Thursday, June 16, 2016

For Steadmans! - The Qutub 16 Miler

This run is dedicated to the Steadman family. Thanks for helping to build a base that will eventually provide a campship to a needy camper at YMCA Camp Miller in memory of Ty Taylor. Anyone else can get a dedicated run by donating here - http://www.ymcacampmiller.org/donate/ty-taylor-campship-endowment/

We had a three day weekend the last weekend of April and I was all set to run the Qutub Sixteen Miler on Friday with the faithful crew. However, the 5am wakeup call was accompanied by a round robin of cancellations. The AQI had taken a strange upsurge for April and nobody (including me) wanted to run in the terrible air.

Dejected and disappointed, I went back to bed. I moped around all day, cursing the various reasons why Delhi has the worst air in the world. The next morning, I woke up, checked the air and saw that it hadn't improved. Determined to boost my bad mood, I pulled my mask out of storage and set out on my own to conquer this long training run.

The Qutub route is a fun one. It heads out of Chanakyapuri, into Vasant Vihar and heads uphill (in Delhi!) to Sanjay Van. Sanjay Van is a continuation of the Delhi Ridge forest, and for better or worse, it has been carefully landscaped and manicured with wonderful running/walking trails. Sanjay Van is also the home of Qila Lal Kot, which is the historic "third city of Delhi." Over the course of the last 5000 years, it's said that Delhi and its boundaries have been the site of seven distinct and different cities.  Qila Lal Kot is now in ruins, but scrambling to the top of its rubble allows for amazing views of the forest and the surrounding city. It's also a cool place to watch planes coming in to Indira Ghandi International Airport.

Coming off the road in Sanjay Van is amazing. Everything is instantly quiet and relaxed. Almost idyllic. People are walking, running and playing in the park. There's a pond!


I ran in the park for a while, checking out the views and even a Sufi Tomb. They say Sanvay Van is haunted due to the high number of these tombs and its proximity to the Mehrauli ruins. 


The focal point of the Mehrauli ruins, the Qutub Minar was the destination for this run, so I eventually ran out of the park and posed for a selfie in front of the Qutub to send to Kate to let her know that I was okay. It was hot - almost 80 degrees and the air was bad.


After a photo shoot with the Qutub in the background, I headed home. It was a long tiring run, but it left me feeling very accomplished and glad that I had headed out despite the odds.

RUN STATS
Distance: 15.65 miles
Duration: 2:03:44
Soundtrack: Shuffle of the songs on my phone



Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Delinquent!

So, I've been pretty bad about posting in May. There have been donations, so I fully intend on honoring my promise to the Guyers, the Anonymous Family, the Steadmans and the Gregors.

I plan on writing up the following runs:

The Qutub 16 Miler
The British History Half Marathon
The Tughlaqabad 20 Miler
The NDMC Boundary Run

I also hope to write up my Netherlands runs and some Minnesota training runs.

And...Saturday is the big day! Grandma's marathon.

Saturday, April 23, 2016

For Michael! - Naked Guys, Car Crashes, Snakes and Wrong Turns

This run is for Michael! At a random discussion before work, my fundraising came up and he humbly reached into his wallet and donated without hesistating! Thanks a lot, I appreciate it. The Campship fund in memory of Ty Taylor is growing every day. Donate here - http://www.ymcacampmiller.org/donate/ty-taylor-campship-endowment/

The idea behind this run (and most of my runs, frankly), came from the desire to see a new part of town. I'm sure that idea would resonate with Michael, he's seen more of this city than I ever will.

We started out on familiar roads, headed toward India Gate. On the approach, we crossed a group of men walking down the sidewalk, escorting two completely naked men. It was likely that they were Digambara Jains, or possibly Naga sadhus. Each group focuses on attainment of their religious goals through asceticism taken to the extreme. No possessions means no clothes. 

I'm not quite sure what to make of what happened next. As we were crossing the street, an autorickshaw stopped to let us cross in front of him. While that in itself should have been the surprising thing (it never happens), it was what happened next which really shook me. As soon as the auto stopped, the car behind it smacked into it. After establishing that the drivers were okay and the damage was minimal, we continued on our way. Days of processing have left me at a point of confusion about systems thinking. I know we often present quite a sight in the streets of Delhi. While stark naked men may be passé, a group of foreigners running on sidewalks, streets, railroad tracks, etc., isn't. I had never considered us as potentially dangerous, I had only thought of us being in danger from cars, dogs, and worse.

And then, we saw this.


A man, asleep (we hope) on his motorcycle, parked in the middle of a four-lane highway. The traffic moved effortless around him. Thanks go to Adam for capturing the photo.




The goal of the day was to complete a long run (14 miles), visit Indraprastha Park, and see some new things. Less than five miles into the run and one of those goals had been accomplished in spades. The second goal was just around the corner. Running to Indraprastha Park is not ideal. You get there on busy roads. It's alongside the Ring Road, not far from the Yamuna. Without understanding exactly where in the city I was, I've seen the park from buses and cars several times but the green space it occupies on the map is conspicuous. The focal point of the park is a large Buddhist stupa.


