coconut shells), I noticed a guy sleeping under a mosquito net next to his stand. I turned to Jess and said, "Whoa, that's intense." And then I realized that the guy was in a tent.

Other Notes:  Dismayed with previous attempts to find a road to cut through the Ridge, I was on the lookout for a road into Dhaula Khan Enclave. I found a gated entrance that can probably be breezed through, ala Wednesday's run. I think there might be some nice possibilities for routes there...I also noticed a railroad station that I've never noticed before (Sardar Patel Station).

The last two miles don't feature any monkeys or irregular traffic, so there's not too much to report.

Except for this:

Jess is an absolute beast at running negative splits. Look at those beauties! There's almost a one and a half minute difference between the first and last mile. It's truly a thing to behold. I am worthless at running negative splits. I usually start too hot and pay for it later. Magical. Truly magical.

This run belongs to Anja with a shout out to Jess!

I'm dedicating runs to raise money for a campship in memory of our friend Ty Taylor at YMCA Camp Miller. Click here or here to donate. Please make sure you choose the Ty Taylor Campship option. And please let me know if you've made a donation so I can thank you!

RUN STATS:
Distance - 3.98 miles
Time - 38:21
Soundtrack - Dead End Friends, Something for the Kids. This is my cousin's straight up rock and roll band. Check them out, buy the album, support the scene, man.

Running for a Reason 2014 Official Partner

Running Into the Unknown

“Mistah Kurtz - he dead.”

This one was for Keir, my dedicated running partner who always keeps me going and Marianna, a generous colleague.

On today’s run, I felt like the protagonist of Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness.” Like Marlow, I was heading into the unknown, the dark spooky jungle. I ran The Ridge alone this morning, for the first time. There’s a sense of foreboding when running The Ridge, because the entrance is lined with a gauntlet of monkeys. They set the tone for your attitude while on the run. If they’re gone, it’s a peaceful day in the woods. If they let you pass, you’re on edge and anxious. If they come at you...

Today, it was a successful negotiation of the monkey labyrinth and the accompanying anxiousness. After passing through the gauntlet, I entered the ridge forest. Questions immediately began flooding my mind. “Will I remember the turns?” “Will I get lost?” “Will I be attacked by wild beasts?”  I should have been enjoying the respite from the Delhi concrete, but instead I was overcome with doubt and fear of the unknown. I was watching each corner carefully, waiting for monkeys, cows or bandits to jump out at me and leave me like Kurtz. The fact that the ridge is a wild jungle-like setting didn’t help calm me down.

As I ran along thinking about Conrad, Kurtz, and Marlon Brando in “Apocalypse Now,” I started analyzing my fear. I had no reason to be afraid of The Ridge, but the very fact that it was unknown to me made me nervous and afraid. We tend to fear the unknown. Meditating on the fear of the unknown, with my annual departure from Delhi three days away, I started thinking of my previous trip out of Delhi. It was November and we were heading home to deliver the twins. We had no idea what was in store for us, but we were anxious. We knew it would be difficult. We knew it wouldn’t be easy. We knew we were coming up on the hardest times in our lives, but we had no idea what that would mean. Every day we headed further up the river, into the heart of the unknown but instead of finding a “hollow man,” we found ourselves. We made it through and out the other side. I wondered  what this next trip home would yield for us. I knew that the grieving process would begin anew, when we gathered with family and friends that we haven’t grieved with yet. I knew that returning to the lake with one fewer child than we had planned on the previous summer wouldn’t be easy. I ruminated on all of this while running the ridge alone. Every step brought me one step further and I found the right turns, avoided the imaginary demons in the bushes and made it out unscathed. I was sure the same could be said for a trip home to Minnesota.

The soundtrack for the day was intentionally the new John Denver tribute album, “The Music is You.” A nice country album for a run in the woods, I thought. Unintentional though, was the last song I heard as I emerged in one piece from The Ridge - “Leaving on a Jet Plane.” Indeed, I was leaving on a jet plane. A jet plane that would bring me and my family home and into the unknown yet again.

