Thoughts on Route Ownership

Be warned. There will be a quiz.

As I was running the other day, I started thinking about how I, as a runner, take great pride and ownership over the routes that I run and the roads that I run on. If you read the blog, you know that I am obsessive about creating new routes that not only take me to see new things, but also help in my pursuit of coverage.

But when I'm not looking for new paths, I'm plying the same roads. It occurred to me, that at 5am, 6am, when I'm hitting those same paths over and over again, I feel like I own the streets. They belong to me. I mapped the route, I named it, and I run it, so it's mine. Which is ridiculous, because: a) I share Delhi's roads with upwards of 20 million people and b) I always see other people on "my" roads.

Quiz Question 1: Do the other runners out there feel this way?

I know that Scott has the "Scott White 5 Miler" and Evan has "His Nehru Park Loop." Both are eponymously named and each of those guys would hesitate to run other variations. I also know that I have created and named dozens of routes since 2012.

That's why I buckled the other day when Melissa suggested we run "Quiet Neighborhood." That route is not called "Quiet Neighborhood," it's called the "Peacock 4 Miler." I designed the route in April of 2012. It took the name after repeated runs consistently yielded the viewing of peacocks in the same spot.

Here's a screenshot of the route:

And here's a screenshot of a very similar route, made in 2011 called "Quiet Neighborhood."

Obviously I was crushed. It destroyed my concept of ownership. Does Kira own this route? Do I need to change the name of my run? Then I really got thinking. Did someone before her run this route every Tuesday? Is new thinking derivative? Is ownership of ideas possible? Is everything just a repackage of something else? I was stymied. So I went back and ran it again, this time alone.

This is what I heard.

It was haunting. I stopped running. I turned off my music. I took out my phone and shot these videos to try to share the experience with you. It took several minutes, but I finally found one of the instigators. 40 feet up a tree, was the unmistakable silhouette of a peacock.

Quiz Question 2: So tell me, how quiet was this neighborhood?

Anyone out there have any thoughts on this? Leave the answers to the quiz questions in the comments!

RUN STATS (Feb 24):

Distance - 3.73 miles

Time - 37:49

Soundtrack - Random Playlist

RUN STATS (Mar 3):

Distance - 4.13 miles

Time - 34:22 (peacock break not included)

Soundtrack - Cacophonous Peacocks!

For Auntie Sandy

Today's run was for my dear Auntie Sandy! It was designed for her for three reasons:

1. She donated. If you do it too, you get a run.
2. As she is a lover of the great outdoors, I left the city streets and headed into the Ridge.
3. Because she's trapped in the frozen north, this was a special run in the heat of the emerging Delhi summer. Maybe some of the heat will make its way to the Northland.

As you can see it's getting warm here in Delhi. It seems to be a bit late this year, which is nice. Knowing that I have over 2 months of training left before I head to Minnesota isn't as nice. Obviously, running in the heat isn't ideal; that's why I usually run at 6am.

However, a 6am run wasn't in my stars this morning. The boy is getting very close to being able to sleep through the night and the past several nights have been great nights of sleep for all of us. Last night was a struggle, with a good chunk of awake time from 4-5:20am. That meant 20 minutes of sleep and a run, or an hour and a half of sleep and sanity. I opted for sanity.

I was able to shift my run to the afternoon, so I headed out for the Ridge 5 Miler. I've written about the Ridge before on this blog. See my first Ridge post here. Today's run was not nearly as dramatic as that one. Thankfully.

As I entered the Ridge today, I was overcome with that distinct scent that can only be a dead animal. I couldn't see it, but it couldn't have been far. The next sight was a huge macaque. They can be terrifying and unpredictable. The road into the Ridge is usually covered with them and so far they haven't attacked me, but I hate running past them.

After passing the gauntlet, the next sight is a small Sufi temple. From there, it's off the road and into the woods. I was hoping to see something really cool to write about, but there was nothing too crazy. A giant cow, a few creepy dudes and a bunch of peacocks. Rumor has it that the largest Asian antelope, the Nilgai has been seen in the Ridge. I would love to see it.

The run was tough. It was hot, fast and my legs were dead. But, it's five more miles done! To date in 2014, I've run over 220 miles, so I'll well on pace to reach my goal of 800 miles this year.

This run belongs to Sandy! Thanks for helping out!

I'm dedicating runs to raise money for a campship in memory of my 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 - 4.98 miles
Time - 37:09 (my fastest time on this route!)
Soundtrack - Hip Hop Shuffle. Some real gems including Microphone Fiend by Erick B and Rakim and Rockin' It by the Fearless Four!

The One With All of the Peafowl!

Today's run was a 6+ miler through the Delhi Central Ridge. The ridge is "Delhi's Green Lung," and the home to several species of plants, birds and mammals. Read about my first solo in the ridge here.

To learn even more, I found this e-book from 1991. The History section is worth a read!

It's meant to be a protected area, but as this site explains, there has been much encroachment into the area. It's a shame, because running in The Ridge is an absolute pleasure and a distinct change of pace to the hectic streets of the city.

Today's run was an idyllic 10K through the wooded trails of the ridge. Today, those trails are maintained by the army and the President's Bodyguard, a calvary unit of the Indian Army. The PB are stationed at the Presidential Palace, near the Central Ridge and maintain the trails that were originally set up for the British Viceroy in order to exercise the horses. The story goes that our outer loop was the Viceroy's and the inner loop was The Lady's Loop, reserved for his wife (and her possible indiscretions, ooh la la). I'm still looking for a source to verify this...

There is always something to see in The Ridge. Today it was peafowl (my wife reminded me the other day that there is no such thing as a female peacock; those are peahens). On the route today, there were at least 12 of them, most of them taking flight. There are few "bird things" cooler than a peacock in flight. Their bodies are so big and their tails are so long, that it seems impossible that they can take to the air. At one point, a group of three took off, with one flying left, another to the right and the third straight ahead. It was awesome.

This run belongs to Lynnea! Thanks for helping out!

I'm dedicating runs to raise money for a campship in memory of my 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 - 6.86 miles (a bit extra due to some backtracking)
Time - 58:57
Soundtrack - None. My phone was almost dead, so I skipped the music to save battery.

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?