tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58618927569747273582024-03-19T17:47:28.539-05:00Concatenation of circumstancesWhat brings us here? As PG Wodehouse would put it, <i>"there was - what's the word I want, Jeeves? Something to do with circumstances. Cats enter into it, I seem to remember. Concatenation, that's right. You're a marvel, Jeeves - a concatenation of circumstances." </i>
This blog is also about running -- running for some things, running away from some others, and running into yet some others.muralihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751435931316826268noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5861892756974727358.post-10676255187458672412011-05-02T18:43:00.002-05:002011-05-03T15:03:45.590-05:00The tea party fundraiser<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Along with a few buddies, I am heading over to the Grand Canyon this weekend for a trail run. We start at the South Rim, find our way down to the Canyon floor, and up to the North Rim and back all the way. 48 miles of it. Or as much of it as fun, pleasure and camaraderie will allow. The whole thing should be a fascinating experience, visual treats along with extremes in temperature differing by 70F, and elevation changes in many thousands of feet. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu58UMjPwRdJUnLnDgnWApMHrAAki0Ci0zgnXamFyVkWpWaWyS4wVviDnodbhj0aYxOGJHPf7TnG_j9Swxup4rOeV7nC3bYJFAw6cOZDAsOEwhTpAa0SyJoVb7loC6OB8wT5kIYV9GK7U/s1600/R2R2R.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu58UMjPwRdJUnLnDgnWApMHrAAki0Ci0zgnXamFyVkWpWaWyS4wVviDnodbhj0aYxOGJHPf7TnG_j9Swxup4rOeV7nC3bYJFAw6cOZDAsOEwhTpAa0SyJoVb7loC6OB8wT5kIYV9GK7U/s320/R2R2R.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>This is a simplistic course profile here, but it looks simply beautiful. When I first saw this profile a month ago, I thought it looked like an old tea cup made of clay or of china whose handle had broken off. That simple imagery continues to be a symbol of pleasant anticipation for our trip to the Canyon. So that's what we're headed out there for - we've had all our little parties here, and now it's time for a grand old tea party at the grand old canyon.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjthdLnhYUtbaXrWd7WrObOSGpCEpeWKlvSZnsOpIxgmG77YOJNPtfAqbp4jEBro-OGo4KLsyS4vu-Q1jorqdQLLEcOj6qC3pJRSWSSZ3c4o1QlLwwYMSR3REbz2M31l3NaJc61osVS6T8/s1600/Picture+005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjthdLnhYUtbaXrWd7WrObOSGpCEpeWKlvSZnsOpIxgmG77YOJNPtfAqbp4jEBro-OGo4KLsyS4vu-Q1jorqdQLLEcOj6qC3pJRSWSSZ3c4o1QlLwwYMSR3REbz2M31l3NaJc61osVS6T8/s320/Picture+005.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo courtesy: Maneesh Pandey</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I got into running several years ago primarily to raise funds for the wonderful schools run by GSK in Rajasthan, India. That was when they had 65 children in thatched structures for classrooms. Today, they have 300 kids with great infrastructure and all of them enjoy spending time at what increasingly feels like a successful movement to restore the joy of childhood. The school's revolutionary alternative methods that attracted much opposition and criticism a few years back are now bearing some fruit - graduates excelling in public examinations, passionate buy-in from impoverished rural communities and more collaborations with mainstream schools. <br />
<br />
There's a long haul ahead still for GSK, and funding continues to lag requirements - the <a href="http://www.ashanet.org/austin/soh/team/murali-narasimhan/">Strides of Hope</a> program from Asha for Education is a critical part of fulfilling this need for several such initiatives. My Grand Canyon run and tea party and a $1000 target are all part of this program. Donations made through this fundraising page go to the Austin chapter of Asha for Education. Asha for Education is a completely volunteer-run organization, and all donations are tax exempt in the US.<br />
<br />
Thanks for sharing your time; now all you have to do is <a href="https://www.ashanet.org/donate/form.php?header_file=header.php&a=53&event_id=496&channel_id=7527">pay for your cuppa</a> by 5/15 ;)<br />
<br />
Links:<br />
<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://www.ashanet.org/donate/form.php?header_file=header.php&a=53&event_id=496&channel_id=7527">Donation page</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm">Grand Canyon National Park</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.graminshiksha.in/">Gramin Shiksha Kendra</a> (GSK)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.ashanet.org/austin/">Austin chapter of Asha for Education</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.ashanet.org/austin/soh/">Strides of Hope program</a></li>
</ol></div>muralihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751435931316826268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5861892756974727358.post-2688239361365512622011-02-14T22:57:00.001-06:002011-02-15T00:04:45.675-06:00January 2011: Reading ListAfter the 7-month slog through the Ramayana (Sanskrit) in 2010, 2011 opened up with a clutch of shorter books on my reading list. The epic was truly enjoyable, but it was time to catch up on some volume reading. These are some of the books I selected and read in January 2011.<br />
<br />
<b><u>THE TOP FIVE READS</u></b><br />
<br />
<b>Man and Superman </b><i>(Bernard Shaw)</i><br />
Witty, sarcastic, funny, philosophical and relentlessly intellectual, this is my favorite Bernard Shaw play yet. In uncomplicated language, Shaw tackles complex subjects with timeless wit: romance, religion, politics. The accompanying <i>The Revolutionist's Handbook</i> is a quotation powerhouse; indeed, the most popular Shavian quotes are from the handbook. Some of the lesser known ones:<br />
<blockquote><i>"He who can, does. He who cannot, teaches."<br />
"The vilest abortionist is he who attempts to mold a child's character."<br />
"No man is a match for a woman, except with a poker and a pair of hobnailed boots."</i></blockquote><b>Lord Of The Rings </b><i>(Tolkien)</i><br />
It's a fantasy classic created by a master linguist and story teller. I first read this trilogy about 12 years back. Since then, I've enjoyed the books and the adapted movie several times. Though the scripts diverge, the books and the movies are both immensely enjoyable and do a great job of transporting you into a fantasy world that's unlikely to stale with the passage of time. Tolkien's Elvish poetry and Hobbit pluck will enthrall generations to come.<br />
<blockquote><i>"...but the hearts of men are corrupted..."</i></blockquote><b>Silmarillion </b><i>(</i><i>Tolkien)</i><br />
This work is truly epic in the world of characters and tales it throws up. From Gods and creation to the advent of Man, it's a mythological magnum-opus. However, one problem I've had with this book is that it's hard to keep up with so many characters that inevitably end up playing some part in a different tale later in the book. There is a helpful chart, but I think the story could play out a little longer and slower. And that would make <i>Silmarillion</i> an even better epic than <i>The Lord of the Rings.</i><br />
<blockquote><i>"From splendour he fell through arrogance to contempt for all things save himself, a spirit wasteful and pitiless."</i></blockquote><b>The Apple Cart </b><i>(</i><i>Bernard Shaw)</i><br />
A political satire that displays Shaw's keen insights into the various political arrangements in vogue at the time - monarchy, democracy, socialism, capitalism etc and their interplay. Delivered in a tone of intellectual cynicism, <i>The Apple Cart</i> is at once funny and insightful.<br />
<blockquote><i>"...democracy is humbug..."</i></blockquote><b>A Pelican at Blandings </b><i>(</i><i>Wodehouse)</i><br />
Seldom does a month go by for me when I am not tucking into some Wodehouse. His stories are almost always identical in plot, but his genius lies in the way he constructs sentences - humor abounds in every sentence from creative perspectives, according respect and comic worth to any situation or being. If Shaw's sentences are uncomplicated yet meaningful, Wodehouse's are beautifully constructed yet may convey little worldly wisdom. A perennially favorite author. This is a story featuring Galahad Threepwood, who<br />
<blockquote><i>"in his bohemian youth, had a nightly custom to attend gatherings at the Pelican Club which seldom broke up till the milkman had begun his rounds - a practice to which he always maintained that he owed the superb health he enjoyed in middle age."</i></blockquote><br />
<b><u>HONORABLE MENTION</u></b><br />
<br />
<b>The Hobbit</b><i> (Tolkien)</i><br />
It's a nice story, and introduces the reader into a fantasy world consistent with the later works of Tolkien. The story-telling is more simplistic here, like a story-teller narrating fables to a child.<br />
<blockquote><i>"In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit."</i></blockquote><b>Major Barbara </b><i>(Bernard Shaw)</i><br />
Shaw cleaves through the extant ideas of republicanism, national exceptionalism and war with this biting satire. Every character starts off representing some impossibly ideal political or religious stance and Shaw brings all of them together into practical wisdom through this story of an estranged family tied to a wealthy weapons manufacturer.<br />
<blockquote><i>"He knows nothing and he thinks he knows everything. That clearly points to a political career."</i></blockquote><br />
<b><u>DNF (DID NOT FINISH)</u></b><br />
<br />
<b>Bhagavata Purana (Sanskrit)</b><br />
After the really wonderful time I had reading the Ramayana, I was looking forward to another, even bigger, epic - this, the story of Krishna. It starts off with a load of ritualistic instruction from old sages like Narada and Suka, but a few dozen pages into it, there was still no entertaining story. I'd had enough by then. Besides, I'd failed to meet the high standards it sets for it's readers:<br />
<blockquote><i>"Since it is not possible in these times to control the vagaries of the mind, to observe the rules of conduct strictly and to be devoted to a sacred purpose for a long time, this book should be finished in a week"</i></blockquote><br />
<b><u>FEBRUARY 2011 PREVIEW</u></b><br />
<br />
Bernard Shaw, Chekhov, Ibsen, Laurence Parent, David Sedaris, and um, God.muralihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751435931316826268noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5861892756974727358.post-44983103531273342872011-02-14T21:37:00.000-06:002011-02-14T23:40:34.512-06:00On EgyptIs a revolution in Egypt underway?<br />
<br />
The US government and media's reactions to and analysis of the uprising in Egypt against Mubarak, and now continuing against the military cohorts, has been both predictable and predictably disappointing. But in the wider world, there are some interesting perspectives.<br />
<br />
Huma Yusuf, <a href="http://www.dawn.com/2011/02/14/lessons-from-pakistan.html">writing</a> in the Dawn newspaper, implores Egyptians to not follow Pakistan's path. The military in Egypt has controlled power in one form or another <i>since 1952</i>, and she warns of the dangers of allowing the military to now assume a 'savior complex'.<br />
<blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;">"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 20px;">Allowing the military to take partial credit for Mubarak’s deposition would be a disservice to young Egyptians who risked everything for their freedom.</span>As memories from Tahrir Square fade, Egyptians should remember that the fate of their country lies in their hands, not those of the military."</span></blockquote><div style="line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">To make sure this is a revolution and not merely a devolution, Hossam el-Hamalawy, opining in the Guardian, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/feb/14/egypt-protests-democracy-generals">presents</a> possibly biased but nevertheless revealing aspects of the struggle. The uprising in the streets were coordinated on Twitter and Facebook, but once the momentum was on, the workers' strikes broke Mubarak's resolve to stay on. And, in a hopeful vision, Hossam sees these strikes continuing until a truly representative democracy sets in.</span></div><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #666666; font-family: inherit;">"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;">Since Hosni Mubarak fled from Cairo, and even before then, some middle-class activists have been urging Egyptians, in the name of patriotism, to suspend their protests and return to work, singing some of the most ridiculous lullabies: "Let's build a new Egypt", "Let's work harder than ever before". They clearly do not know that Egyptians are already </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/news/who-you-callin%E2%80%99-lazy" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="Almasryalyoum.com: Who you callin lazy? ">among the hardest working people in the world</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 18px;">. </span>Those activists want us to trust <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/09/egypt-army-detentions-torture-accused" style="background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-collapse: collapse; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none;" title="Guardian: Egypt's army 'involved in detentions and torture'">Mubarak's generals</a> with the transition to democracy – the same junta that provided the backbone of his dictatorship over the past 30 years."