A video about the ridge - https://vimeo.com/110863559

RUN STATS
Distance - 5 MilesTime - 42:42 
Soundtrack - Various Artists, The Music is You: A Tribute to John Denver

May 27, 2013

Only four more days of school! Then it’s back home to Minnesota. In celebration of that trip, the run today is dedicated to Aunt Sandy and Uncle Joe. Can’t wait to see you soon! Also, thanks to Heather, my first race photographer. She was there for my first 5K as part of a team triathlon at our school in Seoul. Today’s run was a 5 miler with Keir. Thanks for running with me yet again, friend. It always helps to have you along for the company. Today we ran a familiar five for me, but it was the first time Keir had run it. I decided to run it backwards to see if it would cure my desire for new routes.

The run was a typically Delhi run. It was hot, humid and seemed like it would never end.  The route is essentially a big loop, so there’s not of variety on the run. Hence, the backwards path today. Two crossings of the ring road, once in the street and once on a pedestrian bridge. Other than a major turf war being fought by two rival dog gangs, there was not too much to report. The end of the year is coming soon and cooler climes will prevail soon!

RUN STATS:Distance - 6.5 MilesTime - 40:39Soundtrack - The Fugees, The Score

Another Crazy Idea

I sent out a request for donations that would put me past $1000 in my fundraising and within minutes two sets of wonderful friends stepped up to help out. Thanks for your gifts, Matt & Skye and The Gregors. It really puts me in awe that so many friends are willing to help out with Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. The organization was so helpful to our family, and the ability to repay some of that kindness means a lot to us. Thank you.

In order to live up to the challenge of passing 1K, I conspired to offer up another of my crazy ideas for a run. Over the past two years, I've grown a reputation for dreaming up crazy runs and somehow convincing people to join me on them! Some of them have been themed (The Railroad Run, The Embassies of the Countries I've Visited Run), some have been pictographic (The Star Run) and others have revolved around my desire to explore (How about a run to see the Hanuman Temple that's made of an 80 foot cement monkey? A 1/2 marathon to Old Delhi and Back? Okay? Let's go!). It was in this vein that I convinced Liz to join me on an exploratory run to Haus Khaz Village and back.

These are some of my most favorite runs in Delhi, or really anywhere. I sit down on MapMyRun, look around for cool stuff and plan routes that:

A: are actually on roads that are "supposed" to be there.
B: are not "dangerous" due to lack of aforementioned roads.
C: not too twisty turny so I can remember the route as we run.

Amazingly (and out of character for most of my crazy ideas for runs), Sunday's was a smashing success. The route to Haus Khaz was easy and except for one small missed entrance to Deer Park, the route went as planned.

Haus Khaz has enjoyed the ups and downs of gentrification. Although it is almost 800 years old, the modern history of the village is what draws most of its visitors. The ruins of the mosque, the reservoir and the madrasa are wonderful archeological sites, but the hip cafes, restaurants and art galleries are what the Delhi elite and expats are coming for. The ruins almost seem like a quaint afterthought. Like any good neighborhood, Haus Khaz became too cool for the cool kids and other, trendier neighborhoods are taking its place. But it wasn't the cafes and galleries I was looking for on Sunday, it was Deer Park. This expansive park would lend itself well to adding miles to a run that is no further than Lodi Garden. The thing about this run, though is the fact that it goes the other way! Most of our runs head east and north, but this one bears almost straight south. There's plenty to see on the way to Deer Park, including a run through the sleepy Netaji Nagar neighborhood, a dodgy Ring Road crossing and a bad stretch on Africa Avenue (crazy ideas, right?).

The arrival to Deer Park, though had me thinking other thoughts. We entered through the Commonwealth Games tennis complex and I was instantly amazed by how nice Deer Park was! There were large lawns, manicured trails and a nice path around the reservoir. If you squinted just right, it was reminiscent of a nice city park in Orlando or another urban area. It was still Delhi, though. The pack of street dogs that chased away an interloper into their territory, the creepers and the unnatural green color of the water told us that. But for here, nice. And for a new route that creates possibilities for more diversity in runs, really nice!

We tried to get from the reservoir up to the madrasa and the ruins, but all of the gates are barred and locked, so we explored a bit for a path out and into Haus Khaz. Eventually we found it, found the next segment and ran along the deer enclosure. Plenty of people were feeding the animals and we cruised past and came out of the park right where I thought we were going to. Success! The crazy route planning worked. I love it when that happens.

