tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69494685266670881142024-03-18T20:55:05.128-07:00SimplifyS - Slow down
I - Imagine doing less
M - Make time for loved ones
P - Practice Patience
L - Learn to gently say no
I - Increase your quiet time
F - Follow your heart
Y - Yield to lifeSimplifyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14540223255593212400noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949468526667088114.post-19167377859525108332014-07-26T06:06:00.002-07:002014-07-26T06:32:16.254-07:00Lassen Volcanic National Park - July 2014<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEM2_dz0i1_V9CwPBPJih8eHjw0mxw0bzx3e2R9ceq4aOCWDyDBPLHQ6gcesDfe4xmOpwoH3nSstFaH7Kq43QDT6gW6mwBhX7iiGGiBDWq3AwYml4IfIxV0GvZftDdmRF4aaQoDyg9ZFcH/s1600/IMG_3378.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEM2_dz0i1_V9CwPBPJih8eHjw0mxw0bzx3e2R9ceq4aOCWDyDBPLHQ6gcesDfe4xmOpwoH3nSstFaH7Kq43QDT6gW6mwBhX7iiGGiBDWq3AwYml4IfIxV0GvZftDdmRF4aaQoDyg9ZFcH/s1600/IMG_3378.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Star and Stripes cake on 4th July</td></tr>
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Lassen Volcanic National Park and Redding – This was a
shorter road trip compare to couple of years ago, when we did it. Prem is
having good time this summer vacation, with lot of play dates, primarily with
Rahul. Part of playdates, they would do Math Olympiad questions and some very
basic Android app development. However, as per Prem, vacations are not really
vacation till we go out some place and stay in hotel, eat yummy (read - bad)
food. Both the kids studied and played well together; so it was great, when we decided
for this vacation together last minute. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1JlFpLtPds96RYqcQHA2ZYptMnXlcdBTV3w7vQTbcCuP3tAeYyQEu_-vIPPtZpES5fHezfW9_Nr5LrqcfbN7PSzauqO2vorV3BefOc39YazU2sREr01bdJlHNdTebP9-OMdM7azM9QGAy/s1600/IMG_3420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1JlFpLtPds96RYqcQHA2ZYptMnXlcdBTV3w7vQTbcCuP3tAeYyQEu_-vIPPtZpES5fHezfW9_Nr5LrqcfbN7PSzauqO2vorV3BefOc39YazU2sREr01bdJlHNdTebP9-OMdM7azM9QGAy/s1600/IMG_3420.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a>Since I knew the area and attraction points, we did not rush
(much). Both the kids were excited and looking forward to hike to center of
volcano in Bumpass Hell hike. The hike took them over to mud pots, Sulfur
geysers. Our next stop was Lassen Peak. This year, there was lot less snow at
top. This is probably the most fun time kids have, throwing snow at each other.
Promila running around, in the parking lot, to dodge the snowballs, made few
more cars to stop over there, and look at the spectacle. Throwing snow in
shorts and sandals, 90 degree weather; made us forget how tired we were.</div>
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4 hour drive, Bumpass Hell Hike and snow play and no real
lunch behind, lot of us were hungry. After finishing up most of the snacks
while doing North Summit Lake hike, we went to the store near Manzanita lake.
It had pizza, fresh fruits, ice creams which refueled us for next couple of
hours. We headed to Redding and everybody was tired to get out for real dinner.
Luckily for us, on walking distance there was Chinese restaurant, which
customized the dishes to our liking; and everybody loved the freshly cooked
food. Even though we barely ate couple of hours ago, we were able to finish
most of the food.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We were all in vacation mood, and did not set up time to get
up in morning. It was Subha’s birthday, and we went to Lumberjack and had a big
breakfast there. However, after watching us finish the big portion of <o:p></o:p></div>
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Chinese
food yesterday, I was not sure, I could call breakfast big. We went to Burney
Falls from there. Promila brought some chocolate to wish and celebrate the
birthday. We stayed in the water for quite some time and took some pictures.
Prem wanted to swim and show his skills, but we did not bring any change of
clothes. We did another little hike to Rainbow bridge; and Rahul wanted to run
on the trail. He went back and forth so that he was not far away from us. By
the time we finished our walk, he was too tired. Part of the trail crosses
Pacific Crest trail; and we could not pass taking some photos and walking on
part of the famous 2663 miles long trail, which goes from Canada to Mexico,
covering major landmarks, like Mt Whitney while passing through California.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdIg-deLJBPsFF3B9cIoJmWFXSkM-8lhFFevCdVzGSFsDbce9Pe5a2zmo_8ADhN79K8Hcif12Ufu1flOpdhUc0ortRd_nNOjfCfQg30WzfTAUTcEVfUBz2EmjERDOU32Vbg4_2j-7wYgkk/s1600/IMG_3485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdIg-deLJBPsFF3B9cIoJmWFXSkM-8lhFFevCdVzGSFsDbce9Pe5a2zmo_8ADhN79K8Hcif12Ufu1flOpdhUc0ortRd_nNOjfCfQg30WzfTAUTcEVfUBz2EmjERDOU32Vbg4_2j-7wYgkk/s1600/IMG_3485.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a>After having our sandwich lunch at local Safeway, we headed
to Lava Tubes. Guhan wondered as why there were no lights in the tubes, the
ground was uneven, cave was cold. It was easy to imagine that some animals or
poisonous scorpions, might be taking refuge from hot sun into these caves.
Total darkness added to mystery and adventure to this small walk. Kids were
excited and playing with headlights in this long cave. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We were done for the day and headed back. Guhan got big Oreo
ice cream cake; and we finished up 3/4<sup>th</sup> of cake in no time. Subha
shared couple of her Marathon stories and how she was so stiff to even walk or
move after the race was over; a budding stand-up comedian, with all the
actions. She further narrated as how her daughter disowned her when she forgot
to switch off her phone at start of a live classical music concert and it
started ringing loudly; and she could not find it in the bag; and could not run
out of auditorium.</div>
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We tried to be more adventurous, and went to Sundial Bridge
in night. However, with not a single soul in night in parking lot, and with
history of watching scary movies and active imagination, nobody even stepped
out of car. (Note to self – backpacking trip might have to wait). </div>
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After
returning back to room, we talked about memorable vacation trips. Soon it was
clear, when Guhan/Subha talked about downtown of Seattle/San Diego, trying
different coffees and food shop; and not mentioning Mt Olympic/Mt St Helens, Mt
Rainier; that it might take them a bit to come around for 4-10 hours hikes.
When they chatted about their Europe trip, Rahul was quick to ask as why they
did not do those kind of trips now with the kids. Needless to say, it was interesting
argument to satisfy the smart kid</div>
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. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We woke up next morning and walked to Sundial bridge;
everybody was now comfortable to admit, that they might go next time in night
there. With people walking their dogs, lot of bicycles; kids playing around and
skipping stones in Sacramento river, it was a nice place to hang out. This was
followed by educational Shasta Dam trip.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsFkFy63I6qvCnuJzPSNwixD6GWWz8ND1EKZHqZAgqMBdpU67_tP94AJ0-SYyk7PTjxxZJYYjR8T8tABrXoT6Bpa9fSF8mR6BSzjs-tFRFfE58sq_AburguX9c28hHkNr26T3lxOOfGb5U/s1600/IMG_3506.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsFkFy63I6qvCnuJzPSNwixD6GWWz8ND1EKZHqZAgqMBdpU67_tP94AJ0-SYyk7PTjxxZJYYjR8T8tABrXoT6Bpa9fSF8mR6BSzjs-tFRFfE58sq_AburguX9c28hHkNr26T3lxOOfGb5U/s1600/IMG_3506.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a>Coming back, we stopped at Corning, Olive City; and went to
Olive Pitt. It was a great stop, as we tasted different types of Olives and hot
peppers, along with Olive oils. Well, I guess, in retrospect, it was more than
tasting; as I felt so sleepy after that stop, that I had difficulty keeping my
eyes open. <o:p></o:p><br />
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After pouring some water on my head, I thought of stopping
and get some coffee. At that time, we got a call from Subha who invited us for
dinner, and that too traditional Tamil dinner. The anticipation of tasting
sambhar and other dishes were enough to keep me awake. I was surprised to see
their energy after a full day and 4 hours drive; to go home and cook dinner for
6 people. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Dinner conversation went quickly to what it meant by
authentic South Indian cuisine. Very entertaining and educational conversation
for me, as I came to know proper way for making sambhar. Guhan, this time, was
more of an expert in this area; and explained subtlety; which made a lot of
sense. Promila and I learned quite a few things. Dinner was excellent, with
four dishes, served with rice and bread. Hope to follow up on these sessions
more, as Guhan has taken on himself to teach daughter cook every weekend; for
next year, before she is headed for college. More stand-up comedy from Subha on
hearing (read - not listening) proper way of cooking from Guhan. It was
conclusion of a very pleasant weekend. I had a great flavor in my mouth from
the traditionally prepared dishes; and was hoping Guhan family had some taste
of adventure and craving for more.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/117490106308496241116/albums/6040356561543494673" target="_blank">Photos</a></div>
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Simplifyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14540223255593212400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949468526667088114.post-87218309562697276762013-11-29T11:54:00.000-08:002014-05-02T14:58:51.134-07:00Silicon Valley Turkey Trot 2013 (5 K) – November 28, 2013 <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Thanks
for Norm for driving to the event, I was able to sleep till 5:30 AM. As I
mentioned in my previous blog, that racing season was over for me for this
great year, with<a href="http://maneeshagarwalfamily.blogspot.com/2013/08/santa-rosa-marathon-august-25-2013.html" target="_blank"> Boston Qualifying</a> times in August; I was not expecting much. I
was injured twice, while trying to get back quickly after the Marathon. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">After
first mile, I was thinking why I was running this race, I was not even trained
well, no intervals (I do not count tempo intervals as intervals); and doing
tempo runs only in last two weeks, weight was up, and this was not fun, I was
winded, how could I do another 2 miles, let me stop; after 2 miles more of
these negative thoughts - this was not fun. What was I thinking when I
registered just a day before the race! It was hard to remember, but now in
retrospect, it was to put a quality run in, watch world class runners in one of
the biggest Turkey Trot event in the country and get another nice full sleeve
race shirt (Shirt is for Promila - beautiful purple color - you can see Norm wearing it well !). </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I was afraid to see
the watch, and did not see it till end. When just 300 yards from finish line
and I was dying to stop to take a breather, I looked at the watch to see if I
needed to sprint; while telling myself - 'how can you even think of sprint -
when you are already dying'. Watch showed my 17:53. Then after some more
pushing, I could see the clock on finish line, at 18:52 - no air to suck in -
there was no way to beat 19 minutes, but still tried - not sure where the
energy came and ran as fast as I could (watch was showing 5 min pace for last
0.11 mile). I did not think I beat the clock, but probably very close to 19
minutes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <b>Official results
came, and I was at 18:57, 2<sup>nd</sup> in my age category.</b> This is almost two
and half minutes faster than my last year Turkey Trot; and another PR for 5 K
this year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Watched elite women
race - first mile was sub 5 for almost everybody though it seems that they were
jogging. Kim Connelly from Santa Rosa won and set up new course record - she was nowhere in first 3-4 runners for first
3 laps; and only came in last lap, but she was clear winner. Then saw men
event, Alan Webb was there. Torrance (Diego) set up the course record, and he
did a cool down lap (1200 m) and came back ahead of some runners who were
finishing up, and cheered them. I think he was 13:28. Some runners who came 3<sup>rd</sup>
or 4<sup>th</sup> place were really pushing at finish - great to see the
mixture of pain, effort and desire to keep going. Intensity on last lap was
inspirational. I was telling myself, you thought you were in pain, that was
nothing compare to what you saw here. Some of the runners were running like
hell in the last two laps; one was holding his chest. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It was great to see
that runners who were really good, seemed relaxed, no jerking motion, or big
effort/push. There were some runners who seemed trying very hard, but they were
no way closer to top runners. Winners had easy strides, seemed like enjoying
it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Met Ken and his wife
(she was taking photographs). Ken did 38.XX; he was not happy; and admitted
probably training too much. He talked to me about my logs, and said that he was
watching them and thought that I was doing good to stick with 2 mile intervals
instead of shorter intervals. He did tell me this before too, to stick with
them; and I thanked him for his advice as I think it had been true for me. And
till I have 3 months of longer interval, I should not be thinking about shorter
intervals, as they are more demanding. He thought that even for him any
intervals of less than 1 mile were not doing any good. He was as surprised as I
was when he came to know that I had my PR. I ran in brand new LunaRacer (yes -
I bought another pair for racing); did not feel any pain or leg tiredness;
which I was experiencing in last couple of days. While I was doing my strides
during 3 miles warm up, I was taken aback when my strides were coming around
6:10 pace; thought that I would be lucky to break 20 this time - more negative
thoughts - why can't I train properly before running the race - there are so
many races always. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I am still sticking to
Jim’s training method of more mileage and less emphasis on faster intervals, as
it has been still giving me results. I know there are some talented club
runners who are faster than me and run only 25-30 mpw. Well, it was just not Jim,
while reading Tim Noakes, Daniels and Lydiard; it confirms more mileage first,
then strides, then tempo and finally intervals/mechanics, if one survive and
not injured earlier. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Simplifyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14540223255593212400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949468526667088114.post-797443289128157762013-08-27T20:35:00.000-07:002014-05-02T15:01:22.646-07:00Santa Rosa Marathon - August 25, 2013 - A Boston Qualifier<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
For most part of my running from 2010-12; I did not have the sense of what I could do in running. I struggled with injuries, get disheartened when I did not see much improvements after two years, and all my runs would be just workouts. There was little fun, apart from fleeting feeling of accomplishment about finishing/surviving Half Marathons or Full Marathon.. When I met Jim, my running guide in tail end of 2012; one of the things, he told me that all your runs should not be workouts. I could not understand what he meant by that, and did not ask to clarify. Running IS like doing a workout !! Probably the hardest thing, I ever did physically and mentally. Well, after a good workout, you were supposed to feel tired and muscle should be aching, and later recover to get stronger. That was what I thought.<br />
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When he told me about easy aerobic running and through many discussions, I realized that most of the runs should be easy and fun; and two workouts, at most, per week were more than enough for Master runners. Whenever in doubt, go easy, and it still helped me with overall endurance and speed. Well, this theory was further confirmed by most of the books I read on running, later. I had great year after embracing this paradigm, with 80% - 90% of mileage as easy run. I got injured couple of times, but kept running easy and slow, let go of the workout runs during recovery. In the process, not only I improved my endurance but the race pace for every distance from 1 mile to Marathon; and more importantly - I started enjoying my runs.<br />
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I <a href="http://maneeshagarwalfamily.blogspot.com/2013/06/breaking-20-minutes-in-5-k-vibha-dream.html" target="_blank">broke 20 minutes in 5 K</a> and soon after <a href="http://maneeshagarwalfamily.blogspot.com/2013/08/summer-breeze-half-marathon-in-san.html" target="_blank">1:30 minutes in Half Marathon</a>; and now I had Boston Qualifying <br />
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time in Santa Rosa Marathon, finishing it in 3:23:27. All these three achievements were not even my dreams at start of the year; let alone the goals. After witnessing initial improvements, with in two months of changing my training, I just focused on process. I never gave importance to a single event/race; as long as I was following this training and improving over a period of time, that was all that mattered. Jim mentioned that it takes around 10 years to reach your peak; initial gains might be big. Well, that was correct, and 'big' was relative term.<br />
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I brought my 5 K from 22:30 to 21:25 to 20:45 and finally to 19:27 in last 10 months; Half Marathon from 1:47:01 to 1:35:00 in Feb 2013, and then to 1:29:10 in August 2013. Before running these PRs, I did not have the confidence that I could even achieve these. It was Jim (and sometime Ken) who had to tell me that I could do that, and then I went ahead and did those, with that belief. Part of it was I raced poorly before, went too fast early (I still do that lot of time) and I raced less. Besides, mentally it was still difficult to believe that all the slow/easy running had been helping me.<br />
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At start of year, I just had one goal, to run a Marathon under 4 hours. My last best, which was in 2012, was 4:11:13. Running Half Marathon under 90 minutes, opened up my eyes to dream about running Marathon under 3:25, a Boston Qualifying time for me. I had traumatic experiences from last two marathons, where I crashed and cramped, and had to walk a lot in later part of the race.<br />
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Well, that did not change here either. Though I mentioned earlier that I did not give importance to one event, and tried to run my best in races, whatever best race I could do on that day; clearly that was not true for the Marathon. I still remember, vividly, nightmares from my<a href="http://maneeshagarwalfamily.blogspot.com/2011/03/two-black-eyes.html" target="_blank"> first Marathon</a>. And variation of those were back now, after I decided that I would run Santa Rosa Marathon 4 weeks ago.<br />
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In one nightmare, I was driving to Marathon, and wearing my office dress; changed quickly, and did a bag check. I was rushing to starting line, as race was starting soon in 5 minutes. When I looked down at my legs, I was still wearing office pants and I had one dress shoe and one running shoe on. I panicked and ran back to get my checked bag; but it was already moved to a different location; I ran to other location; and tried to talk urgently to people. However, they were discussing something about the race, i.e., that timing chip equipment was not working so they were going by gun time for this race. I had been sweating already, without taking a single step in the race. Finally, somebody heard me, they could not locate my checked bag. I was thinking to run in my underwear, trying to remember, if I have a cleaned one, but shoe conundrum had to be resolved; I was not thinking of running barefoot. I heard the gun, another 5 minutes went by, I was sweating much more and trying to remain calm. I was doing mental calculations, as how long could I wait before I give up Boston Qualifying dream in this race, may be another 10 minutes. 15 minutes passes and I woke up; drenched in sweat.<br />
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Registration to Santa Rosa Marathon did not prove easy either. This was the only local California Boston Qualifier after June and before December. I was not ready in June. Though my weekly mileage was up, I did not have over 16 miler in my long run. I decided to do 19 miler, it went very well, without much water. And then I called Santa Rosa Marathon to find out what Gatorade were they providing on water station during the race. Following weekend, I did another 19 miler, sipping on that Gatorade, making sure it worked for me. However, after that, when I went to register, it was already sold out. SOLD out for more than 6 weeks in advance !! Who are all these crazy people ? I tried to find other Marathons around this time frame, I could not. The reason I wanted to run, as I was injury free and running well for last 2 and half months. Generally, a good training period of 3 months, followed with 2-3 weeks of racing (small races) hard or running just one Half or full Marathon, end the running season; as your body needs some breather. With injury scare always at horizon, it was hard to fit in a Marathon in schedule.<br />
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Anyway, I sent them email that if something opens up, I was really interested in the Marathon; and forgot about it. After two weeks their reply came, that they opened up for registration as lot of other runners approached them with similar requests. Now there was no holding back; I was relatively confident that I would be able to run under 4 hours for Marathon. With that in mind, I register for Half Marathon on August 3, just three weeks before the Marathon, to see where it would land me on time charts for full marathon. That Half Marathon proved to be another dramatic event for me, and while running on sore calf, I promised that if I could just do sub -7 for whole race, I would not worry about the Marathon. I did achieve that goal; and with nothing more to lose, I tried to recover soon from that all-out effort. This was practically a three week taper; only thing which was missing from my training was one long continuous run 2 or 3 week before Marathon. My last 19 miler was 6 weeks ago from Marathon date. Well, not ideal training, but nothing much could be done now.<br />
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My sub-90 minutes Half Marathon was putting my ideal Marathon time at 3:10. So I thought, 3:20 would be good goal to achieve to account for weakened calf, lack of long run and hard HM three weeks ago. While checking on pacer information, there were 3, 3:15 and 3:25 pacers. Further checking race course and reading about it, it did not appear to be fast as it had been advertised. It has lots of ups and downs; as with life. Nothing much could be done here, just take this information and process it to adjust your pace.<br />
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I called to book hotel in Santa Rosa, and all the hotels in 10 mile radius were sold out. This might be when frequency of nightmares increased. I thought I would just have to drive on the day of the race. Race started at 6 AM and Santa Rosa was 2 hours away, meaning I had to wake up at 2 AM, eat something, and start driving little before 3 AM. Promila and Prem liked Santa Rosa, we had been there multiple times, to check on Charles Schulz Museum, Whole Foods. Promila liked the place, and was disappointed when she came to know that there was no hotel available. She tried, but of no help.<br />
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A day before the race, on Saturday, when I had to pick up the bib, Promila called in to find out if there were last minutes cancellations, and she got denied again; and just 5 minutes before we were leaving, she called again, and this time she got the reservation. As luck would have it, hotel was 0.5 mile away from the race start, and part of the race went through a trail which passed through the hotel. This put my mind at somewhat ease, I could sleep in for two hours more; and all the anxiety (which consciously I was not admitting) to reach at starting line melted away. Bib pick up was at beautiful DeLoach Winery. We took the tour of winery, all the runners got wine bottle. Though it was beautiful set up, I was looking at the road on which we came from, it was rolling hills. I knew this was where part of the race would be happening. I told myself, just go slow (how much slow ? relative ?) tomorrow. We took tour of winery, and where they kept barrels for wine tasting; everything looked picture perfect.<br />
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At dinner, I ate as much as I could but all healthy stuff at Whole Foods and you would be surprised to know how much a thin runner could eat - one Julliard vegetarian Sandwich (this was the name of park where the race started), followed by Taco salad which was topped with Spanish rice, fajita vegetables, black beans, guacamole and salsa. After finishing that, I cleaned up pizza crust and crumbs left by Prem. We checked into hotel. We walked to start of the race, and I was further bummed to see the trail was all concrete on which we walked. I knew there was around 14 miles of that trail on the race course, and was hoping that not all of it would be concrete, as it was going to be much harder on legs. I saw two under passes with in half a mile, another sign to go as slow as possible in beginning, to save legs from all ups and downs.<br />
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Set up the alarm to wake up at 5 AM, however, kept waking up to check on it, multiple times; finally decided to wake up at 4:30 AM. Drank whatever was available in room, coconut water, water; tried to clear bowel; not much success. Finally left the room 20 minutes before the race; my throat felt extremely dry; could be the nerves; came back to room and drank another glass of water.<br />
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Jogged to the start of line in dark, and saw lot of sleeping bags on the trail. Note to self - It seemed that some of the runners, just came in night, parked and slept around the trail - good strategy. I found 3:15 pacer group; was surprised to see over 300 runners standing ahead of him. I thought that crowd would thin out after a mile or so. Ate a packet of GU Chomps; which I had tried earlier in one long run. Pacer was instructing everybody that apart from first mile, he would try to keep even splits; people can take water breaks in between and catch up with him.<br />
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My sub-90 minute Half Marathon was indicating 3:10 as my ideal Marathon. From past marathon scars, ups and downs on the current course; barely any long consistent run in last 5 week of training, weak left calf; I wanted to go super conservative. My Boston Qualifying times were 3:25; and I was thinking of doing 3:20 to account for last mile cramping etc. Not much of a wiggle room. Ken and Jim knew my problems with pacing and going too fast in beginning. So they drilled down into me; stay very slow for first 3-5 miles. To me, it translated into stay slower than 7:15 pace (which is 3:10 for whole Marathon) and I would be OK. You hear what you want to hear.<br />
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I stayed behind the 3:15 pace group; there were around 40 people in that group. And the crowd did not thin out at all for 4 miles. This was when I ran into Neil, a veteran from West Valley club. He ran an excellent HM on August 3 with me, and I was not surprised to see he was running ahead of me. I asked him what was he planning to do today; he told me that he wanted to keep under 4 hours. :-)<br />
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I could feel the moisture in the air, though pace felt like a jog to me, I had started sweating. My strategy for hydrating and calories intake was to ingest Gatorade at every aid station. I tried to do it first while running, and could not drink it while running. After first couple of aid stations, I would just stop, drink and move. Since pace seemed slow to me, I was easily able to catch up with the pace group. Day was breaking out, and sky was turning crimson red over DeLoach vineyard. I was enjoying the run and scenery. Race path went through the winery and then INSIDE through the wine cellar where I came yesterday to pick up the wine !!! One could literally pick up grapes as snack on the run or drink wine from the barrels. I completed half distance exactly at 1:37:31. At the time, I thought, I could run at this pace forever.<br />
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Ups and downs had been taking toll on my legs, but it was hard to judge if I would go all the way at that pace. Passed 18 miles, and told myself, now this was just like my 8 miles easy daily run. I felt no energy depletion, all the sugar in Gatorade was working for me. Well, that was not be the case, just before I cross the mile 19, I felt my first cramp; while going down on one of the rolling hills.<br />
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I had to walk a bit to break it, but still had a long way to go. There is some truth to the saying, 2nd Half of Marathon starts at 20 miles. After that, both my calves and hamstrings would cramp, I knew I was hydrated well; may be TOO WELL. I felt some nausea from all the Gatorade I drank, I switched to water; could not run even quarter of a mile before stopping. Walked on my heels, since I run on balls of my feet; to give my running muscles rest. My running form deteriorated, and uneven surface of trail and ups and downs; were not helping me keeping a rhythm. It was now a matter of survival. Surprisingly, there were lot of runners around me, who were doing the same dance. 3:25 goal was in danger; so just did some quick calculations, and told myself, if I could 10 min a mile for last 3 miles, I would be fine. However, there was no control on cramps/muscle spasms.<br />
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Carefully looked ahead, and tried to run all straight portion, and walk the underpasses and water stations; this strategy helped keeping mind calm. Ate banana and a gel, weather was still not hot; finally saw the finish line in sight, and ran the whole way, as fast as I could to barely make it under 3:24. Though I crashed in this race at mile 19, I liked the feeling of comfort till then and enjoyed the race. My neck, stomach, and legs were cramping. Joined Promila and Prem at finish line, tried to walk around; and drink/eat as much as I could, watermelon, oranges, coconut water; followed by Pancakes. Race coordinators had done tremendous job. Pancakes with real butter calmed me down, followed by beer and french fries. Prem asked me, if red thing on my white shirt was blood; it took me some time to acknowledge that my nipples might have bled.<br />
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Surprised to see email from Ken who knew my chip time before I did, and congratulated me. Replied back to him and Jim; who was waiting for results of this race. Both of them knew that this was a big long term goal for me, and had been guiding me and sharing their experiences. It was another matter, how much of it I was following. Their words were great help in having the self belief that it was doable. As expected, Jim scolded and mocked me for going too fast in beginning and not sticking to 7:40 pace as discussed; while admitting that he had done the same in half of his Marathons; and understood how difficult to implement the pace strategy; and good thing was that I was still able to finish under 3:25.<br />
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My mile splits were <span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">8:04, 7:32, 7:24, 7:06, 7:09, 7:18, 7:20, 7:22, 7:21, 7:12, 7:16, 7:20, 7:25, 7:19, 7:13, 7:15, 7:21, 7:16, 7:25 (19 th mile), 7:50, 7:55, 8:38, 8:59, 8:51, 9:05, 9:21, 8:18 (last .39). My average pace for whole Marathon 7:46. </span><br />
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After driving back home, I took shower to get ready for a Birthday Party. I sprayed deodorant over my shirt to kill any residual sweat smell, and it hurt like hell as I forgot all about my bleeding nipples. I could finally say that it took lot of sweat, some blood and few tears to accomplish Boston Qualifying time.<br />
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Simplifyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14540223255593212400noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949468526667088114.post-17585455367384262732013-08-04T07:35:00.000-07:002013-08-04T10:13:26.415-07:00Summer Breeze Half Marathon in San Leandro - August 3, 2013<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Another very satisfying race for me for multiple reasons.<br />
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One of the directors, I used to report into, retired on August 2. She had her best Half Marathon at 6:57 min/mile pace. When she told me this 3 years ago, I could not even run 1 mile at sub-7 pace. So at the time, this was not even my goal. She ran 5 HM, so I thought, I could probably do that. And that was that. However, at times, I used to think, how it would feel like to run that fast, for whole Half Marathon ! Now I know, extremely painful, after completing it in 1:29:10 @ 6:49 pace. Trip to rest room are a major hurdle; anything I do, which require flexing calf, is huge pain.<br />
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I almost did not register for this race as I was thinking of running Marathon on August 24. Last Sunday, during my long run, which was one of my key work out, I pulled my calf muscle 12 miles into the run. Harder part of the run was over (which was running tempo intervals sub 7 pace). Had to make up my mind whether I should run another 3 miles or walk. Then I thought, that in most of my races, over 10 miles, I always have some similar issue, and I should learn to run in pain. This could have led into major injury, as a runner, you want to avoid that at all cost. But such opportunities, to running on pulled muscle, comes rarely. Ummmm...what to do ?<br />
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Hoping that it would not become major injury, started running along with my running partner and guide Jim, I thought it would be a good recovery pace, since both of us ran a good 5 K previous day. Boy, I was wrong. Jim did not know about my pulled left calf muscle, and decided to speed up last 3 miles. Well, while keeping up with him, my body and mind were learning to run in discomfort. This sure came handy on race day.<br />
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Yes, about 5 K, a day before my fateful long run (July 27), I had 19:27; another PR on track; and a week before that, I ran my first mile race, so that was an easy PR. Since I read 'Once a runner'; I wanted to run a mile; and was very satisfied with 5:33. These two results were very satisfying, since my training was more gear towards Half and Full Marathon distance; and practically, had no VO2 max intervals or intervals of shorter distance than 1200 m. All the slow aerobic running was making it happen, so far.<br />
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I read another 6 running books in last 3 months. And discussing with Jim, it was clear, to avoid injury at all costs (means do not try to be hero in training runs to go fast); run lot of slow mileage for at least a year; save yourself for key race. In that regard the 5 K and miler were not key races for me, and it was very pleasing to see those times. Key is keep running, get 2-3 months of consistent good mileage. For last 3 months, I am averaging over 9 miles per day. My training has just two intervals at tempo pace (HM pace), no VO2 max intervals so far. This is to build a good strong base for a key race. As with anything, in running too, you want to peak during your key races. Generally, strategy was to have good training of 3-4 months, followed by key race - either multiple shorter races of 1 mile/5 K/10 K over 1-3 weeks OR single HM or full Marathon. And after that you slow down, recuperate, and decide for another 3-4 months period.<br />
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Coming back to pulled calf last Sunday, I did not do any intervals, during the week, which is not ideal for a key race. However, one has to adapt, based on where you are. I was not sure whether I should register for the race or not. Left calf was sore, and so through out the week, I kept testing it with slow running of around 8 min pace. Promila made Quinoa and Garbanzo beans, so I was eating them, hoping that would help. I thought it did. I was holding up well, and on Thursday, I register for the race; thinking if calf bother me during the run, I can just jog along for rest of the race and would have my mileage in.<br />
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While driving with Jim, who was little disappointed with my last Half Marathon at 1:35:04, he implicitly told me that you better do 1:31 or 1:32, otherwise those weekend work outs, you were just running them too fast. For me, I still did not have confidence, that running 2 miles X 3 (total of 6 miles with break of 2 minutes between each interval at 6:55 pace) could result in 13.1 mile at the same pace. I mentioned, that I had to watch out the calf pull and soreness and reminded him 'avoid injury at all costs' mantra. Jim had a good week and was running well. He is probably the most efficient runner I know, barely lifting his feet, and still ran 1:40 HM.<br />
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My major issue with all my races, is that I go in too fast, and lose it in the end. Last 5 K I ran, I was 6:08 pace for two miles and then averaged 6:16. It could be that I have lack of mental toughness to keep the same pace through out or I just have to pace slower in beginning. This is very common for people who race less, with more race experiences, I am hoping to get it right. Even for a mile run, my first lap was 80 seconds.<br />
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With injury scare of calf, I was determined that this time I would go slow in beginning. My training runs and recent 5 K times, were indicating that my best pace could be 6:55 pace on this course (gravel for around 9 miles). I set up my watch to show me average pace for whole run and average pace for the mile I was running. I focused only on my form and would look at the watch for only average pace of current mile, mentally that was easy to control than the whole course average pace.<br />
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Half mile into race, I looked at average pace, I was doing 6:25 pace; had to slow down to keep it just under 7. First mile still was 6:35, 2nd 6:41. I thought may be it was downhill a bit. And then my left calf muscle pulled. I had to decide quickly, while I slowed down, as what to do, i.e. to pull out of race or just jog along. I told myself, if I do 6 miles today, that would be my regular quality work out for the weekend. Also I tried to think what Yiannis Kouros would do. He is the best Ultrarunner for all time, who ran over 7 marathons in less than 24 hours, on little training; and it is all mind over matter for him. His records, as per other great ultra runners, probably could not be broken. I had to get his heroics out of my mind as they were conflicting with 'avoid injury at all costs' mantra. 3rd mile was at 7:06. Seemed like, today was not going to work out.<br />
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This was when I moved into gravel which seemed much easier on calf then the tar road. So kept running, just had a small goal of completing 6 miles at sub 7 pace. Looks like mind was fine with this goal, next three miles were just barely under 7 min pace. Turned around at half way; and just focused on one mile at a time from then on, and to keep pace under 7. Whenever, I would see the 7 min average pace, I would try to speed up little bit, telling myself, that it is just for a mile, and I could just stop after that. Games we play, thought about the record of my director, was probably not going to happen today.<br />
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About 10 miles, I hit the tar road, and left calf was screaming again. Looked at overall time for first time in the watch, 68 minutes and some change. Gave myself pat on the back to break 70 minutes first time for a 10 mile run. Then told myself, if I kept another 3 miles sub 7, this pain would be worth the injury and I would not think of Marathon at end of the month. As per Jim, breaking 1:30 in Half Marathon is much tougher than running Marathon under 3:25. Couple of runners past me, and I looked at my watch, I was still doing average pace for 1 mile lap for less than 7 min. Ran into Meenal and Kids who were running 10 K. Meenal was encouraging one of the twins who seemed frozen at that time. Sumeet ran a good race at 2:17 which was a PR for him.<br />
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Did not try to dig in in last 400 yards, and finished the race with last mile at 6:55 pace. I was very happy to <br />
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see that and did not know my overall time, I knew most of my miles were sub 7. Could not walk straight after that, muscles were so sore that I could not think of stretching or anything. Drank muscle milk, ate an ice cream and some other junk immediately after the run. Limping around, when Jim (67 year old) came in at 1:40; and Neil showed up who ran 1:35 (62 year old). These two are from running club I go some times. Both seemed extremely happy with their times. Neil knew about my times in the race, it was good to see that he was happy for me. He has the reputation of very tough runner and not giving an inch, if you are neck to neck with him in a race. Jim did not expect me to break 1:30 on this race and he knew about my calf issue. I was 3rd in my age category.<br />
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It was perfect day for running, temperatures in 50s and Summer Breeze from Pacific Ocean was drying the sweats from runners. This is my 2nd race with Brazen Race organizer group. They do a great job in selecting the flat trail, chip time, posting result on internet, free photos, and really good food in the end.<br />
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It feels like good end for the running season for me, i.e., 3-4 months of hard training, followed by miler at 5:33, 5 K at 19:27 and key HM at 1:29:10 over last 3 weeks; learnt something about mental toughness. May be time to slow down and recover, and may be run something at end of the year or early next year.<br />
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Simplifyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14540223255593212400noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949468526667088114.post-24102992644123022562013-06-05T14:53:00.000-07:002013-06-05T14:57:57.337-07:00Breaking 20 minutes in 5 K (Vibha Dream Mile; Hellyer County Park, San Jose – June 2, 2013)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Back in November 2012, when I ran Turkey Trot 5 K, I was
pleasantly surprised by 21:25 result, as this was the first time I broke 7
minutes pace for this distance. Most of my training is at 8:40 pace and even
intervals were at 7:15 pace, at the time. After that race, I started focusing on
bringing the weekly mileage up to 50 miles. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Needless to say with over 80% of mileage at 8:40 pace, and
few races and intervals at over 7:15 min pace, for another 2 months, helped
somehow in making me race faster for distances between 5 K and HM. So on race
day, there would always be a surprise for me in store. In Feb end, this good
string of runs ended, when I got a thigh strain, and could not run under 8 min
pace. I blamed it on uneven wearing off of my shoes from outside due to
supination. This means that I had to monitor my shoes wear and tear, and most
likely switch them every 6-12 weeks.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
However, I could still keep running EZ pace of 9 min/mile.
