Birthday Weekend Runs!

FRIDAY

Friday was my 38th birthday. I woke up early, ready to run. Much to my surprise, when I walked out of the bedroom, I saw that I had just received a message on my phone. It was a running buddy, checking to see if I was heading out for my usual 6am run. I quickly replied that I was and hurried downstairs, eager to have someone to accompany me on my birthday run.

After a warning that he didn't want to run one of my "quick runs," I proceeded to follow him for the duration of our three miler.

The route was the Statues 3 Miler, one of the first routes I created on my MapMyRun account. It leaves campus and passes what is alternately called the Salt March Statue, The Dandi March Statue or the Gyarah Murti. This image depicts Gandhi's march to the sea to protest the British tax on salt. From there, it progresses to Teen Murti, another statue that gives the name to the complex containing Jawaharlal Nehru's residence, now a museum. After that, the route turns back to school for a quick 3 mile loop.

Thanks Keir for the surprise and a great start to my birthday!

RUN STATS:
Distance - 3.02 miles
Time - 23:42 (my sixth fastest time on the route-must be out of shape!)
Soundtrack - The Beatles, Revolver






SATURDAY

Saturday morning I headed out for a group run at 6:30am. Over the last few years, several teachers at school have dropped in and out of our informal running group. Many parents have joined also. Saturday morning it was three parents, a local ultra runner and I.

I arrived to the gate in the dark with two different shoes on, one street shoe and one trail shoe. After establishing the fact that no, I wasn't gettting dressed in my sleep, I produced their partners and we decided whether we were hitting the pavement or hitting the woods. A six mile street route was decided upon and we headed out to Sarojini, a local market (in my street shoes, the trail runners stayed behind). It's a fun route, so I was excited to get started. See this post from last year for more info about the market and the route.

The first leg of the route had us cutting across Nehru Park. For the past five years, I have been running, playing ultimate frisbee and hanging out in this park. On Saturday morning, I came across something for the first time in the park. It was a suspension bridge! And it was painted in rasta colors. Each slat was painted red, yellow or green. I was so giddy upon finding the bridge that I actually let out a goofy scream! The five of us hit the bridge running and as you could expect, it was a bouncy trip. Our strides went crazy and the bridge was all over the place. We loved it. The guy that was walking across in the opposite direction though, he probably thought something else.

It was a cool start to a run that would continue along the theme of discovery. Instead of sticking exactly to the route, buoyed by the excitement of Thursday's run, I set out to find a secret back way to Lodhi Garden. We found two locked gates, a secret escape route from a plant nursery, a row of hidden shacks and ended up on railroad tracks. After dismissing the possibility (for now) of a secret way to Lodhi, we set back on track and finished up the route.

I love running with this group, everyone's really nice and of course, it's great to have company.

Also, this route usually looks like Marvin the Martian, but on this given Saturday, the lines were adjusted a bit.

RUN STATS:

Distance - 6.28 miles

Time - 54:10

Soundtrack - De la Soul, Buhloone Mindstate and the Clear Lake Auditorium EP (more goods from the Valentine's Day free download!)

SUNDAY

Damn Google Maps. Sometimes your run just gets 3 miles longer.

On Sunday, I decided to continue my exploration of Delhi and thought I'd try a new direction. There are relatively few options of "which way to go" due to the railroad tracks, the airport and the closed roads around the presidential palace. After studying the maps on Saturday night, I decided to try a new six mile route on new roads. I knew it would be a risk based on the fact that I didn't know what the road would yield and sure enough, as soon as I got there, I found that it was in fact a closed gate into military land. That's also typical for this part of town. I decided to keep going, but I knew that it would lengthen my route.

The adjustment route was supposed to be about six miles. I headed up through the ridge to a new section of Delhi that I've never seen. It was fun to be in a new part of town (Rajender Nagar) and I saw some cool new things. However, the route is along pretty busy roads so I'm not sure that it will become a regular feature.

Like I said, it was supposed to be about six miles. At one point during the route, I wasn't sure which way to go. I guessed, and guessed wrong. It added another three miles to my route. Like I said, sometimes your run just gets 3 miles longer.

In any case, it was nice to go for a long run and to know that I can do it. It's also fun to think about which parts of town I can explore when I start my longer runs (16, 18, 20 miles).

RUN STATS:

Distance - 9.33 miles

Time - 1:14:13

Soundtrack - Danny Brown, Old and CVRCHES, The Bones of What You Believe

Free Your Mind and The Rest Will Follow

Today's run was a lot of fun.