The rest of the run was along a busy road and back across the Ring Road and into Sarojini Nagar. We took a pit stop to replace some sweat with Lime Soda, which was much needed after a late night on Saturday. From there it was a few miles left to get home. After a bit more running, we decided that we had had enough adventures for the day and we hopped into an autorickshaw for a quick ride home.

Thanks for joining me Liz and supporting my crazy ideas!

If you want to support more crazy ideas, please donate to keep me running!

https://www.coloradogives.org/forellis

RUN STATS:

Distance - 7.57 miles

Time - 1:18:11

Temp at 6am - Hot. Damn hot.

Soundtrack - De la Soul, 3 Feet High and Rising.

May 25, 2013

Saturday's run was sponsored by Melissa and Scott! Thanks a million. Your donation is well-appreciated.

It's appropriate that this run was sponsored by Melissa and Scott because it was the three of us that went for  a run on Saturday. I've had a standing appointment to run with any and all comers this year as I've been training and Melissa and Scott have shown up for several. When I saw their names appear on the fundraising site Friday night, I wasn't surprised. They're very generous friends and we've become closer over the years through the heat, the sweat and the numerous miles.

We headed out for a nice 6.5 Miler, the Lodi Garden run. Lodi Garden is a favorite run for many of us, due to the shade, the wonderful monuments and the people watching. If you live in or near New Delhi and you're interested in a morning walk, jog or laughing yoga, this is the place for you. It can be a lot of fun to run to the park and see all of the people. Saturday was no exception. There seemed to be more people than usual, and finding room to run on the jogging track wasn't easy. No laughers this time, but there were plenty of people doing yoga-in groups, alone or just simply taking a moment to do a simple sun salutation. By the way, this is rapidly becoming one of favorite things to see on my morning jog. A faithful Delhite steps out of the shadows into the sunlight, brings his or her hands together in the namaste and takes a moment. At times, it can be magical. The ancient ruins of Lodi Garden make it even more spectacular. There's something that's so reaffirming about watching someone take a moment to give reverence to something that most of us take for granted. The sun for example. Or a tree.

Saturday's run was a good training run for all of us. Melissa and Scott will be running a half marathon in Milwaukee this summer. The pace was good and the weather wasn't too nasty.

As always, help if you can!

https://www.coloradogives.org/forellis

Here are a few pics of Lodi Garden that I took while not running!
 

RUN STATS:

Distance - 6.5 miles

Time - 1:10:06

Soundtrack - Galactic - The Other Side of Midnight (Live) and Ruckus

May 24, 2013

This year I wanted to run a marathon. Cooler heads (Kate's) prevailed and convinced me that the first 6 months of life of our new son was no time to be training for a marathon.

Thank God Kate is so smart. This week I took three days off because our son decided to wake up every two hours. That means that waking up at 5:40am isn't so easy. It also means that if I can get 30 extra minutes of sleep before heading to school, I'll take it. The temperature in Delhi is also rising. That means hydration is more important than ever. After not drinking water all day long on Wednesday, then playing soccer Wednesday night, I woke up in the middle of the night with a killer headache. Another day of not running.

Finally, Friday I was back on the streets of Delhi tallying up miles in pursuit of my goals.

The run is a 5 miler that passes through a Dhobi Colony in the Ministers of Parliament's neighborhood. Dhobis are the launderers of India. They collect your clothes, take them away, wash and press them and bring them back. When I cruise through the narrow lane just before the 2 mile mark on this run, the dhobis are just starting their day, hanging the day's work on the multitudinous lines on either side and criss-crossing the route. Given an hour or two more and there would be a sea of white shirts, sheets and other assorted articles of clothing lining the way.

Not too much to report on this run, it was pretty standard. This is the third time I've run this route, and I beat my previous best by 4 seconds, completely on accident!

I've got to start bringing a camera on my runs, or going back and taking photos. A new goal?

RUN STATS:

Distance - 5 miles

Time - 42:27

Temp at 6am - 90 degrees F

Soundtrack - Bonobo, The North Borders

May 18, 2013

Thanks to my dear friends Becky and Isaac. This one was for you!

Today's run was awesome! The route is one that has achieved a cult status among the small handful of runners here at school (if such a thing exists). Can you have a cult following of 4 or 5?

I'm referring (of course) to the Star Run! This one is so special, I'm going to put the map in the middle of the post instead of at the bottom, where I normally put it.