This kept going for another 6 weeks, where I could not do a single fast run,
but kept the weekly mileage around 40 miles. Thigh strain was still there
somewhat, so I decided to test it with a small club race; and was again surprised
to finish 2.75 miles (April 13), somewhat hilly, at 6:26 pace. Somehow all
these weekly slow mileage were still making me faster than before. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With few more club races after that, I went with Jim and ran
Saratoga-The Great Race (April 28) of 4 miles, at 6:38 pace; not as fast as the
earlier club races indicated, but enough to count them towards turnaround in
training. All this time, while increasing my slow mileage to over 50, I did not
have many long runs of over 12 miles. The absence of long runs showed its
impact when I decided to run, last minute, in Avenue of Vines Half Marathon
(May 19). Based on my paces on last few races, I thought I should be able to
break my PR of 1:35:00 on flat course; I could not. However, I still had a good
race, finished at 1:35:04; and I was able to run following day without any
problems.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now more or less recovered from strain, and changed my shoe
to somewhat low to ground, flexible, no support and very light (compare to
earlier); I had to ask myself about what were the goals (and there were many) which
I should focus on. My club races were small and fun, and were giving me lot of
encouragement; I thought it would be great to run 5 K under 20 minutes. I was never training for 5 K, idea was to
build a good base of mileage and string of months behind me and then run a good
Marathon where I was not crying for last 6 -10 miles. Based on couple of Runner’s
World articles and chatting with friends, it seemed that breaking 20 minutes
for 5 K is an admirable goal. <o:p></o:p></div>
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So I talked to Jim, my running guide. He told me that it was
too soft a goal for me to train for. He definitely had more faith in me than I
did in myself! On further pressing he just told me to go out and run couple of
5 K races, without worrying about changing training. Well, I had recovered for
almost a month now, and 5 K was shorter distance, where it was harder to get
hurt if one went all out. However, I still want to have string of 4-6 weeks of
good interval training before officially running the race, somewhere in July. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Well that was the plan at least, till I got an email saying
that there was 5 K run on coming weekend, June 2, in Hellyer County Park on
Coyote Creek trail. I had done few runs on this trail earlier and it was very
near; hard opportunity to pass. Downside was that I just had one good long run,
and if I count my HM from earlier week, there were only two good weeks of
training, where I had long runs and some interval training. I decided not to
run this one, and wait till July. When Jim came to know about it, and since 10
K and HM were offered too, besides he ran on this trail 100 of times, he could
not let it pass. I did not want to sacrifice a good long run for small 5 K
race, so it was dilemma. 5 K start time was 50 minutes after HM start time. I
thought, I might do some long warm up and race couple of miles with Jim, this
way I could do over 12 miles and not miss on long run. So I finally registered.<o:p></o:p></div>
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With 6.5 miles of warm up before the race (generally I do around
3 miles of warm up); couple of miles running with Jim during start of his HM race;
it was not ideal preparation for 5 K; or at least that I was saying to myself; that
I would get some fast miles and long run on this day; and should not worry too
much about breaking 20 minutes. There was some chaos at start of the race when
announcer said that runners who expected to finish the race between 30-35
minutes, should come forward. I tried to correct them that this was 5 K and not
10 K; however, they kept repeating it. It made sense after race finished, as
there were a lot of walkers in the race.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHZVNXymCTZj_LOrT3mwrqY-dXq2_pBXXoAnxKeCuPNW6IBfw9CjkNqR9u971eNXeJ2V4ynZKshJh-FMP0aujUvbsT5aXrsZCxvNLc09qcS6dbcr-HUe0SdBVzXpTbwdQMLPMUmTDZX0U_/s1600/IMG_1724.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHZVNXymCTZj_LOrT3mwrqY-dXq2_pBXXoAnxKeCuPNW6IBfw9CjkNqR9u971eNXeJ2V4ynZKshJh-FMP0aujUvbsT5aXrsZCxvNLc09qcS6dbcr-HUe0SdBVzXpTbwdQMLPMUmTDZX0U_/s200/IMG_1724.JPG" width="200" /></a>I looked around me and asked who was thinking of breaking 20,
there were 3 runners who volunteered. I asked them to lead the pack, which they
gracefully accepted. After the chaos at
start, I tried to keep behind these 3 runners, and soon after first mile, I
passed two of them, was pacing at 6:15. As expected, I could not keep up that
pace throughout, but effort was more or less consistent. I had to keep asking
lot of walkers who were walking and covering the whole trail, to stay on their
right. The leader had disappeared from sight after 2 miles, and I was able to
finish 2<sup>nd</sup> overall behind him, with 19:44 at 6:21 pace. I was first
in my age category; needless to say that field did not have many great runners,
and I enjoyed receiving two medals in the end; one for category and another
overall 2<sup>nd</sup>. I went back to find Jim and ran another mile with him,
as expected, he finished first in his category, just under 8 min pace for whole
HM. This probably would be the only race where he and I finished first in our respective
categories. We took couple of pictures to capture this rare moment. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Free South Indian food was provided after the race; we hung
around for some more time. In the end, a very satisfying day, I did get over 13
miles for the day, broke 20 minutes and as a side bonus came first in my
category. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Simplifyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14540223255593212400noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949468526667088114.post-56559199925820312472013-02-03T16:16:00.000-08:002013-02-03T19:45:55.592-08:00Davis Half Marathon - Feb 03, 2013<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<br />
I have been running for little less than 3 years now. My goal was to run 1 marathon a year at least, and bring the time below 4 hour. I gave up on Half Marathon in 2010, when I ran my 2nd Half Marathon at 1:47 (8:09 min/mile pace). Main reason, was that I did not see myself improving that pace by much. I was running 3 days a week, one interval (1 mile warm up, 3-4 miles of interval at V02 max, followed by 1 mile of cool down), one tempo interval of 4-5 mile, with warm up and cool down; and Saturday or Sunday was for long runs. My strategy was to increase my long runs, as the Marathon approaches, so I was doing 12-18 miles on long runs. After Marathon in May, my long runs were 12 miles only. So in short, I was running 24-30 miles/week.<br />
<br />
My tempo runs were at 8 minute/mile pace and I could not imagine that I could even do 1:45 minutes Half Marathon, as 8 minute pace was challenging. Goal was to try for sub-4 marathon next year. I was 4:22 in 2011 and 4:11 for 2012 for marathon. Hard runs were not making running much fun either. I was cross training in swimming so I was more or less injury free and recovering fine from my runs. This was before I met Jim.<br />
<br />
In October 2012, Dave, my running buddy, organized a 5 K run on track at PHHS. This was where I saw Jim first, he was his usual self, complaining about his recent 5 K times, as his worst, at somewhere under 22 minutes. My 5 K times were in 23:41. Jim was 66 year old, and seemed like barely able to lift his feet above the ground; and seemed to be wobbling up and down a bit, when jogging. He told me that his one leg may be shorter, trying to explain. Vimal and I asked him at what pace he is going to run, as none of us had run that much faster before. He was generous and said that he would run around 22:30 (and he did exactly that). As expected, I could barely follow him, with the kick in the end, I was only few seconds behind him at the end of run.<br />
<br />
After learning that his marathon time in 60s were 3:09 and HM in 1:21; I asked for his advice. He did not hold back, flat out told me that he would not even think about running a 5 K race with 25 miles per week, forget about marathon. What I liked about his answer, and he had examples, that there were few talented runners who could run a good race with that less mileage, but this did not work with majority. He further compared my approach with the advertisements for weight loss creams where you rub it in night, sleep and lose weight. Yes, it was lot of fun listening to him.<br />
<br />
Well, 'Run Fast with Running Less' approach, I was able to run 2 good Half Marathons and 2 Marathons; however, it was beyond imagination for me to even think what Jim did in his 60s. As a rationalization, I tried to justify that he was naturally talented (he has been winning his age category in most races and at one time ranked top 10 runner in US in his 60s); or I would say to myself, he had been running for 33 years now, and he was conditioned now, and for me there was no hope as I did not have any sports background in high school or college.<br />
<br />
Since he was recovering from recent injury, and I was just fast enough to latch on to him for shorter distances; I asked him if I could do next weekend long run with him. And that is where my education started. Though I read over 10 books on running; there were lot of things which I did not know. Running was physically and mentally demanding. I could see that it was easy to stuck in the rut, without much improvement. Long runs were specially challenging mentally. He introduced me to tempo intervals, and breaking long runs into warm up, tempo intervals and cool down. This single aspect made long run fun. 85% of my mileage now is easy and fun run, compare to 15-20% earlier. This training is very counter intuitive; I used to think if I run slow most of the time, I am training to be slow runner.<br />
<br />
I kept at it for 4 weeks, and ran Turkey Trot 5 K with Jim; and followed him all the way to have a PR of 21:25 (6:54 min/mile pace). My intervals in training were slower than my 5 K pace. It was working for me. The start of the 2013 has been a dream so far. January, I was surprised to see my own improvement 5K PR of 20:45 (6:41 min/mile pace) on track and Cal-10 mile at 72:38 (7:16 pace). Jim next goal was to run Half Marathon in Davis. We were doing only long runs together, and I could barely keep up with him on those.<br />
<br />
I am very bad at pacing myself in the race, so I thought it would be perfect to follow Jim. Couple of days ago, he got down with flu and told me that he would not be able to make it. He knew about my pacing issue, so he had specific instructions on pacing for me. And I was glad that there were pacer in this race for 1:40, 1:45 and 1:35. My last 5 K was telling me that in ideal race, I would be able to break down 1:40.<br />
<br />
With car breakdown on eve of the race, I had to call Dave in night that I would not be able to make it and if he could pick me up. With no response from him till morning, I thought it might be better to let it go. Luckily he checked the message before leaving, and came to pick me up. Ken and Dave chatted away, and I tried to catch some sleep, as I was awake since 2 AM.<br />
<br />
After registration, Ken and I warmed up for 3 miles. Ken, on top of his age group, for most distances, was another person who got benefited from Jim's coaching. He was second in CIM marathon in December 2012, finishing well under 3 hours. After warm up, I decided to follow 1:35 pacer. It was difficult to see him, as he was keeping the stick down which displays the pace group. I did not bring my iPhone for splits as I thought of following him.<br />
<br />
After two miles, couple of other runners caught up to him, and told him that some other runners were trying to find him, and he was running faster than required. He told them that it happened in beginning, he got suck out with other runners, and probably 15 seconds faster. I followed him closely for 7 mile and then he started gaining on me. I was surprised as it was getting harder for me to keep up with him, even though I was running harder, however ensuring that I was not breathing hard. After 9 mile, he was around 400 meters ahead of me; barely one person keeping with him.<br />
<br />
I was having serious doubts by now, that he was already two minutes ahead of me, 1:40 pacer would be coming soon. There was something wrong. I thought I had a proper training. I was thinking may be I should have listened to Ken, when he told me to reduce my mileage in race week, and now my legs were all tired and could not keep up. May be Indian buffet yesterday was not a good idea ! By mile 10, I could not even see the pacer, and my feet were cramping. Bad memories from my first marathon were back.<br />
<br />
At this time, I knew when I was cramping, and it had nothing to do with salt in my body, as concentration of salt in sweat was less than in body. So either I gained weight from buffet or course was hard (concrete at some places) or I ran too hard already. With pacer no where to be seen, last one did not seem like an good explanation. My toes were curling and twisting over each other.<br />
<br />
Now I just wanted to survive, so I just started jogging, last couple of miles, took a walk break on water table; a lot more runners passed me. Whenever, I thought of increasing the pace, my toes curled up. I was glad that I was able to jog and thought this would be a good experience to learn how to run/jog through cramps. After those last two long miles, when I reached the finish line, I was surprised to see 1:35 on the clock. I thought there was something wrong with clock. So I went in and checked result on computer, and was pleasantly surprised to see that I was 1:35:00 for whole Half Marathon (7:15 min/mile pace). This was 12 minutes improvement from my previous PR. At the end of the day, another good race, very sore right ankle, and another PR. Thanks Jim.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Simplifyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14540223255593212400noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949468526667088114.post-40066056641724510452012-12-31T14:54:00.000-08:002013-01-03T08:32:49.918-08:002012 Update<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Looking back, 2012 proved to be yet another good year. Being
a chronic-worrier-trying-to-look-calm-parent, I was trying to find a physical
outlet for Prem. He was average in most physical team sports like soccer,
baseball etc. I felt that pushing him into running at this age might seemed
like work to him and not play. So we focused on swimming. After getting Gold
Fish and Big Fish badges from Happy Fish, he passed the Swim Team test with
flying colors. He was unaware what he was getting into. From 30 minutes a week
of swimming to 4-5 hours a week swimming.</div>
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Before his first class, we promised to celebrate this
achievement at place of his choice. He wanted to go to Round Table Pizza. I
took him to class 5 minutes early and when coach said that warm up for 16 laps,
I knew this would be trouble. By the end of 1 hour session, when he came out,
he was so tired and almost in tears. We went to Round Table Pizza, and decided
to talk to coach next day. Most of the kids come little late anyway, and coach
was okayed to try out 45 minutes session for first week. We continued to bring
Prem 10-15 minutes late for couple of months, before he started to build his
endurance, and when summer rolled in, coach asked us to bring him on time, for
90 minutes sessions. </div>
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<br /></div>
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It is amazing how body adopts to regular practice. Things
which seemed impossible couple of months ago, one could do that with little
improvements every day. By end of summer, Prem was able to do a Swimathon; he
swam around 2 miles, to raise fund for his swim team. Thank you all for all who
contributed for this. Prem took two months break from Swim Team for
September/October, and then rejoined it. My observation was that his general
health improved greatly when he was swimming regularly and he was able to come
out of cold very quickly. It seemed he grew more tall, relatively, in summer.</div>
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As I write this blog, Prem could juggle two balls well and
getting proficient in Rubik cube. He likes doing Math. Needless to say he is
better than me in using Smart Phone. He figured out how to shot panoramic
photos and taught me on our recent trip.
Promila has been extremely busy with her PhD program. It has been very
challenging and satisfying for her at the same time. She continued to receive
scholarship and is a National Science Foundation GK12 Fellow. </div>
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I did my customary <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/117490106308496241116/albums/5755602790123653665" target="_blank">hike of Half Dome, with Sumit and Kumarthis year </a>on Father’s day in June. Besides that, I did no major hikes. I ran
two <a href="http://maneeshagarwalfamily.blogspot.com/2012/04/oakland-marathon-march-25-2012.html" target="_blank">Marathons in March</a> and May respectively, and then reduced my weekly mileage
to 18-25 miles a week. I had no plans for running another race or Marathon for
the year. Running regularly, to keep healthy has become a habit now. And on
back of my mind I still had the goal of running sub 4 hour marathon. My
personal record for Marathon is 4 hr 11 minutes, set this year. I was not sure if I could run sub 4,
but that was the challenge for me for next year. Then through my running buddy
Dave, I met Jim, 66 year old runner in October. He had 3 hour 9 minutes
marathon after 60 year of age.</div>
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Jim changed my perspective about training, and gave me few
ideas to try. I could stay with him for 5 K, but longer distances, I did not
have the endurance to keep up with him. I started seriously taking his ideas,
and with just 4 weeks of training, I ran 5 K in Turkey Trot and set up the PR
at 21:25. Though some of the ideas were counter-intuitive, like run slowly,
even intervals, but they seemed to be working. I have been running faster races
and almost no recovery time. Keeping my fingers crossed, and hope to continue
my training for another 6-10 months before thinking about Marathon. I was glad
to have Prem run 0.5 mile at Turkey Trot with me this year. And it would be a
big parenting challenge in 2013 to get him to run with me on some of these
weekend runs on track. Promila, also is getting committed to exercise. With her
PhD qualifying exam over finally this year in October, hopefully, she will get
regular in training.</div>
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We took a <a href="http://maneeshagarwalfamily.blogspot.com/2012/12/summer-2012-lassen-volcanic-crater-lake.html" target="_blank">summer trip </a>to Lassen Volcanic National Park,
Crater Lake National Park and Redwood National Park. Whole family thoroughly
enjoyed this week long trip, and learned quite a few new things from Rangers
program. In winter we took last minute vacation to Sacramento, Death Valley
National Park, Hoover Dam and Las Vegas. Sacramento trip was educational trip
for Prem to learn about birth of California due to Gold Rush, Railroads and
their significance in trade for California and rest of the country, State
Capitol and Sutter Fort. We enjoyed staying in RV with Kumar and Shubha family.
Prem did try his hands in gold panning. </div>
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Death Valley had the lowest point in Western Hemisphere (282
ft below Sea Level). We were pleasantly surprised to see Zabriskie Point,
Golden Canyon and Scotty’s Castle. Prem rolled around in sand dunes for couple
of hours and we were fortunate to walk on rim of somewhat active Ubehebe
volcano there. Dante’s Peak, Borax
mining works and history behind Scotty’s castle added to charm of Death Valley. </div>
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After spending couple of days in Death Valley, we headed to
Las Vegas. I was surprised to see innovative new slot and other machines in
Casinos based on background themes of popular old and new Hollywood movies and music
groups. There was no doubt about amount of money the spent in R&D. Normal
person, like me, does not stand a chance to win, end up feeling good in spite
of losing. Vegas trip is not complete without watching at least one show. It
was difficult to find age appropriate kid friendly shows. We settled for Blue
Man group show. And all three of us enjoyed it thoroughly, show was musical, witty
and was very interactive with audience. Prem understood the advantage of Casino
and wanted to find out if there is a University where they teach about
gambling. We spent a day at Hoover Dam, and then headed back to Bay Area to
spend new year eve with Som/Swapna. <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/117490106308496241116/albums/5824840354269569249" target="_blank">Photos </a>and <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/105328070544525762653/albums/5820501017759958081?banner=pwa" target="_blank">more Photos</a></div>
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All in all, great year with some real growth in areas we
wanted to grow in. We feel blessed and fortunate.</div>
</div>
Simplifyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14540223255593212400noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949468526667088114.post-47731064595264577932012-12-31T12:55:00.000-08:002012-12-31T14:38:41.724-08:00Summer 2012 - Lassen Volcanic, Crater Lake and Redwood National Parks<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Planning – After putting Prem for first week in school camp,
he was asking where are we going in vacation. This is the first time he ever
asked, could it be peer pressure, do not know. I asked him, as where he wanted
to go. He mentioned Washington DC to see Lincoln Memorial, White House and
Washington Monument. He was not aware of Smithsonian museum. I asked him if he
wanted to go to Disney World in Florida, he didn’t. For last couple of years we
have been going to Southern California and couple of days trips to Yosemite. We
talked for few more weeks, and probably on seeing that there is no concrete
plan, he was ok to go anywhere, as long as he has to stay in hotel and monkey
around in the pool.</div>
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Ummm……coming from India, vacation primarily meant to go to
tourist/historical places. India has lot to offer in terms of geographical
diversity and cultural heritage. You try to cover as many places in the time/money
available. Generally, taking vacation used to be mission, planned couple of
months in advance, hotel/train booked. We had fun, but idea of relaxation and
chilling out never occurred. When first time in 1999, one of my colleague
shared their plan of vacation in US, I was surprised. Basically on asking
details in different ways, I found out, it was going to Bermudas, and staying 2
weeks in hotel, reading book near the swimming pool. Nothing else planned. </div>
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Now when Prem asked me to get out and stay in hotel/resort
some place for a week; I realized that he is more Westernized than I am in this
aspect. Promila’s schedule for summer was relatively freed up, and now onus was
on me to plan something. I knew going to Southern California was easy. I wanted
to go up north in Oregon and Washington, as it was difficult to enjoy these
states in winter rain/weather for us. I started looking up the US National Park
map. I want to spend 2-3 days in each National Park. It was apparent that 7
days are not going to be enough to cover Northern California, Oregon and
Washington National Parks (NP). I had to drop Washington for another day/week
in future.</div>
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I read AAA guide book to get some idea on Crater Lake,
Lassen Volcanic and Redwood NP. I did not get much. I started talking to people
who had been to these places. This helped quite a bit in solidifying the plan.
Thanks to Liz, Tapa and John Kim for sharing their experiences and
recommendations. And from our Yosemite and Joshua Tree NP, we knew we had to do
some Rangers programs hosted by the NP and Jr Ranger programs. </div>
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July 22, 2012 (Sunday): With relaxation as one of the goal
of this vacation, I kept all Saturday to chill out and start talking about plan
to Promila and Prem. Plan was to reach Lassen Volcanic National Park (LVNP)by
11, and do two small hikes, one guided by ranger. I had couple of back up hikes
in mind as well. With recent Berry Creek hike, I knew Prem and Promila were in
good shape and can do 4-5 hours 10 mile hikes. I was not sure if they could do
it every day. I have to remind myself, that one of major goal is to relax too
and I should not cram too many things. </div>
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In all, we wanted to cover LVNP, Lava Beds National
Monument, Crater Lake NP and Redwood NP. I was not sure about Lava Beds after
reading about it, there were no ranger programs midweek, and it was little bit
out of way. On discussing with Promila, it was clear, that we were not going to
do it, and instead spend more time in Crater Lake NP. It was good to have some
plan, but we were flexible to account for energy levels, ranger recommendations
etc. This flexible mindset helped us in enjoying the trip much more, as I did
not have to be pushing Promila/Prem and we allocated 2-3 days every NP.</div>
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We were taking our 13 year old Toyota Corolla, I wanted to
pack everything by night and leave by 6 AM in the morning. Generally, most of
the car trips, our start gets delayed by couple of hours (or more). It was very
pleasant to get out of house before 7 AM. We had 4 new tires in the car, and
got air checked, as I knew that we would climb up from 0 to 8000 ft, with lot
of ups and downs. New tires helped quite a bit throughout the 7 days trip on
high elevation curvy roads, and car held up quite well.</div>
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We reached before 11 AM to visitor center, and talked to
ranger about Ranger programs available for the day. We went to do Bumpass Hell
hike. This is our 2<sup>nd</sup> trip to LVNP. First time we tagged along with
another family, and did some site seeing but no ranger programs. Spending some
time (20-30 minutes) with ranger is highly recommended, as you get to know the
latest of what is happening, like bear/mountain lion activities in the park,
depending on time/strength/interest ranger could guide you as what to do. For
example, if we have interest in waterfalls or lake or snow play or reaching to
one of the peaks or looking at some active volcanoes. I did not realize that
LVNP has all 4 different type of volcanoes, and a lot of them are still
considered active. </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7-TDi0muEF0/UChAzrBLgCI/AAAAAAAAMpA/P4_XhikVcyM/s1600/July2012+451.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7-TDi0muEF0/UChAzrBLgCI/AAAAAAAAMpA/P4_XhikVcyM/s200/July2012+451.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the somewhat active Volcano</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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While doing, Bumpass Hell hike, I realized that we parked
our car in caldera ( huge hole made by mountain/volcano collapsing inwardly
after eruption), and then you are hiking down to center of volcano where it is
still somewhat active and you are watching multiple geo-thermal phenomena, like
boiling mud pots, sulfur streams/fumes, devil kitchen etc. And when you look
around and up, you get to see that surrounding peaks were walls of collapsed
volcano. I did not know most of these
details in my earlier trip here. Slowing down, reading ahead and talking to
rangers helped in taking in and appreciating the LVNP much more.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ooSERcvLkXY/UChBN6aRs6I/AAAAAAAAMrw/eNKqKqYOP3k/s1600/July2012+484.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ooSERcvLkXY/UChBN6aRs6I/AAAAAAAAMrw/eNKqKqYOP3k/s200/July2012+484.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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After Bumpass Hell, we came back to visitor center, and did
a Jr Ranger program. I learned quite a few things. Kids were divided into two
groups and given tasks. First one was that you are hiking in back country and
suddenly there was a storm and you have to create a shelter, how would you do
that. You have just a simple rope and a tarp. Idea was as how to keep yourself
dry by building hanging the tarp on a strong branch or on rope itself between
two trees, and then hold the corner of tarp with either stone. Further one can
collect dry twigs etc to make a good comfortable bed to rest on. Second task
was to create a fire in 10 minutes to help your hiking buddy who was soaked and
was very cold. Here, you had to find dry spot, not so windy, probably against
one big rock, find dry twigs and put stones around it. First try to make fire
with only very few things, and later on after starting small fire, put bigger
branches etc. </div>
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We took our lunch at visitor center, and it was 5 PM before
we decided to another hike. Ranger highly recommended Kings Creek Fall hike.
