Saturday early morning run with Lynette at Alpharetta Greenway. Followed by Starbucks and discussions on a myriad of topics – including weight loss, English authors and poets and blogging!!

An important lesson learnt – if you want to grow half an inch in height quickly, be sure to forget your running cap in your hotel when you go for a run in a wildlife refuge. While the surroundings were calm and serene and there were some of the most beautiful birds to be seen, the number of bugs dropping on my unprotected head and biting me was devastating. Half the time I was slapping my head as I ran – I suspect like you would do to a horse if you wanted it to run faster.
Although, I admit just the quietness in John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge was worth it this morning…

This morning when I woke up, the first thing I was greeted by was a message from my training routine app saying “Today is an easy 5K run”. I am all for easy stuff in life. Excitedly, I got up, packed my running bag and headed out for work. The day went swimmingly by with all sorts of meetings and phone calls. Then the clock struck 6:30. Time to take a break, I told myself.

Went to the restroom at the place where I was working and started changing into my running clothes. And that is when I realized that I had a math problem!! Rummaging thru my entire gym bag, the total number of shoes I fished out equalled to a big fat zero!! I had forgotten to pack my shoes!! Totally stunned, I started weighing my options. For a few seconds, I entertained the idea of running in running clothes but with my office socks and dress shoes on. Even the office shoes on the floor were going “Enough, dude!! We do not need any further humiliation”. So I went with the other sane option – if sane is the word I am looking for.

5K of running without any shoes on hard and hot concrete. You have no idea how painful it was to keep a smile on as cyclists and runners came by from the other side while mentally going “Ow! Ow! Ow!”.

You probably remember how disgusted my dad is that I choose to live on a dirt road, drawing water from a well and have our own septic tank. This, he takes as a personal affront, after he fought hard to pull us out of a village in India to a town to give us a better education and living. Wait till he hears about people finding me all over the streets of Alpharetta completely barefoot – just like his folks in his village still do!!

Chalupa runners showed up in bright and colorful clothes today! Since Saturday was a long run day, today was my off day. My job today was to be the official circus clown. A pink kid’s bike came in handy 🙂

…this four hour difference.
Woke up for a long run thinking it would be 4am. Turns out it was already 8 am here in Atlanta.
Forced to put a shorter 7 mile run at 9:26 pace in 93 degrees temperature, bright sunlight and high humidity.
Worse, I did not count on the park water fountains to be not working. Hence did not bring any water 🙁

With that, I can check off half the country … Have run in 25 out of the 50 states.

Instead of the Chicago area, this was in the Milwaukee area…

Could not resist the beauty of the lake. As Natasha started unpacking her luggage and setting her dorm room up, I went back to the car, quickly changed and went for a run by the lake. After the run, came back to check on Tasha who had already set her room up neatly. With nothing much to add, I bid her goodbye hoping to put in another run when I come to pick her up…