As you can see, this route looks like a star (or a spur). This run has been in my pocket for over eight months, just like The Low Impact 5 Miler. It was a run that I mapped out, but never ran. I tried to get people to run it with me several times, but for one reason or another, it never happened. But today, we finally ran it! This run is designed to be a differentiated run, with something for everyone. At about the 3 mile point, we reach a traffic circle and people can choose to run as much or as little as they want.

I've actually mapped several possibilities for this one! I'm addicted.

Star 3-Do the beginning of Star 6 and take an autorickshaw home.

Star 6-To the roundabout and back. http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/195109620

Star 7-The first two spoke, with adjustments. http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/195110378

Star 8.5-Four spokes. http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/195110788

Star 9-All spokes, no roundabouts. http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/207598053

Star 10-All spokes, roundabouts and the extra bit to Rajpath. http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/133177603

I was happy to have three adventurous colleagues join me for the Star Run, but it was Kendra's enthusiasm for the route that really made me feel good! Thanks Kendra. This year we've had a lot fewer runners due to injuries, air quality issues and the demanding pace of life at our school, so it meant a lot to have others show up for this run.

Nothing too crazy on the run. The first roundabout on spoke one has an old mosque in the middle of it, which is unusual for Delhi. Google Maps calls it the Sunhari Bagh Masjid. According to the one image I've found it was built in the 1700s, and it seems that Google Maps at least misspells the name, but there is a much more famous Sunehri Mosque in Old Delhi, so I think it's mislabeled too.

**UPDATE: It seems that the mosque is actually called Sunehri Bagh Road Masjid. I've found some voter logs for the people living there, but no real information.

In any case, it looks neat. There's also a mosque on the fourth spoke and the guards at the Taj Mahal (don't be fooled by the name!) Delhi Hotel were very friendly! Not a lot else interesting on this route, but it was a fun way to pack in 10 miles!

Thanks again, Becky and Isaac. If you want to be like Becky and Isaac, please follow the link and help out. Thanks a lot!

https://www.coloradogives.org/forellis

RUN STATS:

Distance - 10 miles

Time - 1:31:29

Soundtrack - Vampire Weekend and Daft Punk - Super secret copies of upcoming releases!

Coverage

Today's run was for all of the anonymous donors. Again, these donations gave me the incentive I needed to go out and run. I appreciate the donations and I understand if you don't want your name up in lights on the donation website or on this blog, but I'd still love to know if you've donated so I can thank you personally. I really believe in the good work that Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep does, so thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Today's run is all about coverage.

This is a Google Map that shows all of the roads I've run on in New Delhi. As you can see, I covered a lot of ground. Especially near the school. There are only a few roads in and out of the neighborhood, so finding new places to run is tough, especially for short runs. The problem with today's run was the mileage - 6 miles. To go out and back, you're stuck with three miles. Within that three miles, there aren't a lot of choices of where to go. So I was stuck with choosing one of the old standbys. I actually spent about 45 minutes trying to make a new route, but I couldn't come up with anything that didn't involve a million turns or a high likelihood of getting lost. Then I remembered a post that I had written a few days ago about running a route backwards. I figured it was just what I need to freshen up the Railroad 6 Miler. The Railroad 6 Miler is a fun route, that has a lot to do and see, but I'm getting bored of it. Four of us showed up this morning to run, but we ended up splitting into pairs and running different routes.

The RR 6 Miler goes past several railroad related sites in Chanakyapuri. When run backwards, those sites include the Railroad Museum(4 Stars on TripAdvisor!), Sarojini Station, Safdarjung Station, The Railroad Workers Park and Chanakyapuri Station. There's a lot to see. For some reason, there were a billion people camped out at the Sarojini Station. Why were they there? Where were they going?

Here are a few pictures from the Railroad Museum, just for fun.

 

If you can donate, please do!

https://www.coloradogives.org/forellis

RUN STATS:

Distance - 6 miles

Time - 47:13 - A route record!

Soundtrack - Public Enemy, Apocalypse 91 ... The Enemy Strikes Black

May 13, 2013

I took the weekend off from running and was rewarded with more donations! I know that's not how it's supposed to work but, Sharon, this run's for you. Thanks for your kindness.

