The Runnerd

Post-run 10k before a salad and fish dinner. Well, there were a couple drinks, and live music to make this dinner more glamorous than the average Tuesday-night dinner. But hey! At least I made healthy food choices and limited the drinks to 2. 😆

I was in two minds about going for this run last night Vs putting it off for this morning. I was tired and it was starting to get dark, but then just went ahead and put on my running shoes so I could just head out before I convinced myself to just lie on the couch and have a drink. I knew that the run would help me decompress way better than a drink. Turned out, I needed both! 😂

Managed to get another night of good sleep, so hopefully the jetlag will be behind me now. Still managed to get a few minutes late to work this morning, though! 🤷🏻‍♂️ It's crazy how time seems to sneak up on you when you feel you have enough.

Anyway, back to work for now. Looking forward to a rest day today. Hoping to catch up with some friends and colleagues for a beer.

Alright, back to work!

Ohh in case you missed my post and story from yesterday, I'm running the to support the Royal Society for Blind Children, . Please do consider donating to the cause. The link to my Fundraiser is in my bio.

Ciao!

Two 5ks, some 13k kms apart. Both the runs felt great but the travel in between, was rather painful, to say the least.

It all started on Friday night, I was to leave just before mignight for a 3:35am flight (to Austin via Frankfurt), which got delayed to 3:50. First, my -ever so reliable- driver decided to not show up or answer his phone! Luckily, I met me cousin downstairs and he very graciously offered to drop me to the airport.

I got to the airport at 1 am, managed to check in, go through the crazy lines at immigration and security, in good time. I bumped into my friend, in the security line! So we hung out over a bite and a drink, before he left to catch his 3:30 am flight.

I went to my gate around 3:15 and was told that the boarding won't start for another 30 mins. So I went and got another beer and came back at 3:45 to be told that the flight is delayed and the next update will be at 5am. 🙄

I went and killed more time, trying to stay awake. Went back at 5am and leant that the flight had been canceled! So now we all had to go back through immigration and collect our bags while the airlines rebooked us on different flights!

So we (chaotically) made our way to immigration And then collected our bags before exiting the airport. Luckily, by this time I was able to see the new flight on the app. It was a 12pm flight to Newark.

But given the fact that it was already 7am by then, and that I needed to be at the checkin counter by 9am, it didn't make any sense for me to go back home to freshen up. So I went up to the departures and waited for the checkin to open.

To make things rougher, there are no restaurants or lounges pre-security on the departure side. I managed to get a cup of tea and a chicken wrap from a kiosk and waited for the checking counter to begin. Finally went through check-in, immigration, and security all over again to board the 16.5 hr flight to Newark!

By the end of it I was just so beat that I didn't even have it in me to be mad anymore. The onward flight to Austin got delayed too! Anyway, I'm just glad I made it!

BTW, the AQI in Austin is 5! So at least my lungs are happy! 😁

Consistency demands commitment, and sometimes that commitment presents itself in the form of stubbornness.
Unrelenting, unreasonable, stubbornness.

Yesterday was one of those days, when I was stubborn as a mule, to get this run done. We were supposed to go meet our friends at the W Goa for some drinks at sunset. However, I woke up late and it was too warm to run in the afternoon. So I convinced everyone to head to the W, a little earlier, so I could run on the little beach in front of the hotel.

However, we got late heading out and ended up reaching just in time for our reservation, at 5pm. 🤦🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️
But much to my friends and family's annoyance, I still decided to go for the run. The wife was rather annoyed that I wouldn't just skip my run, since she too had to cancel her plans to go explore the Chapora Fort. But given the fact that I wouldn't be able to run for the next two days, I really didn't want to make it a 3 day break.
Hence, I was relentless in my commitment to go for the run.

I had driven there in my running gear and carried a change for after. So while everyone settled in and ordered their first round of drinks, I made my way down to the beach and started my run. I kept the pace slightly brisker than usual, to minimize the time away from everyone. Got done just before sunset. Joined the gang for a beer as we saw the sun melt into the ocean.

Once nature's grand show was over, we decided to head out for dinner. So I went and took a breezy little shower under the stars, at the roofless outdoor shower, by the pool.

We went out for more drinks after dinner, before wrapping up a rather fun and wholesome day in Goa. Can't believe this trip is already coming to an end. Not looking forward to going back to the toxic Delhi air. Ughhh!

Anyway, I really should go sleep now. Goodnight!

This one is dedicated to the 2 doctors that made this possible, my pulmonologist, Dr. Deepak Chaudhary and my fabulous wife, .

They say 'any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic', and while the treatment of a cold/flu may not seem like cutting edge tech, the fact that I was able to run (and finish!) this marathon, is nothing short of BFM (black-friggin-magic)!

Not gonna lie, running this race was HARD! But despite the misery, I was nothing but grateful to be able to do it. I felt grateful for the care that I was able to get, which also made me feel compassionate towards the millions who don't have access to good Healthcare.

So while I saw so many of my fellow Indians (including a bunch of runners and spectators at the marathon!) celebrate the inauguration of a temple, I couldn't help but notice the contrast between what was going on within me Vs the world outside. It made me wish that we, the people, demanded better air quality, clean water, proper nutrition, and better Healthcare (for all!) with as much passion and gusto, as we did a temple.

I know these aren't mutually exclusive. And I would love for us to have it ALL. But it just feels like we might have our priorities backwards.

Anyway, don't want to turn this post into a political debate, so coming back to the run.
Between the hills, humidity, air quality, and the shunted lung capacity, I went through all sorts of misery during this run. Yet, I somehow managed to enjoy it!

I had to adapt my pace to optimize for a level of discomfort that seemed bearable and sustainable.
Ended up with my slowest race ever (apart from the of course, but that was run at an altitude of 11.5k, which is a different ball game, altogether!). But timing seems insignificant for this run. I'm just thrilled to have finished!

Finish Lines >> Finish Times

It was heartwarming to see Mumbaikars of all ages come out to cheer! Senior citizens handing out fruits, kids giving hi5s, people screaming their lungs out, school kids with sign boards. 🤩 I had heard a lot about the and it lived up to every expectation. There's just no other race like it, in India.

They say 'it takes a village', to run a marathon. Turns out, sometimes it take a pharmacy, as well! 😆

Jokes aside, the last week has been a real struggle. Ever since my last long run, over a week ago, I've been dealing with pretty severe congestion and respiratory issues.

This week has reminded me of my childhood days, when I struggled with rather severe asthma. Having gotten considerably better over the years, I had forgotten how frustrating it can be. And while I don't usually like taking too many medicines, I am nothing but grateful for all the meds and my exceptional Doctor(s); Dr. Deepak Chaudhary, my plumonologist (and my in house doctor, aka my wife!).

I'm still nowhere close to feeling 💯. But even getting to the point where I could imagine going for this run, after a week long break, was a victory for me.

Went for a short and easy test/shakeout run with , yesterday. We kept the pace easy as we weaved through the infamous Mumbai traffic and crowds. However, despite the easy pace, my breathing felt rather labored. I knew that running any longer or faster wouldn't be sustainable. So I chatted with Dr. Chaudhary, shared how I was feeling and reported my