The Stupa was envisioned as a symbol of enduring world peace and was dedicated in 2007 by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. It contains relics donated by him, The President of Sri Lanka, the President of Mongolia and the Prime Minister of Nepal.
Running to the park was eventful. Running in the park was quite nice. It was good to get off of the pavement and the park itself is quite big. But running out of the park...


The difficulties of the park's location became apparent as soon as we tried to get out. Like many parks in the city, there are few entrances/exits. We ran to the end of the park, met a wall and tried to shortcut out through a nursery. When no exit was in site, we turned around and Emma jumped into the air screaming. It was a snake. Add it to the list of things that could kill us on a run. NOTE: I'm just going ahead and assume it was a cobra. It couldn't possibly have been anything else.

The next section of the run was what I had feared it would be - along the edge of the Ring Road. It wasn't too long before we turned away from Delhi's most traffic-ridden artery. We did it at the Nizamuddin Railroad Station. At one point, I had dreams of crossing through the station over the pedestrian bridge, but after an a day of pushing the limits of my friends' trust, I decided not to. We quickly got lost, jumped a wall, turned around and found our way through the warren of alleyways in the railroad adjacent neighborhood. At one point, someone said that it was more intense that last weekend's Old Delhi run. They might have been right. An underground tunnel, a parade of rickshaws, the entrance to the station, hundreds of school kids, and then - Silence. Within 100 feet, we had gone from absolute craziness to complete serenity.

We had also lost almost of the group. Well, not lost, exactly. Much of the group that day isn't training for a big race like me, so they took off after 5, 7 or 10 miles. At the end, two of were left to run the remaining four miles home. It was hot, it was exhausting, it was a great accomplishment at the end of the route.

What a run!

RUN STATS
Distance: 14.43 miles
Duration: 2:12:08
Soundtrack: A collection of Prince albums, of course. RIP.



Wednesday, April 20, 2016

For Lynnea! - Lodi Garden

Lynnea is an old friend from Camp Miller. She was also close friends of Ty and she understands why raising the money for a recurring campship in his name is so important. If you want to see some crazy photos of her from back in our camp days, check out the Camp Miller Facebook Page. If you want to offer the opportunities that camp gave us to a lucky camper in the future, donate here - http://www.ymcacampmiller.org/donate/ty-taylor-campship-endowment/.  Thanks!

Lynnea's dedicated run is a 6.5 mile loop that is terrain well-trod for our running group. We left this morning at 5:10am and headed out for Lodi Garden. I've written about Lodi runs a few times in the past - read about them here and here. In a great coincidence, another Lodi run was dedicated to Julie, another former Miller counselor.

SIDE NOTE: The group that ran this morning is most of my core support group. Of the five us that went running, these are the ones that are almost always up at 5am, ready to run. Of the five of us that went running this morning, four will come across the finish line in Canal Park this June. And that's something that I'm really excited about. This summer, four of my Delhi friends are coming to stay at our summer house for the race! 3 of them will do the Bjorklund and 1 will do Grandma's with me. I love it when my world's overlap. Hosting this group at the house, going for a pontoon cruise, playing some bags or horseshoes, hanging out in Murphy's on the Lake is something that I can't wait to share. I'm proud of my little piece of America and I love these people, so I'm expecting a good time. For Saturday night. Friday night we have to be responsible. Spaghetti and water!

I have to say, I'd love to host a Camp reunion at the house too. What say you Miller alum?

Back to the run.

I took the opportunity to use today's run as a pace training run for the marathon. Luckily, my friends were up for it. We picked up our pace a bit and cruised out of school. We were to the park before we knew it. It's hot already and we noticed. On the way, we passed Safdarjung's Tomb.

We can't see this view, but here's a shot a took several years ago.
The park was cooler, the temps always drop in the shadows of the lush, leafy trees, and we were grateful. I had one of those moments in today's run where you look around and even though you've been there a million times, everything seems different. A slight change in light, or visiting at a different time of day and the path seems different. Strange.

Wikipedia reports that Lodi Garden houses buildings and tombs from the 15th century. In those times, small villages surrounded the tombs, but the villages were relocated in the 1930s in order to allow Lady Willingdon the opportunity to landscape the entire area into a park. After independence, the Park was renamed Lodi Garden in honor of the original architects of the monuments. Speaking of architects, Joseph Stein, the architect that designed buildings at our school, re-landscaped the park in the 1970s and included a greenhouse.

That greenhouse is the first thing we see on our loop of the park.


As we continue clockwise, we can just spy a glimpse of the Shisha Gumbad, which was originally covered in shiny blue tiles. You can just make them out in this photo I took in 2011 (to the left).

Below is a shot from inside the walls of the park's namesake, Sikander Lodi. It's a popular spot for family photos, including some of mine!



The next landmark on the route is the Athpula or "8 Piered Bridge." It was the last of the Mughal structures constructed in Delhi. We often run across it, not wondering why there is a bridge in the middle of a park, seemingly going over a lake. A guest of the eighth grade a few years ago that came to talk to the students about water explained to us that at one point in history, there was a waterway that connected Lodi's tomb to the Yamuna river which is at least 3-4 miles away.