</span></blockquote>muralihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751435931316826268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5861892756974727358.post-12531217066888802352010-12-03T10:46:00.000-06:002010-12-04T00:28:43.721-06:00En-trance-dMy high school memories include a daily assembly of all the kids and teachers in the school courtyard, always too early in the morning and always too hot in Chennai. After prayers and what not, you could then see us seated in neat rows of meditating yogis, or snickering teenagers, depending on how far you observed us from. Transcendental Meditation (TM), they called it. After several years of unintentional practice, I got reasonably successful at reaching that state of mind when you feel relaxed and almost trance-like, though I never did get to feel the 'energy from the end of the universe'. (That would come later in life, with Pink Floyd.)<br /><br />---<br /><br />The days leading up to the <a href="http://www.tejastrails.com/WildHare.html">Wild Hare race</a> were most un-'days-leading-up-to-a-race'-like. I signed up for the 25K so I could show off the shiny medal with the cartoon hare that Joe, the race director, and Alicia, the medal designer, baited everyone with. I wasn't trained, not by a long shot, but I wasn't completely out of shape either. I was in a rather curious stage with my running - when I ran, about once or twice a week, on short 5 mile runs, I ran comfortably well and despite my obvious lack of training, I was running faster than I had ever run before. But 5 miles was the point where not only my speed dropped, my run stopped as well.<br /><br />A week before the race, I did a 14 mile run with my new training group. Since I had to re-learn how to pace myself, I scanned the group and promptly decided to keep up with Diana H, who knows a thing or two about pacing a long run. That was a good strategy, I completed my 14 miles comfortably. Now all I had to do was replicate that pacing strategy at the race: start slow, then go slower. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Race</span><br /><br />It's November 20, the Wild Hare trail race is on today at the Bluff Creek Ranch, Warda, TX. I've run here <a href="http://concirc.blogspot.com/2008/11/warda-cardiac-run-25k.html">before</a> on the soft pine needles and through the cow pastures. Driving into Warda on the race morning with Cris and Savi, I'm relaxed knowing I'd run the miles but not race them with a time goal to achieve. There are 2 loops of 8 and 7.5 miles each, and even with running slow, I expect my time to be around 90 minutes for each loop.<br /><br />Seeing all my buddies at the race start bucks me up like a tonic and it is nice to see Sha, a fellow <a href="http://www.ashanet.org/austin/soh/team/">Team Asha</a> runner, ready to do her first trail race! Despite my excitement, I remember my resolve to start slow. So I start at the back of the pack, chatty and slow. Warming up through the first half mile, I settle into a rhythm where I am not thinking about my run at all. I am just soaking it all up, all the friends and smiles and trees around me. After another mile, I am running on my own. I am en-trance-d, the feeling is similar to just what I felt with TM all those years back. I am only vaguely aware of what I am doing, there are no thoughts in my head and my body moves on pure instinct through all the rocks, roots and pines. I pass some runners and some others pass me, but I have found my natural rhythm.<br /><br />The trance is broken as I near the first aid station 4 miles into the race. There's Cris and Henry, and after taking some salt and water, I am off. A few minutes into the long fields here, I get back to my rhythm, and back into my trance. Miles 4-8 go by without making an impression on my mind. As I run through the barn at the end of my first loop, I start getting conscious of the things I need to do: nutrition, hydration, change of shirt etc. I glance at the clock curiously, and I am shocked at the reading: I have done the first 8 miles in 72 minutes, way faster than I expected or sought to achieve.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNX0cl0l9524RWOoqQ8FfQ52ovlW2Np-chJHCBzck6Ak03VDcJqSfRlklUNVH-KHGnrHbQeaDxq4nyKOW3pORKFX1fP9aU1Q4t81My7_T47QgHIsSerB-G8mdq0uR9VnbKrE_qBk-DV-0/s1600/76967-008-030f.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNX0cl0l9524RWOoqQ8FfQ52ovlW2Np-chJHCBzck6Ak03VDcJqSfRlklUNVH-KHGnrHbQeaDxq4nyKOW3pORKFX1fP9aU1Q4t81My7_T47QgHIsSerB-G8mdq0uR9VnbKrE_qBk-DV-0/s320/76967-008-030f.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5546578975988302194" /></a>A couple of minutes at the pit stop for fuel, and I am off. I'd been merely running easy until this point, now I want to race. Is it possible that I might finish in 2:30? How fast should I run? Should I avoid walk breaks entirely and just push through the remaining miles as hard as I can? Starting the second loop, I am sprinting with all my focus on how to make this a great race time-wise. I transcend into no sub-conscious trances no more, I am only too aware of how my legs are moving, how I am breathing hard and so on. From miles 10-12, it's narrow single track and I start getting anxious about passing runners who can't hear me shout at them because they've got headphones on.<br /><br />I rush through the mid-point aid station in a hurry. Mistake. Saving a few seconds there meant that I did not prepare for a warming sun through the exposed fields. My body is heated up, and the day feels too warm to run, and I am willing myself to push through these last 4 miles. I am slow, I can't keep up with what I've been doing. I can feel the effects of the 6-mile hill workout from a day and a half before, my legs are tired. I am enjoying this no more, this second loop has had a completely different feel to it than my first one. I run in, and the clock says I've taken 78 minutes for my 7.5 miles, and I am not sure whether to be happy or not with my overall time of 2:32.<br /><br />After a few minutes though, my body recovers and I feel good - not with my time because that doesn't matter, but with having run 15.5 miles and enjoying the post-run moments with my friends. I spend the rest of my excited day chatting, handing out finisher medals, putting up glow sticks and eating veggie burgers. It's been a great day, I've learnt a lot today about my running - about what to do and not do next time, and to just accept whatever happens and allow myself to be en-trance-d.muralihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751435931316826268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5861892756974727358.post-20280212274864423292010-03-18T22:26:00.001-05:002011-02-14T23:46:52.408-06:00Nueces Trail MarathonThe Nueces 50 Miler and Marathon race was held on March 6 this year at the Camp Eagle park. This was the first year for this race in this form, and it was very exciting to be a part of the launch.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ZurXKqeQwOY/SyGb8vIQTFI/AAAAAAAAEpc/i9w_Y0-2ELk/s912/PC091564.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ZurXKqeQwOY/SyGb8vIQTFI/AAAAAAAAEpc/i9w_Y0-2ELk/s912/PC091564.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 171px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 228px;" /></a> Camp Eagle is a gorgeous park. This is beautiful, rugged Texas hill country, with steep hills and a spring-fed river. I'd visited the park earlier for a few days in fall 2009 when I volunteered to help create, measure and map the trails here for the race. I was so impressed with the park and the facilities there that I felt like I'd stumbled upon a hidden treasure in my backyard! It wasn't the best time to visit the park for me though, as most of the hills are covered with cedar trees, and bush-whacking through the trees just puffed up clouds of pollen that didn't do my cedar allergies any good. It was all good though, I really enjoyed hiking and running on the trails, learning about how Joe Prusaitis, the race director, maps out the race courses and meeting all the friendly folks at Camp Eagle. It was no surprise then that I decided to run the race...<br />
<br />
I selected the Nueces marathon as my target race for Team Asha and I pledged to raise $100/mile for the Austin chapter of Asha. At Asha, I have been working with 2 projects for children in Rajasthan (India) for a few years now:<br />
(a) GSK, an education project that provides very high quality education to about 400 kids this year.<br />
(b) RMKM, an education and rehabilitation program for about 375 mentally challenged children.<br />
<br />
<b>The race</b><br />
I hadn't trained specifically for this race, but I had been running and keeping up with my fitness generally. But I'd flared up my hip flexors a couple of days before the race, and I was worried about having to run through pain and having a miserable race. My anxieties lifted though even as I drove into the park the previous night, and met all my running buddies. I decided that I'd have fun at the race - and the attitude change helped with my run the next morning.<br />
<br />
It was a wonderful day to run. It was cool, in the 50's, cloudy, and we had challenging trails in beautiful hills to run on. I started very slow and it took me nearly 2 hours to complete the first 9.5 mile loop. And from miles 8 through 14, I struggled through with pain in my right hip flexor. The worst part of having the pain was that I couldn't run all those long delicious downhills! Even as I was starting to contemplate dropping out of the race, the aid station at mile 14 came up and I was supplied with some ibuprofen. That saved my race, and my next 12 miles went much better than my first 14 miles had. Surprisingly, I finished rather strongly and managed to pull in to the finish chute in about 5:50. I was happy with the time I made, especially with all the low expectations I'd set through the previous day and the race.<br />
<br />
It was a good race to be a part of - the race organizers, the volunteers, the camp staff and the scenery were all wonderful. I'd definitely go back for this race next year!<br />
<br />
<b>Links</b><br />
<a href="http://www.ashanet.org/austin/soh/team/murali-narasimhan/" target="_blank">My Team Asha fund-raising page</a><br />
<a href="http://ashanet.org/projects/project-view.php?p=603" target="_blank">Gramin Shiksha Kendra (GSK)</a><br />
<a href="http://ashanet.org/projects/project-view.php?p=905" target="_blank">Rajasthan Mahila Kalyan Mandal (RMKM)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.tejastrails.com/Nueces.html" target="_blank">Nueces Trail Marathon (Tejas Trails)</a><br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/murali.narasimhan/CampEagle#" target="_blank">Pictures from my Camp Eagle visits</a><br />
<div><br />
</div>muralihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751435931316826268noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5861892756974727358.post-26837744484914166282009-10-12T13:37:00.000-05:002009-10-13T20:12:45.926-05:00Catoctin Mountain Park<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "><b>Date</b>: October 11, 2009</span></div><div><i><b>Place</b>: Catoctin Mountain Park, Maryland</i></div><div><i><b>Trails</b>: Falls Nature, Hog Rock Nature, Blue Ridge Summit, Thurmont Vista, Wolf Rock, Chimney Rock</i></div><div><i><b>Distance</b>: 8.5 Miles</i></div><div><i><b>Difficulty</b>: Moderate</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFU20bHc5tTYxf6hobi8jHRnmvO-Jd1ckXmwgPPdhcUofc0R_tHcFaU0siH8MyJ86f1SNVroELvlA1jpI2QDT393as2Gsy4TAJFdeLiSO0tHL4Vj-LWaM4kAqKO4oREFHL5WfysKi4Q_w/s320/PA110723.JPG" style="float:right; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 180px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392000744749512434" /><div>More fall season hiking, this time at the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/cato/index.htm">Catoctin Mountain Park</a> managed by the National Park Service. It's a beautiful drive of about 50 miles from DC leading to the park. The mountains here are part of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the ancient Appalachian Mountains. The park itself is forested thickly with hardwood trees like oaks and maples and also has some interesting <a href="http://www.nps.gov/cato/naturescience/geologicformations.htm">rock formations</a> wrought over hundreds of millions of years of geological evolution.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Shankar and I chose the longest round-trip trail, <a href="http://www.nps.gov/cato/planyourvisit/upload/8mileL.pdf">listed</a> as being 8.5 miles with a few strenuous climbing sections. This loop skirts around the edges of the park, from the Cunningham falls in the west to the Chimney Rock in the east.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVn6dlM-XgTNPwhw_v7p3gH93_4cHpksLFvR8RFzs_zADDtTHFv8JU5dGcsUey2c3oq97QMV3rjwC3ekDs50MtiMMf_xln9EwgElNdHGnQ6rBsCmfmcHmIbXlAWe09nVnCR7j9ko1Ygnw/s320/PA110687.JPG" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 180px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392000405749096946" /><div><b>Falls Nature Trail to the Cunningham Falls</b></div><div>Around 1.5 miles from the visitor center trailhead, and along the Falls Nature Trail, lies the Cunningham Falls viewing point. The hike up is moderate, and the falls are set in a beautiful wooded area.