Since the days were long and we had a good break, we decided to do that hike.
It was around 5-6 miles round trip, with views of meadow, creek and Falls in
the end. Good thing that we had mosquito repellent. We initially thought it was
only 3 mile, and later found out that short cut shown on trail map was closed
because of rock slides, and we had to take a longer route to the falls. </div>
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Four hours drive, two hikes and a Jr Ranger program on first
day, we were done for the day. It was still over an hour ride back to hotel in
Redding. It was good that we had detailed maps of the areas, as phone and gps
did not work for most of the 7 days during this trip. Travelodge in Redding was
a great find, thanks to Tripadvisor.com. We all enjoyed a long bath, did not
set up any alarms for morning and slept well. </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GaFCA2u6LKo/UChB1UGedmI/AAAAAAAAMv4/kd0sc1IK4w4/s1600/July2012+557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GaFCA2u6LKo/UChB1UGedmI/AAAAAAAAMv4/kd0sc1IK4w4/s200/July2012+557.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shasta Dam</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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July 23, 2012 – We decided to do the Shasta Dam tour first.
The guided tour, 1.5 hours long, was
very informative and highly recommended. I did not know that Shasta Dam was
twice as big as Hoover Dam, made by same Engineer who made Hoover, built couple
of months ahead of schedule and under budget, specifically in time of 2<sup>nd</sup>
World War, when most of the resources were steered towards war efforts. Tour
takes you inside the dam, where you see over 500 ft wide tunnels. These tunnels
are used by engineers to inspect on seepage, deeper you go in the dam, wider
these tunnels become. Kids had lot of fun doing echo experiment in the tunnel.
Primary purpose of the dam was to conserve water, flood control; and it also
helps meeting the peak electric demands. Dam was not built on any river, Shasta
Lake is there because of this dam which is primarily has rain water from the catchment area surrounding it.
Downstream of dam was the start of Sacramento river. Tour guide was passionate
employee and quite funny.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pi4_N5W7Ud0/UChCXnRbNuI/AAAAAAAAMzI/cWoCl2DjM58/s1600/July2012+636.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pi4_N5W7Ud0/UChCXnRbNuI/AAAAAAAAMzI/cWoCl2DjM58/s200/July2012+636.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shasta Caverns</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We reached Shasta Caverns site in afternoon, and did a boat,
bus and guided tour here too. We get to see few houseboats. Caverns had 8
flight of stair, and highlight of tour, which Prem remembered very well, even
after few weeks, was Opera sung by the tour guide. Tour was excellent, and she
told Snowwhite story in the Cathedral room, imagining different rock formations
into story characters.</div>
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We met Alexa, Maria and her mother at hotel. Prem was
looking forward to swim with Alexa in the hotel pool. It was hot and both were
trying to show off different skills. Alexa had a underwater camera, and asked
me to take picture of them. We discussed
next day program and decided to go back to LVNP. As per Ranger recommendations,
we wanted to do Cinder Cone Volcano (your typical volcano you see in cartoons
etc) on North East side of the park. I was excited that you get to hike an
active volcano and you get to go walk on rim of the volcano and can look
inside. It was 2-3 hours hike, however, since it was too hot, I was not sure if
Prem and Promila should come. This part of the park was not frequented by
visitors. I was checking on map and did not really see any roads for last 6
miles to the trailhead. </div>
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July 24 : This is one of few times, I was able to enjoy the
drive, soaking in the beauty of surrounding area, as roads here were not windy,
and you get through Old growth forest. Both Promila and I were trying to
compare LVNP with Yosemite, as we were gasping with serene beauty of forest,
with Mt Lassen in backdrop. LVNP may not have the same falls or granite rocks
as Yosemite, however, it has lot of other things to offer, like Volcanoes,
lakes, streams and very different scenery. Ranger told us that Yosemite has
around 4 million visitors every year, LVNP has only 400, 000. Finally, we
reached to Butte’s lake area, and started driving for Cinder Cone Volcano
trailhead. It was poorly maintained gravel road. Gravels were not compacted,
and our compact car was bouncing and rattling quite much. After 5 minutes, we
turned around, as there was no phone reception and we did not see anybody in
that area. Notes to self, bring a 4 wheel drive next time to do this hike. Not
that I needed another excuse to come here, it would be good to do this hike and
Mt Lassen Peak which opens only couple of days a month during full moon, as
they are repairing the trail currently. </div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fb7zcBVl_WU/UChCzCV_PHI/AAAAAAAAM2A/NKdLo9Db0P8/s1600/July2012+677.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fb7zcBVl_WU/UChCzCV_PHI/AAAAAAAAM2A/NKdLo9Db0P8/s200/July2012+677.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Burney Falls</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We started heading back and did Lava Tubes or Subway Cave,
created by lava flow 2000 years ago. It was pitch dark, and we were prepared
with flash light and a light jacket as temperature drops down considerably. It
was around 20 minutes walk to see various points inside the cave. And from
there we headed to Burney Falls (also known as MacArthur Burney Falls). After
hanging out at visitor center, and watching local picture on falls’ history, we
did a loop hike of falls, and hiked down, 10 minutes, to see 135 ft tall falls.
We spent some time there, and headed back and came to know the loop was a part
of Pacific Crest Trail. </div>
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We still have a lot of time, so we headed back to LVNP and
did Lake Manzanita hike, and surprisingly ran into Dave, running buddy, who was
there with kids for a week, camping in a big group. It was motivational to know that he was managing to run while he
was out there. We did another small hike
on Lake reflection, and headed back, and did dinner at Janya Thai restaurant
near the hotel. </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XOfpq04OtqQ/UChDlrCbjzI/AAAAAAAAM7Q/1Fts8yMpX8g/s1600/July2012+735.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XOfpq04OtqQ/UChDlrCbjzI/AAAAAAAAM7Q/1Fts8yMpX8g/s200/July2012+735.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sun Dial Bridge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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July 25 : After doing breakfast, we went to see Sundial
Bridge, another little gem in Redding. From there we headed north to Crater
Lake, Oregon. We stopped near base of Mt Shasta, drove around the small town.
Next stop was Klamath in Oregon, just 40 miles south of Crater Lake NP. Lava
Bed National Monument was only 40 miles south from there. We decided to eat in
Klamath and spend more time in Crater Lake. By the time, we reached it was
already 6 PM, we checked in the Crater Lake Lodge; another great place to stay,
right on rim of caldera (7700 years ago, volcano erupted, and spewed ash for
many years. Ash becomes so heavy that a big portion of this volcanic Mt Mazama
collapsed on itself, making Crater Lake, which is 4 mile wide and 6 miles long.
There is a rim drive, 33 mile long, with lot of Vista points and small hikes to
access various interesting point. </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yLqbdDBmVzs/UChD8KeZ52I/AAAAAAAAM9g/u5Q-SJ4H6CA/s1600/July2012+758.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yLqbdDBmVzs/UChD8KeZ52I/AAAAAAAAM9g/u5Q-SJ4H6CA/s200/July2012+758.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wizard Island Volcano from <br />
Watchman Peak</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Promila looked at ranger program and found out quickly that
there was a sunset hike to Watchman peak at 7:30 PM. This was on west side of
lake and goes up around 700 ft, for 1.1 mile. They had a tower, initially
created to monitor the fires in earlier days. It was another very entertaining
and informative talk from the ranger, explaining the Clark nutcracker and it
symbiotic relation with the local white pine tree. There was lot of snow on the
trail. I had brought gloves, so kids were having fun in snow while hiking up.
It helps to have both Alexa and Prem, as they create their own fun game, and
they were strong enough to keep up with the rest of the group.</div>
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July 26 : We drove around the crater and covered most of the
remaining Vista Points. And then headed down for the highly recommended boat
trip in the Crater lake. Hike down was 1.1 mile, and you get to see one of the
cleanest deep blue water. Water literally looked like dark ink blue color at
some places, and immediately next to it, it appeared sky blue. Guide explained
that where there was more depth, water is dark blue. Apparently, there was
experiment done few years ago, where they lowered a person in the lake, in a
water craft, 2000 deep, and from bottom, water was so clear, this person could
see the boat floating on top.</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EXOMurzZQKE/UChDvZZFTaI/AAAAAAAAM8Q/lWn_-UFz5yo/s1600/July2012+747.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EXOMurzZQKE/UChDvZZFTaI/AAAAAAAAM8Q/lWn_-UFz5yo/s200/July2012+747.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crater Lake from the Lodge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We saw two more volcanoes inside the Crater Lake during our
boat ride. The prominent one, which looked like an Island is called Wizard
Island and is typical Cinder Cone Volcano inside the Crater Lake. Other volcano
was ancient volcano, which is now known as Phantom Ship Island, as it sometimes
hard to see and seemed disappeared. Earlier in morning, I hiked the highest
point on Crater Lake, known as Mt Scott, elevation 8934 ft. This used to be
another volcano, and one can view all of Crater lake from here. Prem and Promila
enjoyed the food at Crater Lake Lodge specially the Rainbow Trout and Stuffed French
Toast. Food was really well done and both of them kept talking about it for
months later. Prem wanted to become fisherman and catch fish to supply at
Crater Lake Lodge. Most photos came really good, area was pristine and serene.
And I was glad that I was able to get out beyond Yosemite and enjoyed other
National Parks.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SYlkbBAWsh4/UChAPVxGhFI/AAAAAAAAMlE/m1Z8UHQnUjA/s1600/July2012+404.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SYlkbBAWsh4/UChAPVxGhFI/AAAAAAAAMlE/m1Z8UHQnUjA/s200/July2012+404.jpg" width="149" /></a></div>
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July 27 & 28: For next two days, we drove through
Redwoods national park, which is has four different state park covered in it. I
could never get enough of Redwoods. Fern Canyon was great, and part of Jurassic
Park movie was shot here. We saw Elks in meadows here too. This was a big park
and there are 4 main scenic drive, we covered 3 of them. We stopped over on
almost every vista point. We took our car inside the two Redwood trees, Klamath
Tour Through Tree and Chandelier Tree. It was apparent, that we needed to spend
more time there. There was so much to
see and treasure. </div>
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<a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/117490106308496241116/albums/5775930450061055313?authkey=CKK4huyyuIGHTg" target="_blank">Photos</a> and <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/105328070544525762653/albums/5768759106377540577?banner=pwa" target="_blank">more Photos</a></div>
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Simplifyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14540223255593212400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949468526667088114.post-76300171017278184492012-04-30T10:56:00.000-07:002013-09-20T08:09:39.545-07:00Running Learnings<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
After Marathon, I was looking for a quick fix to resolve my fatigue/tiredness issue in last one hour, looking for some magic pill. I read a lot of stuff on internet for various products, this blog was the best in class, as per my opinion. <br />
<br />
<br />
The link below is part 5 of Muscle Cramp article. If anyone of you buy their book, do share with me the gist of what you find. I did not find it in local library. Also, feel free to share any other learnings in comment column below<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.sportsscientists.com/2007/11/sports-drinks-sweat-and-electrolytes.html">http://www.sportsscientists.com/2007/11/sports-drinks-sweat-and-electrolytes.html</a><br />
<br />
Apart from muscle cramp, there are lot of other articles as well, which I had gone through. This was the gist I remember, feel free to correct me, if you find something else, I just want to have all the information to make informed decision.<br />
<br />
1. Do not take Tylenol or Mortrin before the race, it messes up with water in the body somewhat.<br />
<br />
2. New shoes, with a newer cushion do help<br />
<br />
3. 75% of elite runners are heel striker, 20% are mid-foot and around 5 % are ball striker. So do not mess with your natural running style or whatever is working for you. (There were some statistics for this)<br />
<br />
4. Runner cramps in legs have nothing to do with salt, and sports drink do not help, apart from giving you some energy for which you can take the cheaper version of sugar or regular food. Sweat is isotonic, i.e. percentage of salt in sweat is much less than % of salt retain in body fluid. So your body, after losing some sweat would have higher percentage of salt. If you just drink water, that is fine, it would not dilute the salt in body where you would get into trouble. Also, if salt are really less in your body, your whole body should cramp, not just running muscles of leg.<br />
<br />
5. Cramps, most likely occur, because at extreme fatigue, your neurons are not firing correctly to send information to muscles. Training at that tiredness help.<br />
<br />
6. Lot more injury cases are coming to forth for now for barefoot runner.<br />
<br />
7. For over 95% of runner, neutral shoe would be good, very few people need orthotics. <br />
<br />
8. There is some truth in mind over body, but if body is disintegrated, mind cannot do anything, so think about what are the real limits.<br />
<br />
9. June 25, 2013 - Changed my training to increase slow mileage to over 50 miles a week. A new world opened up for me, running faster than I could ever imagine. Results are coming fast. Barely 15% of mileage is quality runs, and that too at HM pace.<br />
<br />
<br />
Lydiard -<br />
<br />
1. Shifting daily distance from 15 miles/day to 20 miles on one day and 10 on next day, you would get better results. Simply, longer runs develops greater muscular endurance, shorter provides recovery and consolidation.<br />
<br />
2. EZ runs - Besides building general cardiac efficiency or higher maximum steady state, helps in capacity to exercise anaerobically.<br />
<br />
3. As per Lydiard, anaerobic intervals are needed, but he did not time them, both recovery and interval paces, and number of repetitions. Focus should be keeping your aerobic fitness up, and anaerobic to stimulate it so that you run faster aerobically at higher speeds. Much more focus on building aerobic fitness, and doing long distance run 3 days a week for 4-6 weeks, along with smaller/hill runs on other days; all at aerobic pace; before one should think about speed. (Note: Seemed to work for me, when I was injured and could not run intervals because of thigh strain, I kept aerobic running for 6 weeks, and did a race much faster than I ran ever before). He even discourages frequent racing during this build up phase, time trials might be OK.<br />
<br />
4. 100 miles/week<br />
<br />
5.Muscle cramps are due to deficiency of Calcium, Magnesium and Potassium. Do not take salt tablets during run, as they deplete Potassium.<br />
<br />
Again, feel free to share your learnings in comments below.<br />
<br />
Lore of running (Excellent book by Tim Noakes - best I have read on running)<br />
<br />
1. Base training - 8-12 weeks of base training with less or no emphasis on speed work.<br />
2. Sharpening - Hard training (speed intervals) generally for 6-10 weeks, beyond that performance start going worse. This period is followed by 3-5 weeks of racing, before performance goes down. During racing, no need to do hard training.<br />
<br />
Daniel's running formula<br />
<br />
Daniel divided the running season into 24 weeks, 4 phases, with each phase of 6 weeks.<br />
<br />
Phase 1 - Foundation and Injury Prevention Training<br />
1.1 Just Lydiard, first 6 weeks is just base training at EZ pace. He defines EZ pace at around 2 minutes slower than 5 K pace. <br />
<br />
1.2 Phase 1 is to build base and injury prevention. Do not be tempted to run fast in this phase. Though primary purpose of phase 1 is injury prevention, but you can try to increase mileage in this phase but not too aggressively, i.e., not to increase the mileage sooner than every 3rd week.<br />
<br />
1.3 See the sign of fatigue, and take a day off, whenever needed. He further mentions that it is mistake to caught on weekly mileage, that it dominates your training. He further goes on, if you do not learn to take day off, it might hurt in later phases, when you bring quality run into your program. He further mentions that benefits of higher mileage are well preserved once attained, so do not fear dropping some mileage later on during the season when you are emphasizing other types of training.<br />
<br />
Phase 2 - Early Quality Training<br />
<br />
2.1 Dominated by Strides and reps of 200-400 m, or 20-40 seconds of strides at mile pace.<br />
<br />
2.2. Idea is to build cadence, running economy and prepare body for next phase of training which is considered most brutal, because of Interval Training.<br />
<br />
2.3 5-6 strides, 2-3 times a week is recommended. Strides could be done during warm up or cool down or during middle or end of long run<br />
<br />
Phase 3 - Transition Quality Training<br />
<br />
3.1 Considered most stressful event-specific training.<br />
<br />
3.2 800 or mile training, you have to include anaerobic work out, but 5 K or 10 K, regular Invervals (Vo2 max training would work).<br />
<br />
3.3 Do not become cocky here in this phase and try to run faster than training paces, as it could lead to injury and you would lose 12 weeks of solid base.<br />
<br />
3.4 Intervals are mentally and physically challenging, so you can do them day later or earlier than your schedule permit. However, try to do them, if you do not have any injury scare.<br />
<br />
3.5 Small races are mentally better sometimes and could replace one of interval workout. If you are training for mile, longer races are good, and if you are training for HM or M, smaller distances are good. For 19:17 5 K (6:13 pace), intervals could be 400 m at 91 second, 1200 4:33 (almost 6 min pace). These intervals are faster than 5 k pace.<br />
<br />
3.6. Recommended that intervals should last between 3-5 minutes. It takes around 2 minute before body start functioning at VO2 max. 5 minute is recommended as you can take 3-5 minutes recovery time, and you are guaranteed that you spent 3 minutes per interval in VO2 max. Shorter interval, would require shorter recovery. For shorter intervals of 400, it is recommended that you start your next 400 in 2 minutes, i.e. if you run your 400 in 80 seconds, then the following one should be in 40 seconds; making it 2 minute start cycle.<br />
<br />
3.7 Jogging during recovery is much more beneficial than walking or standing, as it clears the lactate and keep the muscle loose. Recoveries should always be equal or shorter than the interval run period.<br />
<br />
3.8 Remember not to run 400 m intervals faster than 1600 m, as the purpose is to spend time in VO2 max. Shorter interval would require much shorter recoveries.<br />
<br />
3.9 Quality portion of interval should not be more than 8% of weekly mileage with non-negotiable upper limit of 10 K or 30 minutes of interval running.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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Simplifyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14540223255593212400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949468526667088114.post-6082934687976468152012-04-18T15:41:00.000-07:002012-04-18T15:41:53.175-07:00Oakland Marathon – March 25, 2012<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3SzFDCqMGp0/T48n1JhOMdI/AAAAAAAAK1E/Cs4T5EFnuJE/s1600/March2012+046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" qda="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3SzFDCqMGp0/T48n1JhOMdI/AAAAAAAAK1E/Cs4T5EFnuJE/s200/March2012+046.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>After I ran my first Marathon exactly a year ago, I thought what a tough Marathon to run as my first one, and I promised myself that I would chose next one very carefully. Through rest of the 2011, I struggle to get back to running, injured myself once and I was out till November. I went to India and ran few days a week with my brother, and he was in good shape to beat me on most days. Came back, and ran Turkey Trot in November, and then carefully started increasing my mileage. However, I was struggling to recover from my long runs 12 miles or more. <br />
<br />
Minh and Dave, looking at my blue nails, after one such long run, advised me to try a bigger size shoe. I took their advise, and bought a neutral running shoe with half size more. 10 years ago, I used to wear size 9, and now this one was size 11. Your feet swell during long runs and so it is generally advisable to buy a 1 size bigger as your running shoe. New shoe helped quite a bit, I could immediately see the difference in my recovery and I have to admit that apart from shoe size, new support helped too. I was of the opinion, older shoes, with worn out support, help making your feet stronger. I do not think this reasoning worked for me, as apart from blue nails, I would have feet pains too. <br />
<br />
With new shoes, I started my training in February, and able to get to put couple 20 milers in Feb and early March. I thought that after I have couple 20 milers in long runs, I would register for a Marathon. And as the luck would have it, Oakland was fitting in the schedule perfectly, and 8 people, I knew, were running in it. During my 20 miles long runs, I was not able to keep my goal pace of 9 min/mile, so this time, I knew I could not keep up with 3:50 pace group. Vimal (who ran 2 half and 1 full marathon with me earlier) and I started behind 3:50 pace group and stayed behind it and ahead of 4 hour pace group for around 20 miles. Last 6 miles for me were much slower, but nothing comparison to what happened last year. Starting with realistic pace helped. And I was able to finish at 4:11:13, a new PR for me. Vimal finished at exact 4 hours, a great achievement considering he did not do a single training run of over 2 hours. I was not in much pain and was just feeling tired after the race. One of the goal for the race was not to get injured this time. I was able to run properly after couple of days of the Marathon and did another long run following weekend, indicating that I had a quick and complete recovery.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1Z5CP60Ma58/T48n2vQFyxI/AAAAAAAAK1Y/08Qy-xZmUww/s1600/March2012+049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" qda="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1Z5CP60Ma58/T48n2vQFyxI/AAAAAAAAK1Y/08Qy-xZmUww/s200/March2012+049.jpg" width="149" /></a></div>My training was to run intervals of 1 miles (1 mile warm up and 4 miles of intervals) on Tuesday, Tempo run (1 mile warm up, 3-5 mile of hard run under 8 min pace) on Thursday and Sunday long run (10 plus miles). This time, I tried to keep my long runs at 9 minute/mile pace, but pace would progressively slow down after 2 hours of running. My intervals and tempo run indicated that I should be able to do a faster Marathon, but not the long runs. I think it requires more training at that pace. Besides 3 days of running a week (20 – 30 miles/week), I was able to put two swims of 45 minutes as a cross training. I think swim helped me in recovering from hard and long runs quickly, and kept my aerobic levels up. I felt immediate relief from sore/stiff muscles after swimming. Marathon training is hard and I am glad to be done with one Marathon for the year, and now looking forward to do some hiking. Personally, I feel much better till 2 hours of running, body takes a beating beyond that and require some recovery time. <br />
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Marathon is still a big challenge for me. There are so many parameters, like diet, cross training, nutrition during run, hydration, shoes, fatigue, cramps, recovery, injury. And only way to learn what works for you is by trial and error, and running those miles. It is a path to self discovery and that is what keeping me come back to it. <br />
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</div>Simplifyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14540223255593212400noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949468526667088114.post-9058132994713828302012-01-01T21:53:00.000-08:002012-01-01T21:53:02.891-08:002011 Update<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Personally following things stands out for me, not in any particular order<br />
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1. Training for and finishing a Marathon.<br />
2. Hiking Half Dome and Clouds Rest with friends.<br />
3. Hiking Nevada Falls with family on Father’s day.<br />
4. Swimming over a mile.<br />
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My learnings with running continued this year. After completing two half marathons last year, logical progression was to go and do a full Marathon. The training for full though was much more intense, you end up running at least half marathon distance every weekend. This requires a lot more discipline. It helps to run in a group. Big thanks to Norm for running at 5 AM with me on two weekdays, and to Dave for organizing long runs. I look back and treasure all the training which helped me in finishing the <a href="http://maneeshagarwalfamily.blogspot.com/2011/03/two-black-eyes.html" target="_blank">Marathon in 4 hours and 22 minutes</a>. I had running related injury in September, and could not run for 6 weeks after that. I realized that how much I missed running. This further confirms that I was training at my limits. I think I have to train more smartly and do some cross training to avoid injuries.<br />
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Sometimes, there is upside to an injury. I remember, when I injured my elbow in 2008 playing tennis, I started hiking and got hooked. This time also, this injury proved to be a blessing. I started swimming 2-3 times during this injury period, and was able to finally do over a mile of freestyle swimming. This time, I took my cue from Sachin who started swimming after a shoulder injury and now an accomplished tri-athlete. Just like running, I never went to any swimming class or swam in my school days. It gave me lot of satisfaction to be able to do that by trial and error. Prem learnt and graduated from the swim classes at Happy Fish, twice already, he took. It is a matter of time and interest before he start beating me. Looking forward to those days. <br />
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I continued hiking in 2011. Hiked Half Dome and twice I <a href="http://maneeshagarwalfamily.blogspot.com/2011/07/marathon-hike-july-16-2011saturday.html" target="_blank">hiked Clouds Rest</a> (Chetan, Nitin, Vimal, Prasad and <a href="http://maneeshagarwalfamily.blogspot.com/2011/08/august-20-2011-yosemite-hiking-clouds.html" target="_blank">Thomas</a>) in Yosemite. It has been great fun hiking with friends and family. This year, on <a href="http://maneeshagarwalfamily.blogspot.com/2011/06/fathers-day-weekend-in-yosemite-june-17.html" target="_blank">Father’s day weekend</a>, whole family hiked till Nevada falls; and later I did Upper Yosemite Fall hike. After I completed my Marathon in March, I was struggling to get back to running; and every time, during summer whenever I hiked in Yosemite, I found that it made me stronger as runner.<br />
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Promila started Ph D in Computer Science this year at Santa Clara University. Like with anything she does, she started doing it with lot of energy and enthusiasm. I see when I try to learn a new thing, I generally break it into small goals, prepare myself to struggle/experimentation and dig the trenches for long haul. On other hand, for Promila most of new learnings come naturally, provided she has proper environment, exciting group of people to interact and has fun. Needless to say, that she is thoroughly enjoying her back to school time. And it was great to see that she got the prestigious National Science Foundation fellowship to support her tuition.<br />
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Promila’s parents visited US this year too, and spent some time together. My cousin, Vivek, came for couple of days, with family this summer. Prem was excited to play with his cousins. In November, I was able to visit India and spent three weeks with parents, brother, nephew, niece and friends. This was a memorable trip, as I was able to catch up with lot of my friends too. Played Cribbage with father and nephew Parth. Parth, 11, now able to play most of online puzzle games and has been doing well on Khan Academy. It was great to see that father was still in overall good physical and mental health. I met Kapil, Ravi, Prem Sagar and Sudhir. Big thanks to Pradeep for organizing our class re-union get together, and great to see that everybody was doing well. There were lot of opportunities in India these days, thanks to growing purchasing power of middle class. I used mobile broadband, able to purchase books (Harry Potter and Chetan Bhagat books, translated in Hindi for parents and few others) from flipkart.com and used very reliable Radio Taxis. The branded products, like Nike, Reebok etc, I found much more expensive in Delhi. There was a lot of demand for them. There is still no priceline.com or amazon.com yet there and customer is still not the king. <br />
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There was a lot more awareness about health and fitness now. I went to local park for running with my brother (no, you cannot run on the road in Delhi); and for a 5K loop, 3 out of 4 people could beat me. And I was pleasantly shocked that even my brother, Tarun, was faster than me. I had to console myself, reminding that I was just coming out of injury. Of course, there were lot more people walking in the park than running; but whoever were running, were really doing well. I learnt quite a few things from my brother and his group of friends (Aakash and Aditya) who were into fitness. I would incorporate some of the things in my routine to become stronger runner.<br />
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This time, I was able to meet and talk to most of my cousins too. Mind you, on my mother side alone, they are 10 brothers and sisters. Since my mother is the eldest one, there is almost a generation gap between me and some of my cousins. It was very refreshing to see that some of my cousins did not choose conventional path (get into Engineering or medicine profession). It was great to meet and talk to Guchhu, who is following her dream, after working as Engineer for couple of years, now enrolled into Social Entrepreneurship at Tata Institute; and doing her first project for Mumbai slums. Some of other cousins are also trying different things, and find ways. It was great to see this change in mindset.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CF-oPKLaX0A/TwFClbcPiaI/AAAAAAAAKII/937ETYMP-MI/s1600/2011-12-29+16.36.28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" rea="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CF-oPKLaX0A/TwFClbcPiaI/AAAAAAAAKII/937ETYMP-MI/s200/2011-12-29+16.36.28.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Year ended up with a <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/117490106308496241116/2011December#" target="_blank">one week vacation in Dolphin Cove Resort</a> near Disneyland with family friends Maria-Anand-Alexa. We did not end up going to Disneyland as Prem showed no interest in going there. He was more interested in playing with Alexa. He wanted to have Monopoly game for Christmas. And he took this game with him on vacation. Great thing was that Alexa loved the game equally, and both played for hours together, giving us more time to catch up on reading or simply unwinding. Thanks for Maria, we enjoyed California Science Center – Los Angeles (Actual Gemini 11 Space Capsule and Mercury Redstone 2 capsule which carried the space chimp Ham for first time into space) and enjoyed Flying Monsters in Imax. <br />
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We visited Fleet Science Center in Balboa park, which was arguably the best in terms of explaining all the interactive display they had. Also we visited Griffith Space Observatory in LA, and were able to see Jupiter and 4 of its 63 moons from one of the biggest telescopes in the world. Griffith believed simply looking at the Universe would literally and figuratively broaden the horizon of the public. This is the quote from Col. Griffith of built this Observatory and donated to the city of Los Angeles – "Man's sense of values ought to be revised. If all mankind could look through that telescope, it would change the world!". Prem learnt how to build a comet and that comet have all the elements which any life form possesses, CHNOPS. <br />