The loop off of the bridge brings us around toward the main entrance of the park where the Bada Gumbad and attached mosque dominate the scenery. There are always large groups of people in the grassy lawns surrounding the Bara Gumbad and this morning was no exception. Lodi is a magnet for the city's early risers.


The final leg of the loop passes the last tomb in the park, that of Mohammed Shah, built in 1444. This is the first time that I've done any research on the buildings in the Garden. I've been too many times to count, but seeing that date gives me a new appreciation for our running route. Also, the morning light at Shah's tomb is always great. The photo of Mohammed Shah's tomb below is from a group run in August of 2015.



After that, it's back to the glasshouse and out of the park. Then we zipped home.

RUN STATS
Distance: 6.54 miles
Duration: 57:04





Saturday, April 16, 2016

For Dr. A! - The Old Delhi Half Marathon

Dr. A came in with a very generous donation that showed up in my records after a plea that would get this run in the books! Thanks for urging me write up my travels around my Delhi. But the thanks is truly for helping to establish an on-going campship that will award a scholarship to needy children in the name of my friend, Ty Taylor. Everyone else can donate and get a dedicated run just by clicking on this link - http://www.ymcacampmiller.org/donate/ty-taylor-campship-endowment/

By the way, Dr. A is no stranger to travel writing. Check out her work for the Washington Post here.


Saturday's run marked the third or fourth installment (April 2014) of the Old Delhi Half Marathon. There's nothing official about this run, it just happens to be 13 or 14 miles round trip. There's certainly no rigamarole or pomp associated with it. Not like the upcoming British History Half Marathon. There are no bibs, no note cards. The attraction and the allure of the run is its destination.

Old Delhi calls to us. We spend our days in leafy Chanakyapuri, where the streets are wide, the cows are few and as they say in our CPR classes, the scene is safe. Old Delhi is none of those things. It's crowded, chaotic and cacophonous. It's a little dangerous.

But more that any of those things, it's interesting. Old Delhi is real. It pulses and breathes with all of its inhabitants and it wraps you up.

Like last week, the run drew a crowd. 12 wonderful friends showed up early on a Saturday morning to head to Old Delhi. Getting there was largely uneventful. We took it easy. The air wasn't great, the heat was already getting up there and we had a large spread of runners. (Confession-these are my favorite runs). Everyone comes out, we run along at a nice pace, we chat and we enjoy the scenery. At least, the scenery that can be seen. Delhi Gate was shrouded in the Delhi pollution, and from our position high on the Raj Path, we could just make out the outline. Undaunted, we continued on.

And that's when I saw it. My second most favorite font on a building in Delhi. And it was just around the corner from my first! The All India Fine Arts & Crafts Society building has an absolutely incredible Art Deco font. The letters are so tall and skinny!

Taken from the AIFACS website. I'll take a better shot someday.
My favorite. The subtlety in the U! Oh dear.
After that occupied my time for a few minutes, we arrived in grand style to the Heart of New Delhi - Connaught Place. Our entry into the inner circle was heralded by too many street dogs to count. And they were angry. At what, exactly, was unclear. Each other? Us? The apparent lack of commitment and dedication to the revitalization of the "largest financial, commercial and business centres" in the city?

We left the dogs to their platitudes and continued on. From CP, the run gets "interesting." As Laura and I were running alongside speeding, deafening traffic on Minto Road, I leaned over and yelled, "This is nice. Relaxing." The population density seemed to double or triple as we crossed the border of the two Delhis. Looking up, I saw three hornbills in flight. I tried to attract the others runners attention, but I think they just assumed my muffled yells were related to me getting run over by an autorickshaw or falling in a hole. At least I saw them. Or was it a diesel-injected dream?

And then we were there. The literal edge of Old Delhi. All twelve of us stopped for a group photo in front of the Turkman Gate, one of the five remaining entrance/exits to the walled city of Shahjahanabad, the seventh incarnation of the city of Delhi.

After the photo (and a breather), I immediately took the group on  a wrong turn. It was wrong for two reasons. Number 1: We were going the wrong way. Number 2: We ran past a smushed cat that was suffering far worse intestinal problems than Adam. Back on track, we headed into the fray of Sitaram Bazaar. We were dodging bikes, motorcycles, bicycle rickshaws, cows. You name it, we saw it. Old Delhi was positively buzzing with excitement at 7 in the morning on a Saturday and it was a workout just avoiding running into everything. At one point, it was suggested to me that I not bump into the cart in front of me. Why? Because of the legs (goat?) sticking out the back under the tarp were dangerously close.

From the Sitaram Bazaar, the route turns to the heart of Old Delhi at the Chawri Bazaar Metro Station. Many years ago, Kate and I ventured into the warrens of lanes and "go-downs" to have our wedding invitations printed. Years before that I was hopelessly enamored and agog at the smells, sight, ,and sounds of car horns honking, especially when I realized there were no cars on the street. I was passing a row of shops SELLING car horns and advertising by letting their product blast out its message.

