May 3, 2017 - For Chico and the Gang!

Today's run was sponsored by Chico! Thanks so much for continuing to help fund the Ty Taylor Memorial Campship Endowment. We're getting so close to fully funding the endowment, I appreciate your help! Soon, YMCA Camp Miller will be able to send a deserving camper to camp for free every year in honor of an amazing man.

This dedicated run had to be this classic. It's the kind of run that needs to be run with a friend, so when I met Laura at the gate and she suggested the Back Door Five Miler, I couldn't have been happier. It's a classic route that sneaks its way through not one, not two or three, but four places that seem like you shouldn't be allowed to go. I last wrote about this route almost three years ago to the day!

The first back door is the best. We ran through the open gate on the back side of the Safdarjung Railway Station. "Just act like what you're doing is totally okay," is the mantra of this run. Unfortunately, the entrance was the easy part that day. A huge, fat mama monkey was with her baby on the stairs to the bridge that took us over the tracks. "What do we do here?" I asked. "Just go," was Laura's nervous reply, followed by, "Don't look at it." Obviously, I've written this post, so you know I made it. The bridge leads right to the platform and before we knew it, we were like the sultry muse of Prince's Raspberry Beret in reverse as we ran out through the in door. In door.

Running to the train station for Harry Potter themed 9 3/4km race

Back door number two is behind the Leela Hotel. Over the years, this has slowly turned from a small door, to a bigger door, to no door, to what I expect will soon become a full-fledged road. Can't stop progress I guess.

The third back door is the rear entrance to a sprawling government employee housing complex. Complete with bungalows, apartment towers, underground parking and their own park and shops, New Moti Bagh feels like it could easily be in Anytown, USA. It's always a trip running there, but today was special. The back door wasn't just the normal red and white barrier arm, but a full-fledged locked metal gate across the whole entrance. Having arrived to the seemingly impenetrable wall just behind a man on a bike, we decided to wait. He pounded on the door, we all waited. The gate was opened and we cruised past the guard, no questions asked. "Just act like you belong here."

The final back door is a door in the fence that opens to a private walkway between the Railroad Officer's Bungalows and a golf course. It parallels a public park and actually offers vertical rise in a mostly flat city. It ends at another bridge over the tracks to another government housing development.

RUN STATS

Distance: 6.24 miles

Duration: 57:49

April 26, 2017 - For Melissa!

Today's run was sponsored by Melissa! Thanks so much for continuing to help fund the Ty Taylor Memorial Campship Endowment. We're getting so close to fully funding the endowment, I appreciate your help! Soon, YMCA Camp Miller will be able to send a deserving camper to camp for free every year in honor of an amazing man.

This write-up is so late in coming that I'll actually dedicate two runs to Melissa. Thanks for your generosity, I appreciate it

The first run was actually in March!

Melissa, the generous donor behind this post, was visiting Delhi. As our incoming Middle School Assistant Principal, she was in town getting to know the school as part of the transition visit. When I heard that she was a runner, I couldn't resist the offer to play tour guide, so I volunteered myself to guide a morning run. Probably not fully knowing my history, she agreed. Since she was staying at the Claridges Hotel, I decide to take a loop around Nehru Park, meet her at her hotel, hit the tourist hotspots near the hotel and finish with a half lap of Lodhi Garden.

The run was an immediate introduction to urban Delhi running. Monkeys and dogs were our companions as we headed toward the Gandhi Smriti. The Gandhi Smriti is the location of the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948. It's now a flashy "high-tech" interactive museum and a taciturn preservation of his few possessions, his simple living quarters and an immortalization of his final footsteps. Gandhi was assassinated in the garden of the Birla House by a Hindu nationalist that opposed his stance on Pakistan and his doctrine of non-violence.

The spot where Gandhi-ji was killed. Notice the footprint, the path traces his last steps.

Flashy Interactive Museum!

And, oh yeah. We had tea with his granddaughter. (far right)

Our run continued past another commemorative site, the site of the assassination of another famous Gandhi (no relation), Indira. Indira Gandhi was the third Prime Minister of India and was actually the daughter of Jawarharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister (who's death site is just down the road from hers!). She was assassinated famously by Sikh bodyguards who were retaliating for Gandhi's ordering of Operation Blue Star in 1984. The house is also now a museum. I still haven't visited it, but writing this post reminds me that I only have a little time. I think I will make this a mission.