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Hog Rock, Blue Ridge Summit and Thurmont Vista</b></div><div>From the Cunningham Falls, it's a strenuous hike up of around 1.25 miles to the Hog Rock. The Hog Rock is at the center of the park, and is made of metabasalt, a dark greenish-gray igneous rock. It's also called the Catoctin Greenstone. After sunbathing here for a while and taking in the beautiful views, we resumed our hike up to the Blue Ridge Summit about half a mile away. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>The view here opens out to the Blue Ridge Mountains in the far west, hence the name. Another half a mile away on the trail led us to the Thurmont Vista overlook. You can see the town of Thurmont in the valley below, the valley itself a geological attraction made by erosion over millions of years.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Wolf Rock</b></div><div>Another moderate hike of 1.5 miles took us to the Wolf Rock formations. The quartzite rocks and the erosion by wind and rain water (through frost wedging) creating spectacular shapes were a treat. We spent considerable time here jumping from rock to rock.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY1VibsAigX9xix4jjiFzoelidmGe0sBbfzlDFEWDptebqbFs9yilNGyHe_FisJ7CQSjwpVTgufup3LrlIK6YADZ_5DOoCFjlBECG39MH4OAyBuD4vn113lRxtQ36_wjYl7VvBH0KGkd4/s320/PA110849.JPG" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 180px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392000021334240866" /><div><b>Chimney Rock</b></div><div>Chimney Rock, another 0.6 miles away, was the highlight of the entire hike. This is again quartzite rock formed in the shape of chimney. In order to get on the chimney rock though, we had to jump across very deep wedges that had formed cliffs along the rock walls. Dangerous and exciting as the jump was, we were rewarded with the best panoramic views yet. After spending half an hour here, we jumped back onto the main trail and headed back.</div><div><b><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLylVNCCgcUL9OpKMz4g9K5RbNvLEgKc7xHl8Tj4K15p4krxtrCOcgTxwpJYXsOZKYKkf4Me8Nj2juVj1DZ0H2pxnaPjTmx91D7NjKewYxbuFTpDi3qthlV5yxWEw1lkRIQJDMaNUwqQM/s400/PA110850+Stitch.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 5px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 425px; height: 84px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391999616801960834" /></b></div><div>A couple of miles more of hiking brought us back to the visitor center just as the sun was setting. The hikes made for a good workout among beautiful wooded and forested sections for the most part, and there are viewing spots all along the trail every mile or so. It is an enjoyable and rewarding hike through some of the best scenery in Maryland.</div><div><br /></div>muralihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751435931316826268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5861892756974727358.post-15353971842927548172009-10-04T22:53:00.000-05:002009-10-13T20:19:44.200-05:00Shenandoah NP: Overall Run Falls<div style="text-align: left;"><i><b>Date</b>: October 4, 2009</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><b>Place</b>: Shenandoah National Park, Virginia</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><b>Trails</b>: Overall Run, Beecher Ridge, Trace Trail</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><b>Difficulty</b>: Moderate to Strenuous</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Shenandoah</i>! (Just love saying that word aloud!)</div><div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2s_haqA4i0HLNHw-DEvrHVXJNiNruf6co4us-ma_017lhawc1GPMOdZOSEyees0bih2o9riwmPRnebVmOAuGkVYpcoqJ_pvpo5VyTwKNbYUdiE6Le_qLI2_XZa9gA3p_oN5j8WqYJ1VM/s200/PA040575.JPG" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 120px; height: 160px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389740949382500274" /><div>The day was nice for a hike/run - sunny, in the 50s and 60s, fall season. The <a href="http://www.nps.gov/shen">Shenandoah National Park</a> is about 90 miles from DC, and consists of breathtaking scenery of forested Blue Ridge mountains and meadows. The plan was to hike/run the 11.5 mile round-trip connecting the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/shen/planyourvisit/upload/mathews_arm_area.pdf">Overall Run and Beecher Ridge trails</a>. The trails are listed on hiking <a href="http://www.localhikes.com/Hikes/BeecherRidgeOverallRun_0000.asp">websites</a> as being strenuous and having an elevation gain of 4000'. Despite all that, Shankar and I started the hike, for various excuses, at 4.45pm. Even as we started, we knew that it was miserably late and that we would finish when the fullish moon was overhead.</div><div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAg-SMHSKulmfGWeHtIWO4EUgDdAHk9bZLVdy_dbemB2Zxuu8eDS4FP8GbLjzdzjPp2JCEidHE9QPEihUfhRYkwrKIE5bPil2RWklFTJiH0lDD-J0fxtJbQQqmJ28bxH_B61R1zKIH2xk/s200/PA040567.JPG" style="float:right; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 120px; height: 160px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389740794573801554" /><div>We started at the Traces Trail trailhead, and the trail started climbing steeply immediately for a mile or so. On the way we passed a few trail intersections, randomly chose what we took to be the "main" trail, wondering why these extremely well maintained trails were not marked at all. After hiking a mile, we came across another intersection, and we finally figured out then that the funny looking stone pillars had tiny metal plates on the sides that gave out the information on trail directions that we could have used 0.5 miles earlier. This intersection was with the famous Appalachian trail, which we had definitely not planned to meet.</div><div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Bq8s7dXzB0T-J82M4n7qKp6fM46ApRURuxxKBaVirBffkKM1GHtgsyMbpkAe2mvtFL_DhDJgwhWppBkabG8UaAKOf1WNTN8x5tFuGC-1Bd4KwBo0EK_JCmLTS4Wztymrzrr32sgzlJM/s200/PA040596.JPG" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 120px; height: 160px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389742148013535682" /><div>Backtrack. Back to the previous intersection then, a fast downhill run on trails nice, rocky in parts but mostly soft. We finally got back to the Overall Run trail, our initially intended itinerary. We then hiked up steeply and then down steeply for a couple of miles through thickly wooded forests. There are no scenic views here, but the trail itself is colorful with the red, pink, yellow and green leaves from oak and maple trees that herald the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/shen/parknews/fall_colors.htm">arrived</a> fall season. This part of the hike ends at a clearing with fantastic views of mountains and the nearby 93' Overall Run Falls. All the prior steep climbing was forgotten in this vista of meditative beauty. The setting sun added a picturesque background to the valleys of the Blue Ridge mountains.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTcoB0W3IbH0rWVvH0BuKWqVCgY3pg3Wj5i78THSX-S6Fq4e6bNa4vFQgXq54i6og-gDgFtmmc3viFalkoPEXVuwV__d42IO899hbCILTyo_3F5tVLgTCiefXfP_L6Nri35MNEIWSzHcM/s320/PA040601.JPG" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 180px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389745009363980450" /></div><div>We continued hiking steeply downward along the trail for some more, though Shankar by this time was plodding on bravely despite ITB issues and foot blisters. It was soon 7pm and darkening rapidly, and we decided to turn back to conquer the trail another day. A surreal night hike in the forest ensued, navigated safely with the help of a flashlight and a headlamp. The trails were empty of any people other than us two, quite reasonably, and that added it's own charm in the night with birds tweeting and creatures strange rustling the leaves on the ground. We got a little lost though and ended up at the Mathews Arms Campground instead of the trailhead, but we knew the way down to the trailhead through the campsites. We finished finally at around 8pm.</div><div><br /></div><div>If the 7 miles or so that we did on the trail is any indication, this is a strenuous hike with rather steep uphill and downhill sections but well worth the effort for all the beauty there is along the way. Among the wildlife we saw today were white-tailed deer, gray squirrels, vultures and white caterpillars. </div><div><br /></div><div>The little we saw of the trail and the park was enchanting. Enough to make me want to go there again. Soon.</div><div><br /></div>muralihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751435931316826268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5861892756974727358.post-40920292658473346102009-09-17T21:56:00.000-05:002010-12-04T00:36:18.901-06:00Visit to RMKM<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;">A report from my visit earlier this year to RMKM, a non-profit organization working on women's empowerment and other issues in Rajasthan.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Project: </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Rajasthan Mahila Kalyan Mandal (RMKM)</span></b></div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Date of Visit: Mar 12, 2009</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Project coordinator: Kshama Kshade</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: bold; font-size:13px;">Project Details</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">RMKM is an organization mainly focused on women’s rights and empowerment in the Ajmer district of Rajasthan, India. The projects I have been associated with are initiatives for mentally handicapped children in Ajmer.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Getting there</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I traveled by train from Chennai to Jaipur along with my friend Stanley Berly. The train arrived at the Jaipur station early in the morning, and then we took a bus down to Ajmer immediately from there. The bus took about a couple of hours to get to Ajmer, and as soon as we landed, we called Kshama and got a ride to RMKM.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The RMKM campus and activities</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">At around 9am, we reached RMKM’s campus at Chachiawas. I had visited the campus earlier in 2005, and could visibly see several improvements and new vocational units. Kshama then gave us a tour of the building and campus.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Vocational training</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">We started with the vocational units including carpentry, paper products, embroidery etc. The vocational training program has been partly supported by Vibha since 2006. Chandrasekar heads the vocational training program.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Finished products</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">RMKM has a showroom of sorts where they display many of their finished products. There are teaching and learning materials to be used in primary schools, made by the vocational trainers and finished by mentally challenged children. The teaching and learning materials can be sold to other schools, and RMKM may also be able to sell some through the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) scheme. There are several arts and crafts made by the children as well.</span></p><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPU4zBSjXpCiy9ZrkqeRln2I9o0nU5y6locNnjNr2PLwSh5YDIz7r8PIA7DqA8UF5IhH5_7JUYYIN7aI-EggeK1iTAdugAJev2wXb8DzNQOd89M3X2_7e71D1GxhdUhpl6h_bgrj9h0UU/s200/P3110357.JPG" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382633043838278418" /> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">RMKM is an organization primarily devoted to women’s empowerment, and a big focus is their work through women’s Self Help Groups (SHGs). These women have formed a cooperative through which they make products and sell them at the Pushkar fairs. The social and economic position of these women has improved in society through these activities.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The National Trust supports the sale of products, and some expenses for the hostel etc. ARUNIM is an organization set up for that purpose, and RMKM had sold Rs 13000 worth of products through ARUNIM. ARUNIM had preferred the wooden products. They have also assigned RMKM to be a resource center for other organizations so that RMKM can make some money through training as well.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">After we checked out the products in the showroom, we visited some of the outdoor vocational units like vermicompost, water plant, and rainwater harvesting.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The tiger and the goat</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">While we were outside, we saw a teacher lead some of the children in a game of “tiger catches goat”. This game allows children to mingle with one another and improves their reflexes and other psycho-motor skills.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The wood craft unit</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Saurav was trained in 10 months. He is physically disabled, but now works full-time at the wood craft unit. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Paper cutting unit</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Manoj initially studied at RMKM’s day care center. He has been working in the vocational unit for more than a year now. When RMKM first started working with Manoj, his initial diagnosis was social awkwardness and cerebral palsy (CP) with monoplagia.