And then, Jama Masjid.


Jama Masjid is one of the largest mosques in India and was built in the 17th century by Shah Jahan, the namesake of the seventh city of Delhi and the builder of the Taj Mahal. It's the center of all activity in Old Delhi and we journeyed around its exterior before we split off into the group that would run back and the group that would autorickshaw back in style.

The next stretch of old Delhi was more dodging and more gawking. But not too much gawking, as full attention was needed to ensure uprightedness! Today there were no goat heads, but plenty of buckets of brains. And livers. The last sight in Old Delhi this morning was a man walking out with a carcass. Over his shoulder. Fully carved. No wrapping.

We exited back at the Turkman Gate and headed home. It was a long (basically) straight trip home with not too much excitement. Which I suppose was good. We needed some time to decompress and unpack the images that will surely be enduring images of our time here in the Heart of India.

RUN STATS
Distance: 14.11 miles
Duration: 2:10:01
Soundtrack: Modest Mouse


Saturday, April 9, 2016

For Lori! - The Kessel Run

This run was for Lori. Thanks for the donation, your kindness is going to help kids that wouldn't get the chance go to YMCA Camp Miller. Better still, they will go in memorial of Ty Taylor, a great friend that left us too soon. If anyone else would like to donate, please click here - http://www.ymcacampmiller.org/donate/ty-taylor-campship-endowment/

"Fast ship? You've never heard of the Millennium Falcon? It's the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs."

Attribution by Doug Kline


Today's run was the Kessel Run. A pictographic run based on the shape of the Millennium Falcon. Created in November of 2013, run for the first time in April of 2014, the famous route made it's way back into my training plan this year.

The first time it was run, it was just Bernie and I. Today, I think 16 people started together. Some peeled off along the way, but 11 finished the 11 mile route! I'm so grateful to be a part of the AES Running Group. Having company on runs is the best!

Read the original post about the 2014 run here. Then read a post from a few days later that talks about coming across a runner that none of had met that was trying to emulate the route!

To avoid redundancy in the post, I'll mention another funny story about this route and then talk about two of the amazing coincidences that make this just about the best route EVER.

A friend sent me a screengrab from Strava with the message, "I feel like this is up your alley. It makes the world a happier place." I replied back, "I made that." It was another great moment of honor for my design runs. To know that others out there are finding my routes and doing them, is really fun to think about. Also, I won a pair of YurBuds headphones on MapMyRun in a route art contest for this run!




The fact that the roads in Delhi are perfect for drawing this route should be enough. But when you consider that the roads on this route are paired to Star Wars connections, it becomes somewhat riddled by the force. 

The first diagonal street coming out of the cockpit is called Akbar Road. Now of course, Akbar Road is named after the third Mughal emperor of Dehli, Abu'l-Fath Jalal ud-din Muhammad Akbar. Or simply, Akbar the Great. Now of course, this is a Star Wars-themed run, so the first Ackbar that comes to mind is Admiral Ackbar. You know, the Mon Calamari that was running the Battle of Endor where Lando and Nein Nunb were flying the MILLENNIUM FALCON!


Sigh.

I thought that was the only coincidence, but luckily, Tom (a true Star Wars Geek) was along for the run and reported to me that the second diagonal is named Ashoka. Of course this road is named for Ashoka Maurya, also named Ashoka the Great (what important roads!). Or is it? Ahsoka (clever respelling Star Wars, clever) is featured prominently in the Star Wars Legends cartoons as the Padawan to none other than Jedi Knight Annakin Skywalker.

Whoa.

The run itself was great, of course. With so many people out pushing their limits, it was an uplifting and positive run. The fact that my bluetooth headphones conked out on this run brings my YurBuds back into use. Another coincidence?

Thank again to the team for a great run and to Lori for donating!

RUN STATS
Distance: 11.12 miles
Duration: 1:41:04


Thursday, April 7, 2016

For the Mankers! - The Guapa Run

Another donation came in quickly from great friends and strong members of the AES running community - the Mankers. The future campers that will benefit from the Ty Taylor Memorial Campship thank you, as do I. More donations can be made at this link. Thanks in advance.

For this dedicated training run, I decided to run the route that Bernie and Laura have run more than any other - the four mile route that one or the other of them run several times a week with their dog, Guapa. I'll try not to gush on Bernie and Laura too much, but they have been big supporters of my running and have probably logged more miles with me than anyone else. Read any of my past posts and the likelihood is high that one of them was there with me. Here's one post I wrote about my bromance with Bernie as an example of my gushiness.

Just like the previous dedication, I wasn't sure what I'd write about as I took off, so I just opened my eyes and waited to see what would happen to me on this run. Living in India is a lot like living in the book To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street, by Dr. Seuss. Except, the crazy things that Marco would see here are actually here and not in his mind. Almost as an answer to my dare, it wasn't long before I saw my first cool thing. It was the President's Bodyguard. As Wikipedia reports, the President's Bodyguard is an Indian Army calvary regiment. Today they are still an active regiment, tasked with the job of protecting the President of India. In addition to those duties, the mounted horseback troops are a prominent part of ceremonies in New Delhi and elsewhere.