We continued running, chatting the whole time, discussing the relative merits and dangers of running in a mega-city. It was as we were crossing the street near Safdarjung's tomb when it happened. I came pretty close to getting hit by a bus. Granted, it was starting from a dead stop at a red light, but it was close enough to encourage me to have a quick discussion with the driver and to (probably) scare Melissa off from running in Delhi entirely! Tranquility was restored when we arrived to Lodhi and took a leisurely half-loop in the city's idyllic heart.

RUN STATS

Distance: 7.43 miles

Duration: 1:01:32

April 26, 2017

This was the run that Melissa actually sponsored, an early morning run after a night of wonderful rain! It managed to cool things off a little, but not much. I met Justin at the gate and we set off on an hour-long run where I thought I could show him some new spots and mix it up a little bit. The first hit on this route was the pedestrian over-bridge that crosses the train tracks near the Chanakyapuri Railway Station. To call this a station is a bit of an overstatement. It's really a platform. As you can see, the station itself looks like it hasn't been used in a while.

This run features a few up and overs. First the railroad tracks, then up and over the Ring Road. We continued on through what has been a rough patch in the past, but is now absolutely terrible. Tons of construction, ripped up roads, into bright headlights...and back to the Rao Tula Ram Marg and a dash across the Ring Road at ground level.

From there, I had the idea to try to "sneak in" the front gate of New Moti Bagh. I've never tried to go in the front gate, so I thought it would be worth a try. The guards greeted us with "Good mornings," as we passed through the gate and it was a success! We took a lap around this strange anomaly of a planned community with amphitheater, parking garages and private fruit and milk shops and headed out the back gate.

Then it was all business as we headed home. Running with Justin keeps me honest. He likes to run fast. I know I slow him down, but I like to think he likes the company.

RUN STATS

Distance: 7.23 miles

Duration: 1:01:04

For Kathryn!

Today's run was for Kathryn! Thanks for donating, your gift is going to help lucky kids go to camp in the name of an amazing man, Ty Taylor. I know he'd appreciate your generosity as much as I do. Other readers can donate here to get a dedicated run like Kathryn.

The name of the run is the Back Door 5 Miler. It's inspired by the sneaky entrances to some areas where it would seem that I shouldn't be running, but nobody has stopped me yet. The name is inspired by a crocheted sign on a high school friend's back porch that said, "Back door friends are best!"  You know, like "You're the kind of friend that doesn't have to come through the formal front door. You're family." You know, like that.  Right?

I was happy to be joined by Keir and Ted on today's run. It means a lot when my friends support me. Some support with donations and some support by joining me on runs. As crazy as it sounds, my morning runs are some of the best times that I get to spend with people. It's uninterrupted time. Time to chat, time to laugh and time to do and see new things.

The first "back door" was the back entrance to the Safdarjung Railroad Station. I found this backdoor the day before my birthday. That day represented a small turning point in my mentality for runs. That day I decided to explore a bit instead of being tied to my routes. It's been fun since then, taking a left when I normally take a right, turning around to take another look at a hornbill or a peacock with gloriously long tail feathers or scrambling to the top of a boulder to survey the tops of the jungle trees of Sanjay Van (wish I could link to a description of that run-last Saturday's 17.5 miler, my longest ever. Maybe I'll write it up even though there was no sponsor).

Like last time, there was no guard to protest our entrance to the backside of the train station. There was however, a gate that was slightly ajar with a chain and padlock six inches off the ground. Good thing I noticed it before it sent me careening to the ground! Once in the rail yard, we were doing a set of stairs to cross the tracks. Beneath us was the Maharajas' Express Train, the $7000-$23,000 per 7 nights luxury train (Does it say something that the train always seems to be in the station?). After crossing the bridge, the next right turn was out through the in door, combined with the quickest security check ever via the metal detector.

The next "back door" comes at the end of the road that the station is on. Before the Leela Hotel was built, it was possible to run to the end of this road, run through a scrubby field and head toward Sarojini. Once the hotel came, so did the walls. The property was surrounded by walls blocking the path out. In fact, two years ago, I almost got stranded on a railroad bridge (think Stand by Me) as I was trying to work my way around. Nowadays it's an always (knock wood) open gate that allows passage through a yard? mosque? something? Anyway, one can get through.