Today's training run was a 5 Miler that I've been keeping in my back pocket for a while. I designed the run almost exactly one year ago; it was mapped on May 15, 2012 but I've never run it. At that point last year, I was experiencing the pains of training. My back was killing me. I thought maybe it was due to all of the street running I had been doing, so I made "The Low Impact 5 Miler." It was designed primarily around the the massive green lawns in Chanakyapuri, Shanti Path and the dirt paths of Nehru Park.

Chanakyapuri was designed as an add-on to New Delhi in the 1950s, after India won its independence from Britain. The area was set up as the Diplomatic area, a place to build all of the embassies that would soon be moving into the capital of the nascent nation, eager to develop diplomatic relations. The focal point of this new neighborhood would become the Shanti Path, or the Peace Road, with its sweeping, manicured, green lawns. It was eventually lined with trees and embassies. The streets surrounding the Shanti Path speak to us of the ideals of this new area of diplomacy. Panscheel Marg is the "Street of the Five Principles", celebrating a 5 nation treaty signed by PM Nehru. Satya Marg is the "Street of Truth," Niti Marg is the "Street of Politics," and Naya Marg is the "Street of Justice." Sader Patel, Jose Rizal, Jose Artigas, Alexander Dubceck, Kwame Nkrumah and Andre Malraux were all heroes and Chanakya himself was an ancient leader of India, a master of politics and diplomacy.

The run started and finished on Andre Malraux Marg, named for a French author, statesman and convicted tomb raider. This marg is a very standard part of almost all of my runs. The US embassy compound takes up two blocks, with the Swiss and French to the right. A right-hand turn in the shade of trees on the access road and Keir and I were running past Myanmar, Russia, the Netherlands and Canada. Not bad for a few minutes. From Canada, it's a straight shot across Shanti Path, dodging cars, auto-rickshaws and buses (not too many at 6am) and then a left-hand turn on the opposite access road. Now heading northeast, we passed Germany, Sudan and an abandoned(abandoned-looking?) Serbian embassy. Next is Pakistan with its towering blue domes and we take a right turn to head to Nehru park. The loop in Nehru Park is about 1.6 miles on a packed dirt track, then it's out and back to Peace Street. Another right and it's past the Commonwealth - Australia and the British High Commission. You see, they have High Commissions, we have embassies. Same, same, but different. The Norwegian Embassy is neatly tucked into the far corner of Shanti Path, then you cut across again and the northwest corner is bounded by the China. The US, Brits and Chinese all have huge plots of land. The next embassy comes after crossing Panscheel Marg, where the US embassy starts again. Then it's back to Andre Malraux to head back home.

I can't believe it took me a year to run this route. It's simple, interesting and largely devoid of traffic, direct sunlight or the other problematic features (read: dogs, monkeys, toxic fumes) of most Delhi street runs. It's definitely a keeper and will be a quick go-to for a 5 mile run.

Thanks again Sharon for the donation. If you can help a grieving family with a small gift, please do:

https://www.coloradogives.org/forellis

RUN STATS:

Distance - 5 miles (although Keir's GPS frequently puts us at less)

Time - 37:46

Temp at 6am - A reasonable 75 degrees F

Soundtrack - More repeats. I've got to do a better job of updating the iPod.

May 9, 2013

Today's run by the numbers:

1 Rumblin' rail, passing overhead
2 Tiny tents, hidden in garden beds
3 Pretty peacocks, beautiful and blue
4 Darling donors, this run's for you
5 Dirty dogs, eating milk and trash
6 Morning miles, not quite at a dash

Maybe I've been reading too many children's books for Arlo these days.

Today's run was a six miler dedicated to The Lawson Family, Marina, Mary and Kerrie. Thank you all for your generous donations to the NILMDTS. They appreciate the gesture and I know people will benefit as a result of your kindness. As for me, your donations forced me out the  door on a Thursday morning, something I don't normally do. Wednesday night is soccer night, so I usually skip the run the next morning. My legs were tired! I chose a fun six miler and saw some great stuff on the run.

The run starts at school and runs down a lane that is bordered by the US and Pakistani embassies. Early in the morning (before six a.m. today) there was already a line of anxious people waiting to get visas to visit the US. At the Pakistan embassy, a row of translators with typewriters at the ready, happy to help with visa documents. Then the run cuts through Nehru Park, a favorite green space of the Chanakyapuri neighborhood. As always, lots of people were there, walking, jogging, doing yoga, etc. A quick dip into the route I like to the Peacock 4 Miler, because sure enough, 3 pretty peacocks all in  row - one each on three bungalow roofs as I ran past. A shortcut underneath the railroad bridge, complete with a train passing overhead and I was in Sarojini Market.