</span></p><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-flLpADk9_Zro-jFaW3i4FA_sDxA4edmdueiUZiBUP1Wq12pND17Y033MpYMkGk8oejBkX58xlFopTDFuRUa-g8lg_94nOV2RMYojBk2G8pZVPiP6x24rPNG-vb6S7DqJ1xtKx5dIPgw/s200/P3120386.JPG" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5382633776630273362" /> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Special education classrooms</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The children learning here are at different levels, and each special educator works with only 5-6 children at a time. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Physiotherapy unit</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">This unit is used for physiotherapy for all the childen. The schedules are printed and pasted on the wall. While we were there, a trained worker was stimulating the nerves for one child, and another child was training to walk on the stair-step stool.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The deco unit</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Here’s where RMKM makes its greeting cards, jewelry and other products that require decorative finishes.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Hostels</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Separate hostel rooms for boys and girls currently exist within the building. They are constructing a new hostel building with help from the Embassy of Japan.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">After the tour of the building, I met Rakesh Kaushik and the accountant. We discussed RMKM’s accounts, and other operational issues. Shortly thereafter, we went into the mess and all the staff and children settled into a communal lunch. There was lunch prepared in RMKM’s kitchen, and also food that most staff members and children had brought. It was a great experience to sit in a circle, share stories and laughter, and sample so many different kinds of fantastic native Rajasthani food. We really gorged ourselves here, helped in no small measure by everybody insisting that we have more and more of the food they had brought.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) program</span></u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The CBR program is currently supported by Vibha and the Austin chapter of Asha. In this program, workers trained in special education, physiotherapy and speech therapy visit children periodically (about 1-2 times a fortnight). Parents and other community members are sensitized to the child’s issues and given training so that the child’s rehabilitation is continuous.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">We first visited J., 8 years old and diagnosed with a severe handicap. J. needs daily intervention, but he is unable to come to the day care center where he will be taken care of better. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Mohd is 19 years old. When he was younger, doctors and others told his parents that there was no cure. His Muslim parents, in their desperation, had even taken him to various temples. His younger sister is also disabled. His father, who had a secure job with the Indian Army, gave up his job so that he could take care of his children. Mohd can now walk with the help of a walker and wheelchair. He has a natural talent with operating cell phones, and is now assisting in his father’s shop with accounts. RMKM has arranged for Astha disability benefits and insurance for the family.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">G. was initially diagnosed with ADL. RMKM has been working with him for 2 years now, and he is now able to take care of some basic daily activities like eating etc. It will be better for him if he can stay at the RMKM hostel, but his relatives (no father) are reluctant. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">R. is 17 years old, and RMKM has been working with him for a year now. His family is agricultural, and they own a few bighas of land. Since his childhood, his relatives have made him very conscious of his disability, and even when we were there, they were mocking his “lesser” brain. He was initially diagnosed with mild retardation, but because there has been no childhood intervention, he now needs more attention. RMKM wants to get him admitted into the vocational training program, as they feel that he can pick up a few remunerative activities. However, the parents hesitate to check out the program because they fear the loss of their daily wages if they spend a day traveling to RMKM’s campus.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Discussion with RMKM staff</span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Well up to 3% of the general population in India is suspected to have some form of mental disability, like retardation or autism etc. This translates into many thousands of children in the Ajmer district alone and RMKM is the only organization working on this issue. The resources available to RMKM in terms of funds and other logistics mean that they are handling far fewer children than they should, and are also strapped in terms of how well they can help these children who are distributed all across the rural landscape. They have been thinking hard and coming up with innovative means to reach more children and make their intervention more effective. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Regarding the vocational unit, they currently support only about 35 children. They can expand with current resources to about 100 children if travel could be arranged for them. In the hostel itself, lodging and food cost only about Rs 100/month. Vocational product sales range from Rs 50-100,000/year, but this is felt to be far below the potential. Part of the problem lies in Ajmer being located in a fairly remote area. They plan to focus on self-sustainability unit-by-unit. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Other ways to expand the number of children with existing resources are being explored. They can train physically handicapped children who can then help with the training of mentally challenged children. Some of these vocational units like decoration and vermicompost can be set up at community centers across the district.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Our RMKM visit concluded here. It was a wonderful experience interacting with all the children, the community members and the staff of RMKM. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">LINKS</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">:</span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">1.</span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> </span></span></span></span></span><a href="http://rmkm.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Rajasthan Mahila Kalyan Mandal (RMKM)</span></a></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">2.</span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> </span></span></span></span></span><a href="http://projects.vibha.org/projects/community-based-rehabilitation-for-mentally/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">CBR program supported by Vibha</span></a></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left; "><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">3.</span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> </span></span></span></span></span><a href="http://ashanet.org/projects/project-view.php?p=905"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">CBR program supported by Asha Austin</span></a></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left; "><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">4.</span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> </span></span></span></span></span><a href="http://projects.vibha.org/projects/swavlamban-ki-disha-mein/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Vocational training supported by Vibha</span></a></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: left; "><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">5.</span><span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> </span></span></span></span></span><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/murali.narasimhan/20090311Rmkm?authkey=Gv1sRgCP6hpOG7waHaiwE"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Pictures and videos from site visit</span></a></p>muralihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751435931316826268noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5861892756974727358.post-72097901638012538122009-07-31T03:35:00.000-05:002009-10-04T23:37:47.359-05:00Mind your languageComplementing Jane Sahi's <a href="http://concirc.blogspot.com/2009/06/raising-consciousness.html">thoughts</a> on the power words chosen carefully have in conveying a wealth of meaning and raising our consciousness, here is a <a href="http://blog.dawn.com:91/dblog/2009/07/31/mind-your-language/">wonderful post</a> by Huma Yusuf in the Pakistani newspaper Dawn about how words chosen carelessly or possibly even intentionally can have a demeaning and deleterious effect. Huma provides some telling though sadly common examples of chauvinism and prejudice against women expressed through words like <span style="font-style: italic;">eve-teasing</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">sharminda</span> (ashamed, shy):<br /><br /><blockquote>...the Karachi police surgeon, the man who oversaw all medical examinations that could have a bearing in criminal cases, was referring to women who had been raped and gang-raped as girls who had ‘become <em>sharminda</em>’ or suffered a ‘<em>beizzati</em>’. The surgeon’s choice of words instantly bothered me. They inappropriately cleansed the act of rape of all violence and violation. Even worse, they seemed to put the onus of the heinous act on the female victims – instead of having been violated and abused, the surgeon’s description implied that the women had done something they should be ashamed of.<br /><br />...let’s be honest, ‘eve-teasing’ is a charming way of talking about blatant sexual harassment...Eves are not being ‘teased’ – there is nothing flirtatious or innocent about men fondling women on buses, yelling out obscenities to college girls crossing the street, or groping young girls outside schools.</blockquote><br />Do words reflect the true intent and conception of the speaker? Or, is this merely a cultural or linguistic handicap? It probably varies from person to person using such terms, but there is no doubt about the cultural acceptance of such verbal euphemisms that transform ugly truths into tolerable constructs, in not just Pakistan, but across the border in India and the wider world as well.muralihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751435931316826268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5861892756974727358.post-8369274805014909002009-06-11T23:44:00.002-05:002011-02-14T23:45:45.507-06:00Raising consciousness<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">There are moments in our lives, perhaps when reading a book or when talking to someone or even when in thought, when we go "aha!". A moment that fundamentally alters our vision, our carefully constructed world-views, and perhaps even our calling in life. A moment in which our </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">consciousness</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> is </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">raised</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">.</span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Words are especial transport vehicles for such moments. Simple substitutions in everyday phrases can add a wealth of information to common understanding. An example of that was in the '70s and '80s, when feminists consistently challenged the phrase "one man, one vote" and successfully substituted it with "one person, one vote". Such a simple change can carry an important social message. If "man" in the former phrase is meant to represent an adult of the human species, then using "person" is more precise and inclusive, and is less misogynistic in usage. Importantly, when people start watching their phraseology deliberately to avoid any unintended misogynistic connotations, the consciousness of both the speaker and the listener is enriched.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Recently, I had the opportunity to interact with Jane </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Sahi</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, who runs </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Sita</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> School outside Bangalore. She is an inspiring educator, thinker and speaker who has the ability to communicate in a manner that fosters mutual learning and understanding. And, she also did something far more important for me: she </span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">raised my consciousness</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> by choosing</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> her words so carefully and precisely. The effect is quite stunning. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Learners vs school-goers</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">To her, education for a child is far more than the child just going to school every day. This leads her to use phrases like "first generation school-goers", as opposed to the more commonly used "first generation learners" to describe children who are first in their families to get a formal education. When you think about it for a minute, you realize how many profound thoughts can be conveyed just by being precise with your words - school-going is not necessarily learning, learning does not happen exclusively at school, people who are considered "uneducated" (defined by the world as folks without a school education) actually have a lot of learning to offer their children, learning happens in the home, the community and other communal spaces. And so on.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Economically</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Poor</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Another example of her consciousness-raising for me was this: about how we call some people "poor" or "under-privileged" in an unqualified manner. She makes it a point to be more concise in how she describes people: for instance, who we think of as poor are actually only "economically poor". The term "economically poor" says a lot about these people, and also about what the speaker thinks of them - you realize their poverty is in only one dimension among many, unlike the meaning conveyed by the more generic "poor". So people may be intellectually rich, emotionally rich, culturally rich etc, but in just one aspect, they are impoverished. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Under-privileged vs dis-privileged</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">And how about saying "dis-privileged" instead of "under-privileged" when you want to convey that some people were denied or stripped of their privileges, as opposed to being born into them. Again, says a lot about them, and also establishes the existence of more active agents. Again, the difference in the effect it has can be dramatic - "under-privileged" people need our charity, while "dis-privileged" people need the active dis-privilege-</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">ising</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> agent removed. Using the latter term forces us to recognize the existence of agents that strip away privileges. Do starving third world agricultural communities need our aid pennies, or would they rather have the crushing "free-trade" agreements modified and first world subsidies removed? Depends on how you think of them, "under-privileged" or "dis-privileged".</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Choosing the right words is important. In some cases like the ones used by Jane, it can show how thoughtful we are, can convey precise and concise meaning, and could ultimately even bring about a change in the way we think. And collectively raise our consciousness for a better world for all of us.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Some links to Jane </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Sahi's</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> work:</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">[1] </span><a href="http://www.vidyaonline.org/arvindgupta/janesahi.zip"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Education and Peace</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">[2] </span><a href="http://www.multiworld.org/taleemnet_pages/vernedu/4ver_educa_jane.pdf"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Work and Wisdom of Vernacular Educators from India</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">[3] </span><a href="http://www.ashanet.org/projects-new/documents/926/promisesofschool.doc"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Promises of Schooling</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">[4] </span><a href="http://www.ashanet.org/projects/project-view.php?p=926"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Sita</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> School</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> (</span><a href="http://www.ashanet.org/bangalore/projects/visits/SitaSchool/sitaVisitPics/sitaVisit.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">pictures</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">)</span></span></div></div>muralihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751435931316826268noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5861892756974727358.post-11611949551336953542009-01-25T23:58:00.000-06:002010-12-04T00:29:47.066-06:00Orphanage Benefit Run 50KThe <span style="font-style: italic;" class="nfakPe">Ciudad</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> de los Ninos (City of Children) Orphanage Benefit Run</span>, a 50K race was organized at the Bluff Creek Ranch, Warda, TX this year on January 24, 2009. The race raises funds to construct a water line from the city water lines to the orphanage building in Matamoros (Mexico).<br /><br />I used this race as a training run for my upcoming 50-miler at Rocky Raccoon. I was familiar with the course as I had already run 25K at the <a href="http://concirc.blogspot.com/2008/11/warda-cardiac-run-25k.html">Cardiac Run</a> in November. There were 4 loops of around 7.75 miles each on this semi-supported race. The trails are mostly single track, 70% shaded with pines and old oaks. The trail also winds through acres of cow pastures and even an oil rig in the ranch!<br /><br />It was cold and windy, but overall, it was a good day for a long run. I had fairly even splits to complete my race at 6hrs and 10 mins (a PR for me by 25 mins). I started out very slow, partly by choice and partly because I was very sore after playing squash on Thursday after 12+ years! I was in pain the first 2 loops but slowly eased into some comfort in the latter half of the race.<br /><br />Running slow had some almost unintended effects. For the first time in a long run, I maintained roughly the same pace throughout as opposed to tapering off and taking more walk breaks towards the end. A lesson learnt then about my body: if I start out slow, then I am able to maintain stride and form steadily through a longer time without pushing myself too hard.<br /><br />The race was, as usual for the organizers, well directed and the volunteers very helpful. Thanks to Damon and family for putting up a wonderful race! I now have to run the Doogies in March to complete the Warda triple!muralihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751435931316826268noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5861892756974727358.post-132260901404215562009-01-12T21:28:00.000-06:002010-12-04T00:30:16.323-06:00Bandera 50KSo it was finally here. The race that I am actually feeling trained for - <span style="font-style: italic;">Bandera 50K</span> at the Hill Country State Natural Area (HCSNA) in Bandera, Texas on January 10, 2009. This is a very beautiful park, and typical Texas hill country - rugged. The trails are steep, rocky and flanked by <span>sotol</span> bushes with sharp thorny leaves. You slide on loose rock, climb over stone ledges and get scraped, cut and bruised by <span>sotol</span> and other cacti along the trails.<br /><br />I am feeling good about this race, I have been running well this winter. Both physically and mentally, I feel ready for what surely is going to be a tough challenge. Here is the race course.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwHQTSlZkYds1aiExLQxgbgrgBDSQLNUgNCf0cVz7KAFtJRTiNL9SwqzTwJeyaLVADN3b7oB5PuwmxpNWS1gt1ZhG1ZydnuzV2wtyQzzaHbD6y4ys6ggUfctGdiA36SmrqDT7ef-Fg3Ck/s1600-h/Bandera2007_50KProfile.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 427px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwHQTSlZkYds1aiExLQxgbgrgBDSQLNUgNCf0cVz7KAFtJRTiNL9SwqzTwJeyaLVADN3b7oB5PuwmxpNWS1gt1ZhG1ZydnuzV2wtyQzzaHbD6y4ys6ggUfctGdiA36SmrqDT7ef-Fg3Ck/s400/Bandera2007_50KProfile.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291968695713571698" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pre-race (Friday)</span><br />Gaurav and I, after our customary invocation to the Taco Deli gods, drive into the park on Friday afternoon. As we reach, we see that the kids' race is just over. The wind is starting to pick up, so now would be a good time to set up our tent. We walk into the Lodge in time for packet pickup and the race briefing. Joe and Henry are giving the lowdown on the race course and what to expect, but all I can hear and sense is the atmosphere in the briefing tent, 'twas electric with anticipation and excitement from all the runners! Ah, friendly faces all around, chat meet shake-hands chat, and is that food over there, attack chop chow. It is dark and getting late, and I reluctantly tear away from the fun and head over, along with Naresh, to a-bar-a-bunk-house, a home accommodation in town.<br /><br />The house is nice, it looks cozy and it is warm and Cris is making tea. Hello! How are you? How is the tea? I am done with tea, let me take my bags upstairs and get ready for the race. I am feeling brave, let me wear just a long-sleeved shirt for the race and drop my wind jacket in my drop bag that I can access 15.5 miles into the race. Yeah, and since I start with a long sleeve, the natural progression is to have a short sleeve shirt in the drop bag as well. Surely, if I am not frost-bitten by 15.5 miles, my bravado can continue on for 15.5 more.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pre-race (Saturday)</span><br />My nose is all stuffed up. My cedar allergies are acting up, and I am not able to sleep. I sneeze, breathe hard and noisily and turn over many times, all to no avail but keeping Naresh awake. I wake up still excited but sorely lacking sleep, and head over to the park. I decisively stick to just a long-sleeved shirt, and am determined not to listen to any doubting Thomases in the form of Gaurav, who asks when I see him 15 minutes before the start, 'is that all you are wearing?'. In a sea of eskimos, I am dressed for a warm day at the beach. Almost. After informing him that all that separates his tent from becoming an unidentified flying object is one flimsy peg, I head out to the race start.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Race start to Boyle's</span><br />It is nice to see all my friends along the start line. Hi Cris, Oz, Justin, Tania, and hey Jeff, long time! And after a rather social gathering, we go. I cannot go out too fast, I start out slowly, breathe slowly, go slowly. I think I should line up behind Bhavesh and John, they seem to have the same nice idea of going slow. Oz is off in a flash, but my legendary determination wins through and I stay turtlesque.<br /><br />Hey Roger, good to see you man! Roger is at the Last Chance aid station half a mile into the race, where we pass the station but get no aid other than Roger waving us away.<br /><br />Cairns' climb is ahead, and I start slowly. I feel good, but climb rhythmically. I let some of the stronger climbers go, I need to run my own race not someone else's. There is a lot of mental talking-to-oneself going on. Wow, is that all that Cairns' has to offer? What a wimp! Here I go then, yippee yay, I see downhill. I find that downhill is good. And I said let me do the downhill. Cairns' goes by without making an impression, maybe Boyle has something bumpy to offer?<br /><br />The uphill climb on Boyle's Bump starts out a tad gentler than that on Cairns'. This is almost enjoyable. I am not cold, and for once, I am in a position to commend myself on my sartorial choice. I come up along a ridge and I start running, it feels great. I take the Bump of Boyle in my stride and I am having a party down the other side. I stretch out my stride and move...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Boyle's to Nachos</span><br />As the downhill tapers off, I am letting the momentum carry me past the aid station at the 5 mile mark. I know Gaurav is supposed to be here, but I cannot see him initially. Hey Gaurav! I have everything I need, food and water, and I don't feel like breaking my momentum. So I just keep running and turn back to see Gaurav make some hesitant steps towards me. He decides wisely to not follow me and just tells me I am doing great. Which is a lie, but it still feels good to hear that. I look at my watch, and I realize that I have been doing 10-minute miles on the hardest section of the course.<br /><br />John and I are doing good pace along the Sky Island trail. Rob the coach is up there, perched on top of the sky island. He tells us we are doing good. These hills are enjoyable, partly because I still have my head and it tells me that what goes up must come down. And I have just come up quite a bit, and go down the hill with glee.<br /><br />As we near Ice Cream Hill, we see Damon and he's telling us we are doing good. Everyone lies on a day like this. Bhavesh catches up with us here, and we climb up. There is no darn ice cream up the hill, hey you dark-humored cynic! I am done feeling good now, I want Nachos.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Nachos to Chapas</span><br />Nachos! I take a small break here, re-fueling and putting a piece of banana in my mouth. I head out slowly, its a nice day for a soothing walk in the park. Five minutes into the aforementioned s. w. in the p., I hate to break it to myself but it must be done. Buddy, this is a race not a picnic, move it, will ya! Reluctantly, I break into a trot and maintain a steady shuffle. I pass Bar-O and for the first time, I am doing trails I havent been on before. I take it easy here, not because it is hard, but because I want to finish strong.