Eventful day...

I had a very interesting day today. I changed my clothes half a dozen times during the day. The first was when I changed for my run in the morning (managed to do my 6km run in some really nasty weather, it was pouring and there was water logging at certain places), second was for getting to work (I got badly drenched, had to walk, run, take multiple modes of transport to finally get to work, including lotsa wading through knee length water, third was when i got to work and changed again to catch my flight for a work trip, fourth was when I changed on the plane, getting myself ready for some tough weather, fifth was when I got back to office - substantially drenched and the sixth was when I got home late in the evening, after watching a super flick - Die Hard 4, just love the attitude of Bruce... a true cult movie (well series, could watch them over and over again) and this time I was partially drenched as the rain & water logging had subsided.

The highlight of the day was sitting on a plane for 3 hours and finding out that I had to deplane after the long wait as there was no chance in hell for it to take off. The tarmac had ankle length water at places and the visibility was almost zero, Bombay was truly submerged, Again, but it was a first for this season. Bombay is not complete without having its major roads and junctions submerged atleast once a year.

Progress report...

I have managed to run on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 6kms each. My thighs still don't feel normal, but I can manage to run without too much discomfort. Since I am doing only short runs it should not be too much strain. Am traveling again tomorrow, but will still manage a run on Sunday (not a long run but some run!!). So that will mean about 5 runs this week, which is not so bad. Some more traveling coming next week as well, but will still try and do my 5 runs during next week, a good long run on next Sunday is a must.

Shivaji Park, pre and post morning showers

These were pictures clicked on my Camphone at Shivaji Park, at 9am in the morning on June 24, 2007 after my run.




The above two pictures were clicked around 10.30am at the same place. A clear demonstration of the excellent drainage system at the grounds. I guess its more natural than a man made drainage system.

Monsoon fury in Bombay on June 24, 2007

Bunch of people camping on National highway. They were preparing a quick snack & having a blast early in the morning, next to their Bus.







Monsoon fury, tens of trees had fallen all over BOmbay thanks to the gail force winds & continuous rains. This is the picture of a tree at King Circle.

Man made and natural streaks in the sky

Jet in the sky..... leaving a trail




Sun piercing through the clouds...

Cologne pictures..

This is the most popular monument at Cologne, close to the main train station of this exhibition city. Found it on the memory card of the phone, don't think I have posted it earlier.

Back in action...

I could not ask for anything better today. I had one of my best runs of the year, it was raining hard all through, the breeze (actually strong winds) were also accompanying me all through and the rhythm was sublime. It was so good that I had a problem terminating my run (which i extended beyond the pre decided limit of 10km) of 12kms, I only wish I was not recovering from an injury, I could have easily gone on to complete 30kms+ today, it was truly very special.

Yesterday and today has been very good for me, I was feeling low all week, the sense of frustration was continuously mounting (thanks to the endless wait) and this came at just the right time.

There was water logging at most of the regular low lying areas on my route, around King circle and Dadar TT and the Shivaji park ground. I have shot a few pictures (could not click more for the fear of rain damaging the phone), esp the pre and post coffee break pictures of Shivaji Park, which tells you about the efficiency of the draining system at the ground. I was truly impressed, with the dramatic change, all in little over an hour (even though it was still continuously raining, though it had subsided considerably).

Things seem to be getting back to normal, now the final test will be tomorrow. I hope my legs feel normal and that will confirm that my recovery has been complete. Injuries can be very unpredictable, and the last thing I want to do it to take the recovery for granted. So now its going to be regular, consistent and substantial leg strengthening exercises for me.

Comeback run...

As planned I did try and run for a km on my way back from work (thanks to the massive traffic jam). I followed it up with another run late evening, as it was something that I could not afford to miss. Not only would it give me some idea about my ability to go for a run tomorrow morning, but also give me an opportunity to run in the rain, first time this year.

I decided to make the most of it. I did about 3km, followed by nice and enjoyable coffee break in the rain and another 3km return run. It was pouring today, but I was determined to go for my run and it all turned out better than anything that I could have hoped for.

Although my legs did not feel too good at the start, thing were not so bad once I started running. This is a normal feature whenever one is returning from a injury. Your mind still feels the imaginary injury and as the muscles do not feel normal, but there is actually a thin line between the ghost injury (post recovery) and the injury not having healed completely. You just have to follow your instincts and determine if its the former or latter. God forbid if its the latter, you are sure to be down and out for a long time...

Eagerly looking forward to tomorrow morning, hoping for some good luck. I badly need to get back to running, as I have already lost a lot of time and can't afford to lose any more. I will be careful and will not push myself too much tomorrow, even if things are good. I hope to do more regular runs to start off, instead of longer runs.

Another week comes to an end...

Its been another week of rest. My last Sunday attempt at restarting was not successful, but am hopeful of a better performance this Sunday. My legs seem alright while I am walking and doing regular day to day activities, but the real test will be when I put them through a light short jog during the day today. So, till then the wait continues... Just waiting to bounce back.

more challenges ahead...

When I thought things could not get any worse, but that was before I suffered some bad food poisoning. I had a miserable Sunday evening and am now just about recovering from the weakness caused due to it.