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For couple of days, we hung out on Huntington Beach, swam and hot tub at resort. For one day we took the trip to Joshua Tree National Park. This was Promila long time wish to see this park and it did not disappoint us. Joshua Tree National Park comprised of Mohave deserts which is at higher altitude, 3000 to 5000 feet above sea level. Joshua tree, though from Lily family, looked like a cross between Cactus and Palm tree. The name was given by Mormon pioneers in that area as the tree looked like a walking human form pointing towards promised land. Since at higher altitude there is more moisture, these trees can survive. Other features of the park, which we were able to explore, were Skull Rock, Oasis of Mara and Barkar Dam.<br />
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In the end, I feel truly blessed, that I was able to run and hike with friends and family despite injuries and improved on swimming this year. Like I mentioned earlier, it is not just finishing the Marathon or bagging another peak that is important; but joy lies in the attempt, in the struggle, in the suffering involved, not in the goal itself. <br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mFbYLfSm3Hg/TwFCooOFXFI/AAAAAAAAKIs/VO_Q0LWtWS0/s1600/2012-01-01+16.44.11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" rea="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mFbYLfSm3Hg/TwFCooOFXFI/AAAAAAAAKIs/VO_Q0LWtWS0/s200/2012-01-01+16.44.11.jpg" width="200" /></a>We wish you a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year 2012, filled with laughter and joy.</div><br />
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with love (Prem)<br />
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Promila - Maneesh<br />
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</div>Simplifyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14540223255593212400noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949468526667088114.post-4386046619590185742011-08-24T12:52:00.000-07:002011-08-24T14:05:52.488-07:00August 20, 2011 – Yosemite - Hiking Clouds Rest<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div closure_uid_9izhhn="128"></div><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sOp0ZcPbVJ4/TlRJuvBrpbI/AAAAAAAAJuI/pCIwY8eh6aU/s1600/IPAugust2011+014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" qaa="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sOp0ZcPbVJ4/TlRJuvBrpbI/AAAAAAAAJuI/pCIwY8eh6aU/s200/IPAugust2011+014.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" closure_uid_9izhhn="208" style="text-align: center;">Top of Nevada Falls</td></tr>
</tbody></table>When Thomas called that he would be going to Yosemite Valley to do some hikes, it was too good to pass a free ride to Yosemite. After I got the Hall Pass from Promila for the weekend (no we did not try anything as remotely wild as the latest movie indicates); we were all set to go. Friday night we had friends over, and they left around 12 midnight, and I started packing much later. <br />
<div closure_uid_9izhhn="207"><br />
</div>By the time I was ready, Thomas was at the door and we started driving to Yosemite Valley little before 3 AM. All thanks to Chetan, now I knew most of the major trails from Yosemite Valley. Thomas was clear that he did not want to do cables, so Half Dome was out. One of the trail which was remaining for me was 4-mile trail to Glacier Point, however, at some point Thomas wanted to do Mt Whitney. So I thought we should start with Clouds Rest hike from valley floor. This hike is comparable in distance and elevation gain with that of Mt Whitney, however, much less in altitude.<br />
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Clouds Rest (9930 ft elevation, 22 miles from Valley Floor and 6000 ft elevation gain) – I did this hike on July 16, along with Half Dome. So I thought, maybe we can tack on Glacier Point after coming down. Thomas, I knew is fit, with 2 Marathons and sub-8 half Marathon timings, I was anticipating that he would be kicking my butt. Keeping this in mind, I wore my running shoes and Thomas was wearing his running shoes as well. <br />
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Unlike in July, there was plenty of parking available at Happy Isles trail parking lot. We started from the parking lot at 7 AM. I was carrying 3000 ml of Cytomax, 500 ml of water and some cliff bars. Thomas had real food and Gatorade. We saw very few people on this popular trail. I thought nobody would be passing us, when 20 year old park ranger closing the gap behind us. I tried to talk to her and slow her down. She was studying nursing and was interning at Yosemite Valley in Search and Rescue team. It was inspiring to see as how people are able to find their way to combine passions together with their jobs. She told us total of 16 people died so far in Yosemite, from start of this year. ‘Stay safe’ were the last words we heard before she zipped pass us.<br />
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We took the longer John Muir Trail (JMT), again saw very few people. Sun was shining, and it was getting warm. When we reached Nevada Falls, it was almost 8:45 AM. This was much slower than the usual standards. We took a small break, ate some breakfast, and moved on. We were clocking 30 minutes a mile, it was evident that we would not be hike anything else today with that pace. Last 4 miles were much slower. We chatted about politics, movies and families. I came to know that Vinaya was doing BS in IT, while doing her nursing job and taking care of 3 kids. That was astounding. I can see why she wanted to do get into IT, as it would give her time to space out in front of computer. Needless to say, I am not sending this blog to any of my office colleagues.<br />
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I came to know the rich sports traditions in Kerala, how many stars they had generated in athletics. Thomas himself was an accomplished runner and swimmer in his college days, and still going strong. Comparing my school and college, I never saw a track in my life, growing up; just played street cricket. Note to myself - A lot of catching up to do, cannot leave some of the things to next life.<br />
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Heat was getting to us by now, and I could see the difference between a good hiking shoe and running shoe for long hikes; or maybe it was lack of sleep and my feet were not strong enough to handle the wear and tear of 22 miles without a cushion. Thomas told me that this was his first time when he could feel his heart pounding, it never happened to him before, even in Marathons ! I wonder if he had forgotten those courtship days, no years, when he was wooing Vinaya.<br />
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<div closure_uid_1d6ty0="107">We reached at top and were surprised to see over 30 people up there. Most of them came from the Tanaya Lake and you could see the long ridge line, and people still keep coming. I had gone through 2.5 liter of Cytomax by now. Thomas was eating rice, jaggery dry hardballs, called Avalose Unda. He shared few with me. First one was easy to eat, when I was on second, it was too hard to bite on; apparently, the trick is to work on it, little by little, wet it by your tongue and make it little soft, and then bite into it. This did an automatic slow release of sugar in blood stream.</div><br />
While going down, we met Ms Joan, 70 year old lady who was doing this hard hike. We both thought, it would be great if we could do this hike at her age. I felt little stiffness behind my knees, so was careful drinking enough fluids. We took short breaks, and since both of us were wearing our running shoes, the dust keep getting into them. Thomas was a little annoyed with the dust, and washed his feet at Nevada Falls. It was hot now; and I had gone through all of my Cytomax. We both were glad that we did not skimp on keeping enough water. With all the breaks, we took just below 11 hours for the hike. Took shower at Curry Village, which refreshed us, and we were ready for our celebratory Mammoth Port beer at Curry Village. We ate the big buffet, and were ready to head home.<br />
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Roads were empty again, and soon it was extremely difficult to keep my eyes open. I told Thomas, that I am extremely sleepy, but I should not be sleeping, as it might induce sleep for him. And he was tired too, he had only 3 hours of sleep. We chatted about our families, vacation, religion, other Yosemite hikes, how to inspire (read - not piss off) family into hiking in Yosemite, planning for Grand Canyon hikes. However, after each topic, it was extremely difficult to keep awake. I asked Thomas, what would keep him awake, as he was driving. ‘Juicy gossips’ was his reply; and boy he was so right. And I found out that we were no different than two girls chatting about everybody. It made us laugh, and drove sleep away. Well, I am not going divulge any details about gossip here, as it pertains to most of this audience. However, do not get disheartened, ‘The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about’.<br />
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Thomas drove pretty much like me, meaning that every exit I had to remind him and he did miss one exit, while we were busy gossiping. Also, it made me realize, since he did not know much about Yosemite, I had to step up on where to park, get back to car in dark etc. Though, I did Clouds Rest a month ago, for this hike, I tried running shoes, besides it was much hotter; I learnt something new. For me, hiking in Yosemite is summarized by Robert Sweetgall – ‘We live in a fast-paced society. Walking slows us down.’ <br />
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<div closure_uid_9izhhn="213"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/117490106308496241116/CloudsRestHikeOnAugust202011#">Photos of Hike</a></div></div>Simplifyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14540223255593212400noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949468526667088114.post-89893926926270869082011-07-22T12:40:00.000-07:002011-07-22T12:40:56.071-07:00Marathon Hike July 16, 2011(Saturday)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div closure_uid_5twcdb="131"></div><div closure_uid_5twcdb="393" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a closure_uid_5twcdb="304" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CA5OR5qnBwg/TimjTyWO3QI/AAAAAAAAJeY/xle761XI2IE/s1600/IMG1530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CA5OR5qnBwg/TimjTyWO3QI/AAAAAAAAJeY/xle761XI2IE/s200/IMG1530.jpg" t$="true" width="200" /></a>Longest I hiked was 22 miles in Mt Whitney, and I had little idea till we started the hike, that I would be literally hiking more than 26 miles, with elevation gain of 8400 ft. Thanks to Chetan, again for booking the cabins in advance and sorting out logistics for hike.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div closure_uid_5twcdb="394" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I went to bed at 10 PM on Friday, with alarm set for 12:40 AM. Though I knew I would not be able to sleep, I was lying in bed and trying to breath normally. There was a little possibility that we could be hiking Clouds Rest (9930 ft elevation, with net gain of 6000 ft from Yosemite Valley Floor) and Half Dome (8836 ft elevation) on the same day. We did not reserve the permit for Half Dome, which was now a requirement to hike Half Dome on all week days. All the permits were gone 3 months ago, however, I got excited after I received a message from Yosemite National Park that they were giving 50 more permits every day, in addition to the regular 400. It was apparent, that lot of people were reserving permits and were unable to use them. I was hopeful. Even though Clouds Rest is more in elevation gain than Half Dome, and a longer hike (22 miles), Half Dome is very popular because of potentially near death experiences. Note: Eight people died, alone this year, in Yosemite Valley, so go with proper preparations.</div><br />
<div closure_uid_5twcdb="413">When my alarm sounded, I was wide awake already. I was packed already, with Cytomax and Cliff Bars, 3 liter of water and some oranges. I packed an additional head lamp for Vimal. Promila was awake and started making her special sandwiches (whole grain bread, with Organic Humus, alpha-alpha sprouts, spinach, tomato, cucumber – neatly wrapped in surround wrap) for me. She knew that Chetan, Nitin, Prasad and Vimal were going with me, so she packed some for them too, in spite of my protesting. I like to keep my backpack small. I told myself to give away extra sandwiches to group before the hike.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TJMpftnn9mk/TimlgzsFOJI/AAAAAAAAJfE/Jj9I7hJ5IV4/s1600/IMG1563.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TJMpftnn9mk/TimlgzsFOJI/AAAAAAAAJfE/Jj9I7hJ5IV4/s200/IMG1563.jpg" t$="true" width="200" /></a></div><div closure_uid_5twcdb="414">Vimal came in time, and we went to pick up others. Everybody was ready, and we were quickly on our way. After couple of pit stops, we reached the Valley around 5:45 AM. We saw two other hikers in parking lot, getting ready too, while we were booting up, and putting all the extra food in bear-proof lockers. On finding out that they were planning to hike Half Dome, I told them that most of our group had done it before. It was their first time and they did not have gloves for gripping the cable. I told them that they might need them, and generally they might be available at the base of the cables. Now after giving my amateurish expert opinion, I asked them if they had extra permits, and viola we got 4 of them.</div><br />
I did not need any more signs, it was almost that the Rock was calling me. I told myself, if my knee holds up well, then I would give it my best shot. Most of the trail for Half Dome and Clouds Rest are same, except last two miles before Half Dome, Clouds Rest trails swerve to right and goes another 4.2 miles. So technically, we are to do 4 miles and 2400 ft of elevation gain more. Challenge was that after Clouds Rest, would we be in good enough shape to take on the Half Dome Cables. This was a personal question, and one has to answer it for himself. <br />
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We took John Muir Trail, passed Nevada Falls, and then pushed further for 2 mile marker for Half Dome. All of us were doing great. We discussed if we should do Half Dome first, as cables take a lot from you, and then try Clouds Rest. Since most of us have done Half Dome before, except Vimal, we agreed to stick to the original plan to do Clouds Rest first, and then see if time permits. Since Vimal and I were somewhat interested in doing Half Dome, we pushed from that point. I knew Vimal was in great shape (we did two Half and one full Marathon together in last one year). After 3 miles, we were struggling, as both of our hearts were pounding. I have seen more than my share of documentaries on Mt Everest climb, and knew that body slows down at higher altitude and make more Red Blood Cell, to carry more oxygen; and that is why it is important to get acclimatize to altitude. Vimal had a slight headache, and sometimes I got winded. We took 1-3 minutes breaks, but kept pushing up. Trail seemed never ending. Finally we saw a board which indicated that the peak was 0.6 mile away, meaning we should be up there in 15 minutes, however, it was taking longer. I was not sure about Half Dome anymore, though knew enough from experience that once at the top, there was a good chance that we would feel better. That is exactly what happened, Vimal was squealing like a little boy in the candy store, and we felt refreshed after few minutes. Cool breeze was blowing and temperature was in 70s.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-knhRTW4InrU/TinGLrlIHKI/AAAAAAAAJiI/pSTYTnzD0FI/s1600/Pictures-064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-knhRTW4InrU/TinGLrlIHKI/AAAAAAAAJiI/pSTYTnzD0FI/s200/Pictures-064.jpg" t$="true" width="200" /></a></div>We took pictures, and did the calculations based on a conservative 30 minutes/mile, that if we could reach Half Dome, and get back to Valley floor before 9 PM to savor Pizza and beer, which was one of the most important aspect of the hike. It did not seem possible. Either we had to rush or forget about Pizza or both. We decided to go down till 2 mile marker for Half Dome, and then make a call after reassessing our physical conditions. While coming down, we met Prasad who told us that Nitin and Chetan were taking a nap on the trail. Prasad looked strong.<br />
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We went down a bit more and saw Nitin and Chetan, exchanged some notes about trail (it was nothing compared to Half Dome granite steps and cable). After a few minutes, we just started running, in order to make it to Half Dome. We have both ran up and down on trails in Alum Rock Park before. After Marathon my knee was hurting, and generally hurt would come back whenever I did a downhill run; I was hoping it would not. Even if it did, and I could not do Half Dome, at least I would have the satisfaction that I gave it a decent try. I was ready to be wiped out. We discussed, if at any point, one of us did not feel like doing it, we will turn back.<br />
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We covered 4.2 miles going down very fast, and started hiking up for Half Dome at 2:45 PM. There was nobody behind us, and people coming down from Half Dome were giving us a quizzical look. Soon, we met the ranger at base of sub-dome and who took our permits and told us that it would take around 1 hour and 15 minutes. We took a 5 minute break before starting on 566 granite steps cut into rock. Vimal was kicking my butt while climbing up, I had to rest for few seconds after every 30-40 steps. I lead briefly from the place where steps disappear into the rock and you have to do scampering on the rock. At the base of cable, we just stared at the cables. And I could not believe that I had done those 3 times already. I kicked myself for thinking that I was going to bring my son here soon. The cables on granite rocks were looking insane and scary. I had to tell myself that they look more scary than they actually were. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GilP7IU9BJc/TimjKdvYCaI/AAAAAAAAJeI/wGx8GO-5SAI/s1600/Pictures-040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GilP7IU9BJc/TimjKdvYCaI/AAAAAAAAJeI/wGx8GO-5SAI/s200/Pictures-040.jpg" t$="true" width="200" /></a></div><div closure_uid_5twcdb="489">One gracious woman gave gloves to Vimal. We rested another 10 minutes, ate oranges, dropped our backpack at base and started up. Vimal wanted me to follow him on cables (just in case if he slips, I could catch him – ‘Fat chance’). My only advice was to rest few seconds on each plank before moving on. Of course, he ignored it. Adrenalin was pumping, and soon we were on top. We did not waste any time, as we wanted to give our best shot to get hot pizza and beer waiting for us in Curry Village. We took photos at King’s chair, the ledge, the infamous cave (where couple of people got electrocuted few year back from lightening) and the natural Amphitheater. There were just 3 more people on the dome at that time. It was good to have the Half Dome for just ourselves. </div><br />
Vimal was unsure as how to get down, i.e., facing down or facing up. I always do facing down. I was ahead of him coming down, and he experimented various ways, and then did facing down, just focusing on me instead of looking down all the way. I was doing the same, just looking down to next plank. This time I did not slip as much as last time. New latex coated gloves were helping. After coming down from cables at 5 PM, Vimal told me that his arms were hurting a bit and hands were shaking. I told him that it was quite common for first timers; adrenaline wanes off after sometime, and the hard part is over.<br />
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I did not want to run down, we climbed down quickly. Vimal was the only bachelor in the group. I asked him that he now had to entertain me by talking about his bachelor life experiences. As with any Indian bachelor, he was now getting pressured to get married. He was to start looking for a girl, however, there was no progress as he did not allocate anytime for this important project or came up with any strategy. He was confused, scared and excited. He wanted some outdoorsy girl who could hike and do other activities. As luck would have it, we met a few girls, working in his company, Cisco, on trail. He was way too shy to talk to them. It looked hopeless. But entertaining enough for me to not think about the exertion from long hike. I was chatting with most people on trail, saw quite a lot of people from Bay Area. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5IOGFjZ1UmQ/TinGRxbNs2I/AAAAAAAAJio/ux6EnNTarjc/s1600/photo-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5IOGFjZ1UmQ/TinGRxbNs2I/AAAAAAAAJio/ux6EnNTarjc/s200/photo-1.jpg" t$="true" width="149" /></a></div><div closure_uid_5twcdb="547">It took us 3 hours to get down. We met Prasad in last mile of the hike. His calves were hurting. I gave him some Tylenol and Bengay, which instantly relieved some of his pain. Soon all of us were at Curry Village. It was crowded and took 45 minutes for Pizza to arrive. I chugged couple of beers (got mocked on my accent of ‘bear’) and we finished two large Pizza between 5 of us. Needless to say hot food and cold beer tasted much better after 14 hours of hiking. All other married men in the group, after having a beer, started freely advising Vimal. May be get married to Yosemite Ranger, or put just one condition that he would marry only on top of Half Dome (that would surely reduce the expense).</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I woke up around 6 AM next day, and was surprised to see that I did not have any aches or pains. I tried to wake Vimal up and ask if he was interested in going for a run. He was too tired to get up and gave me a kick. Chetan was up and we just sat in Curry Pavilion, ate bagel and cream cheese. Chetan started talking about things to do for rest of the day, he knew Yosemite inside out. Soon others joined in , we packed our stuff and started for Tunnel View point. Everybody was in a good mood. And I was soon going to get education on contemporary Bollywood music. Chetan was surprised to know that I had watched the Three Idiot movie, a week ago only. And I was horrified that Chetan and Nitin knew the latest Delhi-Belly songs by heart. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZxRUplppsUc/TinGONW0JcI/AAAAAAAAJiU/KldQ29Hvv1w/s1600/Pictures-075.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZxRUplppsUc/TinGONW0JcI/AAAAAAAAJiU/KldQ29Hvv1w/s200/Pictures-075.jpg" t$="true" width="200" /></a></div><div closure_uid_5twcdb="132" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">After taking snaps at Tunnel View (made famous by Ansel Adams), we started for Tuolumne Meadows and Tenaya Lake on Tioga Road, which opens for only 4 months in a year. We just got down at Olmsted Point, Tuolumne Meadows and Tenaya lake and took <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/117490106308496241116/CloudsRestAndHalfDomeJuly1617#">pictures</a>. Delhi Belly songs were blaring, in the loop. Their favorite songs were ‘Bhag Bhag DK Bose DK Bose DK’ (meaning ‘Run DK Bose’ – however, if you say it fast enough it has a different meaning), ‘Jaa Chudail’ (Get lost witch) and ‘Duniya mein pyaar jab Barse, naa jane dil yeh kyon tarase’ (Blues – sad song - whenever I see rain of love in the world, why my heart craves for some). Poor Vimal, he definitely would not be marrying soon. The songs were repeated many times that they were engraved in my brain and I found myself humming for next few days.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">All in all, great weekend, hiked over 26 miles, did two peaks in single day, 8400 ft of elevation gain, and got educated in last 1</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">0 years of Bollywood songs.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div></div>Simplifyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14540223255593212400noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949468526667088114.post-16061121626000020572011-06-22T10:44:00.000-07:002011-06-22T10:44:28.926-07:00Father’s day Weekend in Yosemite – June 17-19, 2011<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_2zuP36jF-o/TgH2zBhdGdI/AAAAAAAAI5k/zbXys7h9h0k/s1600/NikJune2011+155.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_2zuP36jF-o/TgH2zBhdGdI/AAAAAAAAI5k/zbXys7h9h0k/s200/NikJune2011+155.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With John Muir</td></tr>
</tbody></table>In an effort to build some family traditions, I booked this weekend this year also, back in January, to hike few trails in Yosemite. First time, two years ago, I hiked Half Dome with Som on this day, next year I hiked till Nevada Falls with Prem while Promila hiked Half Dome with Liz. This year I did not reserve the permits to hike Half Dome (now permits are required every day for hiking Half Dome) as I wanted to hike other trails in Yosemite.<br />
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Since I have been hiking with Paul and Chetan most of the time for any new hikes, I never really developed any map or trail reading abilities. These skills are getting important for me, as I found out during my Mt Whitney hike last year. And also, going forward, I want to hike more with my family, I needed to learn quickly. Though these skills are easy for most normal people, but not for someone absent minded as me. And only way to acquire them was to do hikes alone.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ESv9lgBzU5w/TgH2I_8yCiI/AAAAAAAAI20/a3qzNubAeSI/s1600/NikJune2011+100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ESv9lgBzU5w/TgH2I_8yCiI/AAAAAAAAI20/a3qzNubAeSI/s200/NikJune2011+100.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bear always at Curry Village</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I looked at Yosemite hiking map to decide which new hikes I would like to do. Two hikes stood out, one was to do Four Mile Trail to Glacier Point (3200 ft elevation gain) and then come back from Panorama Trail back to valley floor, it was over 16 miles from Curry Village with views of three waterfalls. Other was to go up to top of Upper Yosemite Falls and then further up to Yosemite Point (3000 elevation gain), total round trip of over 12 miles. I chose the first one.<br />
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Chetan, on earlier discussions, mentioned Panorama Trail, recommended that I take bus up to Glacier Point and hike down on this trail. He further mentioned that it was on opposite side of Yosemite Falls. I had no idea what he meant by opposite side. Reading the map, I soon found out. At 6 AM, when I started out of from Curry Village, with map in my hand, first challenge was to find the Four Mile trailhead. The free shuttle bus does not start till 7 AM. This trail was not as popular as Mist Trail or John Muir Trail. 6 AM was a late start, the sun was up already. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7mQJhbbCydo/TgHv02xGgRI/AAAAAAAAIzY/1URmNJOfK7Q/s1600/NikJune2011+094.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7mQJhbbCydo/TgHv02xGgRI/AAAAAAAAIzY/1URmNJOfK7Q/s200/NikJune2011+094.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>Soon, after following the map meticulously for 2 miles (as per my GPS watch), I ended up right in front of Upper Yosemite Falls trail head. Yes, opposite side ! I told myself, all is not lost, if I can reach to top of Falls and Yosemite point, that should count for something. I did not see anybody on trailhead. In spite of not trying to think, I remembered two years before when a bear chased Som and me, we saw a rattle snake on trail. It would be good to have some company on the trail. (Note: After I came back from this hike, I came to know a hiker got lost on this very trail just a day before and was still not found. ) Armed with knowledge that Black bears of Yosemite are really not known to hurt humans, I was relaxed. I reminded myself, as if I could do something every now and then, which was out of my comfort zone, I would bring that attitude to other facets of my life. Then I thought about people who first climbed El Capitan or put cables on top of Half Dome, my adventure was nothing. I thanked all these path-breakers, pioneers as because of them so many of us are enjoying these trails now.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7D6BPxilS6M/TgH3EJx8cgI/AAAAAAAAI6s/DAoYgINzTKQ/s1600/NikJune2011+181.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7D6BPxilS6M/TgH3EJx8cgI/AAAAAAAAI6s/DAoYgINzTKQ/s200/NikJune2011+181.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Helicopter Rescue</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Just in quarter mile into hike, I found 4 kids huffing and puffing on hike. On asking them, though they looked quite fit, I found out that they did not hike regularly, and thought that they would be fine. They had four other kids in their group who were ahead of them. I guess some people have natural ability, but not all. I was not the one with natural ability. Leaving them behind I found their other four one mile ahead. This group was keeping a good pace. Took some photos of them with the falls, still a long way to go, however trail was great as you get to see the falls at different points. This was probably the best weekend to do the hike, as falls were running at 300% of their normal capacity from last year. I enjoyed drenching in cold icy water. Trail was well marked so far, with few ups and downs. I knew coming down would be harder because of slippery granite stones. At top, on Overlook of the Falls, saw some rock climbers crossing the falls. For 20 minutes, I stood there watching, one climber barely moved one feet. I could only imagine how much patience is needed besides other technical skills. I told to myself, probably not going to happen for me in this life time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nFNHgq3XV9E/TgH3IUPeI7I/AAAAAAAAI7E/E5_k5RuZtfM/s1600/NikJune2011+183.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nFNHgq3XV9E/TgH3IUPeI7I/AAAAAAAAI7E/E5_k5RuZtfM/s200/NikJune2011+183.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Half Dome</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I decided to go further to Yosemite Point, one more mile after crossing the falls, on wooden bridge, of course. There was no body going further on this trail. Soon I got lost. I applied lessons learned from Mt Whitney, and traced my steps back to trail, and then looked around, I found out I missed a turn. I was learning to read the trail. There should be some man-placed stone on trail or on both sides of trail to distinguish it from the surroundings. Some time tree trunks and branches are carefully put to keep you on trail. Do not always follow the foot marks which takes you beyond the trail to some backpackers campground, as there were plenty of them. And most important, if you do not think you are on trail, then most likely you missed a turn, so trace back.<br />
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Coming down, as expected was harder. I slipped 3 times, but hiking pole helped keeping me from falling. I was down before noon, total took less than 6 hours, including all the breaks. I thought I did pretty good in terms of reading the trail. And further applied my map reading learnings (read fiasco) from early morning and started walking in opposite direction to take me to Village Grill, to join my family and friends for lunch. Soon I was with them. Prem had lot of fun with Alexa, as Maria-Anand decided to join us for this whole trip. Both of them were proud Yosemite Jr Ranger. Promila was keeping them busy in various activities like drawing, Curry Village scavenger hunt and Ranger shows.<br />
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After my Marathon in March, my left knee was bothering me. I did couple of big hikes with the gang, and it would start hurting in 3-4 miles, so I was taking it easy, still running 3-4 miles every now and then. After coming down from this hike, I did not feel anything. I think it is healed up now. I feel that there are lot of good which came out of this injury. I got more aware about stretching and strengthening exercises of different parts of my leg. And I was amazed to see some of them worked so well. Also it reminds me how frail I am as human, and fortunate to be able to do what I enjoy.<br />
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After lunch, did a very good Geological hike with family and friends. Came to know that Mr Whitney and John Muir hated each other, as Whitney (studied at Yale and Harvard) proposed that Yosemite Valley was created by cataclysmic sinking of valley floor, which turned out not to be true, while John Muir(never graduated) argued for glacial action; How all peaks are named after guys and lakes after their wives. Half Dome was one of very few peaks which was not named after a person, as Mr Whitney thought, at that time, that nobody would ever be able to stand on top of Half Dome.<br />
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Watched another great show in amphitheater in Curry Village in evening from Steven Riley who draws and writes kid’s books and live in Yosemite Valley with his family. Slept early, to be ready to hike Vernal and Nevada falls next day with family. Prem had done Nevada Falls last year, and wanted to do the same this year. We decided to do Nevada Falls by John Muir Trail, and then loop back to come down by Vernal Falls. We packed our stuff in car and did our goodbyes to Grover family. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ly9N0sWM5PU/TgH58dpByMI/AAAAAAAAJBo/c5oGD_JcnSk/s1600/NikJune2011+296.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ly9N0sWM5PU/TgH58dpByMI/AAAAAAAAJBo/c5oGD_JcnSk/s200/NikJune2011+296.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top of Nevada Falls</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Though Promila and I had seen black bears in Yosemite couple of times before this trip, Prem never did. As the luck would have it, we saw two big bears on the John Muir Trail. Just like last time, though I was leading the trail, I did not see them, and Promila warned me. The bears were some 20 meters ahead of us. We waited for them to get off the trail for couple of minutes. Now, we decided to try to stay with some other hikers on the trail. At top of Nevada Falls, the water stream was twice as much in width than last year and sound of fall was deafening. We took our break, ate some snacks, took <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/117490106308496241116/June2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCL6pntHKiOuFGw#">pictures and videos</a>. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lzbdykYIwA0/TgH6pFhXOhI/AAAAAAAAJFI/NlsOu_FnBio/s1600/NikJune2011+344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lzbdykYIwA0/TgH6pFhXOhI/AAAAAAAAJFI/NlsOu_FnBio/s200/NikJune2011+344.jpg" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top of Vernal Falls</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Coming down on Mist Trail, as expected, we all got soaked. In hind sight, we should have gone up the Mist Trail and came down from John Muir Trail. Mist Trail was real crowded in afternoon, probably the most popular trail in Yosemite Valley. It took us around 5-6 hours with all the breaks. Prem was tired so we dropped the idea of going to Mariposa Grove. He immediately slept in the car. <br />