CC: By Shashwat_Nagpal via Flickr

I like this route a lot because Sarojini is super interesting. It's a great market to visit because it is a hectic, crowded, diverse place. You have to go with a lot of patience, but when you do, it's worth it. At 6am though, it's quiet and just waking up to a long day ahead. This is where I saw the dirty dogs, eating milk. A woman had stopped at a local milk stall and was feeding the street dogs as her dog, leashed to a police tower, looked on. The Wikipedia page explains India's unique street dogs (they belong to no one, yet everyone) and this NYT blog post offers a different perspective. Luckily, they were complacent today and caused me no trouble (unlike last year, when I was bit).

I kept cruising and due to a little roundabout traveling (again caused by Delhi Metro construction) I found myself cutting through an apartment block with tiny garden areas that had been overtaken by squatter tents/shacks. I would guess that they are the homes of the servants working in the apartments. It was interesting, another reminder of the scarcity of space in a city with almost 22 million people.

The run back (a loop in Sarojini is the half-way point) included views of cows, fruit sellers and monkeys as I hoofed up a hill and back into the embassy area. All in all, a good run!

Thanks again to my donors! If you want a run and your name in lights, please visit:

https://www.coloradogives.org/forellis

RUN STATS:

Distance - 6 miles

Time - 48:52

Temp at 6am - 81 degrees F

Soundtrack - The Probers, a CD of a band from Wisconsin that played at UWEC when I was in college

Looks a little like Marvin the Martian, right?

May 6, 2013

Today's run was a new route, complete with exploration and challenges! Running in the Diplomatic Area of Delhi is nice. The streets are wide, lined with trees and the buildings are beautiful. I pass embassies, colonial-era bungalows and monuments to the greatness of the Indian subcontinent. This route, the Moti Bagh 5 Miler, leaves the Diplomatic Area. Could things be that different?

If you look at the map below, you'll see the Ring Road about half way between Mile One and Mile Two. The Ring Road aptly circumnavigates what most people consider to be New Delhi or more appropriately, Delhi as it contains Old Delhi as well. But today's run had me thinking about the Ring Road as a border. Without creating too many generalizations about what's inside and what's outside of the "Ring," I'll talk specifically about what happened when I crossed this particular portion of the border.

The first mile of this run is on one of those wide, tree-lined streets that I talked about earlier. It takes a fun detour over a railway track, passes a huge private park for railway employees (but probably not for the ones that serve tea) and an army something or other. It's nice. Then it crosses the Ring Road, up and over six lanes of dirty traffic on a pedestrian overpass. The minute we entered the neighborhood on the other side, it was like entering a completely different place. The streets were narrow, hot, and choked with flies. All available space was taken up by buildings. While the people on the other side of the Ring Road were walking, jogging (ahem), and otherwise slowly waking up to their days, this side was packed with people working. They were loading and unloading, washing cars, carrying goods to/from market. The contrast was stark. Google Maps had me thinking we were cruising around a park, but it sure wasn't the Railroad Employees private park from our side of the Ring. We ran past a busy market where at least four or five dogs wanted to give us some attention and then made our way back to the Ring Road. This area is currently ripped up for Delhi Metro construction. Up and over another overpass and the run took us back into the (relatively) quiet and clean Moti Bagh North.

Of the multitudinous things that I love about India is the fact that within a mile (1 MILE!) of where we live, we can see and do so many different things. The contrasts are incredible. The first time I came to India and described to people back home I said, "The colors are brighter, the sounds are louder, the smells are more intense." It's a crazy place, and I'm humbled to have the luxury to explore it on my morning runs. 

Thanks to Keir for joining me on the exploration and for pushing crazy splits! Our first three miles were 8:21, 9:19, 9:14. The last two were 7:38 and 6:42. Granted, his gps said we didn't do a full five, so maybe that last one is off a bit, but still. Too fast.

RUN STATS:

Distance - 5 miles

Time - 40:29

Soundtrack - Summer Guide 13, a playlist from an old friend with an obession. Check his blog to get great playlists. Thanks Regan!