Guess that will ensure rest for another week, my legs don't seem anywhere close to normal till now. I think its going to be my toughest marathon in July, in more ways than one. The good thing is I don't really have to worry about the finish time, I just have to complete it, which should not be too difficult.

So will try and enjoy my forced break, I seem to have so much time in the mornings these days, plus the extra one hour of sleep is sheer luxury.

I will continue to work on my legs, to try and keep them in decent shape, ready for a run as soon as my thighs start behaving properly.

waiting, waiting....

Patience is not my biggest virtue. And 'waiting' for me is turning out to be more difficult than preparing a marathon. I have completed my anti-inflammatory medicine course, and have a feeling that its has some positive impact on my injury. I think had some muscle tissue damaged on my upper thigh, due to continuous punishment of road running, without supplementing it with adequate leg strengthening exercises. Guess its a wakeup call.

Tried to go for a run in the morning, ran for about a kilometer, but my legs were not feeling good, so walked for another 4km and then called it a day. Am now doing some exercises and will give it another shot tomorrow or day after. The only thing I want now is to get back to running again and get on with my preparation for the Leh marathon.

Down with a injury...

The thigh strain seems to have turned out to be more serious than I thought. I took rest on the first three days of the week, but the strain showed no sign of recovery, actually it was getting worse. I decided it was time to get a doctor to help me out and take the help of anti-biotics (anti-inflammatory medication for muscle tissue damage). The doctor has now put me on a three day course and things are already improving. I will have to restart my running gradually and supplement it with some good muscle strengthening exercises. Can't afford to take any more chances, the GTM marathon is just one month away.

I have not been running all week, might actually go for a short run on Sunday as the recovery seems to be good, but need to take it easy. Its been raining quite regularly for the past 2 days and am looking forward to my first rain run really soon.

Third one done...

I had a good 16km odd run today, did it in a little under 1hr50min. This also included a 1km walk after the 10.5km mark, the humidity was killing. It rained two hours before my run and one hour after my run. But overall was very satisfying, managed to do about 35km or so over the last three days, all this with a set of stiff thighs! Not bad at all.

Am still working on my thighs, hope they get sorted out by the end of the week, will try everything under the sun to get them back to normal. Need it to fall in place, to ensure that I can step up my preparation for the July marathon.

I also picked up a new pair of shoes. This is the first time that I have picked up the same shoe for the second time, Adidas Nova just seems to work for me. Its is also one of the few shoes that does not cause a shoe bite. Have recommended it to a couple of friends, and they seem quite happy with it.

Two good runs, one more to go..

I did 7.5km on Friday and 12km today, in 44mins and 1hr 12mins respectively. I hope to top it off with a good run on Sunday, hopefully well above 12km this time. I seem to be in good shape and things seem to going fine, except for a persistent stiffness in both my thighs. This never used to happen earlier, it was always the chins or calves which used to trouble me. But for the last few weeks they have been behaving very well, but my thighs are not feeling normal. I am still able to run whatever distance is required, though the start is a little difficult and after the run, I don't feel very comfortable walking.

I think I badly need to do some overall leg strengthening exercises (in addition to stretching - the only thing I normally ). Guess its high time I took it up.... Will update regularly on how consistently I am have been able to do it.

Its been a good start to the week. Managed to run 6kms each on Monday and Tuesday as planned and did them in good time as well. It is currently extremely humid (at 95% humidity with a clear sky) in Bombay which makes running longer distances extremely difficult. I plan to take a break for the next two day and get back to running on Friday. I hope to use my Saturday well, as its an off day, might actually run twice that day or do a run and a swim that day.

The GTM travel schedule has also moved forward. I will be reaching Delhi in the evening on July 11 and will immediately take a bus to Manali. I hope to reach Manali by July 12 late morning, if that happens to be by 11am, I will take the Bus to Leh on that day itself. If not, I will either take a Taxi to Leh or take the Bus on the next day. The lodging in Leh also seems to be falling in place, hoping for a good deal on the same. My return is now completely in place, I have got my tickets for Leh - Delhi and Delhi Bombay. Hope to be in back in Bombay by noon on Sunday, July 22, 2007.

latest update on GTM

I have moved one step ahead on my Leh marathon trip. I have got some great airfares on my Mumbai - Delhi - Mumbai trip, so now I have two modes of transport in place for the trip. My Delhi - Manali - Leh trip road bookings are not in place, and don't plan to do anything about it for now. Might actually go without advance bookings for them. The return flight from Leh - Delhi also seems to be in place. So the only major hurdle left now is the lodging arrangement at Leh. Hope to wrap this up my next week, if everything goes well.

Now I just need to step up my marathon preparations, I have about 45days to get ready for the big run.

Started at a comfortable hour today, as I was trying to recover on lost sleep hours. Did not want to push as this was my first run after Tuesday. It was very humid in the morning today, which is not surprising as its raining in the evening.

The break was good, as I was able to recover fully from the flu like symptoms. Not sure if it was actually flu but did suffer from throat and bodyache for a couple of days. I did a good 11km run today in about 1hr 5minutes. Hope to follow it up with another run tomorrow. Next week is going to be hectic again, but I should be able to find time to put in my 4 weekday runs, plus hope to fully use the Saturday holiday.