Usually I'm very strict about the routes I run. I meticulously plan the routes in advance, study them, memorize the turns, visualize lefts and rights and I usually don't stray from the path.  

This means that I don't often check things out along the way, nor do I do exploratory runs. Today, I changed that.

In the last two years that I've been digging into Google Maps, I've noticed a lot of things that seem interesting I and I've planned runs around them. The other day, I noticed something new. I saw a pedestrian bridge that crossed the railroad tracks at Safdarjung Railroad Station. Now this station is a part of the Railroad Six Miler. I've run that route at least six times since 2012. The route passes the front of the station, and I've never seen a bridge. I chalked it up to a mapping error.

When I woke up today, I was tired and didn't want to run. I didn't run yesterday so I forced myself to get up and run. To make it more interesting and fun, I decided to go off-route and explore the possibility of a "bridge" over the tracks. I started out on familiar, well-worn roads that have been part of many of my miles. However, after passing the Czech Embassy for the Nth time, instead of turning left as usual, I turned right. That right led me down a dead-end to a parking lot. The back side of Safdarjung Station was opening up before me. The only light shining in the early morning darkness was coming from a guard shack that stood before the open gate. I decided to play the "I belong here" angle and I ran right through. It worked! Or maybe, it wasn't my confidence that let me in, maybe the guard didn't care. Or was sleeping. Or wasn't there. As I said, it was dark.

Sure enough, as soon as I passed the gate, I saw the bridge. I ran up the staircase and crossed over three sets of tracks, looking at the train below me. People were milling about, getting on the train. I dodged several men carrying their baggage up the stairs as I headed down the far side of the bridge. It didn't take me long to figure out that the staircase was not landing outside of the station, but right on the platform!

Again, I decided the "I belong here" strategy was best as I continued running past the passengers, conductors and at least three policemen on the platform. Maybe it was my cool confidence, or the pure surprise of seeing a jogger on the platform, but nobody said or did anything. I ran past the exit, quickly hung a u-turn and ran out of the station through the metal detector.

Back on the street, it was more familiar roads and about 1.5 miles until I was home.

Now my mind is reeling, thinking about how funny it must have been for a jogger to suddenly appear, running across the platform. I'm also thinking about how soon before I try again, and just how many people to bring with me the next time. How about a group of 10 of us?

Run Stats:

Distance- 3.13 milesTime- 24:53Soundtrack- De La Soul-Three Feet High and Rising (Bonus CD downloaded on Valentine's Day along with their whole catalog. For free. From their website.)

Dancin in the Dark

And I'm off and running! Today was the first day of the official program. I'm doing the Grandma's Marathon training program designed by Dick Beardsley, the course record holder. Two years ago I used the program to run my first half marathon ever and I was impressed by the results, so I figure I'll use it again for the full. It's an intense program that will have me running 6 days a week and take me over 550 total miles in the next 18 weeks.

Today's run started like most of my runs. 5:45am wake up call, dressed and out the door by 6. These days it's still pretty dark at six in Delhi and it's cold. This morning it was 52 degrees Fahrenheit. I'm sure my training partners in Duluth wouldn't mind 52, but for here it bundle-ups weather. It's just a matter of time before I'll be complaining about the heat, so I suppose I should grin and bear it.

I started with a 3 miler to Nehru Park, still searching for the top of the leader board in MapMyRun land. It seems that I'm getting close, but the scoring is still a bit of a mystery to me. Maybe I'll hit the loop one more time tomorrow before I start searching out new locales.

As you can imagine, running in the dark presents its challenges. I trust that the path will be true, that nobody will suddenly appear out of the fog and the half light and power forward. There's something wonderfully liberating about shutting out my sense of vision and relying on sense of feel to run through the park. Taking away the visual distractions helps me to focus on my thoughts and my stride as I consider the long road ahead of me. I'm looking forward to running the marathon, but I know that it will take effort and hard work to get there.

Run Stats:
Distance- 3.08 miles
Time- 22:21
Soundtrack- Shuggie Otis-Freedom Flight

2013 Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon!

First and foremost, I want to thank all of my supporters. You may have run with me, encouraged me from afar or donated to my fundraising cause for this year (see sidebar on right!). As you know, this year I raised money for Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, the organization that paired our family with a professional photographer when we were in the NICU of New York Presbyterian Hospital. The photos Rachel Elkind took of our family will be everlasting gifts that we'll have to remember our precious son Ellis in the 15 short days of his life. Your donations will give some other families that gift and you should be applauded more loudly than anyone who ran the 1/2 this year.