They are based within the Rashtrapati Bahvan, or the Presidential Palace. As it occupies a sizable piece of the real estate in our part of town, we often have to run around its walls. It's not uncommon to come across the troops as they exercise the horses.

I didn't take a picture that morning, but I have in the past. It also got me thinking of the crazy animals we've come across on our runs in Delhi. Here is a sampling for you to enjoy.



The rest of the route was sadly, predictable. No crazy gutter dog on Safdarjung Road, no elephants at the Ashok and no camels. What about you readers? What's the craziest thing you've ever been surprised by on a run?

RUN STATS
Distance: 4:16 miles
Duration: 31:12



Tuesday, April 5, 2016

For the Whites! - The Scott White 5 Miler, Of Course

Today's run is for the Whites. They've been great running buddies for a long time and I'm proud that they are helping me raise money to build the Ty Taylor Memorial Campship at YMCA Camp Miller. If you can help too, please click on the link and donate! You'll get a dedicated run write up on this blog along with my deepest thanks.

I was hoping that Scott would join me on this run, but the arrival of old friends to Delhi made my early morning wake up difficult and his nearly impossible.

The decision of a route was easy. The Scott White 5 Miler was an obvious choice. You can read all about the intricate naming process of this run here.

I decided to focus on Scott and the things I love about him as I ran. Here are some musings:
  1. Scott is coming to Minnesota this summer to join me for the race! He'll be running the Bjorkund and staying at the house for the post-race celebration. Yay!
  2. Scott loves to say things about how tough the runs we do are, but he always does them. He has become an absolutely tough runner!
  3. He doesn't love street dogs.
  4. He's a great friend, colleague and dad.
As I opened the door, I realized that it's going to be one of those years. There was almost no temperature difference from inside the house and outside. It was 81 degrees at 5am. I turned on my music to the playlist that I made for Sunday's half marathon and when I hit the road, the song "Dog Days are Over" by Florence and the Machine was playing. Smiling, I was reminded of Scott's dislike for street dogs and decided I would count the dogs I encountered on the run. Almost right away, there were three or four. 

The day's second focus became clear as I heard the announcement of my overall pace and the split for mile 2. My pace was a respectable 8:10. The second mile split was 8:11. On the heels of my too fast start on the half, or just about any race for that matter, I was determined to focus on paying as much attention to my pace as possible. I was going to try to hold my pace for the entirety of the run. 

After another four or five street dogs on my counter, I received split 3. It was 8:15. I was off the pace by only five seconds. Trying my best to simultaneously pay 100% attention to my legs, while also ignoring it in an effort to not over-think it, mile four had slipped past me. The over-thinking had caused me to speed up to an 8:00 mile. Aghast with my 15 second discrepancy, I carried on. The funny thing about that mile though, was that I could tell I was running slightly faster. The fifth and final full mile clocked in at 8:18. In an effort to balance my pace and offset the 8:00 minute mile, I ran my slowest mile of the morning.

For the final half mile of the so-called 5 Miler, I decided to replicate Scott's most famous move - The Scott Sprint. He claims he doesn't do it on purpose, but as he's complaining about the pace or the distance (while being fully able to do it, mind you), Scott ALWAYS speeds up for the final stretch home. This is almost always unpopular with those of us that are running with him.

It was also during this last half mile that I realized had counted 12 street dogs. As I was wondering if the unlucky 13th dog was lurking in a bush waiting to attack me, the song "Get Lucky" by Daft Punk came on. I knew I'd be safe.


Thanks for the donation Scott and Melissa! More importantly, thanks for being great friends and dedicated running buddies. You make my training much more bearable. 


RUN STATS
Distance: 5.49 miles
Duration: 44:22
Temperature: 81 degrees at 5:13 am
Soundtrack: An absolutely serendipitous playlist!



Sunday, April 3, 2016

For the Rosenfields! - Amity Gurgaon Half Marathon

The Rosenfields know how important it is to give. Their (very) generous gift is going to help kids with financial struggles get to YMCA Camp Miller, where they will form lasting memories of life in the outdoors. Thanks guys! I'm so lucky to have friends like you! If others want to help, please donate here - http://www.ymcacampmiller.org/donate/ty-taylor-campship-endowment/ You'll get a dedicated run, just like Jonah, Kristen and the boys!

The Rosenfields not only get a detailed description of my first race in a while, but they also get a grumpy open letter to the organizers of the Amity Gurgaon Half Marathon! Buckle up everyone.



Dear Amity Gurgaon Half Marathon,

Would you like the good news or the bad news?

Some people think the good news is always the best place to start. People like to hear what they did well, and it eases the pain of the bad news. On the other hand, some people like to hear the bad news first. It's like ripping off a band-aid. Grin and bear it, then finish with a bit of positivity.

I suppose I'll just decide for you, because I'm guessing if I offered you the chance to choose, it would take you days to respond.