Moving on to the next "back door." This one is a back entrance into a government housing development. If you're from the US, this might sound like a place where you DON'T want to live. Here though, it's the set up. If you get a government job, you often get perks like free housing, cars, bags full of money, etc. New Moti Bagh is a recently constructed area with Weeds intro-style tiny boxes, high-rise apartments, a park, an amphitheater, underground parking and a distinct US suburb vibe. It's actually a great place to run! It's quiet, clean and very different from the neighborhoods on the outside of its walls. Again, the security guards at the swing-arm gate didn't seem to mind as we entered, so in we went.

In my efforts to combine all of the secret passages and backdoors of my recent runs, we headed to the final "back door." This is the one from Rachel's run on March 27. It's the door in the fence that opens to the private walkway between the Railroad Officer's Bungalows and the golf course. It ends at a private bridge over the tracks to another housing development for railroad employees.

Finally, the run passes a large slum colony and spits out between two embassies. Then it's a short distance to school and the run is done.

I was happy that all of the doors were open today. The Back Door 5 Miler is a great run to have in the cadre of training runs and a great one for visitors! Why not come visit in Delhi and let me show you something?

This run belongs to Kathryn! Your generosity is truly humbling. Thank you so much.

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 - 4.92 miles
Time - 38:23
Soundtrack - Nirvana, Incesticide and Jane's Addiction, Ritual de lo Habitual (90s Alt!)

For Heather and Skweebs!

I'm over 10% of the way to my stretch goal! I know that $7000 is a tall order, but I really want to provide an enduring campship in the Memory of my dear friend Ty Taylor. He loved YMCA Camp Miller and providing the opportunity for a needy camper to experience it via a scholarship in his name would be amazing.

If you haven't donated yet, please do. Follow this link to donate. And here's a crazy thought. If each person that has donated was able to convince one of their friends to donate just $10, it would be another $110. See if you can convince someone today!

Today's run is for Heather and Skweebs! They both stepped up yesterday with donations, so I was extra motivated to get out of bed at 5:40am to go for my five mile run. This was especially helpful, due to the fact that the boy child was up at 4:25 and didn't go back to sleep.

The route today was a five miler that I've only ever run one other time. The last time was May 6 of last year. It's a good route, with a fantastic "India contrast" aspect. The run starts at school in the Diplomatic Enclave of New Delhi - wide streets, lots of trees, and very few people on the streets at 6am. I decided to take some photos today, since Heather is one of the most prolific photo sharers I know! This first shot was taken from the pedestrian bridge that separates the embassy area and its private golf course from the neighborhood of Moti Bagh. You can see that the construction of an expansion of the Delhi Metro is in full swing on this route.

The next picture is something that I've noticed on my past trips over the walkway, or as they call them here, "Pedestrian Overbridge." I love the texture from all of the old, peeling notices.

As I wrote last time, the shift from the Diplomatic Enclave to Moti Bagh is crazy. Immediately upon turning into the neighborhood, the streets narrow, the trees disappear and the buildings triple in height. There were people everywhere getting ready for their day. The run progresses past shops, guys washing cars, washing themselves, sweeping yesterday's trash, preparing today's tea and greeting the day, each in their own ways. Some were on their way to the Gurudwara to worship, some were reciting mantras to the sun as it poked over the trees and others were poking their heads from their beds in their market stalls. These are the reasons that I simply cannot run in the park everyday. There's way too much to see.

The last time I ran this route, I missed the turn to re-cross the Ring Road. Today, I did the same thing. The difference, though was the Metro construction. The ubiquitous blue metal walls that simultaneously close off the city as they strive to open it up were everywhere. I couldn't find a way out! Dead ends turned into dead ends. I backtracked, re-strategized and hit more dead ends. Finally, as it always seems to do here in India, an opportunity presented itself.

A chained gate with just enough squeeze space to make it out to the road! You can see the lock just under the leaves, the sun coming up over the trees and the pedestrian overbridge! The only sticking point was the guard that wouldn't let me over the bridge. He pointed in the direction from which I had come and I was resigned to find another way across. Not too soon, I came upon what I thought was the first bridge from the beginning of the run. Once I was up and crossing, I realized that it wasn't the first bridge but it was, in fact, the bridge I wanted. A quick cross, ducks and dodges of parents taking their kids to school and I was back on my way home. All told, the wrong turns, dead ends and backtracks only added about .64 miles.