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I am looking forward to go back to Yosemite Valley and do Clouds Rest hike, Four Mile Trail and Panorama trail; and at some point would like to do some backpacking. <br />
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</div>Simplifyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14540223255593212400noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949468526667088114.post-75511914257351369502011-03-28T22:09:00.000-07:002011-03-29T15:06:01.672-07:00Two Black Eyes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr_zAiCKBTHUCXLN9VYaCy0s1XlvoH8khX4TpCjTEwYkM-WqYqf3lrZzgQLxlA7zx0MbVsWo6LWhb4G7fcZRr4vcKrHkymy565C6t_j9yrpKG5pAE8jamA19zyHyolVqopsLq_WaWcRtdH/s1600/OaklandMarathon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr_zAiCKBTHUCXLN9VYaCy0s1XlvoH8khX4TpCjTEwYkM-WqYqf3lrZzgQLxlA7zx0MbVsWo6LWhb4G7fcZRr4vcKrHkymy565C6t_j9yrpKG5pAE8jamA19zyHyolVqopsLq_WaWcRtdH/s320/OaklandMarathon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Oakland Marathon (26.2 miles) – March 27, 2011<br />
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Dave: ‘What could you tell a runner with two black eyes ?’<br />
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Me: What ?<br />
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Dave: Nothing, as you had already warned him twice. <br />
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Morning – March 27, 2011 –I did not sleep much in night, as my new iPhone was not working, and I could not set the alarm. Besides Prem was having cold and cough so we had to monitor his breathing through the night. He was breathing noisily and fast. It was after a long time, his cold/cough was threatening to build up into full blown breathing issue.<br />
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Woke up, looking at the clock, it was 7 AM already, race was at 7:30 AM. Tried to wake Promila to ask her to drop me, but she was not understanding, just smiling and trying to calm me down. Finally, unable to get through to her, I started running for the start line. Came across a stream, which was too wide to cross and flowing at full, looked around. Bad dream. Woke up at 12:15, then finally at 3:30 AM. <br />
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Reviewed my list which I prepared last night, Cytomax powder form, 2 Cliff bars – chocolate Chip Mint (Prem’s favorite), bib tagged on shirt, poor quality sweat (which if lost, you would not care), Mortrin and GPS watch. I was eating spinach-cottage cheese dish when Promila woke up at 5, and started making her ginger tea. Dave knocked at the door around 5:25 AM when I was sipping tea. He had his coffee mug in hand. Soon Norm appeared and Promila offered him tea too. We were chatting when Vimal showed up, felt a shiver to see him dressed in his half sleeve thin technical shirt. <br />
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I have been running for over 6 months now with Dave, Vimal and Norm. After couple of months Dave looked around to find a good race, and decided on Napa Valley Marathon, however, because of some family function he did not register for that. Oakland Marathon was another one during similar time frame, so he asked me and registered for it. I did not check the course, and when I did; I found out that Oakland Marathon course was a tough one. There was no looking back now, I followed him and then Vimal and Norm. I rationalized this would give me a good opportunity to come back and do another Marathon to improve my timings later.<br />
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Two weeks before Dave and I had completed a 23 miler with 2600 ft elevation gain, in decent time of 4:15. That monster run gave me confidence that I should be able to complete the Marathon. Most of our long runs were in Alum Rock Park trail. And there is a creek which fills up during the rain. Dave always love to cross that creek, while I try always to avoid crossing it. We ran 3 times in rain, things get still after 7-8 miles, you can hear full flow of the creek, very quiet and almost nobody in the park during the rain and feet build some new intelligence while splashing in puddles or coming down the slippery slopes. After one of these long runs, I saw Dave slipped in the creek once.<br />
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Besides that 23 miler, my training was falling apart in last 6 weeks, my weekly mileage (excluding long Sunday run) was averaging around 10-12 miles, which was not much. I fell during one of my earlier long run, and had 3 clotted toe nails from my 23 miler practice run. I was not stranger to having bloody toe nails, I had them during my long hikes. I was banking on race day adrenalin and ready to push myself and thinking of breaking 4 hours. Since my last Half Marathon was in 1:47 minutes, my strategy was to do first Half which was a tougher course, to try to stay with 3:40 pace group (completing first 13.1 miles in 1:52) and then naturally slow down. From my long runs, I knew my easy run was around 9 min/mile, at this pace I can talk and do not sweat much. <br />
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Dave had PR of 1:41 on Half Marathon, I was on 1:47, Vimal on 1:52 and Norm (though he never ran Half before) finished around 2 hours for 13.1 miles as per his GPS watch. We were lucky to have everybody around the same time zone. It helped that during certain days, any one of us could be leading the pack. If I was not feeling well, I would just try to hang in there. Dave was the only one who had run two full Marathons (close to 4 hours) and two Ultras. He kept telling me that the Marathon distance needed to be respected (especially by the first timers), and kept telling me about ‘Runner with two black eyes’. I did not realize what it meant till I ran the race and found out at mile 16 when all my plans went haywire. <br />
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Promila took a quick photo of us before we departed home. While driving, we were wondering as why there was no shoe tag (electronic chip which measure your splits at different intervals) and why timing chip was buried in the bib itself. Dave clarified, it was because the course is so tough that most of us would be crawling at finish line, rather than running ! We laughed and did not know how true that joke would come out to be.<br />
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At start I followed up 3:40, Vimal followed up 3:50 and Dave and Norm followed up 4 hour pace groups. Faster pace groups lined up first, so that they are not slowed down by slow runners. I climbed the hills (670 elevation gain) and came down strong, and finished 13.1 miles in 1:53, Vimal was couple of minutes behind me, followed by Dave. At mile 16, my calves started cramping up and my toes curling up. It had never happened before in any of the training runs. Could it be because of steep dip where you lose almost 600 ft elevation in less than a mile ? Really scared, I forgot that I generally needed only 16 ounces of water during my long runs, I started drinking a lot, ate a Cliff bar and started having sports drink. I would run for another 400 yards, and the cramps would come back. <br />
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During our practice runs, only Vimal had the tendency to cramp up. And we all tinkered with nutrition, as what to eat before the long run, and during the long run and how much sports drinks were needed and when. Generally, I associate cramps with nutrition, however, after another couple of miles, and drinking too much sport drink, my belly swelled. Since these drinks have salts in them, body was retaining much more water. May be it was too late to hydrate myself if you were cramping during the run. Lesson learned ! So I started doing some stretching, and was afraid to see few runners, lying on the side of road, cramping even more than me. <br />
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I knew it would be a long 10 miles now, and tried to find some inspiration. DNF (Did not finish) was a real possibility. I thought about Prem, and tried to emulate his breathing, quick and short to bring some much needed oxygen in cramped muscles. I thought about ‘Touching the Void’, and started counting my shuffling steps - hardly lifting my knee and keeping stride very short. I found that I could do till 100 steps and then have to walk for 20 steps on my heel, using different set of muscles which would give break to my running calf muscles. Vimal passed me between mile 16 and 17. I was waiting for Dave and Norm to pass me. At mile 23, when I saw 4:15 pace group flag, I thought Dave and Norm might have already passed me. I finished in 4:22 finally. Vimal was waiting for me, he did it in 4:01. <br />
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He told me that he was cramping at mile 16 too, however, since he had more training as how to run through cramps, he was able to keep up. He told me that his secret to break cramps was to shake your legs like Elvis Presley while singing his song. I was kicking myself for not having my iPhone to take the video, when he did the full demo. I asked him as where was Dave, he did not see him either, now that was surprising. So we looked around for another 30 minutes and then finally saw him; it was clear it was not his day today, completing the Marathon with 4:53, and soon Norm arrived too. <br />
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Though I was not happy with my times, the Marathon intrigued me. It was not cut and dry; and there were a lot of factors to consider. And that is the real challenge. Out of 4 of us, only Vimal ran close to his potential. Dave had told us earlier that it takes around 7 Marathon, before you could fine tune various factors. We were all thinking about the reasons of our bad timings. Experience is what you get, when you do not get what you want. Looking back, I think these are the learnings I would take to my next Marathon (if and when I decided to run it).<br />
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1. Instead of running the last long training run (23 miles) two weeks before the race, schedule it 3 weeks before.<br />
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2. Most of our long runs were on trail not on hard pavement, I think my nutrition was OK before and during the race, however, I really did not train on hard pavement for my long runs or interval training. The muscles might had taken the beatings till 16 miles in the race which had the steep downhill portion and then gave up. <br />
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3. There is a big difference between Half and Full Marathon. For Half Marathon (the distance we were running every weekend), you really do not have to worry about nutrition, water, pace and cramps. After you hit two hours, and you have another two hours to do, it is a different game.<br />
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4. Most of our long runs were not at Marathon Pace, I think I would have one of shorter long run (12-15 miles) at targeted Marathon pace to improve muscle memory of that pace.<br />
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5. We did Yasso 800s between 3:20 to 3:30 (Dave, Vimal and I); which as per the online calculator meant that we should all be able to run Marathon in that time; did not happen for any of us. Most of the calculators which extrapolates your mile, 5K, 10K and Half Marathon distance to give your estimated time for full Marathon, did not really work for any of us.<br />
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6. Increase week days mileage from 10-12 miles to 18-20 miles, to get to weekly mileage of 30 plus.<br />
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7. Continue Cross training of biking and/or swimming to give running muscles break.<br />
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8. Continue interval/speed training.<br />
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9. Carbohydrate loading should be just for one day before the run, not for 1 week. My weight was increased by 6 pounds in last 6 days, before race.<br />
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10. Find a flat or all downhill course for next Marathon.<br />
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Marathon running is tough and challenging, both physically and mentally. Why people do it ? Everybody has their reasons. Personally I would not say that I loved running Marathon distance. As I write this, I have been walking, with a stance two feet wide, more like Sumo wrestler, my calves still hurting and quads trashed; and I am thinking about my next race (I would like to think I am alert mentally). Two years ago I used to see Marathoners with neon light over their head, flashing ‘Crazy’. I started running just last April (never ran before in my life) and almost gave up. Now after experimenting for one full year, I have utmost respect for runners. Long runs (18 mile plus) would have been more painful without good company of friends. It was intrigue of challenge which was the driving force for me to run the Marathon. And also, that it gives me confidence, that if you put your mind and persist, anything is possible; except that you cannot teach anything to a runner with two black eyes.<br />
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</div>Simplifyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14540223255593212400noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949468526667088114.post-44272665603112370982011-02-13T13:59:00.000-08:002011-02-13T13:59:39.706-08:0018 mile run in Alum Rock Park (Feb 13, 2011)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Feb 13, 2011 – 18 mile run in Alum Rock Park (with Dave, Norm and Vimal) – This was a big planned run to train for our Marathon at March end. I have never run Marathon, so was looking to see how we hold up. My shins were aching for a week now from tempo runs and interval training, however, nothing where I had to stop running and take a break. However, I was thinking that it would be nice to take a break, as we still have another 6 weeks to go before the race. <br />
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I look forward for long runs, as they are run at 60-90 seconds slower pace than your planned Marathon Pace. Idea is to increase the endurance, and most of the time we can chit chat during the long run. Since there was no rains for quite some time, ARP was dried up. We decided to do South Rim and then do another loop till Bridge and come back. Well, that was the plan at least. All of us were prepared with nutrition (bars, Cytomax etc). <br />
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Dave was in a good form today, and we were just trying to keep up with him. I was hoping that my calves and shins would warm up and pain would go away after couple of miles, however, it did not. I was having doubts as how I would break 4 hours, if the muscles are already getting fatigued. After covering our usual elevation gain of 1000 ft, I was able to open up during downhill, was able to keep up a good pace, following Dave and Vimal. I was glad that trail was all dried up as I always fear for balance on wet downhill trail. Everybody was doing fine, and finished all uphill and downhill, and covered 13 miles. Then all of a sudden, I tripped and next thing I remember, I was all flat on the ground. Fall sounded really nasty. However, after smelling the wet soil patch where I fell, for 10 seconds, I knew that no bones were broken or joints were damaged (well at slow pace of 10 min/mile what do you expect). Dave came and inspected all fours (Hands-elbows and knees). Of course everything was scraped badly and right hand was bleeding. I told him that I could run, and we ran to nearest water tap to wash the wounds. He mentioned, good thing that you didn’t scraped your pretty face, otherwise Promila would have never forgiven you !<br />
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I felt more alive than ever, and thought I could do another 10 miles. The shin pain and calf pain was gone, I think shot of adrenalin woke me up. After cleaning up the wounds, I was leading for some time, I still wanted to do another 5 miles. Dave screamed from behind again, “Now we cannot lose you, all we have to do is follow the blood trail”. I know my legs are going to be pulled for a long time now, hope they help in stretching some of the muscles too. Since both of my hands were scraped I knew that I would not be able to stretch my calves after the run. And as I write this, though the pain from scrape is tolerable, but muscles are now seizing up. Anyway, completed 18 mile run in little under 3 hours (10 min pace). I thought this was a pretty good indicator as we climbed over 1000 feet. <br />
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After reaching home, Promila screamed, while keeping her hands on her ears, and Prem ran to the family room and disappeared. Great to see family support system in action. I guess some of the blood clotted and made it look worse than it was. Promila washed my wounds and dressed me up well and Prem came back with some water-proof bandage. My right hand is swollen, and I am limping not because of the scrape but because of calf muscles are not stretched. I guess, I have now proper sign to take that week break from running which I was longing for. All in all, I feel that Marathon training, to run it in less than 4 hours, is quite grueling. I am hoping at some time pain associated with running would go away, till then, thank you JnJ for making Tylenol.<br />
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</div>Simplifyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14540223255593212400noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949468526667088114.post-48283865197040762412010-12-30T20:56:00.000-08:002011-11-26T13:54:41.626-08:00Year 2010<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyb-_Q-7rPTbqpzarhvtuNxQZQBbz9j_WKvJZIeS7oQzqGkAZ2UcbBqx7Koi5lVgkDX0ySgvCWJ-Rzi1QtRBEwsSnU6BkMu2h3qJCPawh9etGEAEF7-vCm1O3V9ewEFYoIqXziDaCpP1kj/s1600/Legoland+373.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyb-_Q-7rPTbqpzarhvtuNxQZQBbz9j_WKvJZIeS7oQzqGkAZ2UcbBqx7Koi5lVgkDX0ySgvCWJ-Rzi1QtRBEwsSnU6BkMu2h3qJCPawh9etGEAEF7-vCm1O3V9ewEFYoIqXziDaCpP1kj/s200/Legoland+373.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>2010 proved to be another memorable year for me. Personally, following things stands out, not in any particular order <br />
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1. Hiking Nevada Falls in Yosemite with Prem, while Promila and Liz did Half Dome hike.<br />
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2. Running – This year, after struggling for some time, was able to finish two <a href="http://maneeshagarwalfamily.blogspot.com/2010/07/my-first-half-marathon-131-miles-july.html">Half Marathons</a>. Now running has become a part of my life. I never felt so strong in my life before.<br />
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3. <a href="http://maneeshagarwalfamily.blogspot.com/2010/09/mt-whitney-august-30-2010.html">Hiking Mt Whitney </a><br />
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This year proved to be very good year for Prem. Nebulizer which used to be a constant feature in our family room is now hiding somewhere in closet. No asthma episode for him. I can watch him eat Pizza at Birthday parties without much concern. However, healthy diet and natural cures continue to control his triggers (runny nose) very well. And I am very thankful for that.<br />
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Looking back, in 2009, major highlight was hiking Half Dome. However, most of the group who hiked with me at that time moved on to do other things. As I enjoyed hiking very much, I was looking for company where people have similar interest and fitness level. I met Chetan and Prasad (and later Nitin) on one my solo hikes on Mission Peak. Promila’s ginger tea (yes, she still wakes up earlier than me to make it so that I can take it on my 6 AM hikes) proved to be ice breaker and one thing led to another, I ended up doing some major hikes with them. <br />
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Big thanks to Chetan for detailing out Mission Peak to Monument Peak (though we missed Monument peak) hike in January, Berry Creek Falls and Rose Peak hikes in April, Mt Tallac and Mt Whitney in August. I am looking forward for his lead to continue doing different hikes this year. <br />
I was fortunate enough to do some other major hikes with my old buddy Paul, who got me started to hiking at the end of 2008. I remember hiking in Alum Rock Park with him, and after a month of hiking on weekends, we did Mission Peak and I remember very well that my legs were shaking after I reached the top for the first time. Just like Chetan, Paul has eye for the details and knows most of the hikes in Bay Area and around. He led me and Liz (my manager) on some beautiful hikes; Pinnacles National Monument in March, Quick Silver Almaden in April, Nisene Park in June and Sierra Azule in November. Again next year, we are planning for a few major hikes.<br />
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I was very happy that <a href="http://maneeshagarwalfamily.blogspot.com/2010/06/woods-are-lovely-dark-and-deep.html">Liz and Promila hiked Half Dome</a>. I was blogging throughout the year on most of my major hikes. Surprisingly, I received more than dozen of ‘Thank you’ for my blog on Half Dome hike, as it helped other people in planning, preparing and getting it done. Also, I received couple of comments hinting that sometimes blog is too long, and few comments asking for more details. Let me be clear, main purpose of this blog is to document my journey and share it with my friends and family members who are in India. Also, later when Prem grows up, at some time, if he is interested, he could look at it to have some idea as what are the things, growing up, we did together.<br />
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Courtesy Prem and Promila, I admit shamelessly, that I was <a href="http://maneeshagarwalfamily.blogspot.com/2010/06/milpitas-father-of-year-2010.html">father of the year</a>. <br />
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New thing which I learnt this year was running. <a href="http://maneeshagarwalfamily.blogspot.com/2010/06/reading-running-and-back-to-hiking-in.html">My struggles with running</a> has been very well documented, and apparently this also helped few people in taking up running. Thanks to Dave to lead long runs on different trails, that I am still able to continue running. It really helps to have some company with similar fitness level again. Few days I might be down a bit, when Dave leads, and other times I might be leading. I find running more challenging, as I lose running fitness very quickly if I did not run for 3-4 days. It is good to have Norm and Vimal also on few of these runs, as it keeps everybody motivated. Promila has also started running somewhat regularly now.<br />
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With Prem doing well in last few years now, Promila was able to get a 6 month contract this year and enjoyed working in a startup and getting back into job market. She was her usual self, doing everything with lot of energy and passion. Before the start of her job, Promila took some home projects. She took off the wall paper in living room, textured the walls and then painted them, probably 4 to 8 different coats for each wall. She experimented quite a bit and was very pleased with her effort. It was indeed a big effort and a totally new area for her to take on. We got one of our bathroom remodeled and enjoying our Jacuzzi tub almost daily. The handyman who helped us with bathroom remodel, further aided us in recovering some of the walls Promila textured and painted. Promila is looking for a new job now, and I am somewhat anxious that she gets something quick, before she decides to take on another home project.<br />
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Promila and Prem started Taekwando and both now hold Green Belt. I was taken aback to find out that they can do 20 pushups and to see Promila’s bruised knuckles. Prem and Promila have made major leaps in learning swimming. I know that swimming is considered great cross training for running, so started going with them for recreational swim, one day a week, while their swimming classes are off till next summer. <br />
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As I write this blog, I am in <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=255641&id=611452023&l=b6c2a24b05">Carlsbad</a>, next to Legoland. Big thanks to Manoj E this year (just like end of last year) for making it possible to send us this last minute unbelievable deal. We are using hot tub and heated pool almost every day. Promila was thrilled to find Costco across the street, and I realized how truly she enjoyed cooking. As I write these words, Prem read my mind and said that this is the 5th day on vacation and we haven’t eaten outside as yet. The main reason for this is Promila has been cooking and eating very healthy food that she has lost the craving for comfort food, in fact, most of the time, it repulses her. It showed up in our yearly check up, both of our cholesterol level are over 30 points down, compare to last year.<br />
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We spent couple of days with Som-Swapna-Jahnvi during this trip. We managed to get out and go to Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, which took us to 8800 ft from desert floor. To our surprise, there was 2 ft of snow at top and a lot of areas to do snowboarding. Prem was missing throwing snow balls and playing in snow this year, however, this made it possible. It was amazing to enjoy beach one day and snow next day. In hindsight, I think this is a real good way to do snowboarding as you avoid all that uncertainty of road conditions and weather and still can play in snow and come back down the same day. We did go to SeaLife Aquarium and Museum of Making Music (shows most of the instruments from 1890, and how changes in technology wiped out certain things). <br />
Though I lost everybody from 2009 hiking group, however, joined/formed three new groups, two hiking and one running. And everybody in these groups reached new heights this year, literally. However, main thing was that we challenged and enjoyed each other’s company and had fun. Looking back, I feel that this is a normal human tendency to remember the year by what good has happened and holding onto the things you love. Abraham Lincoln had summed it up in this quote <br />
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“And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.” ~<br />
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Happy holidays and we wish you a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year 2011, filled with laughter and joy.<br />
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with love (Prem)<br />
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Promila - Maneesh</div>Simplifyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14540223255593212400noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949468526667088114.post-39920725518630535812010-10-03T22:37:00.000-07:002010-12-09T21:25:59.815-08:00San Jose Half Marathon – October 3rd 2010<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>This was my second official race, ever. My last one was on July 25, 2010. Thomas convinced me to sign up for this Half Marathon when we went to pick up the bib for San Francisco Half Marathon. As expected this was another highly organized event. My preparation for this event was better than the earlier one. This is what worked for me. I had couple of over 10 milers run, during my training. I ran only three days a week; Tuesday (30-45 minutes), Thursday (30-40 minutes) and then long run on Sunday (8-13 miles). Long runs were run at 9 min/mile pace or slower. Besides that I was hiking on Saturday (Mission Peak mostly) for 2 hours.<br />
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2 months before when I ran Half Marathon, my timings were 1:50:58. However, I ran 2nd Half of San Francisco Half Marathon; which means there was an elevation drop of over 300 ft; so I was always skeptical about this performance. San Jose Marathon was flat and it was a loop, so I was looking forward to see how would I do here. I was feeling lot more stronger than before. I thought if I could do 1:50, I would take that. <br />
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When race started, as expected, I forgot all about my pace and started running at a pace which I thought was comfortable; when I looked at my GPS, I was doing 7 minutes/mile. I finished 5K in 22:51. Though Thomas was ahead of me just by few seconds at this time, I did not see him. I finished 10K in 47:48. Till I finished 8 miles, I was still doing sub 8 min/miles. After that I started losing gas, and started walking through water tables (which were at every two miles). I knew that my cruise speed is somewhere near 8:35; so I did not mind slowing down. However, after running a big portion of the race at sub 8, it seemed to me that I was crawling. I finished my race in 1:47:01, behind Thomas 1:41:47.<br />
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I am happy with my progress in last two months of training. If you are a runner, you can appreciate as how difficult it is to shave off minutes from your last performance. Last mile I tried to run faster, however, my legs sent a signal that they might cramp; so I just kept my cruising speed. Promila called me at finishing line, she took my photo. Promila and Prem were waiting for me for all those 2 hours. I did not know that she took photos at 4th mile and she was able to capture Thomas, me and Radhika. Promila’s friend, Malai, just finished after me at 1:51:49; followed by Rajesh at 2:05:20, then Lindsey (my running counsel at office) at 2:07; Sudhakar at 2:16:09, and then Radhika at 2:40:56. We waited for Meenal for a long time, called her, did not know what happened. I just came to know she finished too. In one of the running book, it was mentioned that runner who run the marathon in 5 hours or more, compare to one who finish under 3; exert twice the effort, since they were running much longer, on their feet much longer. I have utmost respect for the people who in spite of knowing how hard it would be, came to run and finished it. By that logic, I would think that Thomas is the laziest of the bunch, did not want to put too much effort.<br />
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What’s next à Like I mentioned in my earlier blogs, that running is much harder than it seems. Hiking comes easier to me and much more enjoyable. I did not like the pressure of bettering my timings in running. Just like hiking, I want to enjoy my run, and it is difficult to do that in such a race. May be ultra running at lower pace might suite me. I have been doing my long runs with Dave (ultra-runner) and Norm; once in two weeks. We go to Ed Levin Park and Alum Rock Park; and do trail running which is much more fun and since lot of hills are involved, you do not worry about timings and enjoy the run. So till I have big improvement on my time, I do not think I would be enrolling for another Half Marathon, anytime soon. However, before I participate in any ultra-run, I might think of a full Marathon; not sure. <br />
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2088523&id=1524900175&l=dfaa33e64f">Photos</a>Simplifyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14540223255593212400noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949468526667088114.post-4545303828553403812010-09-02T19:52:00.000-07:002016-04-08T16:18:32.363-07:00Mt Whitney - August 30, 2010<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Mt Whitney Hike (over 6400 ft elevation gain and 22 miles, altitude of 14505 ft)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Promila's sandwiches on the way</td></tr>
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I have been looking forward to this hike for a long time. I had heard so many stories about Mt Whitney since I have been hiking for last two years; most of them were quite discouraging and daunting which added to intrigue of the challenge. First time I heard it from a person who had been hiking for last 12 years, hiked Half Dome (at that time I had not even hiked Half Dome); who said that he could not complete it as he was exhausted and had a big headache. Another person, mentioned that he started vomiting at the start of switchbacks (there are 97 switchbacks which comes after half of the hike is completed). Almost everybody mentioned that altitude would gets you, i.e. hike starts from the altitude where Half Dome ends and then goes on for another 6100 feet. I knew this hike needed both mental and physical strength. Since it was going to be a long hike, you need to carry more water and weight, means around 20 lb of backpack lugging around for 12-18 hrs; not just legs needed to be strong, your core needs to be strong. Since I was hiking and running for most part of the year, I did not do anything special. I was looking forward to this challenge and was more curious to see how I reacted to altitude. <br />