The donation site is up for a few more days if you didn't get a chance to support.

https://www.coloradogives.org/forellis

So race day started early for me. 4am wake up call, after an almost sleepless night. The pre-race jitters, combined with procrastination on preparation (read playlist), over hydration and a fussy baby all contributed to the woeful amount of sleep. My uncle's sister Jill (she ran last year too) picked me up and we were on our way to the bus, a 45 minute drive. From there, the bus took us to the start. The weather this year was a bummer. It was 50 degrees and misty. In fact, it was so foggy, we could barely see anything as we drove to Duluth. At the start, we had about 45 minutes to wait and it finally set in that I was preparing to run my third half marathon. My expectations for this race were high, but pragmatically  I was prepared to not do my best. My training was incomplete, my pre-race was not great and the weather was not my ideal. Nevertheless, when the gun went off, I was on my way.

No turning back.

Due to the weather, there were far fewer spectators this year cheering us on. Another bummer, I thought as I crossed the start about 30 seconds after the gun. This year I had a watch so I'd be watching my splits. Mile one came about 7:20. Good pace I thought, not sure if I could keep it up. Mile two, and the pace was consistent. At the 5K mark, my first "official" split came in at 22:36. Mile four, no change. I resolved to chill out on looking at my pace and concentrate on just relaxing and running. The fog had taken away the gorgeous views of Lake Superior, the light rain/mist had taken away the spectators, so it was just me and the road.

I kept focused on my reason and inspiration for running-the boys and Kate. Thinking of hands, I had practiced signing everyone's names and during the race I kept making everyone's names. E-L-L-I-S (with the LLI being the "I love you" sign, Kate's idea), A-R-L-O, K-A-R-E (after a while I realized my mistake and changed the R to T). Oops! Whenever I saw a photographer, I place the I Love You Sign on my heart for Ellis. You can see my photos here (btw, crazy expensive for digital photos).

My 10K split came in at 45:04 and I knew I was doing well. I felt great and was passing tons of people. Except the Purple Pirate. I couldn't catch him. This guy was barreling along ahead of me, with a wild form, and I couldn't believe he was in front of me. And he was wearing a purple shirt, fringed along the bottom and sleeves. I followed him for miles! Around the eight or nine mile marker, I figured out what his deal was. People were singing "Macho Macho Man" and yelling "Go Macho Man!" as he passed. It dawned on me. Randy "Macho Man" Savage. Eventually, he started to fade and I passed him. I realized that I wasn't fading. In fact, my pace was consistent the whole time and at 10 miles (1:13:11) I started to wonder if a PR was in my future. Knowing that Kate and Arlo were waiting in the next few blocks was a big motivator for the next mile.

I saw Kate right away and crossed the street to say hi to her and Arlo. Even though the weather was gross, she drove down to support me. I owe her the biggest thanks of all. She's been so supportive of my running, through everything. She's my number one inspiration. Thanks love!

Then, to my surprise, Jill's husband Andy popped out! They didn't even know that one another was in the same place waiting. From the meet-up point, there was just a bit more to go. The last official split is 11.9 miles. I crossed at 1:27:09. I did the quick math and realized that I had to finish in just over 11 minutes to beat my last year's time. An eleven minute mile? My pace had been about 7:20 for the entire race. I began to see Running Goal Number 2 come into focus. The last stretch was a strong finish. Seeing Kate and Arlo had energized me and I pushed on to the end. A quick sprint for the last bit and I was crossing the line at 1:35:47. Two minutes, fifty-one seconds faster than last year. 

For fun, here's a video of my finish...

And my playlist...

Get Lucky- Daft Punk
Girl- Beck
Sexy Mexican Maid- Red Hot Chili Peppers
Short Skirt, Long Jacket (Live)- Cake
Daytona 500- Ghostface Killah
Let's All Go To The Bar- Deer Tick
Me So Horny- 2 Live Crew
King of New York- Fun Lovin' Criminals
Stuck In The Middle- Steeler's Wheel
Baby I Got Your Money- ODB
American Woman- The Guess Who
Who Shot Ya- The Notorious B.I.G.
Standing O- Wilco
Jailbreak- Thin Lizzy
Straight Outta Compton- NWA
Moving Out (Anthony's Song) 12-12-12 Benefit, Billy Joel
Mr Big Stuff- The Ska Vengers
Werewolves of Londong- Warren Zevon
Tudo Bem- Garotas Suecas
Michael Jackson- Das Racist
Go! Go! Go!- We Need Surgery
Fix Up, Look Sharp- Dizzee Rascal
Cannonball- The Breeders
Lump- Presidents of the United States of America
Let Me Ride- Dr. Dre
Unbelievers- Vampire Weekend

and the last song before I turned off my iPod was, no lie, Dog Days Are Over- Florence and the Machine 