The final piece of the run is familiar territory and as I passed this water tower, I decided to stop and take a final pic for the day. It's always struck me as interesting and I've often thought about taking a photo, but haven't. So today, for Heather and Skweebs, I did.

This run belongs to Heather and Skweebs!

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 - 5.64 miles
Time - 45:07
Soundtrack - Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs - Fever to Tell, White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan

This is what the run is supposed to look like, underneath you can see how I messed up the Ring Road crossing.

For Rachel!

As you know, this year I'm dedicating my training time and efforts into a fundraising campaign to create an enduring campship in honor of my late friend, Ty Taylor. He was a big influence in my life and a huge lover of the camp where I grew up, YMCA Camp Miller in Sturgeon Lake, MN.

Last year, I raised money for an organization called Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. NILMDTS is an incredible group of professional photographers who volunteer their time to come to hospitals and do family photos with children that have passed away or that will soon.

Last year, I wrote about Rachel Elkind, the photographer who came to shoot our family the day before our son Ellis passed away. Little did I know then that we would eventually become friends or that Rachel would come and visit us in India, but that's exactly what happened. In December, after months of planning she came to experience India and we were happy to host her in our home. Wednesday's run was dedicated to her. Thanks for the donation, friend!

My plan for Rachel's run involved a few things that I thought she'd like. First, I chose a route that Rachel and I ran together when she was visiting. Rachel is the type of person who seizes opportunity and appreciates the beauty and variety of everything around her. The 2 Temples run offered a chance to see some interesting sites and daily life in the capital city, so I took Rachel for a tour on that run. The Shiv Mandir is a temple that I've previously described as the "Lego Temple." Now, I confess that I've been past this temple to Lord Shiva many times, and I've been tempted to check it out, but it took Rachel's free-spirited request to go inside to see what was going on.  On that particular day, we did go inside and we were welcomed warmly by the men worshipping, ringing bells and plugging in this electric drum.

So it was with fond memories of that day, that I ran past the Shiv Mandir once again. I also decided to incorporate a bit of creative exploration into this run. This route is usually a 3 miler, but I was on tap for 4, so I reconfigured the route to add a foray into the chi-chi private housing complex of the Railway Officer's Enclave. Empowered by a trip into the private Railway Workers Eco-Park Golf Course last week, I went searching for the private walk that connects the bungalows to the golf course to the housing complex. In India, a government job is a promise of much more than money. It's also often a ticket to free housing, transportation and more.

With my Google Maps homework completed, I was on the road out of the temple and in search of the trail that I knew was there. First, I snuck through an alley, behind a hospital in a trash and stray dog passage way, out the parking lot and down another alley that I thought would lead to the trail. It didn't. Instead, it led to this.

This is a typical Delhi slum, wedged between the family-friendly Railway Museum, the tracks and the wide-lawned private bungalows of India Railways bigwigs. After a peek at the people pouring across the tracks and up the hill on their way to work, I made my way back up and luckily found an open door in the previously closed gate along the path. Knowing this must be the "yellow brick road," I ran through and adopted my "I belong here" facade. I was, in fact, on a brick trail that was fenced on both sides, clearly not intended for the general public. The trail ended exactly where I thought it would, at the golf course from last week. Taking into full account the dangers of turning left into the Eco Park (see photo below), I opted for a right-hand turn.

On the right was a private pedestrian bridge to the Officer's Enclave.

I crossed the bridge into a development that would be right at home in the American suburbs and headed for home. In honor of Rachel, I took the route that showcased the duality of life here in India. On my left, private schools and embassies. On my right, another huge slum. Take some time to look at these areas on the satellite map below(change the map type in the upper right corner). The golf course should be easily recognizable, you can see a train in the image. The Officer's Enclave is above the train, neat rows of homes with red roofs. The two slums are almost right on top of each other. They are the areas with the trees. 

Rachel, I'm sure you would have enjoyed this run. There was a lot to see and even more to think about. Thanks again for your donation, it means a great deal to me.

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 - 3.94 miles
Time - 31:32
Soundtrack - More hip hop music on shuffle.

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