The Good News: your management of Sunday's half marathon was decent during the race. There was plenty of water along the route and the volunteers managing traffic did a pretty good job.

That's about it. Are you ready for the bad news?

The Bad News: Your management pre-race and post-finish was pretty miserable. I'm not sure why, but I have some guesses. This is my seventh year running in Delhi and I've seen a considerable amount of growth in the sport since 2010. Way back in 2010, there was pretty much one name in the scene - Rahul Verghese and Running and Living. If you ran a race it was a Running and Living event or the Airtel Half. They worked hard, they proved the business model, they built a base of believers and every year, I would see more and more runners on the streets of this fine city. Our small running group was also slowly building, and we saw the change. We registered for more events with more organizers. Vinod Kaul, Coach Ravinder and others built the Run With Me Foundation. They were runners and built events from runners' perspectives. They worked through the kinks of organizing events and put on a fine show every time.

Others, well, they fell flat. Enticed by the "easy money" or fooled by the "presumed ease" of putting on an event, non-runners fail to think from runners' perspectives, or take short cuts that undermine the effectiveness of an event. Take a look at the comments from the New Delhi Marathon Facebook Page or any local bloggers takes on the event.

But this isn't about them, it's about you. As I said, the pre-race management was pretty terrible. The registration on the website was quick and easy, and I was able to use a foreign credit card, which doesn't always work here. That was nice. Put that in your good news, I guess. However, the only confirmation I received from you was a confirmation of payment. Then I waited and waited. No emails describing the event, no confirmation of registration, no details on bib pickup, start time, etc. I had to send you an email to make sure your event was real! After waiting several days, I got an email with basic bib pickup instructions. That was it. In the package was my bib, an extra-large t-shirt (I could fit three of me in it), the world's cheapest water bottle and a one-page leaflet with the route map and the start time (6:00am onwards, whatever that means).

Arriving to the venue at 5:20am on Sunday, I was (moderately) surprised to see the area still under construction. Appeals over the loud speaker to convince anyone and everyone to pick up trash were going unheeded. I approached the "Enquiry" tent to make an enquiry.

"Will there be water on the route?" I asked, as the information received in advance did not indicate anything about water, first-aid, traffic...
"Come back in 20 minutes," was the reply from Ms. Enquiry.
"But the race starts at 6:00!"
Ms. Enquiry chuckles, "The race starts at 6:30."
Me, getting a little upset. "Most races tell you when they start, so people can manage their arrival time. I don't need to be here this early."
She, "Yes you do. The race starts at 6:00."
Me, "You just said 6:30."
Mr. Enquiry, trying to help, "It's been delayed."
Me, "And water?"
They, "Yes, every 2 km."

And so, the scene was set. It was already 81 degrees at 5:20am. Waiting for an hour wasn't going to help. The organizers were predicting 10,000 runners and there was no accounting for organizing the start. Everyone crowd to the Start Line seemed to be their best thinking. When the race finally started at 6:43am, my primary thoughts were of not getting trampled and finishing as quickly as possible so I could leave.

As I said, the management during the race was fine. Lots of water in small plastic bottles (can we please look at using paper cups, Dehi?), lots of people stopping traffic, and clear signage along the way. It was hot, the air quality wasn't great and the route wasn't terribly beautiful or interesting. Not really your fault, Amity, I'll give you those ones.

From the running perspective, I started too fast. My first 6 miles were waaayyy faster than they should have been and I had to switch to a run a mile, walk a minute strategy after the turn-around (also-can we please get rid of u-turns in long races? Bo-ring!). The heat was killing me and it would have been nice to get some Gatorade from the "Energy Drink Partner". Eventually, I found it. It was in sachets at a table crowded with 5k and 10k runners. Not exactly built with the runner in mind. More like the "I'm running a bit, but will stop at this table and chill for a bit" person in mind. I decided to keep running.

It was when I finished the race that I almost lost it. No medal. No certificate. No snacks, no water. NO WATER? I just ran 13.1 miles and there was no water for runners. Your "Juice Partner" had some juice for sale. There was also a melee at the ONE station that was handing out coconut water. Three guys slowly distributing one bottle of coconut water at a time to hundreds of hot, angry, arm-waving men. Not only is that unacceptable, it's just plain dangerous. As I waited for Heidi to finish, I approached the "Certificates" Tent to get my certificate.

Me, pointing up at the sign that says certificates. "Can I get my certificate?"
Mr. Certificate, "Not until the end of the race."
Me, walking away.

Two days later and still no indication of timings, photos or certificates. People on the event Facebook page are equally dissatisfied.

Oh well, at least it fit into my training regime and wasn't something that I had been working toward for months.

Sincerely,
jason



RUN STATS
Distance: 13.85 miles (Wait, what? A half is supposed to be 13.1)
Duration: 1:49:35 (unofficial, still waiting for the "Timing Partner")
Soundtrack: Great mix that kept me going





Saturday, April 2, 2016

For Pit! - Not the Lodi Garden Run

Saturday's run is for the Pit Viper and his clan! Thanks for the donation, friend. I appreciate it quite a bit. The kiddos that will get to experience YMCA Camp Miller with a gift in the name of Ty Taylor will appreciate it too. Hopefully your generosity will inspire more donations - http://www.ymcacampmiller.org/donate/ty-taylor-campship-endowment/!

