24 September
2013
22 September
2013
Another great turnout
Another great turnout from Chalupa running group. 20 folks showed up. Which is commendable since many participated in the Vibha race yesterday.
Hats off to the new leaders of the group – Malobika, Sudakshina and Samaresh for successfully roping Debjyoti in. Last time he showed up was over four years back!!
There is a certain Jasmine that has been threatening to show up for quite a few weeks… Ahem… đ
21 September
2013
Ill Organized Vibha run. Inadvertent best 5 mile run.
Went to run Vibha Dream Mile 5K with quite a few Sunday morning running group friends this morning. The organizers were very inept. As a result most of us in the front were sent the wrong way after completing a couple of miles. A lot of aspiring kids and regular runners wanting to put in a well-timed run were totally disappointed when they realized that they were sent the wrong way. I was really upset to see a dejected kid pull out of the run and start walking when he realized he has much longer to go.
After doing two rounds instead of one, when we all finally got to the right direction, a bunch of us asked the organizers “What happened?”. The organizers immediately threw the city under the bus citing restrictions that the city evidently put.What that has got to do with a team of volunteers – not at one turn – but at two different turns – when specifically asked for directions – guiding a whole bunch of runners in the wrong way, we could not understand. So much for grace from the organizers.
This is certainly my last Vibha Dream Mile run đ Â If I want to get lost in my running route, I can do that by myself đ If I am going to give my money and time to an ill-organized run, I would rather give it to the smaller runs where the local parents and kids organizing runs for school and church are a lot more graceful.
On the plus side, in my quest to find the 5K end line, I kept on running at 5K pace and then realized that I actually did my personal best 5 mile run at 41 mins 26 seconds đ Sometimes, I can be tricked into my best performances đ
15 September
2013
Chalupa in action
15 September
2013
Chalu-Pa cholchhe cholbey
14 September
2013
Knee How? :-)
Trying to heal my left knee, I have been alternating between the Merrel barefoot shoes and the Nike Frees. To test the knee, put in a non-stop 10 mile (16K) run in 95 minutes. 17,500 steps and 1550 calories later, the knee is holding up strong. The lungs, on the other hand, are not amused đ
After the run, made friends with a fellow runner, Karen – who is training for her half marathon. She took this picture of me taking rest after the run.
There is a Bengali word to describe my condition – “biddhhosto” đ
(The title of this blog was inspired by a terrible cross-language pun by my friend Narayan – who co-authored the Wall Street Journal crossword thus Friday)
12 September
2013
Intersection point. Revisited!
The nagging sense of a missed opportunity to smile at a kid was powerful enough that I went back to the same running route this morning. Figured I might be able to see the kid on his way to school – if that is where he was heading the previous day.
On my way forward, I did not see him.
On my way back, I went past the school again and still did not see him.
Just as I was going to turn into the road back to Starbucks, I spotted him at a distance – with his mom. This time I was determined.
Changed my route, ran towards them and then slowed down. Smiling ear to ear, I took my cap off and told the kid that the previous day he had waved at me. I felt very special and that nobody usually does that. (Completely skipped the smiling part đ ). He gave that same awesome smile and looked up to his mom.
His mom and I exchanged pleasantries (he is a kindergartner and goes to the school that I ran past). Then we fist bumped each other (I mean the kid and I – not his mom and I :-)) and proceeded on our own “lines”.
Now that is an intersection point I can live with!!!
10 September
2013
Smiling back…
One of those signature moments that makes every day such a beautiful day. Early morning during my 5 mile run on Alpharetta sidewalks, climbing up a small hill, I saw a very young kid – the boy could not have been more than four years old – holding his mom’s hand and walking along. Most likely to the Kids and Kids half a mile down the road.
As I approached them, I was trying to be mindful not to startle them from behind. The kid (who by the way, had his head clean shaven like me) heard me, looked back and his eyes were fixated on my bright neon orange shoes đ And just as I passed him, he looked up to me and gave me one of those beatific smile only blissful kids unmindful of their parents’ “Stranger Danger” advise can give. And then wrested his hand out of his mom’s clutch and waved at me.
That was a very powerful moment.
By this time, I was just passing him. I raised my hand and waved back. He could not see me – but I smiled back to him too.
For the rest of the run, I mentally kicked myself for not turning back and showing the kid that I was smiling too. I guess I did not want to be weird to the lady. Or maybe I was too much into the running and missed the enormity of the moment. Regardless, the kid deserved better from an adult.
And that was my lesson for the day – in runs, as in life, we start from different points and end at different points. The line between those points – or the speed at which we traverse the line – does not define us. What defines us are the intersection points with others’ lines. For, it is in those intersection points that life offers us the opportunities to acknowledge each other’s journey, celebrate each other’s presence and make a difference to each other’s lines.
And that journey is what it is all about.
That is why we live. That is why we run.
8 September
2013
Shots from early morning
8 September
2013