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Chapas to Crossroads</span><br />The Chapas house and aid station comes out of the woods like an unexpected gift. I am so happy I just sit down and get into my Patagonia Capilene shirt, and start eating my tamarind rice. And that is about how far I get with the eating, the rice is hard and dry and I cannot eat. While I am still struggling with my picnic preparations, Cris walks in and lets me know what she thinks of my slow pace. I realize she is right. I just pick up a gel or two and head out into the wild.<br /><br />I have stayed too long at the aid station, I am feeling cold and my body is not warming up. I try to pick up the pace but don't want to push it when I am not feeling warmed up. I continue my slow and steady shuffle and run into Crossroads. More friends here, it is just wonderful to see everyone. Jeanette, Jim and Jeff and more. 5 miles after parking at Chapas, I positively hunker down again at Crossroads. My mind goes, if there is food to be eaten, eat it. If there is a chair to sit, sit.<br /><br />Cris turns in once again, she is just 5 minutes behind me at this point. Once again, she goads me into moving, thanks Cris! I pick up my reluctant body and head out into the Three Sisters loop.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Three Sisters</span><br />I am in no mood to push uphills anymore. I take it easy, as easy as you like, climbing up. Surprisingly, I still feel good hurtling down and I do, down all the Three Sisters. The Three Sisters are three hills that you go up and down in rapid succession, and they do go by eventually and I hit upon the flat and downward mile back to the Crossroads. This is all familiar territory and it picks me up considerably, I start running well knowing that the aid station is not far away.<br /><br />Surprise, surprise! Gaurav is outside Crossroads even as I run in, taking pictures. Bhaskar and Gaurav start fussing over me, and that perks me up so much that I want to just head out again and take on whatever comes my way! Gaurav fills my bottles. To the full, to the hilt...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Finish</span><br />My bottles are starting to feel heavy. Its just a 5 mile loop, mostly flat, and I start watering the plants along the trail. Better them than me at this point. I run/walk hesitantly here, for my mind is expecting the dreaded Lucky's Peak. I tell myself that I am never going to listen to anyone else's opinions, especially dreads, anymore and let them affect me. Lucky's eventually shows up and I struggle up that monster. I call this the second FUJI, J for my coach and race director Joe. Hauling your thingy over Everest at Mile 30 is not fun. But it gets over, all hills at Bandera do eventually get over.<br /><br />And now it is just a mile more of fun flats and downhills. I pick up speed and excitement as I narrow the distance to the finish. Good to see Roger again, I must be close now. Stretch 'em legs boy, lets go, there's a party waiting to happen in just a bit. Just a bit. Just a bit.<br /><br />Done. Done! Joe is standing at the finish clapping and cheering and puts out a hand. I smack his outstretched hand with my bottled hand. Sorry Joe, didnt mean to, just really excited. Joe is cool, hands me my medal and Gaurav comes in all smiles. I sit down for a while, enjoying this moment, it feels very good. I check my time, its under 7 hours which is nice. I had a reasonably good race, and given all the things that generally can and do go wrong in a race, I have a rather smooth affair. I am happy.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lessons learned</span><br />I have had a good race, but I still learn. I learn to keep my body warmed up at all times, and to move through aid stations more quickly. And perhaps head out even slower at the race start. And I also realize that my race goes well when I am well-trained.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Post-race</span><br />After eating continuously for hours on end, I wait around the finish area and cheer all the runners finishing. Savitha eventually rolls in with a big grin on her face, she has had a good race and tells us stories about her rolling down every hill on the course. More runners finish, and a lot of backslapping happens.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Course tear-down</span><br />At night, as the course tear-down gets underway, Gaurav and I head out to pull down the glow-sticks, ribbons and signs from a section of the course from Nachos to Chapas. Its almost 6 miles, but at night, it is very beautiful and we enjoy the hike a lot. The bright full moon casts a strange and beautiful halo around itself, and nature itself seems to be enjoying this night. We pull down ribbons and as we climb into Chapas, we join Joyce and others as they tear down the aid station.<br /><br />It has been a long and tiring but enjoyable day. I am in the grips of a Bandera hangover for several days after that. And I cannot wait to go back there and race, and volunteer, and meet all my friends again.muralihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751435931316826268noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5861892756974727358.post-44269928974196800192009-01-01T20:39:00.001-06:002009-10-05T12:51:47.802-05:00New Year'sWhat were you doing when the new year broke? Here is a short selective history of <span style="font-style: italic;">my </span>eves. The New Year kind.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2009</span>. This year, it was a comparatively quieter affair at the Draughthouse Pub followed by some samosas at Ken's. It was good fun nevertheless with friends old and new.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2000</span>. The last new year's eve of the previous millennium was a sodden affair at San Francisco, with hundreds of thousands of revelers. Not much to write home about though, could have been just about any other night at the pub.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2001</span>. <span style="font-style: italic;">The</span><span> millennial start! The hype led me and a friend to New York, where we stood in below-freezing temperatures for the better part of an evening and night, and watched, with dumb anticipation, the ball, only a <span style="font-style: italic;">ball</span> really, drop. This was clearly one of those moments that you presently can't dig but talk about endlessly in future. One for posterity, nothing more.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2005</span>. The most surreal one. And perhaps, for ironical reasons, the most memorable one. Subbu, Ramdas and I had gone to Big Bend for a multi-day backpacking hike. We had planned to continue the tradition of a <span style="font-style: italic;">wet</span> new year's, but what happened out there was an altogether different experience. At 4.30pm on the 31st, we came across a nice campsite, primitive though it was, it was still a campsite. Feeling cocky however, probably through inexperience, we decided to move on to find the next campsite. Darkness fell at 6pm, and we could barely hike through the trail at this point. Desperation led us to search for <span style="font-style: italic;">anything</span> that might work as a camping spot, and this <span style="font-style: italic;">thing</span> turned out to be a stony ledge, slightly slanting downward and enough for maybe 2 dwarves to sleep comfortably. So here we were, 3 grown men, lying on that sloping stone, sleepless in mild fear of snakes, scorpions, and nameless fiends, and just counting all the stars all through the dawn of 2005. A memory keeper.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1999</span>. Another memorable one. In Madras this time, a few quick ones and then a ride to the Elliots Beach. The beach where tens of thousands of inebriated men (men alone) were waiting like a cinderbox for an explosion of excitement. Any girls foolhardy enough to venture into the beach got earfuls of tips on improving their personas, and a </span><span>few frank verbal appraisals of their bodies, which in some cases, turned physical. The large posse of uniformed, good-humored and indulgent coppers however seemed to draw a hard line at the physical bit. Out came the lathis, and a lathicharge perhaps not unlike the freedom movement days, ensued. All the freedom-loving patriots ran for cover, many into the cool water and I got hit smack on my elbow for the sole impropriety of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Nevertheless, a badge of honor that I now share with a few luminaries of this world.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2002</span>. At home in Bombay, wandered around late-night with a bunch of newly made acquaintances, bestowing visits to a seedy "beer bar" and a late night roadside eatery making "fry ry". Got back home at an unearthly hour and woke up next morning to smells that reminded one of past misdeeds!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2006</span>. A tradition of </span><span><span style="font-style: italic;">bring-your-own-scotch-but-drink-all</span> instituted. There may have been some <span style="font-style: italic;">dabbanguthu</span> involved, but that was a fairly regular occurrence back then.</span><br /><span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2007</span>. A tradition of <span style="font-style: italic;">bring-your-own-scotch-but-drink-all</span> continued. New Year's Eve spent with friends and <span style="font-style: italic;">their</span> families in a downtown club.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">1997</span>. A Goan binge to forget, and promptly forgotten. A few <span style="font-style: italic;">fennys</span> (the local drink then available for 3 rupees or 10 cents a pop), some wholesome seafood and some contributions to increasing the noise levels later, we went to sleep. If there are any allegations about my indulgences that night, I meet them stoically with stout denial.<br /></span><span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">2008</span>. First Night Austin. Music, love and fireworks.<br /><br />Happy New Year!<br /></span>muralihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751435931316826268noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5861892756974727358.post-46940452128674317562008-12-22T20:59:00.000-06:002008-12-27T21:25:02.198-06:00Got gat?A classic scene in <span style="font-style: italic;">Big Money</span> by PG Wodehouse where an inebriated and well-armed Mr Hoke intrudes into Berry Conway's home and interrupts a conversation with Lord Hoddesdon who has just come in to discuss weighty matters with Berry.<br /><br /><blockquote>'Do you want to see me about something?' he asked.<br />'Got gat,' said Mr Hoke pleasantly.<br />'Cat?' said Berry.<br />'Gat,' said Mr Hoke.<br />'What cat?' asked Berry, still unequal to the intellectual pressure of the conversation.<br />'Gat,' said Mr Hoke with an air of finality.<br />Berry tentatively approached the subject from another angle.<br />'Hat?' he said.<br />'Gat,' said Mr Hoke.<br />He frowned slightly, and his smile lost something of its effervescent <span style="font-style: italic;">bonhomie</span>. This juggling with words was giving him a slight, but distinct headache.<br /><br />...<br /><br />Lord Hoddesdon rose.<br />'Where is my hat?' he said stiffly.<br />'Gat,' said Mr Hoke, his annoyance increasing. It seemed to him that these people were deliberately affecting to misunderstand plain English.<br /><br />...<br /><br />'You thinking of leaving?' asked Mr Hoke.<br /><br />...<br /><br />'...in answer to your question, I <span style="font-style: italic;">am</span> thinking of leaving,' said Lord Hoddesdon.<br />Mr Hoke's momentary lapse into amiability was over. He was the strong man again, the man behind the gun.<br />'Oh, no!' he said.<br />'I beg your pardon?' said Lord Hoddesdon.<br />'Granted,' said Mr Hoke. He produced the gat, of which they had heard so much, and poised it in an unsteady but resolute grasp. 'Hands up!' he said.<br /><br />...<br /><br />'I had a mother once,' he said.<br />'You did?' said Berry.<br />'Yes, sir!' said Mr Hoke. 'That's just what I had. A mother.'<br />'The man's a dashed, drivelling, raving, raging lunatic,' said Lord Hoddesdon.<br />Mr Hoke started. Something in his lordship's words had caused a monstrous suspicion to form itself in his clouded mind. It seemed to him, if he had interpreted them rightly, that Lord Hoddesdon was casting doubts on his sanity. He resented this.<br /></blockquote><br /><br />Wodehouse has been my favorite author since I was 16. Hardly a month goes by without me re-reading one or more of the 90-odd books authored by him. I may, from time to time, add a nugget or two from his timelessly laugh-out-loud funny books. Watch this space!muralihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751435931316826268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5861892756974727358.post-49845892531241199572008-12-20T19:42:00.000-06:002008-12-20T21:15:38.620-06:00Battling it out in the greenbeltThe day I was supposed to do my longest training run of 28 miles added a few twists of its own. The day started warm and extremely humid, and as the day progressed, it grew warmer while still remaining humid. I have typically not done well in such conditions. Actually, that is quite an understatement. Humidity and heat have always oppressed me on my runs, so this long run was going to be a challenge.