RACE STATS:

Distance - 13.1 Miles

Time - 1:35:47

Mood - Elated

A Missing Boardwalk

A run to the sand for the people in the land of sand! Thanks to Jonathan, Sara, Lucy and #2 for the donation. It means a lot.

This run was all about salty air, longboards, beach cruisers, a missing boardwalk and regrowth. It was the only run in Long Beach that I managed to get up the motivation for, due to the kind donation from Skweebs and the kiddos. We were in NY for a few days visiting the in-laws and I had meant to do more runs, but this year has been tough. There are a few reasons for my lack of motivation this year.

1. New baby means less sleep and more desire to stay home.
2. Having finished two 1/2 marathons now, I know what to expect.
3. Breaking my PR really necessitates true hard work, focused on speed training.

With this in mind, my spirits have been low. My times on the Minnesota routes have all been lower this year than they were last year. I know my training has been more slack this year, and I'm beating myself up about it. Getting out the door has even been harder, with me giving up on training runs before they even start.

Visiting New York was tough, because of the memories associated with the twins' birth. This visit we were back in Kate's parents' house, which was gutted the last time we were there. They've been rebuilding after Hurricane Sandy and being back in the house helped restore some normalcy to the visit.  The day I finally headed out on a run, I chose some silly music and took off. It was a beautiful day and it was nice to see new things on my run. The sea air hit me the minute I was on my way and I felt great! People were everywhere, on their way to the beach with their giant cruiser bicycles, longboards and beach gear. A sad reminder of last year's hurricane hit me when I got the beach. The boardwalk is still missing, so I had to settle for a run along the beach on the nearest street instead. The Boardwalk will be rebuilt, Kate's parents' house will be as good as new and I'll realize that even if I don't do as well this year, it will still be a race well-run because I've managed to raise a lot of money for an organization that helped my family rebuild. Thanks everyone.

ps. My pace on this run was great-maybe I shouldn't panic yet.

https://www.coloradogives.org/forellis

RUN STATS:

Distance - 5 miles

Time - 35:28

Soundtrack - Cypress Hill, Black Sunday

13.1 Running Metaphors

Today's run is for the Steadman family. Thanks for your donation. As a professional photographer, I know that Tim can relate to the importance of family photos and the difference they make for the lives of those who benefit from NILMDTS. Take a moment to check out Tim's website if you haven't already used his services. We have and we love his work!

The run for today is the longest run of my training program thus far this year, 13.1 miles. This is the dry run, the practice for the big dance. This year I've been pretty slack with my training so I was a little worried about this run. I've been behind on all of my times and my motivation is low. It helps knowing that people are donating and benefiting a great organization, so I'm keeping that in mind.

13.1 miles is a long way to run, it creates a lot of time for thinking. Last year, when I ran for ACS, I often thought of the comparisons between fighting cancer and running. There are a lot. In fact, I've had a blog entry composed in my head for the last year about those similarities. So today, in honor of the 13.1 mile run, I offer 13.1 Running Metaphors for Life.

1. Sometimes the most difficult part is the first step. Finding the motivation to get up and do it can be tough. But, once you're moving, you're glad you did.
2. You never know what's around the next corner. Sometimes it's giant hill, but sometimes it's a cool breeze. You have to turn to the corner to find out.
3. When you're on the top of a hill, sometimes you can see for miles. Other times, the view of what's to come is obscured. In both cases, you have to keep running to see what's next.
4. Every run has a "finish point." This isn't a finish line, this is the point when you say to yourself, "I've got this. I'm going to finish this run."
5. Just keep running. No matter what, keep running. The only way to finish is to keep moving forward.
6. But sometimes, finishing isn't always the goal. Sometimes You Have to Go Back and take a closer look.
7. It's easier and more enjoyable with friends. Having someone alongside you makes each step a little easier.
8. Slowing down gives you time to soak it all in and see what's to be seen.
9. Running Into the Unknown can be scary, but it can be exciting too. You'll occasionally get lost, but if you keep pushing on and ask for help, you'll be back on track in no time.
10. Running with a purpose is better than running without one. Having a strong motivation to run helps.
11. Setting goals for yourself and trying to improve on your best is important. You don't have to compare yourself with others, but you can always keep working your hardest.
12. You'll be surprised to see what you can do with training and conviction. You are capable of more than you think.
13. It's important to finish strong. When the end is in sight, dig deep and see what you can do. You might surprise yourself with a last minute push that brings you in on a high note.