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Big thanks to Chetan who had done this hike few years back; and like for so many hikes earlier, he organized this hike too. He booked for permits in February; knew that best time to do the hike was in late summer when we would not need ice axes or crampons. He booked the camp site, rental car; constantly told us that this was the hardest hike of all. He broke the hike in segments, what to eat, when to eat, and when to turn back if we were not feeling well. The youngest guy in our group of four was the most informed and leading the hike. Though when he applied for permit, he did not anticipate that his son, who was born just few days after he applied for permit, would hardly give him time to prepare for the hike. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7rhpsB6_PIpzVhAIgIOUIc1zO8euh9B3RN03FrYdCQSPWr-riwpcVdA280MSQD4zTn59bCw0jUw_LiYmEhgzTrfL1uCZhOVJTRCOUJ0xbUNq_Iei34w3wkw3mHDFv3jmhwCuyrhI91Yv0/s1600/IMG_3044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7rhpsB6_PIpzVhAIgIOUIc1zO8euh9B3RN03FrYdCQSPWr-riwpcVdA280MSQD4zTn59bCw0jUw_LiYmEhgzTrfL1uCZhOVJTRCOUJ0xbUNq_Iei34w3wkw3mHDFv3jmhwCuyrhI91Yv0/s200/IMG_3044.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rainbow Falls</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdOO_FjKy9yRHAqPXNa0C6I9GI1CG-mBD65sEjrLP9txBcoej-cS3PkLm5bBYyEg9Ibh4kR1NLWeVj_E34tZ-htADmtTLOJ22r4dHN5pHLgpf08FUcYStgehZoh0Azrtoz0OlpVj3GaRhH/s1600/IMG_3035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdOO_FjKy9yRHAqPXNa0C6I9GI1CG-mBD65sEjrLP9txBcoej-cS3PkLm5bBYyEg9Ibh4kR1NLWeVj_E34tZ-htADmtTLOJ22r4dHN5pHLgpf08FUcYStgehZoh0Azrtoz0OlpVj3GaRhH/s200/IMG_3035.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Devils Postpile</td></tr>
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Day 1 – (Saturday - August 28) - A day before on Friday, we picked the rental car. We did a mock packing on that day to ensure that all of our stuff could fit in the trunk (4 sleeping bags, 4 backpacks, 1 car camping tent and 4 small suite cases; along with hiking sticks and hiking shoes). We had to keep two of the sleeping bags in backseat. It worked out fine, as they proved to be support to lean on and catch some sleep at 5 AM in the morning. Promila, as usual, got up at 3 AM, and prepared some 10 yummy vegetarian sandwiches with greens, sprouts, Morning Start patty and Humus. Prasad’s wife too packed some real good sandwiches, which lasted us for breakfast and later for dinner. I started to drive from Fremont, and asked Chetan if he had the GPS for directions. He told me that he did not need GPS. I never ventured out without GPS, I was one of those who constantly missed exits and were hopeless without GPS. Apparently, Chetan knew all the roads around California. He had traveled to Yosemite on average 5 times a year. When I missed an exit, he quickly reminded me – ‘Dude – you missed the exit’; and once we reached Yosemite Valley, he took over. He drove us to Mammoth Lakes to show us Devils Post-pile (National Monument) and then we hiked to Rainbow Falls (total of 5 miles hike). Idea was to start getting used to walking at higher elevation and look at some beautiful scenery. Devils Post-pile are hexagonal/octagonal/pentagonal shapes, a geological wonder,60 ft high columnar basalt, which were naturally created by volcanic activities 1000s of years ago.</div>
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From there we drove to Lone Pine city (all on route 395 S). We went to visitor center to pick our permits and then headed to Whitney Portal (13 miles on Whitney Portal Rd towards East) to camp there. Idea was to eat outside, so apart from sleeping bags, we did not have any other car camping things. After eating sandwiches, we slept at around 9 PM, and idea was to wake up early, do our breakfast and hang around Lone Pine Lake (10,000 ft) to get acclimatized to elevation.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMaYOU7mbREfnbRtzry-3fvnpV97sxPesB3_KUC7lIuU5P8umEEqKs-leFdTuaMVZlb6xWvkN_ET1WlZUIPnMWSIvGG9o_nlaZGazVLjSWrnvHoq_IwFN5dKFClMGqex47yvgiogBa2CHs/s1600/IMG_3050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMaYOU7mbREfnbRtzry-3fvnpV97sxPesB3_KUC7lIuU5P8umEEqKs-leFdTuaMVZlb6xWvkN_ET1WlZUIPnMWSIvGG9o_nlaZGazVLjSWrnvHoq_IwFN5dKFClMGqex47yvgiogBa2CHs/s200/IMG_3050.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whitney Portal Camp ground</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigqe5nbzwxoSOKVv9N3lg35s77Zd3Rsgq6GQT4Y2it_YSE01G3pr0WJUI8lByCFvxlb_59POhNs0eQRpE3m4jareo2Gp6VpugBMeSYHIrnO7tqoVFjBHLgubuJmchcdcEfh2zCYa5p2FiG/s1600/IMG_3052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigqe5nbzwxoSOKVv9N3lg35s77Zd3Rsgq6GQT4Y2it_YSE01G3pr0WJUI8lByCFvxlb_59POhNs0eQRpE3m4jareo2Gp6VpugBMeSYHIrnO7tqoVFjBHLgubuJmchcdcEfh2zCYa5p2FiG/s200/IMG_3052.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lone Pine Lake at 10,000 ft</td></tr>
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Day 2 - Whitney Portal has just one store, where you can have breakfast, lunch and dinner. Store was famous for pancakes. I shared the pancake with Chetan, and we both could not finish even half of it. I couldn't eat sweet syrup with pancake and Chetan found it amusing to see I was eating them with mustard. We relaxed a bit after heavy breakfast, and then started the 3 mile hike for Lone Pine lake. We had the permit for Monday, however, Lone Pine lake was just outside the permit area. It was a beautiful lake, surrounded by granite mountains. We hung around for 3-4 hours there, tried to rest. We started chatting with couple of other people there. This is when one person mentioned that wind was very chilly at Trail Campsite and it was freezing. There was a chance of snow. He further tried to scare us by asking if we had snow boots for the hike. This changed the mood in our camp. Already, everybody was uncertain because of altitude and length of the hike; and with snow fall sounding imminent, Chetan started asking us as what we thought. Initially, we thought of starting the hike at 1 AM in the morning; however, as per the weather forecast by this stranger, it was to snow in night. I told him that if it started snowing in night, we could delay the hike to get out later. I was willing to get out as late as 8 AM to give it a shot. However, Chetan was not amused to see this adventurous spirit and was worried that trail could be too slippery, and told us that he felt responsible for us as a group leader, and more or less had the right to put off the whole thing. We kept quiet and then decided to go to city and talked to ranger and get correct weather forecast and their opinion in another hour. I wanted to calm my mind down, and listened to my all time favorite book – Alchemist for some inspiration. Needless to say that I had to go through only couple of pages before I had to stop –</div>
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"At that point in their lives, everything is clear and everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives. But, as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their destiny.<br />
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The old man pointed to a baker standing in his shop window at one corner of the plaza. "When he was a child, that man wanted to travel, too. But he decided first to buy his bakery and put some money aside. When he's an old man, he's going to spend a month in Africa. He never realized that people are capable, at any time in their lives, of doing what they dream of.<br />
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"He should have decided to become a shepherd," the boy said.<br />
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"Well, he thought about that," the old man said. "But bakers are more important people than shepherds. Bakers have homes, while shepherds sleep out in the open. Parents would rather see their children marry bakers than shepherds."<br />
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Ranger confirmed that weather was going to be better than before and chance of snow was only 20%. She further confirmed that this is very local thing and not a weather phenomenon which was going to stay for next few days. I was relieved to find out that hike was on. We came back around 6 and tried to sleep. As expected, I was too excited, and could not get any sleep. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwAlOL-k2er6HNHn_7cbCaElY9ji2t1hQ6t99nS7f0H6M2sz7cjyuU_K2CVHrF4NuPJlVxwLEHbMN2hhZitjmSzSKouDslvOfEbHa6jgMezfuH8tFLS6Zlgk1NAxLLYfyjZ6GZ81pheg0_/s1600/IMG_3060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwAlOL-k2er6HNHn_7cbCaElY9ji2t1hQ6t99nS7f0H6M2sz7cjyuU_K2CVHrF4NuPJlVxwLEHbMN2hhZitjmSzSKouDslvOfEbHa6jgMezfuH8tFLS6Zlgk1NAxLLYfyjZ6GZ81pheg0_/s200/IMG_3060.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whitney Portal - <br />
start of the hike</td></tr>
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Day 3 - We woke up at 12:30 AM, and were at Whitney Portal at 1:30 AM. After taking couple of snaps at portal, we started the hike at 1:36 AM. Chetan ordered me to be in front, followed by Nitin, himself and then Prasad. I asked Nitin to be in front, as I did not want to rush everybody and wanted to go with group’s pace. Chetan, Prasad and Nitin had liquid Ensure before start of the hike and Chetan’s idea was to have Ensure every hour of the hike. I turned my GPS on to see that we average around 30 minutes/mile for first 6 miles of hike. Soon Nitin and I were ahead and waited for Chetan and Prasad after first hour, for around 9 minutes. We were getting cold quickly during our wait. At 4th mile (as per GPS which we came to know later that it might have stopped), we had to wait for full 40 minutes. Lot of other hikers passed. Apparently something was not working. Prasad confirmed that Ensure did not really work for him. Chetan quickly realized that it was too cold to wait for that long, and asked us to go further without waiting. This was around 4 AM, Nitin and I moved quickly to catch up with hikers who passed us while we were waiting. We soon caught up with few of them. And then before Trail Camp (upper camp for backpackers), we came across a stream which was dividing two big mountains. We did not know whether to cross the stream or not. One couple from Poland, who we just passed, caught up with us; and the girl quickly decided to cross the stream. She pointed to us that there are small rocks, put together on the side, indicating that we had to go over the stream. It was too dark to see the trail, even though all of us were wearing head lamps. We followed them, and after an hour of hiking, climbing on rocks, we knew we were not on the trail. We kept looking back and did not see anybody. And then we saw the head lamps on couple of other hikers on the another mountain on the right. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbkOJj0KHkngLu28_6xEy7_1ngwsSuxHn7u5sTDzcBQSxLxb6omuLlsACBC3oTxPv7Fk1dr6YH_4j0xX2vjk_aEF27jLkqOP3ovDHkDvIDB689E1OdWcBzyNqX4VMDXJxqMiMJoVPnDCsq/s1600/IMG_3093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbkOJj0KHkngLu28_6xEy7_1ngwsSuxHn7u5sTDzcBQSxLxb6omuLlsACBC3oTxPv7Fk1dr6YH_4j0xX2vjk_aEF27jLkqOP3ovDHkDvIDB689E1OdWcBzyNqX4VMDXJxqMiMJoVPnDCsq/s200/IMG_3093.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Consultation Lake</td></tr>
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Now we knew for sure that we were not on the trail and not on the correct mountain. Since we had climbed up quite a bit, the distance between the mountains had increased. We pottered around to find way to jump to the other mountain. The Polish guy was very adventurous, and started climbing the rock; however, his girl friend got scared and asked Nitin if he could phone for help. Nitin, despite knowing that he did not have the signal at the portal, tried, and told her that he could not. Polish guy, after finding that his girl friend might be following us instead of him, returned back; and tried a different approach. We all climbed back a bit; and he found another way to get down and then climb over to the other mountain where we were intermittently seeing the headlights. We just watched him, and then on realizing that he was successful this time, tried to follow him. Nitin was much more at ease using his hands while I was slow on this technical climb. Since we had hiking poles, sometimes, I had to keep both the poles in one hand; and climbed just using one hand and two feet. I had to ask Nitin to slow down so that I could follow his steps on this tricky terrain. This had started to freak me out. Finally we reached the base of the right mountain and had to climb around 300 feet at almost vertical wall (70-80 degree angle). This mountain has lot of loose rocks and thorny bushes; so we could not use our hands to grab on the bushes. Loose rocks though provided us the footing but there was a danger of it slipping down and becoming unstable. We swore and sweated our way. And almost just 10 feet away from top; Nitin feeling comfortable asked me to that it would be good to capture in camera on what we just did. I just wanted to get the hell out of that hole. He finally took a video after we climbed back on trail. Lesson learned was that if you had hiked for couple of minutes without being on trail, turn around and retrace your steps. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLaC8B-cYOD64jQfgTRY8o4KYGPTqmAG0AnEldfZDncjoNmyuqk0ms-qel2v0DeSLd3cSFJCsUjBK9nbGJRO3ltkpdXAgNf81G_xXykJTNB0IR_v4IFAepgQn0jCsBudgOFzdfVMiBsBSx/s1600/IMG_3062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLaC8B-cYOD64jQfgTRY8o4KYGPTqmAG0AnEldfZDncjoNmyuqk0ms-qel2v0DeSLd3cSFJCsUjBK9nbGJRO3ltkpdXAgNf81G_xXykJTNB0IR_v4IFAepgQn0jCsBudgOFzdfVMiBsBSx/s200/IMG_3062.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guitar Lake visible at Trail Crest</td></tr>
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My body was buzzing with adrenaline rush. I was not prepared for this, and looking forward to the infamous 97 switchbacks. Day was breaking up, it was around 6:20 AM, we saw the Consultation lake in the distance, it appeared as a very dark serene water body. Soon we crossed Trail Camp; and looking for switchbacks. I saw a hiker coming down, I asked him as where were the switchbacks. He told me that this was them. We knew that last water stream to get the water was at switchback #23. I was carrying 3.5 liters, and so was Nitin. I still had around 2 liters and decided not to fill the water. Nitin stopped to get the water but it was frozen. It was cold so I kept pushing up to be warm. Based on Mission Peak and Mt Tallac hike, I knew Nitin was just few minutes slower than me for every mile. Since sun was already up and trail was totally visible, I decided to do final push for the top. I was still curious to find out as how I react to altitude. So far, no headache no nausea. I was surviving on regular Gatorade and cliff bars. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXXB0LP4o-1aN_QR42LTXARVWZH5RSDBOAoy8u78DrCg0is6OkoY40H1L1zZ6QKXq6eFLgL8qwTaehNxGFDg3-lhIe4fVQwxoNljEAaMiSJ3nPBXrW_Sltz8bOG36hyphenhypheneKx9JFw1hsCIJ5M/s1600/IMG_3076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXXB0LP4o-1aN_QR42LTXARVWZH5RSDBOAoy8u78DrCg0is6OkoY40H1L1zZ6QKXq6eFLgL8qwTaehNxGFDg3-lhIe4fVQwxoNljEAaMiSJ3nPBXrW_Sltz8bOG36hyphenhypheneKx9JFw1hsCIJ5M/s200/IMG_3076.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">USGS seal at top of<br />
Mt Whitney along with my<br />
buddy of 3 Half Dome Hikes</td></tr>
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I crossed the all the switchbacks and now I was on Pacific Trail Crest (last 2.5 miles). GPS was showing altitude of 13500 feet. Though once you reached Trail Crest, you get to see on other side of Sierra Nevada mountain range (Guitar lake above), it proved to be very deceptive as it kept going up and down; I winced every time it went down, as I had to climb back. These 2.5 miles proved to be the longest miles. I saw few people here who were vomiting and just gasping for breath. I was glad that I was not impacted so far. And then I saw the Smithsonian Shelter at the top of the Mt Whitney, indicating that my climb was over. I ran to it in excitement. I checked my GPS, it took 8 hours and 12 minutes. I thought this climb could have been completed in 6 hours had we not lost our way. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6k43JE_DQFyU38Jd3l6lSusKa_HoeVsfDBjHQCa6kxveA6E8UFHmNiruQFpYFAIY9yovzQF4EplpsuFj_z3l0rp0Mm34xsPjSjlZXbVWrOMArRGKvyi6Uby8txcAFO1sORuJl-pc6PzNy/s1600/IMG_3085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6k43JE_DQFyU38Jd3l6lSusKa_HoeVsfDBjHQCa6kxveA6E8UFHmNiruQFpYFAIY9yovzQF4EplpsuFj_z3l0rp0Mm34xsPjSjlZXbVWrOMArRGKvyi6Uby8txcAFO1sORuJl-pc6PzNy/s200/IMG_3085.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Log book at top of Mt Whitney<br />
Checkout some of the comments</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On Top of Mt Whitney</td></tr>
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Wind was blowing hard and howling. Smithsonian shelter was open to take refuge from this cold. I took some pictures with my shoe; and then pull out both US and Indian flags to take pictures with them. Getting Indian flag was hard. However, my true desire got materialized when I convinced one Desi shopkeeper to loan the flag to me for a week. I signed up the log on the top and went into shelter and shared stories with other hikers. I waited for Nitin; after around 40 minutes of break, I calculated that even if he was 5 min a mile slow, 30 minutes should be enough for him to catch up. May be altitude caught up to him. So I decided to return back, around 0.8 miles down and at 13,900 feet elevation, I saw Nitin sitting on the rock, keeping his face down, his backpack was few feet away from him. He was looking gloomy, and his long face reminded me of Devdas. I asked him as how was he doing. He confirmed that altitude slowed him down, and his heart rate was getting quite high so he had to take frequent breaks. He further mentioned that he was determined to make it. Though he was saying those words, I was not sure. I chatted with him, gave him more details and decided to get down. I went another 100 yards, and decided to turn around. I remembered Chetan’s words which did not amuse me at the time that he felt responsible for the group; now I was feeling the same. By the time I reached his backpack, he was pissing away some 100 feet from the trail. He took a long time. He was surprised to see me back, and politely said that I did not have to be with him. We hiked another 2 minutes, and he was winded again. I checked my watch, and thought that it might take too long with this pace. I offered to carry his backpack; again as a gentleman he refused and told me that it was too heavy for me to carry both. I checked, it was heavy, as he was still carrying unfinished Ensure and lot of water. I suggested to exchange the backpacks and see if it felt better. I had only 800 ml of water left at that time. He carried mine, and it was much lighter. He still had to stop every 5 minutes. Finally, we made it. And it was worth to see the real excitement and pleasure on this face. We took lot of pictures, he signed up the log, took some pictures in shelter. We met the polish couple inside. I was surprised to see that it took them so long too. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlvZUZvgC9MUnHYoo2-HrszN-KnIQcLptfyE9J2o75E36vGgYmjInn7PY4mQhQ8Mmj79BItWapHZVsyqpBBC_oNUayIDAjogCZmXw_QT0EIgdDzLUuU0z7kIvr_IAXFHS1oGk73vTn8F_q/s1600/WithNitin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlvZUZvgC9MUnHYoo2-HrszN-KnIQcLptfyE9J2o75E36vGgYmjInn7PY4mQhQ8Mmj79BItWapHZVsyqpBBC_oNUayIDAjogCZmXw_QT0EIgdDzLUuU0z7kIvr_IAXFHS1oGk73vTn8F_q/s200/WithNitin.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With Nitin</td></tr>
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Going down was fast, however, Nitin felt winded and woozy whenever we had to do some climb on Trail Crest. He was cursing his low calories Gatorade and Ensure. Lesson learned was that never to try something new on major hike. After Trail Crest, he was strong for rest of the hike. On switchbacks, I had a burning sensation in my eyes, I had to use my goggles. And then I remembered to put sunscreen too. I knew I am a bit dehydrated. I remembered the signs of dehydration that if I stopped sweating and peeing that means I was dehydrated. Unlike Nitin who was flooding the trail, mine was a trickle. I kept sipping water. In hindsight, I think I should have drank more. We took many pictures now going down, and Nitin was feeling quite strong now. I asked him if we could stop at Lone Pine lake again, he was not in mood to do even a bit of climb back. I looked at the watch, and knew that we had to reach early as warm food at store was available till 7:15 PM. We reached at around 6:15 PM. Chetan and Prasad were anxiously waiting for us. We took few pictures at portal again. We spent over 16 hours on trail and I was surprised to see that I did not have any cramps or pains or stiffness in legs in this hike. We ate at store. Chetan, again graciously offered to drive all the way back (8 hours) on next day. Even couple of days later, I did not notice any pains or cramps; however, I noticed my lips were sun-burnt and lost all the sensations.</div>
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Going back, we had again a lot of fun in the car. Chetan was a total geek. I was impressed with his use of iPhone. He knew which gas stations had cheapest gas, pissing points on the road, and funniest of all was the discovery of right turns. He was anal in finding the Starbucks or pit stop where he did not have to take left turns. He had a huge collection of Hindi and English songs. And in his spare time, he enriches the content by tagging these songs with movie covers. Be it cars, computers, NAS, wireless, TV, Hetch Hetchy reservoir, he had all the details in his memory. I am sure if he writes his own blog, he would have a great following. He was quick witted too, and pulled everybody legs. When I pronounced bear as ‘beer’; he was quick to crack up. We were driving behind the truck carrying Alhambra water. Prasad mentioned that anything start with ‘Al’ means it name would be middle eastern; Chetan was quick to say, “How about ‘Alcoholic’?” Four days together, it was given that we would have some disagreements, however, we got past all that and in the end it was a very memorable trip. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After completing the hike</td></tr>
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Would I do it again ? Absolutely. Mt Whitney is part of Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, so you get to see a lot of other mountains during the hike, along with lakes. Hike allows you to see both sides of the mountain range. Trail is very good and scenic. Altitude sickness did not hit me. I thought it may be due to my running. While talking to my Director, she mentioned that she got altitude sick at 12000 ft and she was much accomplished runner than I am now. I guess, I was just lucky. If some of you are interested, do let me know, we can plan for next year. </div>
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=31400833&l=0edf335129&id=1524900175">Photos</a><br />
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Simplifyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14540223255593212400noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949468526667088114.post-14057139729112061632010-08-15T21:32:00.000-07:002010-08-15T21:32:33.856-07:00Mount Tallac Hike (August 14, 2010)Elevation: Trailhead: 6,480' Summit: 9,735'<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Hiking time: about six hours round trip (10 miles) to summit</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOEB2eOzuypasoSNGrceBkdjUw9DcU62_8UbVWbq1txc9vMGcwFNz-07XhsOEPoYT4bJaQbSXZoe-LwFbPn6KvDtrLrUNaIC2ax1MKFB-AyKLPAEr2ROyK8JFtM2Oa77wgh4Aoif5-gN3b/s1600/IMG_3024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOEB2eOzuypasoSNGrceBkdjUw9DcU62_8UbVWbq1txc9vMGcwFNz-07XhsOEPoYT4bJaQbSXZoe-LwFbPn6KvDtrLrUNaIC2ax1MKFB-AyKLPAEr2ROyK8JFtM2Oa77wgh4Aoif5-gN3b/s200/IMG_3024.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000;">View from Top of Mt Tallac</span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;">(Cascade Lake, Emerald Bay </span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;">and Lake Tahoe in back)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>We had postponed this hike few times, as the trail still had a lot of snow earlier. And one of the main reasons we wanted to do this hike before Mt Whitney was to get used to high altitude. As usual, we depended on Chetan’s vast and detailed knowledge about the hikes. However, for certain urgency, he had to pull out at last moment. He still did the legwork and provided us with excellent directions. After looking at directions, it was clear that the trailhead was easy to reach and trail itself was easy to follow. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I reached Nitin’s place in Fremont at 3:10 AM, and we started in the rental Nissan Cube (the car was really the box) at 3:20 AM. Nitin was driving; and mentioned that he had a relatively rough night and was feeling sleepy. Prasad was sitting next to Nitin, sleeping and I was with Nitin’s dad in the back. We talked for few minutes about the Half Dome hike which Nitin and Prasad had done few weeks back. Prasad did not do the cable part and mentioned that long drive before the hike tired him out and he was simply exhausted. So he decided not to drive at all this time. After 30 minutes of driving, we reached a place on 680 where it was windy, and car started swerving by itself. Nitin was yawning big time, and I had to take driving controls. Roads were empty and it was pleasant to drive. Route was very easy, that I did not have to look for map.</div></div><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/AVvXsEhUOfIPNccXKBRqCRme4CLWBKyAXk6cxz1sd3OudmR3DhLINNQ1SOvLwXSUVSOZVIf1qCCamL5Xo583aOQmwfpKbvDNzmCmkYC08ly-oPEvuZ5iMlGn82xSvSLNYIufNzpUmc5-ZHeuXbf1/s1600/IMG_3005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUOfIPNccXKBRqCRme4CLWBKyAXk6cxz1sd3OudmR3DhLINNQ1SOvLwXSUVSOZVIf1qCCamL5Xo583aOQmwfpKbvDNzmCmkYC08ly-oPEvuZ5iMlGn82xSvSLNYIufNzpUmc5-ZHeuXbf1/s200/IMG_3005.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000;">Just before Cathedral lake</span></td></tr>
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</div>After reaching Tahoe, we took a coffee break at Starbucks. When I opened up vegetarian sandwiches (on whole grain, with spring green, tomatoes and Humus) packed by Promila in the morning (I mean at around 3 AM); they were still warm. Noise of oomph from Nitin confirmed that he liked it very much. Nitin’s Dad also praised the sandwiches. We dropped Nitin’s dad at BlueGo main station. For $2.50, he can hop on and off and visit various points on South Lake Tahoe. It was really good to see that at his age he could venture out alone and enjoy himself.<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The trailhead was easy to reach and trail was well marked. Whenever I go for a hike, I always try to gauge whether to bring Prem on this hike or not. I used to think about Promila before, not now; I think she is strong enough now to do almost every hike which I could do. Before going on this hike, I thought this would be perfect next step for Prem after Nevada fall hike as distance and elevation gain was slightly more. Besides this hike affords the beautiful view of Fallen Leaf lake, Cathedral Lake, Cascade Lake and Emerald Bay while hiking. </div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKg6wvib2RrlwqE6QKYLvxaKrw06-m5jnbZKxnSuBn6_EgNyqh6pCNZeyKyLKREuRMk8yKYxEpiemdrlX4Ylw7RXOJzF8TwfSZoytLZ1Ww1mEXIMjosaz017QtWHPZA-BqY9cxYnxRb04/s1600/IMG_3001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKg6wvib2RrlwqE6QKYLvxaKrw06-m5jnbZKxnSuBn6_EgNyqh6pCNZeyKyLKREuRMk8yKYxEpiemdrlX4Ylw7RXOJzF8TwfSZoytLZ1Ww1mEXIMjosaz017QtWHPZA-BqY9cxYnxRb04/s200/IMG_3001.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000;">Fallen Leaf Lake on left goes parallel</span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: #990000;">to trail for first half mile</span></div></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg23RvCjFTKwKPc46WoIMBolAAc7iQBTydMwp8rqAxERdbumoNSRCUvGOl3ixi9I6lbCk6CCHowFekjKnyWmwh7Fz4gan-cNwvT99sHWCNlQYRwZRrU_aVbwxoUBI2zlvg8zuPAxfpWaHNe/s1600/IMG_3011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg23RvCjFTKwKPc46WoIMBolAAc7iQBTydMwp8rqAxERdbumoNSRCUvGOl3ixi9I6lbCk6CCHowFekjKnyWmwh7Fz4gan-cNwvT99sHWCNlQYRwZRrU_aVbwxoUBI2zlvg8zuPAxfpWaHNe/s200/IMG_3011.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000;">Lose rocks on trail. Nitin and Prasad</span><br />
<span style="color: #660000;">on right bottom side</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">First part of hike gradually goes up, along with Fallen Leaf lake on your left side, very pleasant. It remains gradual and pleasant hike till Cathedral lake (around 1.7 miles). After that it starts climbing up. Climb rate itself is not that bad; however, you are climbing on lose rocks. Soon I realized not to step on big rocks, as they are loose and turn; almost twisting my ankle. I slipped couple of times, however, hiking pole helped regaining the balance. Well, rest 2/3rd of the hike had similar rocks. It was challenging. Though Nitin was more balanced than me because his center of gravity was closer to ground (euphemism for shorty); he slipped couple of times on this lose rocky gravel. Though hiking pole saved his ass, literally, but it got bent during one of such ordeal. Prasad was able to keep up for first 3 miles, and then got slower towards end. Going up, since I was leading, I missed one turn, and came to just big loose rocks. I knew I took a wrong turn, and to go back to the trail, I just followed small gravel. That did the trick and soon I saw the other hikers. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">As expected view from top was spectacular, and peak was getting crowded. We took pictures all around the cliff and came to know that Mt Tallac is not the highest peak in Lake Tahoe region; Freel Peak is the highest (10881 ft). It was good to know that there is another peak to hike which is in near vicinity. Nitin and I were hungry, I finished my sandwiches. Nitin was getting concerned about Prasad, so we called him up; he was on his way; showed up 45 minutes later. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2LGS1P_fXYPld4YcT685uy2b5L3u6bIconU6SWrRAogqzroxarcNGrIVwa7aei8daaQezS6-FLa0-UbhTTkx5tJZ-FPJ2_GuSAFOQO5KjblhN6z05vIpfDeP6Jau1vO0UBF1F1_zaZYCP/s1600/Mt+Tallac+062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2LGS1P_fXYPld4YcT685uy2b5L3u6bIconU6SWrRAogqzroxarcNGrIVwa7aei8daaQezS6-FLa0-UbhTTkx5tJZ-FPJ2_GuSAFOQO5KjblhN6z05vIpfDeP6Jau1vO0UBF1F1_zaZYCP/s200/Mt+Tallac+062.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000;">View from top - 9975'</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>We picked Nitin’s dad; and then started hunting for a small brewery. Thanks to ubiquitous Smart phones, Nitin found Mt Tallac Brewery, within 0.2 miles; with an impressive Yelp rating of 4.5. We kept moving around in circles to find the brewery, but could not. Prasad was enthusiastically repeating (euphemism for yelling) the directions looking at the GPS on the Smart phone. Finally Nitin spotted a very small sign on a rundown building. We thought we were on the back of the building. He asked for the entrance from a guy who was standing at what appear to be back side of the building. There were two menacing dogs tied up with huge rope to the door. He answered back that yes this was the entrance. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It was hot and most of the doors and window of the building were open, it was obvious that it was not air-conditioned. We walked in and found out, it was the brewery, and there were couple of people eating burger and fries on a 6 feet long bar bench, and there was no other seating. Still perplexed, as what to do, we asked the owner if they serve beer and food. He told us that he was happy to let us taste the beer but could not share his food. Apparently, this was just a brewery and people, who were eating, were employees. He told us a nearby Thai Orchid place where we can get his beer on tap.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ASD7iLO_JdJ37Eg7Htmq7x7VOpqc9XKFHRn3nZhIdiW80U_4-u8nljBARorUMsV59Vulav5jR0HVUec1xt656l8w03vdx8SNr8LqB5Hmmpq0TPM-aH7tuHFgi3SFxp2Hx7M87atMcXtw/s1600/IMG_3027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ASD7iLO_JdJ37Eg7Htmq7x7VOpqc9XKFHRn3nZhIdiW80U_4-u8nljBARorUMsV59Vulav5jR0HVUec1xt656l8w03vdx8SNr8LqB5Hmmpq0TPM-aH7tuHFgi3SFxp2Hx7M87atMcXtw/s200/IMG_3027.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000;">View from Top of Mt Tallac</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">By now, most of us dehydrated from the hike, out in a hot building for 10 minutes, sweating, especially Prasad, as he mentioned his feet were hurting and chilled beer from the tap might just take his mind off. While we were heading to get our fill, Prasad received a call from his wife. And he told her that they just finished the hike and now were going to a place for a bite to eat (not DRINK) before heading back. And we were all laughing soon. Well, it made total sense to drink a beer from Mt Tallac Brewing company, after hiking Mt Tallac. We deserved it. Well, we ordered beer and food. We toasted for many more hikes in future together. Ummmm…chilled cold beer ! Very Complex ! Interesting !; besides these comments, nobody venture to praise it more. We did not order a second round, it was apparent nobody liked it. Food was ok. </div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhigWanQMPzqYnI66GIk4PW6OTZ4VnFYexwqEfh7fV72GLeGOPxODQ7Mf_wwI36umY38UQtaiW05rlkJVFIK3nfAt-FqU_GDZtehE-wdXByF9fOafrnm0DCtEr1y7apQ6ExOknZ4zPQXXYv/s1600/Mt+Tallac+084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhigWanQMPzqYnI66GIk4PW6OTZ4VnFYexwqEfh7fV72GLeGOPxODQ7Mf_wwI36umY38UQtaiW05rlkJVFIK3nfAt-FqU_GDZtehE-wdXByF9fOafrnm0DCtEr1y7apQ6ExOknZ4zPQXXYv/s200/Mt+Tallac+084.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000;">Cathedral Lake</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>It took us 7 hours to do the hike, however, I think it could have been finished in 5 hours, including 30 minutes at top. Though the elevation gain for the hike and distance was manageable, I found this hike hard; mainly because of lose rocks; coming down was slow and tricky. I think Prem has to wait 1 or 2 years before I get him up here.<br />
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Logistics - <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=fremont+ca&daddr=CA-89+S%2FEmerald+Bay+Rd&hl=en&geocode=Fe7wPAIdJJq6-Cn3yui3Rr-PgDHUiNiJOzHaig%3BFW4VUgId1vTX-A&mra=prev&sll=38.23299,-121.0681&sspn=1.695706,2.798767&ie=UTF8&ll=38.440682,-120.432129&spn=1.690873,2.798767&z=9">Directions</a> <a href="http://www.tahoebackcountry.net/hiking/desolation/images/tallac_topo.jpg">Trail Map</a></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">What’s next -- Mt Whitney in two weeks; that will be the toughest hike for me so far; both physically and mentally. 22 miles, 14505 ft elevation with the gain of 6100 ft; and terrain is lose rocks just like Mt Tallac. Mt Whitney is the highest peak in contiguous US. I will need all the good wishes to complete that hike in a day.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Simplifyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14540223255593212400noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949468526667088114.post-22337375731566271082010-07-26T12:07:00.000-07:002010-07-26T14:11:13.649-07:00My first Half Marathon (13.1 miles)– (July 25, 2010)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvEp1AxJyGaq90saXNdZqCc8pto13bpzkyr7T0p5zHtPwOzzHTMNJ9gVjw2GaPNkvjqaR7YsgNWuNL6Mt6WRpXyCADPszOXqtkBkIslGntTifwl_a5Dp8rBysEYEdNZdf_pzmYo-Y3o-dd/s1600/ThomasManeesh.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvEp1AxJyGaq90saXNdZqCc8pto13bpzkyr7T0p5zHtPwOzzHTMNJ9gVjw2GaPNkvjqaR7YsgNWuNL6Mt6WRpXyCADPszOXqtkBkIslGntTifwl_a5Dp8rBysEYEdNZdf_pzmYo-Y3o-dd/s200/ThomasManeesh.JPG" width="112" /></a></div>This run is dedicated to all the people in my circle who, like myself a year ago, have never considered running Marathon. <br />