<br /><br />We started out at 7am in the Barton Creek Greenbelt at the 'Hill of Life'. It was a new route for me today, and I promptly got lost on the trails in the first loop and did a couple of extra miles. I ended up doing 3 more loops, shorter because I knew the trails now. The hilly loop including a couple of overlook vistas with breathtaking scenery and I lapped it up greedily. The beauty of the greenbelt with some fall colors thrown in for extra credits really helped keep my mind off the pains and struggles in my mind and body today.<br /><br />There were a few positives to take home today. I have now learnt to pace myself much better in different conditions. Previously in summer, I would run a few miles and then give out completely in exhaustion and frustration. But today, I slowed myself down after the first frenetic loop. I mixed in liberal doses of forced walk breaks to make sure I was not pushing too hard against the elements. Consequently, each loop thereafter was taking around 2-2:10 hours to complete, even as I grew more tired with every passing mile. It was rather slow, but consistency won the day today. And by conserving energy initially, I was also pleasantly surprised to be running strongly even in the last mile!<br /><br />For such a hot and humid day, my improvised nutrition plan also worked well. Normally, I found it hard to eat anything after a few miles on such days; it becomes hard to chew and digest, and the taste buds complain a lot. Today, I relied on an array of options: 1 banana, 2 clif shot bloks, 2 hammer gels, a few spoons of tamarind brown rice mixed with some lentils, 1 bottle of ensure, 2 packets of Succeed Amino, and countless tablets of salt, all taken with a total of about 200+ oz (~2 gallons) of water. That sounds like quite a feast now, but while I was running, I managed to ensure a steady supply of energy.<br /><br />Thanks to the humidity, I also used up quite a bit of gear today: 2 shirts, 2 shorts, 2 bandanas, 1 cap, and 2 pairs of socks. I sure wished I had more though!<br /><br />Another positive today was my handling of my IT-band pain. My tight IT-band has been a bane recently, it has forced me to back off training and try different things to alleviate the pain, like tying my bandana above my knee. I recently came across some nice stretching exercises for the IT-band, and by doing a few stretches every few miles or so for 30 seconds at a time today especially when I felt it may start to bother me a little, I managed to keep that issue at bay.<br /><br />On the whole, I am happy I ran long today and did not bail early. It feels like quite an achievement for me, especially after the nightmares of summer training. I have clearly learnt a lot through experience, and I am still learning with each run on what works for me under different conditions. And battling it out today on the hills of the greenbelt under hot and humid weather and making the 28 miles slotted for today is a nice confidence boost! All in all, a great training run.muralihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751435931316826268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5861892756974727358.post-20744679893145424722008-12-12T15:52:00.000-06:002009-10-04T23:37:47.359-05:00A dangerous intellectual infancyArundhati Roy writes another essay, in a way only she can, this time about the Mumbai attacks. From the politicians to the police, from the US to Pakistan, from terrorists to communists to communalists, and from celebrities to the media, they all come under fire for the state of affairs that allows incidents like Mumbai's terror attacks to happen.<br /><br />In <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/dec/12/mumbai-arundhati-roy">Mumbai was not our 9/11</a>, Arundhati has some classic one-liners.<br /><br /><blockquote>A superpower never has allies. It only has agents.</blockquote><br /><blockquote>We're now in the era of Grabbing by Force, and democracy has a terrible habit of getting in the way.</blockquote><br /><blockquote>In the business of terrorism, victims and perpetrators sometimes exchange roles.</blockquote><br /><blockquote>If Kashmir won't willingly integrate into India, it's beginning to look as though India will integrate/disintegrate into Kashmir.</blockquote><br /><blockquote>Anti-terrorism laws are not meant for terrorists; they're for people that governments don't like.</blockquote><br /><br />There are many threads to follow in the essay. One concerns why the Mumbai attacks should so outrage the Indian media and elite, and why it is even being called India's 9/11. That is a stretch in so many ways, and Arundhati surely does a great job of bringing that out. Reasons why these attacks are "special" probably include the targeting of elites by the terrorists, and the opportunity for breathless media coverage. <br /><br />An even more dangerous development seems to be, what she calls rightly, a regression into intellectual infancy. Media and elites flirting with the idea of a police state, and whipping up anger against <span style="font-style:italic;">all</span> politicians seems like an attack on Indian democracy itself. Truly, media coverage and analysis in India has touched heights that Fox News can only dream of.muralihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751435931316826268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5861892756974727358.post-65224425118707228082008-12-02T22:55:00.000-06:002010-12-04T00:33:34.381-06:00Terror in Mumbai: Enough AlreadySome more links on the terror in Mumbai, there are quite a few more thoughtful and sober analysis coming out now.<br /><br />An editorial in Guardian talking about what the idea of India means, and why that dream is still attainable. Inspiring, and despite all the social inequalities that still persist, I think we should take heart from what has been achieved so far in the face of almost-insurmountable odds.<br /><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/dec/01/india-mumbai-terror-attacks">The unforgotten dream</a><br /><br />Adding perspective to the media's hysterical coverage, Badri Raina plays on NDTV's rather ridiculous and vacuous caption 'Enough is Enough'. Enough of NDTV and its breathless sensationalism perhaps.<br /><a href="http://www.zcommunications.org/znet/viewArticle/19789">Enough is Enough</a><br /><br />Mumbai, Muslims, beards and Jews. Jawed Naqvi looks at some misconceptions and dangerous stereotyping by a terrorized people.<br /><a href="http://www.dawn.com/weekly/jawed/20080112.htm">Mumbai rekindles debate about Muslims, their beard and so on<br /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://www.dawn.com/weekly/jawed/jawed.htm"></a></span><br />Patrick Cockburn, a journalist whose reporting and analysis I mostly look forward to, lays the blame at various commissions of Pakistan and omissions by the US.<br /><a href="http://counterpunch.org/patrick12012008.html">From Baghdad to Mumbai, by way of Pakistan</a><br /><br />Good ol' Tom! Never thought I'd say this, but I actually find good merit in what Thomas Friedman says in his op-ed piece. He calls on all Pakistanis to rally and protest <span style="font-style: italic;">against</span> the perpetrators of the Mumbai carnage, similar to how they stood up and even lost lives over the Danish cartoons. Its an altogether different matter that he didnt write such a sensible and potentially more useful article asking Americans to stand up for, say, the Iraqis dead in some mindless collateral damage in the Iraq war. Oh well, with dear Tom, we are grateful for the small mercies of life...<br /><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/03/opinion/03friedman.html?_r=1&ref=opinion">Calling All Pakistanis</a><br /><br />Another Pakistani opinion-piece. Another one looking self-critically at the politics and policies of Pakistan. In many ways, the mass media in Pakistan is more independent and sober about their own country than the generally India-is-shining media in India. Pakistanis seem quite pessimistic about their government and even country, possibly because of the rather sorry state of affairs there. Irfan Hussain is fun to read though, and I have generally enjoyed many travel and political articles written with insight and compassion by him.<br /><a href="http://www.dawn.com/weekly/mazdak/mazdak.htm">Facing the truth<br /></a>muralihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751435931316826268noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5861892756974727358.post-52260044734394497602008-11-29T01:52:00.000-06:002010-12-04T00:34:14.673-06:00Terror in Mumbai<span style="font-weight: bold;">Perspectives</span><br /><br />Praveen Swami has a well-researched article from a terrorism-security framework:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.hindu.com/2008/11/29/stories/2008112953970800.htm">India's strategic deafness & the massacre in Mumbai</a><br /><br />Progressive publications have been silent on this issue thus far. Have they no perspective on this? They seem unable to provide even basic answers to pressing issues that trouble average folks, like security. Terrorism, though not a major killer in numbers, has a much greater effect psychologically because, like Bush says, of the 'hopelessness' offered by it. A rather indifferent article by Tariq Ali conflating ideological pet themes with real ground issues that connect tenuously:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.zcommunications.org/znet/viewArticle/19776%20">India's leaders need to look closer to home</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kashmir</span><br /><br />William Dalrymple has a sober informative article relating how normal and middle-class Kashmiris and other South Asian Muslims become emotively resentful of India's treatment of Kashmiri Muslims.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/nov/30/mumbai-terror-attacks-india1">Mumbai atrocities highlight need for solution in Kashmir<br /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pakistan</span><br /><br />And Pakistan, poor Pakistan. At the end of all this jingoistic barrage, helpless to protect its image, and helpless itself against the same forces at work, Pakistan is really paying a big price for its misadventures of the past. Pakistan has already faced more suicide bombings than any other nation including Iraq this year, and is caught between a barely restrained marauding force (US) and further alienating and radicalizing their own citizenry. Even as the Mumbai street battles were winding down, Pakistan faced yet another <a href="http://www.dawn.com/2008/11/29/top6.htm">suicide bombing</a> killing 6 security personnel.<br /><br />Indian jingoism, barely separated from Hindu righteousness, is threatening to unnecessarily and unhelpfully escalate an already terrible situation. Political leaders are proving no more than opportunistic by feeding red meat to the raving dogs of war...<br /><br />Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India<br /><blockquote>...neighbouring nations would have to face a cost if they allowed their territory to be used to launch attacks on India...</blockquote><br />Pranab Mukherjee, Foreign Minister of India<br /><blockquote>...prima facie evidence indicates elements with links to Pakistan are involved...</blockquote><br />Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat<br /><blockquote>This is for the first time Pakistan has allowed use of sea routes to further terrorism against India<br /></blockquote><br />Never mind the absence of evidence thus far. What a shame.muralihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751435931316826268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5861892756974727358.post-46096322879380343912008-11-19T22:39:00.001-06:002011-02-14T23:46:21.458-06:00Why am I running?I am training to run the <a class="inlinerunner-bk" href="http://tejastrails.com/Rocky.html" target="new">Rocky Raccoon 50 Miler</a> race as part of Team Asha. My target race is on February 7, 2009, in the Huntsville State Park, Texas. <br />
This is my first 50 miler ever! Infact, it is way longer than anything I have attempted so far. Training has been fun but hard, and has involved a lot of commitment in time and effort for my first 50 miler. I am doing all this, as I keep reminding myself on runs that keep getting longer and harder, for a cause I absolutely love and support. I am running as part of Team Asha this year to raise funds for the wonderful and deserving <a class="inlinerunner-bk" href="http://ashanet.org/projects/project-view.php?p=603" target="new">schools run by Gramin Shiksha Kendra</a> in rural Rajasthan. <br />
The schools provide a high quality of education thats relevant to the local community in order to bring about meaningful socioeconomic change. It is a very thoughtful effort by a few committed and talented educators to make a <i>real</i> and <i>qualitative</i> difference in the lives of the impoverished rural community. They promote learning based on fun and child-centric activities. Teachers employ innovative teaching techniques and educational materials tailored specifically for <i>every</i> child to learn effectively and thoroughly. Local knowledge and cultural expertise is incorporated into the syllabus so that the children have a broad curriculum that they can relate to easily. More importantly, it also grounds the education of the children to the success of the local community. I passionately believe that the success of this initiative can provide a good model of education that can be replicated across various rural and urban communities all over India! <br />
