Kentucky Derby Marathon by garmin_mayur at Garmin Connect - Details

Kentucky Derby Marathon by garmin_mayur at Garmin Connect - Details

16 miles in Percy Warner Park- A Runners diary

....its not a run, its a right of passage....

that's how everyone in Nashville views the Percy Warner Park 11.2 mile loop.

Let me make a feeble attempt to paint a picture for you. The loop has a net elevation gain of about 1300 ft. Two massive hills, the 9-mile-hill and the 3-mile-hill cover half of it. Both the hills have an insanely steep climb of approximately 250ft spread over a mile(or slightly under). The remaining 900ft elevation change is spread over constantly undulating mini-hills. Throughout the entire run one is constantly running either uphill or downhill, you have a better chance of finding life on mars than finding a meaningful flat section.

To get the extra distance you go outside the park and run through an absolutely flat and gorgeous golf course. This gets you the extra 3/5 miles depending on if you are running the 16 miler or 18 miler. Running a 8:15/8:30 pace on this flat 3/3.5 mile section feels like a walk in the park. Well to be fair the golf course, like any other suburban golf course, is strictly OK. But its all the endorphins and adrenaline pumping in you veins, that transport you into the realm of Lothlórien.

Most runners don't run Percy Warner, they endure it. Our trainer wisely places this run towards the flag end. You are either running to test how strong you have become since the last time you ran it. Or to test if you are fit enough to run the full marathon. Very few worry about the pace. The idea is to run at a slightly uncomfortable pace and then in the end compare your times with previous runs.

Like the rain in Forest Gump, here too there are different kind of runners.

There are the crazy ones - Who simply blast the uphills like it is '2-mins-to-Apocalypse' and Noah is waiting with a stop watch on the top of that hill; summoning the last call. For them its a slap if the face if slopes slow you down. They live in a pre-Newtonian era, where the concept of gravity has not yet been discovered. If you stick with the fastest group till the base of first hill, you can witness these mad-men flying up the steep slopes. It is both awe-inspiring and highly emasculating.

There there are smart ones - For whom the climb is simply too long and simply too steep. Hence they simply walk up the hill. For them the run is like a game of chess. They gauge their opponent for weaknesses, walking the steepest section, running the moderate ones and prodding along anything in between.

Then there are runners like me - who are speed demons on flats and think of the hills as a necessary inconvenience to go from one side of the park to the other. For us it is simply a battle of wills between you and the mountain. Its a all or nothing battle where there is only one victor. If you are able to make it to the top without stopping or walking then you've won else the mountain gets to keep the scalp. Your ego being the scalp. If you win, your victory gift then is a long winding downhill, which you can fly down feeling the cool breeze caress your face, drying out the sweat and leaving behind battle scars. And by battle scars I mean the white salt residue which unfortunately you can't keep intact for show-and-tell :)

PS: I will chronicle my run in a later blog post.

Just an interesting article I found whilst trolling the internet. Its a fun read if you are interested in the history of technology

Chronicles of Conflict: the History of Adobe vs. Apple

PS: Geek alert

Shipping up to...

I haven't posted anything for the past six month. Every week I get a traffic report from sitemeter reminding me that I have a blog site and every week I am surprised to find about 25-30 visits to the blog. Every week I resolve to write a blog and every week ends with a failed promise...

.... except this week :)

To end the story on a happy note, and it was indeed very pleasant trip. I will mention the bad stuff first.

I think to maintain karmic balance my trip had to end on a bad note. Watched 'How to train your dragon', for all you dirty minded perverts its a kids animation film; grow up :B. Followed by the Oscars (or was it the reverse order). Anyways, Swati was sensible enough call it an early night. Me and Me2 sketched plans for the Zion camping trip and then went to bed earlyish too. I had a 7 o'clock flight the next day. All was fine and dandy till I woke up with stomach cramps, bloating and nausea; in the middle of the night; at 2 am. I will spare you the gruesome details but would like highlight Me2's compassion.

Awaked by my discomfort he came out to check on me. Actually to be blunt, my barfing would have woken up the neighbors as well. At 3am in 20F temp dude went out to find a store that would be open to get some meds. That, it was Providence did not help matters. With no shops open we were left with no choice but to find some home remedy. Whilst I was curling up in a fetal position on the sofa, he was looking up online. Finally his labours bore fruit and a hot pack subdued the pain and I was able to get some sleep. The next morning faced with a daunting task of flying 4 hours with an upset stomach. I armed myself with all the meds I could lay my hands on at the airport store.

As if the night's fiasco wasn't enough, my connecting flight was 2 hours late, it had to fly slow due to bad weather, went through a horrible turbulence and the pilot failed to land the plan in first two attempts. Never have I been happier to step off a plane.

The troubles aside I had a great time over the weekend. Every time I go there I get the feeling of going back home. I can see a few eye balls rolling on this comment. Let me tell you just because I haven't gone home in 5 years, does not mean that I have forgotten the feeling. OK! :p. Some highlights from the trip.

• Bhabhiji and Jaini as always were the most gracious hosts. Enjoyed every minute and had lots of fun reminiscing about the past. Hoping that they move to Raleigh.
• Nice to see Me2 and Swati staying as if they are in a 'live-in' relation even though they are married.
• Nice to meet ole roomies.
• Got a chance to lay my hands on the new 'PS3 Move' motion controller . Played on a home projection system and with audience :) sweet!!!!. It was interesting to get a glimpse into the psyche of ancient Romans. Archery, Tennis, Volleyball and Disc Golf were the least popular amongst the audience, Gladiator fights however were cheered the loudest.
• Driving, with the country side covered in snow.
• The 2 hundreds scored showed why the ODI format needs to be preserved. It gives true maestros enough time to showcase their art. Sachin scored his 47th ODI hundred and even though we snatched defeat from the jaw of victory after having snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. India was lucky to walk away with a point.
• Shopping @ Wrentham.
• and keeping the best part for last playing with JD (and his toys, sorry JD forgot to get a gift for you this time).