13.1 - Finding a passion and developing it can be exhilarating. Discovering new routes, going a bit further each time, breaking a personal record-these are the things that make running/life great!

Thanks again for taking the time to read my blog, leave comments and donate to a good cause! 10 days until the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon!

https://www.coloradogives.org/forellis

RUN STATS:

Distance - 13.1 miles

Time - 1:54:48 (way off of my best for the route or the distance)

Soundtrack - Lots of Modest Mouse on Shuffle

Lady Bomber 5K

**DISCLAIMER** No ladies were harmed during this run.

Michele Caputo picked quite a run to have dedicated. It's a big day for me.

Today's run was a 5K race. I've made a goal of researching all of the local 5Ks for the summer, with an eye on running as many of them as possible. I love small towns, and I especially love their 5Ks. Last summer Kate and I tried to visit as many local "Days" as possible. Small town festivals are wonderful. Lots to eat, fun crafts to buy and great parades, etc.

This particular 5K was a part of Barnum, Minnesota's "Spring Fever Days." Now, you might be asking, why would a town have a Spring Fever Days in June? Well, let's just say that summer(and spring) came late to the area this year. Kate and I decided to head to Barnum for the race because I thought it wasn't too far from Duluth. We headed into Duluth for the afternoon and set out for Barnum around 4:45. The race was scheduled for 6pm, so the timing was perfect. Or so I thought. We hit road construction traffic immediately upon leaving Duluth and I decided to check the Google Map directions to get to Barnum. That's when I found out it was 37 miles away. Gulp. I started to think that the whole trip down to Duluth and to Barnum was going to turn out to be a complete waste of time.

Nervously, I kept driving and the traffic eventually broke. We reached Barnum in time to register, change and warm up.

Here's where it gets interesting.

This summer I've made a goal of trying to run a sub 20 minute 5K. It's a really fast pace for me, but I've been close in the past so it's reasonable. I kept this in mind as I set out at the starting gun on the Lady Bomber 5K (which is named for the Barnum High School's basketball team, not a misogynistic sadist routine, by the way). I started the race hot, as usual and ran my first mile in less than 7 minutes. That was good, because I had been obsessively working out paces all afternoon. It was uncomfortable, but not impossible. There were only a few people in front of me, but I was out to achieve my goal, not win the race. After the turn-around (it was an out-and-back) I noticed that none of the frontrunners had an orange sticker that indicated my age group. If I could maintain my pace, I'd break my goal and win my age division. That was good motivation to keep it up and my second mile came in slower than the first, but in the low seven minute plus range. Chugging along into the third mile, I started looking for inspiration as I looked at my watch and remembered why I run. My fundraising is important to me and this year it's more important than ever. I channeled my son Ellis and asked for a little bit of help, thought of my wife and my son Arlo waiting at the finish line and I decided that I was going to make the haul to Barnum worth it. I dug in and kept the hard pace. Around that time, a young kid passed me. I thought to myself, "I could use him to pace me and get me in on time." That lasted for about 2 yards as he cruised past. Damn 17 year-olds.

I knew it was going to be close as the finish line came into view. I was full out sprinting as the next 5 seconds stood still. I looked at my watch and had no idea what I saw. I saw the finish line clock at 19:something. I saw Kate with her hand in the air, yelling at me to push it for the last few strides. Then I saw the kid in front of me buckle (I thought he was passing out). Then I saw the lady in front of him waving us to the right so we would hit the finish chute. I ducked under a ribbon and another lady (maybe a Bomber?) took off my finishing tab. That was at 20:something.

The next few minutes were doubts and questions. Did I finish under 20? Would I have if I didn't have to duck and swerve at the end? How close was I?

The doubts stuck in my head until Monday when the results were posted and I saw my name as the 5th overall, 1st in age group, 19:59 finisher.

I did it!

Thanks again for the donations! They really make a difference.

https://www.coloradogives.org/forellis

RUN STATS:

Distance - 5K

Time - 19:59

Soundtrack - Assorted Green Day songs, of all things.

Minnesota Nice

I'm trying my hardest.