I have to confess, today's run is not the one that I want to dedicate to you. It was a nice run, with good people and I enjoyed it. I will present the run stats and apologize to Scott for leaving him behind (his fault, not mine.  Besides, he gets his run soon - stayed tuned).

ACTUAL RUN STATS
Distance: 6.68 miles
Duration: 59:35
Soundtrack: Dan Auerbach, Keep it Hid

Instead of that run to Lodi Garden, I want to dedicate my ONLY run in New Zealand to one of my favorite Kiwis!

Date: December 28, 2015
Reason: It's beautiful

This winter our family joined two other families and campervanned (is that a word?) through New Zealand. Of course, it was an amazing experience and we all had an incredible time. I was excited to be out in the fresh air was planning on running as much as possible while in NZ. As it turned out, I went for exactly ONE run in the two and a half weeks we were there. That said, it was an amazing one.

Our trip started on the North Island. We flew into Auckland, secured our Jucy vans (plus one giant camper) and headed out to Waitomo to see the glowworms. Incredible! Equally incredible? The boys' group photo for our Black Water tubing adventure.


From Waitomo, we headed to Kawhia, where we got our first New Zealand pronunciation lesson. There's an F sound in that word. No, really. Christmas in Kawhia, then off to Wellington to get to the South Island. Arlo was very excited about driving onto the ferry.


The first stop on the fabulous South Island was Kaikoura for whale watching! It was amazing. Not only did we see sperm whales, but we saw seals and a pod of almost 30 dolphins.


Without turning this post into too much of a New Zealand travelogue, our next stop was the spot for the run. I had been in NZ for a week without a single run and a hike in Abel Tasman combined with my wife's stories of the "good old days" and a multi-day walk along one of the most famous walking trails in the country forced my running shoes onto my feet. Jake joined me for a run along a small section of the famous Abel Tasman Coast Track. The views were breathtaking, and we of course stopped for a selfie. We made it as far as the Tinline Bay campsite before turning around and running back. The hills were a treat. My elevation map in Delhi never looks like that. Trail running and city running are very different. I'll leave it at that.




After Abel Tasman, we headed south along the west coast, which became my favorite part of the trip. Punakaiki and Fox Glacier were incredible - we flew in a helicopter for our anniversary! Then inland to Wanaka, then back out to the Milford Sound.


From Milford, we started our trek back to real life with stops in Queenstown, Mt. Cook and Christchurch.


Pit, thanks for the donation and good work on being from one of the best places in the world. Seriously, NZ was a trip of a lifetime. The only thing that would make it better would be downing a cold one on your deck. Let's make that happen!

RUN STATS
Distance: 5.13 miles (8.25 New Zealand Kilometers)
Duration: 43:15 (43:15 New Zealand Minutes and Seconds)

Friday, April 1, 2016

For Chico! The Markets 4 Miler

Dear Chico,

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks again for the donation, I appreciate it.

Love,
jason

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

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

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

For (Newly Retired) Uncle Joe - The Squirrel Run

When I got the email showing me that Sandy and Joe had donated to the Ty Taylor Campship fund - http://www.ymcacampmiller.org/donate/ty-taylor-campship-endowment/, and Sandy asked for a dedication to Joe's new retirement, I knew I had a run for him.

The Squirrel 5 Miler.

I figure old retired guys must spend a lot of time on the porch in their rocking chairs watching the squirrels, right? Or feeding them? Or rigging up electric perches to shock the hell out them when they try to get all of the birdseed from the feeder?

In any case, this run is for my Uncle Joe! If you'd like a dedicated run, donate to the cause and help kids go to camp in the name of a dear friend.

The run started just after 5am, with my frequent running partner, Scott. He normally prefers a different 5 miler, (The Scott W 5 Miler, his name for it, not mine) but he was willing to cooperate in the dedicated run with me. One interesting thing about Scott, is that he hates street dogs. A lot. Because, you know, rabies...It was only a short time into our run when the first ones appeared and may or may not have made a move toward him. The cursing began, primarily directed at the dogs, but also at me (under his breath).

His tolerance of my routes continued as I coaxed him onto the dark path that runs along a sewage canal storm drain (not too stinky today, btw). More dogs, more cursing, increased pace.

As we turned left to begin the squirrel's head (about 1.5 miles in), we noticed monkeys. "Monkeys on your right!" Scott yelled. I weaved left. "And on your left!" I screeched to a halt just as a steady stream of monkey urine poured out of the tree above me. I turned around fully expecting what I was about to hear. I conceded to Scott's (reasonable) insistence to skip that section. So, Uncle Joe, you get a squirrel with half a head (see below).

We stuck it out and continued to the second dark path along the same sewage canal storm drain. No dogs, but I did have to slam on the brakes again as I almost ran smack into a makeshift clothesline right at my eye-level. Whether Scott thought I was attacked by a dog, or urinated on by a monkey, I'm not sure. What is certain is that there was more cursing. And maybe some urine, but not from a monkey.