For this initiative to succeed, it needs your support! Learn more about this exciting project <a class="inlinerunner-bk" href="http://ashanet.org/projects/project-view.php?p=603" target="new">here</a>. <br />
I have pledged to raise $100 for every mile I run in my race. All the proceeds from my runner page go towards supporting Gramin Shiksha Kendra. Please contact me to sponsor my race and help me reach my fundraising target as I strive to reach my 50 mile distance.<br />
<br />
My runner fund-raising page where you can DONATE is <a href="http://www.ashanet.org/austin/soh/runners09/09-murali-n.html">here</a>.muralihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751435931316826268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5861892756974727358.post-50656025049030890202008-11-17T17:32:00.000-06:002010-12-04T00:30:36.942-06:00Warda Cardiac Run 25KThe Cardiac Run race happens every year at Damon Nolan's Bluff Creek Ranch in Warda, TX. The ranch has pine forests, open grasslands and even an oil rig! The 25K race consists of 2 loops of 12.5K each, with about 325' of elevation change in each loop. The course is mostly runnable except for a few small but steep hills in each loop. There is one aid station in each loop apart from the Start/Finish area.<br /><br />The 25K this year started at 10am, in bright but very windy conditions. For the first 3 miles, as my muscles were warming up, I felt some pain on the outside of my right knee. The pain however went away soon and I hit a comfortable stride after the first aid station.<br /><br />Joe P. who was on his second loop of his 50K run caught up with me here and we ran together for about 3 miles running at a fast but comfortable pace. At around mile 6 though, as Joe and I were running astride, Joe's brand new shoes caught some mesh and sent him tumbling over my way. Joe was fine though and just got up and ran hard again!<br /><br />As we pulled into the S/F area at the end of the first loop, the clock showed 1:17. After a minute replenishing gels and water, I started out on the second loop feeling more comfortable. And knowing that this was my last loop helped to push a pace that was definitely among my best for long runs. I finished the second loop and the race at 2:28, doing a negative split by 4 mins from the first loop. Quite easily, a personal record for me.<br /><br />After the race, I walked into the ranch house, and had some wonderful food prepared by Damon. Joyce, Jeff and Robert also joined us here and Damon regaled us with stories about the ranch and activities in the ranch. After a while, I walked out to the finish area, and saw Joe finish in 4:59! A fantastic time, and then soon, Savi also rolled in for a personal record for her. Ganesh had started earlier and finished and left for San Antonio for a marathon the next day!<br /><br />A wonderful race set up informally with very friendly volunteers and the good running conditions made it a memorable and enjoyable experience. The trails and the informal atmosphere reminded me a lot of my first trail race, the Rocky Hill Ranch 25K. I appreciate all the hard work that Damon and his folks put in to make this a great race for all the runners!muralihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751435931316826268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5861892756974727358.post-14529647016801218382008-11-12T15:07:00.000-06:002008-11-12T15:14:18.351-06:00Running in the rainRunning on technical trails immediately after it has rained or even while it is raining can be challenging and fun. Yesterday, a few of us from the training group (Kelly, Jason, Charlene, Bob and myself) did a nice 5.6 mile loop starting at the Hill of Life and through Cedar Chop and Powerline. We slipped a few times on the slick and shifty rocks, stomped through puddles of water and kicked wet mud out of our shoes at each step. It was fairly warm and very humid, and the added challenges of night running on wet trails, made it quite a hard workout. Fun nevertheless.muralihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751435931316826268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5861892756974727358.post-67022959445388818402008-11-10T18:00:00.000-06:002010-12-04T00:30:56.721-06:00Rocky Raccoon 50KThis is a good race put up by race director Paul Stone. The course is on flat but beautiful trails in the Huntsville State Park. The 50K consists of 2 25K loops, with many aid stations along the way. I had some issues with abdominal cramping and nausea starting around mile 10 and lasting nearly until the end. Nutrition, like in Palo Duro, turned out to be an issue again. The current theory for my nutrition woes has it that I had more salt (Succeed caps) than I needed. Despite all that though, I finished in 6:35, another personal best time for a 50K. The race was fun, and it was good to meet all the HCTR folks at the aid station and elsewhere - Naresh, Joe, Robert, Joyce, Diana, Henry, Dawn, Marcia and others.muralihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751435931316826268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5861892756974727358.post-40873770724130583362008-11-10T13:24:00.000-06:002010-12-04T00:35:23.659-06:00Running to death<span dir="ltr" id=":x4">It appears now that we actively seek death whatever we do. Death just doesn't happen, we race towards it in so many ways. </span><span dir="ltr" id=":x6">Its like the different 'yogas' (of B'Gita) you can do to reach salvation: </span><span dir="ltr" id=":x8"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><span dir="ltr" id=":x8"><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27460551/">Are you running yourself to death?</a></span><br /></div><div class="Q2bXSc"><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><br /><a href="http://publicsafety.com/article/article.jsp?id=2235&siteSection=3">Are we eating ourselves to death?</a><br /></div><br /><span class="ej8B8e" dir="ltr"></span><span dir="ltr" id=":xa">I am impressed. </span>All I can say is...science has come of age: 'they have now discovered that death happens'. Quite profound.<br /></div>muralihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751435931316826268noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5861892756974727358.post-66577748655160432522008-10-25T19:39:00.000-05:002010-12-04T00:31:26.652-06:00Palo Duro Canyon 50KIs it possible to run a 50K without much training?<br /><br />Since the somewhat unlucky attempt at the Pikes Peak Ascent in mid-August, I had not run much until the end of September. Stanley pulled me back into running on the beautiful trails in and around Austin, like the Greenbelt and at the Bastrop park. As far as trail running went, I was back! And the incessant talk about the Palo Duro Canyon on the HCTR forum prompted me into an ambitious target- a 50K with almost no training; the longest run I had done since Pikes Peak was a measly 14 miles.<br /><br />Actually, who knew Texas had a massive and beautiful canyon of its own? Yeah, and the Palo Duro (Hard Rock) Canyon in the Texas Panhandle region is actually the second biggest in the US (see panoramic view below).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbmIL2WtU9d7h8hZvfYIl9JCH6fs6y5kJroAG8ONTxfezFKJ6qTljcvw54bNeSs4ucCkLlpKxYOOyFFsAtn1-G1RykaBIZBzuBDUC5JNC70MEOohU6YWOqbKBdyXLoKl74s175LaqKWWs/s1600-h/pd-canyon-panorama.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 407px; height: 52px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbmIL2WtU9d7h8hZvfYIl9JCH6fs6y5kJroAG8ONTxfezFKJ6qTljcvw54bNeSs4ucCkLlpKxYOOyFFsAtn1-G1RykaBIZBzuBDUC5JNC70MEOohU6YWOqbKBdyXLoKl74s175LaqKWWs/s400/pd-canyon-panorama.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265375977082489954" border="0" /></a><br />We (Team Asha runners Dada, Bab, Savi and myself) left for Canyon, TX, near the Palo Duro Canyon on Friday, a drive of over 10 hours with all the various pit stops. Some injudicious snack foods along the way was to prove a little troublesome the next day! We reached our hotel late, and finally got to sleep around 1am!<br /><br />In the morning, as we drove toward the canyon, all we could see for a while was just pancake-flat expanse all around us. And then suddenly, the earth opened up. We drove down into the canyon floor and made our way to the start area where hundreds of runners were all excited and raring to go. The 50K folks were to run a 6-mile loop initially and then 2 bigger loops of around 12.5 miles each.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The first loop</span>. It was still dark when we started at 7am, and the narrow track meant that all the runners were slowly plodding through in a single file for the first 3 miles. After the aid station where the 50K and 50M folks split up in the first loop, Gaurav, Ganesh and I took off and had a nice fastish run in the early morning pleasant weather. We finished the loop, despite the slow start, in about 73 mins.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The second loop</span>. The start of the second loop was tough for me, mainly because I had neglected proper nutrition after the first 6 miles and compounding the problem was some gastro trouble from the previous night's food. I wouldnt get any calories until the next aid station 3.5 miles further. That proved to be a drag on my energy reserves and I found myself walking already in the second loop. At a certain point, the couple of restroom breaks meant that I passed the same runners twice! Struggling through, mainly on account of low energy levels and lost time to restroom breaks, the 12.5 mile loop took well over 3 hours. I gladly stopped over at the S/F to take a longish break and catch up on some food.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The third loop</span>. The third loop started out slow as I gradually started feeling better. A couple of miles into the loop, and especially after Phil's aid station, I had started running again strongly and maintained a good pace through the rest of the race. I kept having gels and drinking lots of Coke at every aid station. It was getting warmer through the day, but thankfully, I finished before it got really hot. Also, around this time, the aid station volunteers also had to deal with hundreds of bees attracted to all the sweet stuff around!<br /><br />I finished with a total time of around 7.45 hours. Not a bad time, but it was a personal record (PR)!! Actually, smashed my previous 50K time from Tahoe by more than 3 hours. I enjoyed the race a lot, the course is fairly flat and is mostly runnable. And the fantastic views of the canyon from all the different points on the trails make it a pleasant and memorable run. The race organizers and aid station volunteers were <span style="font-weight: bold;">superb</span>. They had also put up some interesting and inspiring banners all along the way, saying things like:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" ></span><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >If you are feeling comfortable in an ultra, dont worry, that will change soon!</span></blockquote><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">Adversity does not build character, it reveals character!</span></blockquote><br />and a favorite quote by "Big Red" Spicer, RD for previous editions of the trail race,<br /><em style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span></em><blockquote><em style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">Life is a headlong rush into the unknown. We can hunker down and hope nothing hits us or we can stand </span></em><em style="font-family: georgia;">tall, lean into the wind and say, ‘Bring it on, darlin’, and don’t be stingy with the jalapeños!’</em></blockquote><br />So yes, it is possible to run a 50K without much training (and even write a race report!), but the performance can vastly improve with proper training. It had been so long since I had such a long run that I paid little heed to pacing myself appropriately or taking in nutrition periodically.<br /><br />All in all, I am very happy I got the opportunity to visit the Palo Duro Canyon, run a reasonably good race and meet all the friendly trail-running folks out there!muralihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751435931316826268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5861892756974727358.post-49369115495663821792008-10-10T21:17:00.000-05:002010-12-04T00:38:15.326-06:00Vibha Dream Mile 5KAfter 7 years of being a part of the organizing team for the <a href="http://vibha.org/">Vibha</a> 5K, this was the first time I actually ran the race! The Vibha Dream Mile 5K was held on October 5, 2008.<br /><br />The Vibha 5K course starts at the East Mall and goes through various roads in the UT campus, and that makes for a nice setting. Its a hilly run, slightly harder than an average 5K. Parts of the course repeat in 2 loops and so runners can take 3 water stops during the race.<br /><br />Overall, a fun race. Its fun because its a small race and is run by enthusiastic volunteers and supported by excited runners and patrons. The whole atmosphere is festival-like, especially with all the huge tents for the kids' games, music and Vibha information (a novelty since the 2007 edition).<br /><br />Personally, for me, this was my first 5K. I carried a camera with me on the run and got some pictures on the course. I also finished sub-30 mins, so that was nice. My team, Team Asha, also had a great time, with best team prize and Jith coming first in his age category.muralihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01751435931316826268noreply@blogger.com0