To keep up with my running. To keep up with my blogging. To wave to everyone I see and say "Oh for cute," when something is cute. You know, Minnesota Nice.

The latter is working much better than the former. I've been home for a week and I've only run twice. Today's run is probably dedicated to someone, but to be honest I'm not sure who has donated lately.

SO... why not go to my fundraising site and donate now? I'm almost caught up on my entries, so you'll get a good dedicated run that's bound to be interesting and helpful.

Today's run was an attempt to get back on the running program and add some distance. I chose the Shiver Me Timbers 7 Miler. It's a run that I created last year for my medium distance training runs. Timbers is a bar just down the highway from the house that's across the street from a Park 'N Ride, so I can leave the car, loop a run and drive back home. In fact, I'm sitting in Timbers as I write this in an effort to catch up on my internet use.

The route is a simple "square" that starts at Timbers, runs along three quiet county highways with a final leg along a busy 4 lane highway. It's peaceful and flat. Along the route, I only came across four or five cars and they all pulled into the opposite lane to give me as wide a berth as possible. Quite a contrast from my Delhi runs where I've been hit by side mirrors, bicycles and pedestrians. Other contrasts include crossing rivers instead of the Ring Road, seeing a deer and wild turkeys instead of monkeys and peacocks and deep breathing clean, clear air!

It was a good run and it was nice to get some distance in the books. I'm still gunning for 1000 miles this year, so each run counts!

RUN STATS

Distance - 7 miles
Time - 54:07
Soundtrack - DJ Chris Read, The Diary

Hey It’s Good To Be Back Home Again

The Ridge run was my last Delhi run for the year. Wednesday and Thursday just weren’t happening. Friday and Saturday were travel days, and Sunday was a relaxing day back at the lake. Monday, though and it’s back to the grind or I’ll never be in shape. This run is for the generous gifts of Kate’s class, my retired (now!) principal Barb Sirotin, Sue & Buzz and an anonymous gift from a coffee date. Thank you all for your generosity. I’ve passed my original fundraising goal thanks to you all and now I’ve got my eyes set on even greater heights! Please donate if you can!

It’s summer once again, and that means it’s back to life at the lake. The thing about being at the lake, is that all routines are tossed out the window. It’s tough to wake up and go for a run first thing in the morning. First of all, it’s cold. I mean really cold. Almost half the temperature of New Delhi. Secondly, it’s easy to sleep in. Or wake up early and make some coffee. Then some relaxing with the family, then breakfast. After breakfast, it’s hard to run, so there’s more resting and before you know it, it’s time for lunch. This pattern repeats all day. The jet lag doesn’t help. Knowing my downfall was eminent, I managed to scrape myself off of the sofa and away from my first book of summer and dress for running. Waiting on the counter was a gift from last year’s fundraising recipient, the American Cancer Society. A new pair of running shorts and socks! Thanks ACS. Dressed in my new gear, I headed out the door and down the dirt road for a five mile out and back. I felt terrible, with lunch still in my belly. The first thing I noticed of course was the air. How crisp and cool it is here in Minnesota. It’s such a drastic difference from Delhi. Last year I came home and took something like 3 minutes off of my normal times. Would this happen again this year? As I was thinking about the difference in the air, I noticed it was full of the white fluff of dandelion seeds taking flight. Quite a difference from the asbestos fluff and carcinogenic fine particle PM2.5 in the air on the other side of the world. Although my head was happy, my lungs were not. They seemed to be working overtime to get rid of the mess from Delhi and replace it with the intoxicating Murphy Lake air. The run was hard and my lunch kept reminding me it was still there.
 Finally, a reprieve. About 2 miles in to my 5, the next-door neighbor pulled up alongside me to say hello. “Good to have you back,” he said. “Good to be back,” I replied. Then, it was condolences and eagerness to meet Arlo and suddenly, without warning, the feelings I talked about in the last post surfaced. It won’t be easy, but I’d rather have it not be easy and be home than be anywhere else in the world. Because the real thing about the lake, is that it’s home. It’s where my family and I are going to build our future. It’s where we come to recharge. If a run gets skipped, it’s okay. That’s life at the lake. 

Coincidentally, in my ear, the last album on my iPod. I never got around to changing out the John Denver tribute from my last run. The song? “Back Home Again” by Old Crow Medicine Show. Indeed.

RUN STATS
Distance - 5 Miles
Time - 42:24
Soundtrack - Various Artists, The Music is You: A Tribute to John Denver

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

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.