The rest of the run was uneventful. I'm hoping my Crip Road runs will be less exciting when I get back to the lake this summer to celebrate with my wonderful aunt and uncle. Thanks for the donation!

RUN STATS
Distance: 5.05 miles
Duration: 46:09
Temperature: 68 degrees at 5:58am
Soundtrack: Midnight Marauders-Tribe Called Quest (RIP Phife Dog)




Saturday, March 26, 2016

For Pat and Jack! - West Delhi 9 Miler

Thanks to the generosity of Pat and Jack, aka the in-laws, the 2016 fundraising drive has begun!

As part of my training  for Grandma's Marathon I am hoping my friends will help with donations to a fund that I helped to create after the sudden and unexpected death of a friend. Camp Miller Duluth YMCA is working to create a yearly campship in honor of Ty Taylor, but needs more funding.

With your donation, you get a dedicated training run and the corresponding write-up on this blog. Thanks for your generosity and encouragement as I gear up to run the 40th anniversary in my 40th year of life!

Readers, follow Pat and Jack's example - Donate here - http://www.ymcacampmiller.org/donate/ty-taylor-campship-endowment/ Let me know that you've donated and I'll write up your run!

The Run: West Delhi 9 Miler
The Inspiration: A book and my "coverage map"

Today's run was inspired by a wonderful book about Delhi called Delhi: Adventures in a Megacity, by Sam Miller. In it, Miller walks a spiral through Delhi, starting at Connaught Place. He writes about the things he sees and the people he meets. In many ways, Miller and I are kindred spirits, as this is what I do when I run. I plan routes to areas that are new to me, areas that expose the best and worst of the city, the old and the new. When I first began to write this blog, Miller's book served as a bit of inspiration.

Here's a video of him talking about the book.



Chapter Nine introduced me to West Delhi, and the Pacific Mall. This location has resonated for many reasons, not the least of which was Miller's description. When the book was written in 2008, malls were not a new concept in Delhi, but they were certainly more novel than they are now. The Pacific Mall was a particular novelty due to the fact that, according to Miller, it was a symbol of the abrupt turn to conspicuous wealth of the Delhites. West Delhi is not exactly the first choice for the wealthy capital dwellers, but the fact that they were getting a mall signaled the shift.

I'm also intrigued by West Delhi, as it takes me out of the New Delhi Municipal Council Area and on to new roads. I'm on a quest to cover as much ground as I can. See my post about coverage here.

It could have been a fairly typical Delhi run, but I was joined by a new member of the AES Running Group for the run. Melissa has been in Delhi for two weeks, and was indoctrinated into my madness with a trial by fire. My warning in email said, "Could be gnarly. Could be amazing. No promises. :) It will definitely be a different route than usual." Her reply, "Duly warned." It seemed like she was up for anything, and we set out at 6am for the run.

We left school and cut through the ridge where we were able to talk about the dangers of monkeys while running in Delhi. We turned right and headed along the NH-8 where we were able to talk about the danger of being run over while running in Delhi. We turned left, made two wrong turns and talked about the dangers of getting lost while running in Delhi. At this point, I realized that I was probably monopolizing the conversation, so I asked the only question that made sense given that Melissa had turned up to run a 9 miler with no hesitation and also that we were cruising - "So you're pretty into running?" I'll paraphrase her reply. "I'm just getting back into it, but normally I run marathons in mountains and average about 60 miles a week." That put her strength into perspective for me, so I stopped worrying about whether or not she was worried about the "dangers" of running in Delhi.

So we ran. Along Patel road (a major artery), we saw temples (photo below), a tiny library in a roundabout, paperboys preparing their stacks for delivery, and people cooking and eating delicious-smelling breakfast. In an effort to avoid running over a flyover, we attempted to run under it. After crossing railroad tracks we were faced with a ten foot wall covered in barbed wire. But then I spied the stairs. They were half crumbled away and they led directly to the top of the overpass. We were forced to run down the overpass, dodging bikes, motorcycles and cars. We made it and decided to NOT run along the Najafgarh Drain, Delhi's most polluted water body. We did take the next left and eventually twisted and turned our way through the neighborhood of Rajouri Garden, with a purposeful detour on Magoo Road. Heh. Magoo. The final turn brought us to the final super busy thoroughfare, but we were able to run along access roads for most of it. The views along this road approaching the mall, brought to mind Miller's recounting of his walk under the Delhi Metro's Blue Line. Restaurants proclaiming to be Western! and a building with a Pegasus bursting out of it were highlights.

Finally, we arrived at the Pacific Mall. We took a selfie, hailed an autorickshaw and cruised back to school in style. It was a great run with great company and I saw a whole new section of Delhi that looks a lot like other sections of Delhi.



RUN STATS
Distance: 9.27 miles
Duration: 1:16:26
Temperature: About 80 degrees by the time we finished
Soundtrack: A Tribe Called Quest (RIP Phife Dog)