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Finally my tryst with Running came to a tangible accomplishment with my first Half Marathon. Personally, this is very special to me; as it was not only my first Half Marathon, it was my first race ever, in my life. I never ran in school or college, never competed in any kind of distances before. Sure I played badminton, tennis, Cricket and Table Tennis at various stages of my life, however, running opened up my eyes to a whole new level of fitness. <br />
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When I started running back in March 2010, I found it extremely hard to run outside; and treadmill running was not much fun. After reading couple of books on running, I was blown away to know that even in distance running, there are many different levels – 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, Marathon, 50K, 50 Miles, 100K, 100 miles and then 24 hours running. Anything over Marathon is considered Ultra Running. And most of the ultra runners are in it for fun (not most of Ultra races have much of the prize money or recognition or endorsements); there is no way to train for 100 mile run, i.e. you do not run 100 miles in training to prepare for the run; unlike Marathon running. So my current accomplishment, to run 13.1 miles, may seem just a warm up for an Ultra Runner.<br />
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When I was around 10 year old, my dad always used to ask me and my brother to come with him for morning walks and runs. We never did. For a long time, I used to think why people even bother to run; that we should save that energy and use it in sports etc. I did not know at the time, that if you keep the heart rate to consistently higher level for more than 20 minutes, your body’s metabolic rate increases for the whole day, meaning that you have more energy and you burn more calories for the next 8-10 hours. Though most of my exercise and running routine happens in evening, I find sometimes unable to sleep after a good evening workout. Preferably exercise should be done in morning so you can reap the benefits of high energy levels, however, some exercise in evening is better than none at all.<br />
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One of my earlier blogs described, as how I stumbled upon running. It was my love of books and see if that could result into some actionable accomplishment. In last 4 months I had read over 10 books on running. I trained myself, through trial and error, using these books and talking to few runners. These books and runners convinced me that Marathon is very doable. <br />
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After personalizing my training, I started logging more and more distance and tried to increase my pace. Soon in 6 weeks, I had started hurting badly in my shins. Though I could complete my run, I needed to warm up for 15 minutes, stretch for another 5 minutes. Needless to say it was becoming work, rather than fun. I bought expensive pair of shoes from a Running shop based on my gait analysis etc. I think it made matters worse. So I stopped training for whole of June; and started to focus on changing my running form. Any changes means, I got extremely slower than before; however I wanted it to be fun so such things could not be forced. One good thing came out from sharing my running fiascos in my blog, that I got couple of suggestions. Norm Ngim and Susan Byrne asked me to try Chi Running (IMO fancy name/technique for mid-foot strike or running on balls of your feet). Based on the books I have read, with totally conflicting advices, there are all kind of successful runners with different kind of foot strikes and idea is to run as lightly as possible. Norm mentioned about ‘Born to Run’ book, it was a revelation, almost written like a fiction; highly recommended. After reading this book, I threw my running shoes, and bought thinnest flat sole canvass shoes. Running in these shoe automatically changed my running form. All this experimentation was happening in beginning of July after Half Dome hike on Father’s day weekend. After couple of 5K runs in the canvas shoes, and changing my foot strike from Heel first to Mid-foot, I felt better. At that time, I was not even thinking of running in ‘The San Francisco Marathon’. Back in India, my niece, Smiti, asked me if I am still running or what. I realized, just like what I used to think an year back that Marathon run is unthinkable and mainly for crazies (could not understand why people would do it !), there were few people looking up to me to see if I could do it. And if I could do it, then it may open up their mind to consider it at some stage in their life.<br />
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So on July 12, when I was feeling a lot better with my small runs, without any pains, I kept running till 10 miles, as fast as I could. I finished the run in 1 hour and 27 minutes, which was less than 9 min/mile pace; never happened in any of my earlier run. It appeared that the new form was less painful and my timings had started to improve. So I decided to register for Half Marathon, kept reminding myself, that Run should be enjoyable first; I should be light on my feet and I should not worry about pace.<br />
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Thomas, from the hiking group, who did Half Dome with me last year; loves running. He did one Half and one Full Marathon last year. This year he registered for Full Marathon. We took Caltrain on July 24 to San Francisco to get our bib and attended the Marathon Expo, where there were lot of vendors and couple of lectures by renowned runners. Thanks to all the books I read, I could recognize almost all the names of the runners. Thomas told me that this event is one of the best organized event. It was not hard to understand why. As soon as you register, they ask about estimated completion time, based on that you run in different waves of runners. A wave number is assigned to you, this helps in avoiding slow runner blocking your path during the run (there were 24000 runners registered in this event). Fast runner would always be in first wave. Course is USA Track and Field certified and race is a prestigious Boston Marathon qualifying race. Besides they give you a electronic chip which you put up on your shoe lace, and it records your timings at different portion of the race. By the time I finished, my timings were already loaded on the website, including the splits. Free beer, Jamba Juice, smoothies, and over 10 different snacks were waiting for you at the finish line. It was hard to imagine if it could be further improved. <br />
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Thomas and I shared our trainings and stories during the train ride. His goal is to qualify for Boston. He was surprised to know that I run only 3 times a week; he was running every day. Before I read the Running books, I used to think all Marathoners must be spending an awful lot of time in training; and definitely I did not have that kind of time. How wrong was I? I spent much less time in training than earlier when I was just using Gym machines. For Half Marathon, I used less than 2.5 hours/week in training. There is no commute time. For full, I believe, I would not spend more than 4 hours/week in training.<br />
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When we reached the station, it was evident that we both were challenged to read the map and find the place in San Francisco. Thanks to Thomas who offered to drive on race day, and though we reached in time, it took some map reading again as the parking lot address, we got, was wrong. Since I was running second Half, my race started almost 2 hours after the Full. I thought I would be able to see him during the race and may be run with him. There was a free shuttle from the start of Full to start of second Half Marathon. I wished him best for his run; he did not prepare as much this year (new baby just 4 weeks ago); his goal was to finish the race in 4:30. Last year he finished under 4 hours. I could appreciate these numbers now and recognize how much skill, dedication and effort is needed to run at that pace.<br />
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When I reached 2nd Half Start area, it was cold and clouded. There was a long queue for portable potties. However, again very good planning/organization, there were over 30 of them. There were outdoor heaters to keep the runners warm before the race started. And since almost all runners were wearing sweats, there was a Sweats check-in available, and you could collect your sweats back at finish line. I reached there at 7 AM, still more than one hour before my wave starts (8:23 AM). I was shocked to see that there were already runners from Full, were appearing on the course. That means that they completed Half the distance in less than 1 hour 30 minutes. <br />
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I watched them for 30 minutes and most of us cheered them. These were mostly very fast runners, gliding effortlessly. Since it was cold, I did not try to stretch much. Some runners were jogging to warm up, however, I decided to keep my energy for the run. Mood was festive and I was looking forward for the run. Based on my runs, my goal was to finish the run, and second was to finish in 2 hours. There were pacers carrying flags. I stood next to 1 hr 50 minute pacer. I thought if I shoot for that, I would probably finish within 2 hours. Lindsey McCartney in my office, who helped me by putting together some stretches and running-muscles-strengthening exercises; told me not to race initially, just pace myself so that I could finish stronger. She was right, first time runners gets excited and start racing with faster runners and it gets difficult to finish later on. Same thing happened to me, I got a high by moving faster and passing most of the runners. I thought once I am out of breath from racing, I would just take a walk break. I did first 7 miles at sub 8 min/mile pace. Never before in training, I could complete 3 miles at 8 min pace. I think it was cold crisp air, breeze and racing environment that did it for me. There were only 3-4 small hills which I was able to glide through. I had a big wide smile on my face and was enjoying my run.<br />
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Just like most beginner runners, I would huff and puff during my training runs, as there was a huge scope of improvement in my aerobic capacity (VO2 max). Also, in training, I realized that I always runs faster when I was running into the air; as it aids my breathing. During my training, I never reached to a point, where my legs were the bottle neck and slowing me down; I would slow down due to my aerobic capacity. I was told that soon, breathing would not be the issue, and legs would be the issue. It was not very pleasant to find about that during my first race. With 4 miles to finish, I started slowing down. Breathing was no longer the issue, my legs were getting tired. I was not taking water breaks and soon my hands were getting numb. Lessons learned, take water/electrolyte breaks at every aid station. Volunteers and people on side walk were very generous. Though official water stations, were every 2 miles, some locals were giving free beers to runners, some were playing live music (it helped during those last 4 miles) and others were just cheering (just 3 miles to go; looking strong; great job).<br />
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I slowed down further in last two miles (9:20 min/mile). After finishing, I was pleasantly surprised to see my finish timing at 1 hour 50 minutes (well it was 1:50:58 but seconds part is generally not mentioned), with overall pace of 8:28 min/mile. It did not take me much time to find Thomas at finish line, he finished some time after me. As expected, like most of his Kerala Club friends, I found him at Heineken stand, blissfully chugging on his free beer. He seemed to be in extremely good condition; I thought that I would have to haul him back; it was great to see him finish strong, with so less training (may be that is the key – less training !) and in good time, just above 4 hours. After the race, we reached Thomas’ home, Promila wanted to celebrate with cake, however, we settled for fresh strawberries from Farmer’s market. Vinaya gave us the refreshing lemonade from the beautiful kitchen garden in the backyard.<br />
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Long Distance Running requires some dedication and would be boring and painful if you do not enjoy it. So it is not for everyone. It helps if you have company while training, though I did not see many runners on street or park during my training. It is hard to get company. Personally, I am realizing that gym machines, more or less do not work out well. From time commitment point of view, running outside requires much less time and give you much more fitness related benefits. I recently did my cholesterol check, and was shocked to find it to be 80 points less than last year; only thing changed in my routine was running. Though we were eating healthy even before, now Promila has been addicted up to just very healthy foods. Most of our diet has become vegetarian and with lots of fruits, in last 4 months. That means, eating outside has become less and less; and Farmer’s market has been a life line for us. I think I need to get my cholesterol checked again, just to be sure. <br />
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What’s next Full Marathon is not a goal for me now, my aim is to get faster for shorter distances first, before achieving endurance for Full Marathon, so that I could run it in good time. I am looking forward to hike Mt Whitney in August end. And Thomas twisted my arm in getting me to sign up in San Jose Rock’ n Roll Half Marathon in October.Simplifyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14540223255593212400noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949468526667088114.post-20006099996752462862010-06-28T10:18:00.000-07:002010-06-28T14:43:20.391-07:00Woods are lovely, dark and deep....Father’s day weekend at Yosemite – Hiking Nevada falls and Half Dome<br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div>June 19, 2010 (Saturday) – I was looking forward to this trip to <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBW41zZ96xnZUrFb6MlGqw7p8syyvAnzwNIvWHoiasS1_chMXztPN1kNQz_9kEZih_Ny9Ifylk8sbrK0Dckud15bRcLeF1To7z5qXK_w_UYL0vWv7W9STjyHPI6y-K5kSbjYItlq89lEc7/s1600/OnTop.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487880752552880338" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 188px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 143px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBW41zZ96xnZUrFb6MlGqw7p8syyvAnzwNIvWHoiasS1_chMXztPN1kNQz_9kEZih_Ny9Ifylk8sbrK0Dckud15bRcLeF1To7z5qXK_w_UYL0vWv7W9STjyHPI6y-K5kSbjYItlq89lEc7/s200/OnTop.JPG" border="0" /></a>Yosemite for many reasons. I had to cancel an earlier trip to hike Half-Dome on June 6, since cables were not put up because of the weather. Prem was excited about the trip, and was talking about hiking in Yosemite. He had hiked Mission Peak 4 times by now. So I was somewhat comfortable trying out Nevada Falls with him, using John Muir Trail; which has a gradual gradient instead of big steps one encounter on Mist Trail. Also Promila had been bitten by the hiking bug now. </div><br /><div>18 months ago, I had to push her to go for hiking. She could hardly do couple of miles on Mission Peak, in spite of all the Yoga, Dance classes and Elliptical machine, her aerobic capacity was not there. And as I found out in running, it was slow gradual process to build muscles required for hiking and to increase aerobic capacity. A week before the Father’s day, she hiked everyday to Mission Peak, apart from her normal weekend hike, Taekwondo and swimming. I generally wake up around 5:30 AM, and do not find her at home. I tried to explain her that it could prove to be counterproductive as before any big hike, one has to taper off, give muscles some rest for few days. She did not listen. Even after coming back, she is continuing to do that. Any cheap houses in Mission Area, please let me know. </div><br /><div>While driving towards Yosemite, this is the first time I noticed sudden change in landscape while moving from I-120 to I-140. Though I am quite point-A-to-point-B-schedule-driven person, this time, I decided to stop at every vista point; you never know what you are missing. We finally reached our Curry Village tent cabins around 6 PM. Liz reached around same time. Idea was that Promila and Liz would hike together; and I would hike next day or on the Saturday night. Most of the people who showed interest at one time or other to do this hike with me, either in night or day, backed out. Some of them did not feel prepared, some got cold feet and for some it did not have the same level of interest as I had. Promila was like a deer frozen in middle of the road by oncoming headlight of a 18 wheeler. She was fascinated by the hike and fearful too. </div><br /><div>Though I had encouraged her initially, it was understood that it would be her decision, and she could turn around at any time. As expected, I could not sleep at all on Saturday night. Promila had an alarm set up for 4 AM, it rang, she put it off; and then I had to wake her up after 5 <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQMypBeLNig7VjJAV6s4pzEBIajpwMIg_LUC19wCIYO1ZZFNyM9opiasEIZOBwrXtXUAmrYnnM6fxVBgrV6_0lLj846WiF3goEsU5ZaevKQHPECHsmMp7ArxRD3uieRUspTRwbszVaFjE/s1600/HPIM1833.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487883000160223474" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQMypBeLNig7VjJAV6s4pzEBIajpwMIg_LUC19wCIYO1ZZFNyM9opiasEIZOBwrXtXUAmrYnnM6fxVBgrV6_0lLj846WiF3goEsU5ZaevKQHPECHsmMp7ArxRD3uieRUspTRwbszVaFjE/s200/HPIM1833.jpg" border="0" /></a>minutes. Both Liz and Promila got ready in 10 minutes (thanks to Liz, otherwise it generally takes longer !). I had the backpack ready for Promila, brought her the bars and fruits from the bear proof lockers, and put those in the backpack; prepared two liter of Gatorade water for her. Total she was carrying 3.5 liters. Showed her first-aid kit on first pocket, bars and fruits in second and water in 3rd. I did not think she was listening, just nodding her head. She was still dazed and unsure. When I lifted up the backpack, I was not certain either if she could do even Nevada Falls (9 miles) with this backpack. She had never taken this heavy backpack to her hikes. </div><div><br />I kept my doubts to myself, and let her go with Liz. It helped that Liz was super excited and looking forward for this hike; or at least that was what she was portraying to everybody. She had <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWrbEGKoin66pvY-HTrtePxgkboLjQW8hbjiWnW6sIfpAmlO5NxhN90yW6qxxHQ7VEqoiptvZprP_jj8-Pekcsr9dZ0ivImbOxWRrZUcjBeZ1OYNQPc3XXbPlmV_jpD1dt6_W2GdD_E-QB/s1600/SittingOnKingsChair.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487885915887173010" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 127px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 110px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWrbEGKoin66pvY-HTrtePxgkboLjQW8hbjiWnW6sIfpAmlO5NxhN90yW6qxxHQ7VEqoiptvZprP_jj8-Pekcsr9dZ0ivImbOxWRrZUcjBeZ1OYNQPc3XXbPlmV_jpD1dt6_W2GdD_E-QB/s200/SittingOnKingsChair.JPG" border="0" /></a>to fight some of her nightmares to do this hike. Few days ago, I told her about King’s chair and the cave on the Top of Half Dome, and how you could go to the edge by anchoring your ankles and peek down from the ledge (my standing photo on the ledge). She told us that she kept having this dream where she was anchored to her ankles and fell off the ledge; and screaming for help, flaying her hands. She wanted people to pull her off and did not care if she could get bruised in the process. It is just amazing what mind could do. I knew from my earlier Half Dome hikes, that the hike tests both mental and physical abilities. (Image on left - sitting on King's chair)</div><br /><div>They went around 4:30 AM. And I did a small prayer for both of their safe return. Prem was awake too, sleeping with me. I could not sleep, and around 6:30, woke Prem up to feed him and get him ready for the Nevada Fall hike. We were talking about this hike in last the few days. I told him that we would not go to top of Half Dome, but may be Half of Half Dome. He was ready. </div><br /><div>We started at 7:30 AM, and I was surprised that he was keeping good pace. As expected, he started talking about variety of topics from Pokémon, Bakugan and Wii Mario Bros characters. I was never a fan of Video games, however, I had changed my opinion little bit after reading ‘A Whole <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe6vk21KV-8DogQpivn7RcLhxCfIxpyutTwT0zxfUBNUzFGtwQhe_2MIYk43bgcqO_TMsW_fWkZNxdiOWqFzAYaZoNT2EpPFkocN0m7H0bYQoRJ1zLjHwZUUET8Ni4EEyLrkiurC8hPz9D/s1600/TailHead.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487889707061405154" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe6vk21KV-8DogQpivn7RcLhxCfIxpyutTwT0zxfUBNUzFGtwQhe_2MIYk43bgcqO_TMsW_fWkZNxdiOWqFzAYaZoNT2EpPFkocN0m7H0bYQoRJ1zLjHwZUUET8Ni4EEyLrkiurC8hPz9D/s200/TailHead.JPG" border="0" /></a>New Mind’. Of course, we still have to monitor what he is playing and for how long. I feel better that he is playing interactive strategy games and where games requires some physical motion, rather than passively watching TV. Well, at least that is my rationalization. He can easily beat me in most of the games. He learnt few tricks, and intuitively explored and applied the tricks to other games. I am sure that there are some lessons to be learnt for me here, from these games, as some of them teach patience and Prem doesn’t give up easily, even after being beaten badly initially. </div><br /><div>I was amazed that he had so much information on these games to keep going for next 4 hours. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvb37cAdk7JiDBIt2IRh5z-4047fxWIPja8Kihyphenhyphen6OjMHz2xxSJm6kSJjrnMBJRFP2ou4KTeUsQOJk9HT34sCordPMnFUYAV0zWEj8rXDCAb2gkFhOkfuVJ4ArDL-ngHVbGch2VUJxVfrI/s1600/StarOfJMT.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487883553888002130" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 132px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvb37cAdk7JiDBIt2IRh5z-4047fxWIPja8Kihyphenhyphen6OjMHz2xxSJm6kSJjrnMBJRFP2ou4KTeUsQOJk9HT34sCordPMnFUYAV0zWEj8rXDCAb2gkFhOkfuVJ4ArDL-ngHVbGch2VUJxVfrI/s200/StarOfJMT.JPG" border="0" /></a>We talked about other things as well. We have a ritual to read at least one chapter every day, before he goes to sleep. If book is small, like ‘What time is it Mr. Crocodile ?’ then we read it completely. We both liked this story. He mentioned, “Papa, we should write a story like this. May be we can write, ‘ What time is it Mr. Tiger ?’ and make money.” It was an interesting idea, and I did not want to explain plagiarism to him, so I told him, “Yes, it is very interesting idea, and we should write a story. And mommy, since she is good at drawing, could do illustration.” More I think about it, I feel that we should do it as a family; and give it a shot. Ummmm……alternative career which could be fun too ! May be it could be as successful as Harry Potter !! Keep on dreaming !!!</div><br /><div>We took breaks and it helped to have his favorite Cliff bar (Thanks to Chetan who mentioned Trader’s Joe has Blueberry Crisp and Chocolate Chip Mint). Just looking at climber dude on Cliff <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLF37VRFnqekdVynZ69Xiy8P5rep1jMBCO5cnzww8w6-5WqAFRIp1q0I5O8z_iD3WtDUAnOKsNF9Grv9RO7PGAEfK1czX1RA3MT2WsnO3uS2LU8xNXFYDy84hoFaSCK2jMqvyyRQYIyl7z/s1600/NevadaFallsPrem.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487883989132381426" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 156px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 125px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLF37VRFnqekdVynZ69Xiy8P5rep1jMBCO5cnzww8w6-5WqAFRIp1q0I5O8z_iD3WtDUAnOKsNF9Grv9RO7PGAEfK1czX1RA3MT2WsnO3uS2LU8xNXFYDy84hoFaSCK2jMqvyyRQYIyl7z/s200/NevadaFallsPrem.JPG" border="0" /></a>bar, made Prem confident that he could now climb anything after eating it. And Lightening G (Gatorade) water also had the similar effect on him. After he had eaten, I never had to cajole him to go further, he would get up himself, and start walking and talking. For most of the photo opportunities, he did his Taekwondo poses. I was glad that Blue Dragon Academy was working out for him and Promila. I think it has a lot to do with his teacher; his teacher is passionate about teaching and his art; a rare combination.</div><br /><div>We reached the top of Nevada falls, ate some nut mix, drank water, explored various vista points and took some snaps. It was bright beautiful day. I called Promila, she (along with Liz) started 3 <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLMc5wJllupkpYdUcEAeOmJggaXEGryHXe-ZcheDl3tbPSitDJ17Hz5JnltinBwBH0CJ0zSTmHBJLACmmuA8dwPFEVJWyeaX3ZxsSvLXfAwm-Ici4k2EWSvucaSFSBnODE7PGRxITunDss/s1600/OnTopOfNevadaWithPrem.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487884684905589810" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 157px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 130px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLMc5wJllupkpYdUcEAeOmJggaXEGryHXe-ZcheDl3tbPSitDJ17Hz5JnltinBwBH0CJ0zSTmHBJLACmmuA8dwPFEVJWyeaX3ZxsSvLXfAwm-Ici4k2EWSvucaSFSBnODE7PGRxITunDss/s200/OnTopOfNevadaWithPrem.JPG" border="0" /></a>hours before us; and she mentioned that she was on base of sub dome. I asked Prem, if he wanted to go further, he declined and said that he wanted to see the Yosemite museum now. So we turned back. I had to hold his hand coming down, as I did not want him to slip and fall. Though the JMT was not steep, but it was dry and somewhat slippery. We got a call from Promila, that she was feeling dizzy and want to turn around. She wanted me to confirm if it was ok. Over a period of a loooooooong time, I had started trusting Promila’s decision on critical things; so I did not push her. We kept going down, and then started waiting for Promila at bottom of Vernal Falls.</div><br /><div>Prem was getting restless waiting for over an hour. We climbed few rocks around the bridge area; and he was practicing his Taekwondo moves to scare the squirrels. So when Promila came<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRP1WajJZKdRUjgeQATUE29qfu8Ja4FVWXfLKJ_A6-lXgfqLyvZ36bRBj5-zQ-9oC-nm4JDINrjdMVGrnIDqg9zqng0isXVXSuVhS4oxZgVwhEvRka3gxM0w_NYOZDeRCVHgNLtoX1DeCL/s1600/PromilaBackFromHike.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487890282383731778" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 145px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 127px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRP1WajJZKdRUjgeQATUE29qfu8Ja4FVWXfLKJ_A6-lXgfqLyvZ36bRBj5-zQ-9oC-nm4JDINrjdMVGrnIDqg9zqng0isXVXSuVhS4oxZgVwhEvRka3gxM0w_NYOZDeRCVHgNLtoX1DeCL/s200/PromilaBackFromHike.JPG" border="0" /></a> down; of course she looked tired, but there was a glow on her face and most of the ever-present baby fat on her face was gone. She looked happy and exhausted. I have to think a better way to lighten the backpack for her, it had taken some toll. May be fanny pack to carry water and only few things in backpack is the answer. When we reached the tent, I was relieved to see no blisters or dead nail on her feet. And after bath, she was ready to do sightseeing in the valley. (Image on right - Promila back from the Half Dome Hike at bottom of vernal Falls)</div><br /><div></div><div>We went to museum in the bus. This is the best part about the Yosemite valley, that they have <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn6WhXaEqh4OBiR6OV0csGqxkameI0GXwgYtDIKIShiKqIBmSnK_EoERPnPM7VCltgsOw7pqogDVNQSdGHKxVpHVm0ok9MGtHoIjEANGqnsbiKpsr2lUsazPm20BtYrvkKAM-UgyP6DacQ/s1600/WithRanger.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487881791415099058" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 128px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 98px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn6WhXaEqh4OBiR6OV0csGqxkameI0GXwgYtDIKIShiKqIBmSnK_EoERPnPM7VCltgsOw7pqogDVNQSdGHKxVpHVm0ok9MGtHoIjEANGqnsbiKpsr2lUsazPm20BtYrvkKAM-UgyP6DacQ/s200/WithRanger.JPG" border="0" /></a>free electric shuttle buses, runs every 15 minutes to take you to various points in the valley. Promila was geared up and Prem earned another Jr. Park Ranger badge; this was the final badge in series of three which one could earn, answering some questions and doing some volunteer work in the Yosemite Valley. He took the oath and was proud of it.</div><br /><br /><div>We met Liz, though she was exhausted, hurting on her feet and one of her nail was bleeding; she was in great spirit. She mentioned that she called up her dad and family from the top of Half <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFidFAcVJSs6h63SOB8ligQbKxxwaRa3TvS3lqocwTJJy9MjXLufIjZuPOaATf8jgQscJWhN78OqKM4n2EOC8emF8Gl0ZJioGgvqSUBcxZjw_k0NKE51lgpct2scLkN_doVhHy17-l4xtf/s1600/WithBear.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487881392868554546" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 168px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 140px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFidFAcVJSs6h63SOB8ligQbKxxwaRa3TvS3lqocwTJJy9MjXLufIjZuPOaATf8jgQscJWhN78OqKM4n2EOC8emF8Gl0ZJioGgvqSUBcxZjw_k0NKE51lgpct2scLkN_doVhHy17-l4xtf/s200/WithBear.JPG" border="0" /></a>Dome. Yes, there was a reception at the top. She was ready to head back home now. I was real surprised to see both Promila and Liz, walking around; after such a strenuous hike. I remembered first time when I did it, all I wanted to do was to take a bath and crash; I lost two of my toe nails and cramping. They did much better than me. I was inspired to do better this time. To read Promila’s experience of Half Dome hike in her own words, visit<br /><a href="http://promilaagarwal.blogspot.com/2010/06/my-very-first-half-dome-hike.html">http://promilaagarwal.blogspot.com/2010/06/my-very-first-half-dome-hike.html</a></div><br /><div><br />All in all, a very gratifying father’s day; very proud of what Prem, Promila and Liz achieved on the day.<br /><a href="http://maneeshagarwalfamily.blogspot.com/2010/06/milpitas-father-of-year-2010.html">http://maneeshagarwalfamily.blogspot.com/2010/06/milpitas-father-of-year-2010.html</a><br /></div><br /><br /><div>Half Dome Hike (June 21, 2010 – Monday)<br />When we reached back our cabin on Sunday night, Promila pleaded that I tag along with somebody for the hike next day. I told her that I would leave around 5 AM instead of 4:30 AM, so hopefully there would be someone I could tag along; and there would be lot of light by then. We went to bed around 8:30 PM; it was still bright outside. Promila and Prem slept in no time, I could not sleep for another two hours. My backpack and clothes were ready. I was too excited and random thoughts were coming to me. </div><br /><div>I was not sure if I could afford not to sleep for two continuous nights and complete a major hike. So I started counting backwards; did not help. Then I tried doing breathing exercises, that helped; along with small prayer to get me some sleep. I was able to sleep for couple of hours; and was half dreaming when alarm woke me up at 4:30 AM. Promila again cautioned me to find somebody. I was not sure if a lot of people would be hiking on Monday. I was so wrong. </div><br /><div>This time I put my GPS watch on; and started it at 5:05 AM from Curry Village. It took full one mile to reach to trail head, after crossing the bridge over Merced river. I already saw two hikers by then, and saw around 10 more till I reached at bottom of Vernal fall. I saw two great looking girls ahead of me, and was wide-eyed to see that one of them took her jacket off without taking off her backpack; and then she kept her jacket hanging on the lower side of the shoulder strap. Eureka, I was wearing a warmer, T-Shirt and jacket, and knew that I did not have big enough backpack to put two of these items in it when I would be hot in later part of the hike. Now I knew as how to do it. Power of observation !!!</div><br /><div>I talked to them, and came to know that this was their first time to Half Dome; though I wanted to chat more; but they were too slow. Not sure why Robert Frost poem suddenly flashed across my mind, “ Woods are lovely dark and deep….”. May be, to my mind, they were just distraction, like FB. I left them behind, and found another two hikers, in their 20s from Bay Area. They looked to be in extremely good shape, with camelbak. Came to know Taylor had done the Half Dome 4 times, and Dwight did it last year. Dwight worked in IT (no surprises here) and Taylor worked for Santa Clara University. Dwight was a rock climber too. </div><br /><div>I was happy to keep pace with them; and soon on JMT, they were falling behind me. I was gloating inwardly to see that; and to acknowledge that so far I had passed over 20 hikers and nobody had gone past me. As per GPS, we came along 3 miles now. Then I heard a voice from behind, “On your right”. This 50 plus year old man was running in shorts and T-shirt, no water or food. When he got past me, we all three exclaimed; Dwight gasped, “Look at those calf muscles; they look like made of steel”. I had a sigh of relief that I was not the only one who was admiring those calves.</div><br /><div>We reached Nevada falls, it took me still 1 hour 35 minutes. I thought I will just take a break of 5 minutes here and move. However, just opening the backpack, eating a pear; taking couple of photos; 15 minutes get past so quickly. I kept moving; and soon had to leave Dwight and Taylor behind. After a mile of walking along with river, it was just steeper hike for next 4 miles. Met a lot of people on this trail, as quite few of them started from backpackers camp. Took a break at 2 mile Half Dome sign. This time I was paying attention, and came to know that Cloud Rest was 4.3 miles from this 2 mile sign. I looked at my watch, and thought I could do both Half Dome and Cloud Rest today; and it would still be light before I reach at the bottom. Almost nobody was going to Cloud Rest; I wondered why.</div><br /><div>I kept walking and then stopped at the bottom of sub dome. By the time, though it was still not 9 AM, it was very sunny and bright. I took off my warmer; and just put the T-shirt on, took my cap from backpack, put one of the hiking stick in backpack, and put rubber attachment at bottom of the stick which was outside. Rubber bottom gives good grip on the rock. There was almost no tree cover now, and just granite rock, and small uneven steps carved. After climbing some 40 steps, I remembered now why this hike was so hard. Breathless, however, I did not want to look up much to see how many steps were left. I tried looking up couple of times, it was dizzying. Taking out water from backpack on narrow ledge was not inviting either. However, I knew that this was not going to last. Soon I was on top of sub dome, and saw 4 backpacks stuffed under a rock. </div><br /><div>I decided to put my back pack there. Took Bengay from backpack (just in case somebody cramps while on cables or on top), camera, and small water bottle; wore my jacket to put all this <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJDw3IFAUTWB-sIfyrxtJUckiX2sYBM1OORHXFBJOlA4DK-6vFgL1e21M_eoQnDuuiizycPKAsixwcjmsMaSOfEdEHqnUQWOuxqbrbjWjqynZXZbbSCEZzmqWiDm5PopFFayerjBgwVjqD/s1600/Cables.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487887171618058114" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 117px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 164px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJDw3IFAUTWB-sIfyrxtJUckiX2sYBM1OORHXFBJOlA4DK-6vFgL1e21M_eoQnDuuiizycPKAsixwcjmsMaSOfEdEHqnUQWOuxqbrbjWjqynZXZbbSCEZzmqWiDm5PopFFayerjBgwVjqD/s200/Cables.JPG" border="0" /></a>stuff in. I remembered Som was sun burnt last time, so I applied Neutrogena SPF 70 sun block heavily on my face and arms, wore my gloves and started going up the cables. Cables were almost empty, there were two hikers who were just staring at the cables, lying at the bottom of sub dome. I thought for a moment whether to wait for somebody to tag along, just in case I slipped. I dismissed the thought, nobody was going to leave the cables to catch me, it was better this way. </div><br /><div>I started the cables, and felt that my gloves were not gripping as much. I knew that I was wearing recommended latex coated cotton gloves, and was wondering why there was not a good grip this time. May be because these were the same pair of gloves I used in last two Half Dome hikes, and then in painting project at home; rubber might have wore off. Or it could be because of my shoes not gripping which I (ab)used in last two years, included two Half Dome hikes and multiple over 10 miles hike. I remembered Chetan’s advice; as to change the shoes on first sign of tread wear, just like you would do your car tires. Well, cables was not the place to entertain such doubts. I noticed couple of planks missing, I was cursing myself on forgetting to bring my flexible REI hiking pants. Jeans were not that easy to stretch and to take big steps on. Earlier, on steps, when trying to pull my pants up to waist, I was shocked to find out that I was already on my last hole on belt, belt could not be tightened further. Well, at least I broke a few different kinds of PRs (Personal Records) during this hike; I was an hour faster climbing up since last year and 20 lb lighter.</div><br /><div>On cables, body forgot all the fatigue or tiredness; it was alive and super alert. Must be adrenalin; and now I knew why most hikers preferred Half Dome over Cloud Rest, even though Cloud Rest was higher in elevation and longer hike than Half Dome. Elements of risk, rush and adrenalin make Half Dome hike unforgettable. It took less than 20 minutes to climb up. On top, there were around 20 people. Took some pictures; and started looking for the Cave and King’s chair. Soon I found it, and I was lucky to get a professional photographer to take my pictures on it. It was so bright that there was nothing visible on the LCD screen. Called Promila from top, reception was good. Called Liz later, but it was breaking up by then. Though it was hot, there was a huge snow patch on top of the dome.</div><br /><div>I met Dwight while I was just about to start going down the cables. He was lying flat, at the end of the cables. I thought he was just sun bathing, as I saw a lot of other doing the same at different areas on top. I greeted him, and asked where was Taylor. He complained that he left him here, and he was cramping and could not move. I asked him if he needed Bengay, he quickly used it on his thighs and arms. He was surprised to find that it relieved his cramps immediately and he was sitting up. He told me that it was his first time up the cables. I thought to myself, that if he was claiming earlier that it was his second time to Half Dome; so could then Promila.</div><br /><div>Going down the cables was easier, I realized that though hand grip was not that great, but shoes are gripping well going down. I thanked my shoes and apologized to them for doubting their performance. I thought about keeping them on a mantle as show piece. There was nobody behind me, however, there was back to back queue for people coming up. While talking to couple of people, I came to know that Thursday and now Monday had become quite busy, permits (which are required from this year onward, only on Friday to Sunday) pushed the rush to spill over on other days of the week. </div><br /><div>I met the two girls, I saw at the start of the hike, climbing up on the cables now. After passing them, another girl asked me if she could buy the gloves from me since she was not feeling a good grip with the leather gloves. I told her that I would give her for free; and she could try it before discarding her other gloves; as I was not sure about the grip of these gloves either. I still had to go another 30 feet down, I just used my hands; when I was down, I saw my hands were coated with silvery metal polish. I talked to another hiker who mentioned that they treated the cables with some polish so that it remained weather proof. Umm…..that might be the cause of loss of the grip, as this was the first few days since the cables were up. </div><br /><div>There was a lot of rush on steps too, and while going down, I saw a lot of people coming up. You get to see a lot of skin. I met a lawyer from Palo Alto; came down till Nevada falls with him. He mentioned that toughest hike (more of a climb) he had done was that of Mt Shasta. There was snow 12 months, and you had to take ice axe, crampons and full gear; one needed to be tied up in snow with at least another person to complete this 2-3 day hike/climb. I thought about using Mist trail going down, but then changed my mind, as my jeans were slipping down and not flexible enough to maneuver big steps. Came down quickly after Nevada falls. GPS showed total of 19 miles (17 on the trail and 2 miles to and fro from Curry Village to trail head). </div><br /><div>When I called Promila at 2 PM, she was surprised to see me come back so early. I thought I <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghBfKyhKEx4f6K8fpBFgGraOL1xMPf-eQLPVMDKIManAaXkRQlWY1MQcQOzjSQl-lX_hylE4U2NIpF892pGZsWBblCIL9Kgpy7vjSsetbqGx5kQ8aS5gh72PXsusufsk5tthyflNUTahux/s1600/PromilaPremTree.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487897011425750642" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 162px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghBfKyhKEx4f6K8fpBFgGraOL1xMPf-eQLPVMDKIManAaXkRQlWY1MQcQOzjSQl-lX_hylE4U2NIpF892pGZsWBblCIL9Kgpy7vjSsetbqGx5kQ8aS5gh72PXsusufsk5tthyflNUTahux/s200/PromilaPremTree.JPG" border="0" /></a>could have added those 8.6 miles to do Cloud Rest hike; however, I probably would not be able to drive after that. Promila and Prem had 4 hours valley floor tour on that day, and were having lunch now. I waited for them, and then took bath; ate Pizza. Thought about having Blue Moon which was available on tap, but decided against it; as I did not want to link up hiking and drinking for Prem. He has been absorbing a lot these days. Relaxed and then watched an entertaining and informative ranger’s show; and finally headed back home. </div><br /><div>I have permit for Half Dome night hike for July 25. Now question is ‘To run or not to run’ Half Marathon with Meenal on that day. Though I ran 3 times after May 30th, however my legs (below the knee), have been complaining. I did not have any injuries so far; but not feeling strong enough for the run; there was no spring in the legs. My director has done Half Dome and Half Marathons five times each. I would like to match that. Let’s see what next couple of weeks have in store (another book – ‘Born to run’ may change things). Time to dream; and experiment to make them happen!<br /><a href="http://promilaagarwal.blogspot.com/2010/06/my-very-first-half-dome-hike.html">Logistics</a> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/102865550794366949647/2010June">Pictures</a></div><br /><div>P.S. I have taken one month break from FB to focus on run/hike and things which are important to me. Please email me your comments, if any, or write on this blog. Umm.....Am I replacing one distraction with another :~)</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Simplifyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14540223255593212400noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949468526667088114.post-69812294276223938592010-06-16T09:46:00.000-07:002010-06-23T20:54:46.622-07:00Milpitas Father of the year - 2010This is more of achievement of Prem in verbalizing some of the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht6kOBj9V10KI622TSzjQiygA07MgpppbKiEqMRLcvinCnKoTUbZMwbC8YLNHhlHViInDqEjH4Zvf8ubjMgZU_I5CITDniBfw5pHnt-2gFqJT8SjdCt2_DMtLe406lDORRLwE1xocbJm_0/s1600/MilpitasPostFathersDay.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5486183476900167010" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 191px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht6kOBj9V10KI622TSzjQiygA07MgpppbKiEqMRLcvinCnKoTUbZMwbC8YLNHhlHViInDqEjH4Zvf8ubjMgZU_I5CITDniBfw5pHnt-2gFqJT8SjdCt2_DMtLe406lDORRLwE1xocbJm_0/s200/MilpitasPostFathersDay.jpg" border="0" /></a>things we do together. I feel parenting is an instinct, most of us react. I never considered myself as a confident parent, some of the times I was not sure as if I was doing the right thing, like which school to choose from, classes to enroll him in (I think he was overscheduled), is it too early to put him in school, sports etc. Prem was speech delayed; I was not sure if the special classes were helping Prem at all. Promila and I went to some parenting classes organized by ‘Frist 5’ and read few books. I think reading does not help much here, like I mentioned above, parenting is an instinct and at times it is difficult to be rational. Prem’s Asthma from 2nd year to 4th caused lot of angst in us and drove me to be overprotective, anxious most of the time. Here, trial and error; and reading did help in the end. No significant Asthma issues for two years now.<br /><br /><p>Speech delay and constant asthma episodes caused him to be behind in few things, like speaking up clearly and be confident. However, by now, over a period of time, I have become more relaxed around him. He met most of his development milestone, may be a bit late, but he did. Last year was great; though we still lugged Nebulizer around on vacations, we did not have to use it as much. We visited a lot of places. Three years ago, when I asked him about what did vacation means to him; he would reply going to ‘Great Mall’. Last year it was camping and going to Snow. And this year I asked him, he mentioned he wanted to go to New York and meet his cousins again. And he wanted to go to Yosemite too. He has hiked Mission Peak 4 times now.<br /></p><br /><p>Once I was talking to him about Reduce, Reuse and Recycle (Magic School Bus episode); and his school was also reinforcing on this. He asked me that he wanted to walk down from school instead of using car. We walked down on that day. Next day in morning, he woke up and told me that he was ready to hike Half Dome with me. I was a bit amused; asked him as what made him think about that (out of the blue). He mentioned, “Papa, yesterday while walking down from school, I did not get bored with you”. Ummm…….., I am sure he meant that as a compliment !<br /></p><br /><p>Like I mentioned earlier, a lot of credit for achievement is that of Prem; and rest is that of Promila to sit with him patiently and get it written. There are far more deserving dads out there than me. I did receive ‘Runners up – father of the year’ last year; again all credit to Prem and Promila. I put the last year plaque on my desk in office, to serve as nice and constant reminder to be more patient, learn new things and become better role model for him. As a parent, whether we like it or not, in most cases we are automatic role model for our kids; as they constantly watch us; even though at times it appears that they do not listen to us.</p><br /><p><br />“It's not only children who grow. Parents do too. As much as we watch to see what our children do with their lives, they are watching us to see what we do with ours. I can't tell my children to reach for the sun. All I can do is reach for it, myself. “ ~Joyce Maynard</p>Simplifyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14540223255593212400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949468526667088114.post-54746189009268945112010-06-11T16:04:00.000-07:002010-06-11T16:41:03.046-07:00Reading, Running and back to Hiking in style (Nisene Park June 5, 2010)After Quicksilver Almaden Park Hike on April 17, I stopped my weekly hikes; and tried my hand (or leg) in running. I had never run in my life earlier. I do not remember last time when I ran even a mile. I tried treadmills earlier, and did not like running on them. It was rather a balancing act on treadmill for me than running. Some runners in office did confirm the same, and mentioned if one had a choice, always run outside.<br /><br /><br />I tried that. And after 200 meters or so I was out of breath. I found outside running even harder than treadmill, could not pace myself at all. Since I was an extremely slow runner and did not have any luck running, I thought (Half) Marathon running may suit me as I can hike 20 miles without any aches and in decent time. I knew that there is some minimum time one had to finish the race in, and came to know for Half-Marathon, the time is around 3 hours (and in some races it is even more than that). Like most Indians, I was good in mathematics, and calculations told me that it was doable. This gave me a lot of confidence.<br /><br /><br />I would like to call myself a reader, as I read every day, however, if I exclude all the Magic Tree House books which I read with Prem, I just read 1-2 books a month, most of them non-fiction. Needless to confirm I am as slow as a Turtle, both in reading and running. At times, I wondered, of all the reading I have done so far, have I really implemented any of the knowledge gained, into something worthwhile. At that time, I had the Eureka moment. No, I didn’t run naked in street from my bath tub. As most of you are doing right now, I just went online, to Amazon.com, looked at the books on long distance running, short listed 3-4 books and then looked them up in the local library (I know I am cheap !) and got them. Idea was to convert all the readings into some tangible achievement, like Half or Full Marathon.<br /><br /><br />One of the book recommended the Run-Walk method for long distance running. I was very relieved to read that. It recommended running for 30 seconds and take a walk break of 2 minutes (I can certainly do better than that !); and slowly increase your running time to 4 minutes and decrease walk breaks to 1 minute. Just reading this again and again energized me. And so began my running exploration. I started running in Murphy park. I started with 3 mile (with frequent walk breaks) loops two times a week and 6 miles on Sunday. As per the book, Saturday was my rest day; so I stopped hiking; thinking it may be using the same muscles. Every weekend, I increased my Sunday mileage my one mile (again lot of walk breaks).<br /><br /><br />After about 3 weeks, I started dreaming. I can do this. Ego took over. Every book I read, recommended not to increase mileage by more than 10%, and also for your first Half-Marathon, timings should not be a goal, only finishing without injury, should be a goal. Still, I tried to run faster on every run, ignoring the advice that one should not have back to back hard runs. I rationalized that I am so slow to begin with, my runs would not count as hard runs. Though definition of hard run in books was very clear, that if you are huffing and puffing, you are running hard; one should try to run at a pace where there is no huffing and puffing.<br /><br /><br />Next step was to go to visit a running store to get a good running shoe. I did not want to leave any stone unturned. The store was run by runners, and of course the one I got was very frank. He videotaped my gait while running outside; and then he confirmed what I already knew; that I reminded him of Charlie Chaplin somewhat. He did not advise me to change my natural (rather unnatural) running style. Needless to say my dream to run Boston Marathon was pushed to another 20 years. I started thinking that may be if I still kept running for next 20 years with current pace, I had a chance to qualify in 60 plus age group.<br /><br /><br />Though I had calf pains soon after I started running, it used to go away with proper stretching. And I would continue to man my runs. Soon, I was doing two 6 miles run during the week and 10 miles run on weekend. Needless to say my mileage increased dramatically and I was I egged on by looking at improvement in my pace, reduced my walk breaks to just one, and that too less than a minute. I started obsessing with improving my pace still more. Now pains in calves were accompanied with pain in shin. The pains used to go away after 10-15 minutes of warm up and jogging, before the start of my runs. However, throughout the day, I was in pain and dreaded to go up and down the stairs. I was finding excuses for not going to the park and play with Prem; few instances I did go, I was hardly able to run as muscles were so stiff from recent runs. I talked to couple of coaches in office and read books, all are indicating that shin pain happens because of overuse (too much too soon). I thought I was unique, I read another book on pain (Divided Mind) which mentioned that at times pain was created by mind by reducing the supply of oxygen to certain part of the body.<br /><br /><br />I continued for another week; I knew I can complete Half Marathon. Last I ran 10 miles was on May 30 in 1 hour and 33 minutes. From April 18 till May 30, around 6 weeks of training, I was impressed by my progress; and then I gave it a thought, if I had to make running as practice (just like hiking); I should slow down and not be obsessed with it. Since my father’s day hike of Half Dome was coming, I decided to give running a break for now. I could feel my legs completely on June 4 (took 5 days of no exercise). Now I know what it is meant by fresh pair of legs. I have switched back to Elliptical Machines; I think I can break world record of Marathon on it ! Now I know for sure that running requires a different set of muscles than hiking and they need time to build up.<br /><br /><br />I did a 12-13 mile hike on June 5 with Liz and Paul. We went to Nisene Park near Capitola, Santa Cruz. The park is famous for Redwoods and is the epicenter of Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHKICb6oLYinzpqcu63h9aaZqPV0JMtNhFHGA5uWxbemNWz8CUs_LOOtJUCB5iatOzOPoF1Xbtxzs3IKe3-2SuYjoW7-o-9kzptTyReqVDIfAZXDMrbFmexH9EBEzL7XXJJbn4vAliiCA2/s1600/HPIM1778.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481660117126826706" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 116px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 129px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHKICb6oLYinzpqcu63h9aaZqPV0JMtNhFHGA5uWxbemNWz8CUs_LOOtJUCB5iatOzOPoF1Xbtxzs3IKe3-2SuYjoW7-o-9kzptTyReqVDIfAZXDMrbFmexH9EBEzL7XXJJbn4vAliiCA2/s200/HPIM1778.jpg" border="0" /></a>It was nice to remember how much I enjoyed hiking, bantering and pulling legs of fellow hikers (if I missed any opportunity during the hike then later in blog). Liz told me and Paul that this time she would just follow us in the car; as she had friends near the beach to visit. Though I think real reason of not sharing the ride may have to do with all the sweat and smell after the hike. I read somewhere that sweat make human male irresistible, though I strongly doubt it.<br /><br /><br /><br />As the fate would have it, when we reached the park, there was a Full and Half Marathon scheduled at the same time. No, I did not participate in the run, however for a long time we hikers shared the trail with runners, and I had to run with them few times to get out of the narrow ways. This was my first time to see them up and close. Some of them were pounding hard, some of them were leaning too much forward and lot of them were huffing and puffing in first few miles only. Hard to admit it, but this gave me a lot of hope.<br /><br /><br />And finally after couple of hours of hike, we met one of the runners who had lost her way and <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJL3ZE5vwKF3C_gpE7MC4UGZ01Yxj6v2mPyM1wTzEsUMc7fppHD2G48WJv3xxC8QKwKOhmxns-z_lvQAeZ2fXKJSpX7BFYiUPrrHqI5VXnPKjRnm6mKRKVfi6ssmOdF04m1I9ILgfX0LCi/s1600/HPIM1774.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481659402544521826" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 164px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 120px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJL3ZE5vwKF3C_gpE7MC4UGZ01Yxj6v2mPyM1wTzEsUMc7fppHD2G48WJv3xxC8QKwKOhmxns-z_lvQAeZ2fXKJSpX7BFYiUPrrHqI5VXnPKjRnm6mKRKVfi6ssmOdF04m1I9ILgfX0LCi/s200/HPIM1774.jpg" border="0" /></a>fallen couple of times. Paul’s first aid kit again came in handy. This is the 3rd time I saw him use it. Again thanks to Paul for suggesting and then leading the hike, without the map; I must say we walked on the path less travelled. We stumbled to a waterfall in the park, crossed some bridges and scampered our way out of thick undergrowth. The path was full of poison oak, luckily nobody got it.<br /><br /><br /><br />While returning back we saw few runners finishing the full Marathon. Most of them were in excellent physical shape, and still struggling to complete last few miles. Some of them were stopping, cramping, throwing up, and everybody looked dead tired. This reminded me what most of the books were saying; that any run which was more that 90 minutes long, takes something out of your body and you need time to recover from it; i.e. benefits of running more than 60 minutes in a single run, start reducing very quickly; and that is why, specially for beginners, it was recommended to restrict long runs to at least once in two weeks.<br /><br />I had no aches or pains after the hike. So where does that leave me now, which one do I prefer, running or hiking ? Hiking suits me better as I can pause to look at the nature and appreciate it; social aspect of bantering with friends is huge too; you get to see different areas. Running, for me, though may not have the same advantages, however, I did discover few benefits on the way.<br /><br />I used to dread as how would I occupy my mind while running (most of the races do not allow MP3 players); and that it would be really boring. Once I started running and did runs consistently over 50 minutes for few weeks, I did not find it boring at all. My fears were baseless. Running brought a kind of quietness to my mind, a blank mind, almost a meditative state. I did not think of anything. Though my weight has always been well controlled for my height, I lost my love handles which were always present. Finally, running needs almost no gear, it is very green, you do not have to drive to Gym or tennis court or a state park, simply wake up, have a good pair of running shoes, and out you go. Personally it has proved to give me best bang for the time I spend in fitness.<br /><br /><br />Of course it helped if long runs are not on tracks where you move in circles, running on long trails helped. I found it was easier to recover from trail running than on pavement. At the time of this <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4EYy9l1vjWnlpeNy0Wmd_96mAWMR75rZKpegYxAcJXYd_SHia7tImMah8qusx7stjswYw8Lsw6ZUYm50EeXBOLnyaKMykhMA0OZuq69NZEodvHL-qMsSBx_9o6Y6QVsEax8KLHtHa-pjc/s1600/HPIM1776.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481660716479443458" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 103px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 129px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4EYy9l1vjWnlpeNy0Wmd_96mAWMR75rZKpegYxAcJXYd_SHia7tImMah8qusx7stjswYw8Lsw6ZUYm50EeXBOLnyaKMykhMA0OZuq69NZEodvHL-qMsSBx_9o6Y6QVsEax8KLHtHa-pjc/s200/HPIM1776.jpg" border="0" /></a>writing, and not running for last 10 days, I see love handles creeping back up. I have not given up on running. Based on my self-analysis, I think I was over-striding during my training to run faster (not that I was fast by any standards, but much faster than my body could take). I have to experiment with my running form, see if I could re-learn running, through baby steps and make it at least pain free, and somewhat enjoyable (not funny like Charlie Chaplin as seen in image on right); and it definitely suits my cheap style.Simplifyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14540223255593212400noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949468526667088114.post-25118441773347412092010-04-22T14:12:00.000-07:002010-04-22T17:19:20.790-07:00Quicksilver Almaden Park Hike<span style="font-family:arial;">Quicksilver Almaden Park Hike (16 miles, 6.5 hours, April 17, 2010)</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#990000;">Spring is a really good time to do some of these long hikes, as the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1wT_kQep1zIxvVfM6nISDLzCj64SHkqfSJ7o-CtQQ6fotxRabHVH0ezBbBDCQPGoowTFH-blMuDEbY0e9q_jIuTXzt9rYDmzqMlpNahTmfUMKtgcS0JK_3MVA4FYRLa19bqIRrohEc2IT/s1600/IMG_2863.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 156px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 131px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463115398781451762" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1wT_kQep1zIxvVfM6nISDLzCj64SHkqfSJ7o-CtQQ6fotxRabHVH0ezBbBDCQPGoowTFH-blMuDEbY0e9q_jIuTXzt9rYDmzqMlpNahTmfUMKtgcS0JK_3MVA4FYRLa19bqIRrohEc2IT/s200/IMG_2863.JPG" /></a>temperature is perfect and it is beautiful outside. We were scheduled to assemble at LifeScan parking lot at 6 AM. I was the last one to reach, as I was asking Promila to make tea little more special as my manager was going to join this hike. Well, it seemed to work as she asked for refill. Who knows, little buttering up might help, though we would never know the exact impact. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="color:#990000;"></span><br /><br /><span style="color:#990000;">Thanks to Paul for planning this hike and agreeing to drive. He knew the trails very well, and even knew the hidden mines and equipment which were off the trail. We went from Hacienda Parking lot <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiy0uDHLcLjMiIzy7yz4XJfulB7h6KG5MHM26_o8F6uGUy231LuTf_Z0j_s-nZTIJMxzhi4obORHIR5GsLKm_SbLsgympqBAMcfwhg_B8SXjqQ-9pJ0sMDfkp3e8sAwtGksrrTwSlmAY21/s1600/IMG_2864.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 139px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 104px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463115783161102834" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiy0uDHLcLjMiIzy7yz4XJfulB7h6KG5MHM26_o8F6uGUy231LuTf_Z0j_s-nZTIJMxzhi4obORHIR5GsLKm_SbLsgympqBAMcfwhg_B8SXjqQ-9pJ0sMDfkp3e8sAwtGksrrTwSlmAY21/s200/IMG_2864.JPG" /></a>till the other end of the park as per </span></span><a href="http://www.sccgov.org/SCC/docs/Parks%20and%20Recreation,%20Department%20of%20(DEP)/AlmadenQuicksilverGuideMap.pdf"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#990000;">map</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;color:#990000;">, and did the loop. Paul and I were using hiking poles, when we ran into a group of senior citizens who commented, “Look at the gal, she is keeping up with the boys without any help from the poles” (Note to myself: missed opportunity to praise here). Well, I had to agree here, this was Liz’s first big hike and she was able to keep up pace with me and Paul. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;color:#990000;"><br />Though the elevation gain was not that much, it was lot of ups and down. I asked Liz about her new Wii, as I knew that she could play a mean game of boxing. She told me that since <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCATQMkDVTaxmh7q8jvLPH3XjuBJxuHVc1XbKArRSdamrQLHEJeujSvduAykMVuPoATqC3YF0H2m7bkOeU9lqRZ7RTRcqgvzsL_YI94iXkfiNFCRzxPTkqUEMX3fk1yt4OWb1TlKaegpos/s1600/IMG_2868.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 115px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 104px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463116109942167506" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCATQMkDVTaxmh7q8jvLPH3XjuBJxuHVc1XbKArRSdamrQLHEJeujSvduAykMVuPoATqC3YF0H2m7bkOeU9lqRZ7RTRcqgvzsL_YI94iXkfiNFCRzxPTkqUEMX3fk1yt4OWb1TlKaegpos/s200/IMG_2868.JPG" /></a>Sean went to college, she did not see the use of it and sold it. Paul and Liz, both shared success stories about online dating. I did not know that there were three times more women than men who are subscribed to these sites. Is it because women are more adventurous or courageous or hopeful or plain romantic, may be all of the above ? I was surprised to know that Liz’s 87 years young mother is still reading smuts (new word for me – meaning quick-read-romantic-novels-with-steamy-scenes) , almost every day. Just like men are still attached to video games and sports, looks like girls never grow up either, and fantasize about romance throughout life. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="color:#990000;"></span><br /><br /><span style="color:#990000;">Therapeutic part, and probably the best part of the hike, was once again venting off sessions. Liz sighed deeply, when Paul asked about her son. He was graduating this year from George Town University, with double major in finance and business; and minor in theater. This minor is creating <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9kfIqRZiES2WZ-sm0-kg-fCaXHw0JgMykTXzVah9lP6ofzpclfGK3fC9Fr1KEptcCTRdzVSNdN49XkApRrZhg1sT9BcgmMJTyFVIzoKmiQAw2sUdIwY6Bx5xZKgMrMqyq9AIwYhiOluQF/s1600/IMG_2871.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 127px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 97px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463116876716247954" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9kfIqRZiES2WZ-sm0-kg-fCaXHw0JgMykTXzVah9lP6ofzpclfGK3fC9Fr1KEptcCTRdzVSNdN49XkApRrZhg1sT9BcgmMJTyFVIzoKmiQAw2sUdIwY6Bx5xZKgMrMqyq9AIwYhiOluQF/s200/IMG_2871.JPG" /></a>major drama in Liz’s life (though he is now legally drinking age). What we heard then, was related to girlfriend’s monopoly over the son, when they visited Liz recently in spring break for a week. Liz complained that they were hardly at home, even in a get together Sean was around his girlfriend and did not mingle. They preferred Jamba Juice instead of Liz’s cooking. Most of us in office knew about Liz’s Death-by-Chocolate cookies and her rum cakes, and how she loved to open her beautiful home for parties. It was good to know that mom-showing-luv-via-cooking-overfeeding-grown-kids and control issues were universal. I think they are more acute in Indian culture. Come to think of it, Liz could have used that Wii boxing after all, it might be worth it to have a match with Hanna. </span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#990000;">After reaching the end of the park, we took Guadalupe Creek trail and sat on reservoir to eat snacks. We saw a lot of California poppy, and they opened up as day wore on. I talked about ‘Bleed’ investment strategy described in ‘Black Swan’. However, t<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSe5MMrdWYh_Nmw-9bhnCOEioIvSrH8RFvDUUwfBLrSuc3qM2XxlgNWYQmmggEKRbttE-g9dAV1TcxCqt2Cu3LNUv3X8rSwSFXu7V2AxMaqOxe1EXrJbmgtc2g9eB_CQyF1QEwgzCiiKcd/s1600/IMG_2872.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 140px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 99px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463117195565699010" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSe5MMrdWYh_Nmw-9bhnCOEioIvSrH8RFvDUUwfBLrSuc3qM2XxlgNWYQmmggEKRbttE-g9dAV1TcxCqt2Cu3LNUv3X8rSwSFXu7V2AxMaqOxe1EXrJbmgtc2g9eB_CQyF1QEwgzCiiKcd/s200/IMG_2872.JPG" /></a>he fund which is using it, is no longer open for new investors. Though it was over 16 mile hike, as it had happened many times earlier, time passed quickly and it did not feel like a long hike. Of course, since it was Liz first long hike, she felt it afterwards. On Monday, she told me about pain all over shins and thighs and blisters on feet. However, it was a good pain, fully recovered by Wednesday; and asked if Paul and I could take her on another hike. </span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#990000;">Paul had a severe backache just 10 days before the hike, he was taking prescription painkillers. As long as he was moving, he had no issues. This was first time he did the whole park in one stretch. He is hiking Half Dome with me in June. So he wanted to do at least one more big hike before Half Dome. He is proposing Nisene Marks hike (begins from Aptos); sometime in May. If anybody else is interested, let me know. However, let me warn you here, whenever we come across a steep hill, he would pick up speed, muttering under his breath, ‘Go ahead, make my day’. He is a big Clint Eastwood fan !Logistics: Park opens up at 8 AM, so if you want to start early, you have to park on the street across the park. We started the hike from Hacienda gate. </span></span><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=1051+S+Milpitas+Blvd,+Milpitas,+Santa+Clara,+California+95035&daddr=Almaden+Quicksilver+County+Park,+San+Jose,+California+95120+(Hacienda+Entrance)&hl=en&geocode=Fff1OgIdfRm8-CllC_rOx86PgDHwtuzRLPqPcA%3BFWQ7"><span style="font-family:arial;color:#990000;">Directions</span></a> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtU3eTRBtgY">Video</a>Simplifyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14540223255593212400noreply@blogger.com0