Wayand - Edakkal caves and Running TCS 10k

So the travel and running items are continuing and this time for summer vacation we headed towards Kerala. The closest option from Bangalore was Wayanad so we headed out to stay at Blue Ginger in Vythri were went spent good two nights.

The drive through Bandipur was nice and it in fact started to rain when we were there.

Its around 300km from Bangalore and takes around 6 hours to reach there. We went via Mysore bypass to Nanjungud, Gundlupet, Sulthan Bethary. Follow the google maps from this route and then it should be easy. There is another route from Nagarhole as well but we did not try that.

Chemabara peak behind in the background (above pic).
 I also spotted a Malabar squirrel !

Edakkal Caves

We had some good hiking experience with Aadu for the first time. But we did manage to scale lots of stairs and photo clicking around.

Pookut lake and Lakadi viewpoint

This on the way to Kozhikode (calicut) from Wayanad. Did some boating in the pookut lake.


Running TCS 10K

So Ani and I did our first official 10K ! Though we had done couple of 10k's earlier but this was with timed chips. Way too crowded but it was fun.



All plans for Ani's first half marathon (21k). We will start with training from mid-june and are aiming for the Kaveri Trail Marathon in September. Guess we should be able to do it in 2.5 hours.

All in all running continues.

Keep running and have good health !

2015 Rewind & 2016 - The Year of Running !

Happy New Year 2016, and I hope this will be a great year on your fitness front.


2015 Wraps up
So we finally wound up 2015 with a trip Coorg and finally to Hyderabad.


Coorg and Nisargadhama




The Zoo at Hyd was kind a ok, most of the animals were asleep but we had a great walk though.
But it was a nice family outing





Ani had not seen Golconda, so we made sure we did a couple trip. The steps were kind a easy !




BTwin - Rockrider 340



Ani got me a nice cycle for cross-training and we zeroed in on Decatholon's BTwin Rockerrider 340. Seems a good cycle so far, but need to really do a long ride (~50Km) to see how it fits in.

2016
So 2016 started on the right note with Ani playing hard for her first 10k run this year at Pinkathon.



She has been training hard clocking 5K in less than 40 mts. By year end she should be close to 9kmph.

I also caught with the fitness App bug and this time finally "Endomondo" seems a decent option.
Still I need an App where I do not have to manually say what activity I'm doing. Only Google Fit does this, but its a shame that I cannot share the logs - kind a "Un-Social" !!

As Zukerberg says, this is year of running and 365 miles is the target, so thats 1 mile a day !!

Until then, Happy Running and Cycling !!!!

Ani - the new 10K kid on the block, Trip to Germany and Drive to Kanchipuram

So finally it took more than five years of marriage convince Ani and here she is finally doing her first 10K, and that too at a pretty good time, 1.11 (1 hr and 11 mts). Thanks to her office which organised this charity run for the employees and their family members !

In the hindsight, it wasn't that difficult but I guess the 5K runs which she used to do made her job easier, and of course the fine Bangalore weather. Its been my first 10k this year as well.


So what next, may be couple of more 10k in the next 12 months and in 2017 Mumbai half !



Germany, Munich and Austria Trek

I was in Munich just a week before the Oktoberfest and took some cycling tour from Marienplatz.

Just one guy and wonderful Bavarian ladies !


Trek at Austria

We drove down from Munich and had a great trek across this great lake.

Quick drive to Chennai and return via Kanchipuram

We drove to Chennai for just a day and while coming back visited the Ekambarnath temple. It is part of the pancha-bhootha (Five basic elements) forming the "earth/land" !

All in all things are stabilising on the weight front - still maintaining sub-80 ! The plan is to reach sub-79 by year end with those coming festival seasons to dodge for !

Until then, Keep Running !

Goa beaches, Aadu @ 4 and my Pegasus 31

De-facto Nike

Time for Nike Vomero 9 to retire, it has help overcome my injury and come back to running !
So after Ani zoomed in with her Pegasus 31, I also wanted to upgrade my Vomero 9. I was contemplating between many choices, like Vomero 10 or Pegasus 32 (had just arrived), or Asics GT 2000 /Nimbus or go for AdiBoost..... But then some quick look at Myntra/Jabong for deals and I finally zeroed in for Pegasus 31, Neon Pink. This was my first shoe buy online. Turns out to be a great decision (Made in China, unlike the one in stores are Made in Vietnam)


Its in fact a pink color (if you use flash while taking the pic with a hint of orange). Yes, when I looked at the pictures while shopping it was little orange in color, though the text clearly read "Neon Pink". But I was getting almost 50% off and since I was planning to use this shoes only exclusive for running (I generally have separate shoes for running and office wear, but Vomero 9 was exception which I used for both as I was recovering for plantar fasciitis), it didn't matter.

Somehow, I needed to overcome this fear of wearing pink !


Go go Goa....

Finally I left my current job after 6 years and have moved into a new role. So just before I take up the new assignment we decided to take a small break and bumped into Goa for a weekend. We wanted to try the west coast

Aadu as usual liked the sand and stuff...

South Goa it was and we were at Ramada. Nice huge property, with kind a private beach.

Did try some hands on beach volleyball


South Goa is all resorts and beaches, calm and serene and it was in fact a mix rains and sun. Visited Lady Briganza's Portuguese house which has now become a museum.




















Aadu turned 4

It was birthday time and Aadu has made quite a lot of friends which was evident on his birthday.




So on the running front Ani and I are planning a 10k and we will come out with our first together running ever pics soon ! That should sign off this year, may be with one short trip to Mysore or Ooty ! Keep Running and Eat Healthy !

Gujarat, Mahabs, and Ani the Runner

So 2015 has started on a running note. In short the first level of weight-loss targets have been achieved.

I was in Gandhinagar, Gujarat in early Jan for a workshop. Its a great place and I enjoyed my stay there. Swati Tiffins in Ahmedabad is the best place to have traditional Gujarati snacks. Its near Lowe Garden.

 At Petroleum Institute, Gandhi Nagar, Gujarat.

Lazing around Sabarmati River.

Visited Sabarmati Ashram, Akshardham (Evening Lazer show is worth it), and some shopping.


Mahabalipuram

So another beach town this time. Aadu's vacation had just started and the summer was setting in and we wanted to go a beach resort. Since Pondicherry was done last year, and west coast was not that inviting, we decided to head outskirts of Chennai and Mahabalipuram turned out to be a great choice.

 Outside, Madras Crocodile Bank.

We stayed at the MGM beach resorts. Aadu and Ani enjoyed themselves. Went to crocodile park, Arjuna's Penance and Dakshin Chitra. It was very hot but we still enjoyed it. The drive was easier and we took a bypass road to East Coast Road from Sriperumbatur. It was a breeze to drive from Bangalore and that too with google maps enabled, finding directions weren't an issue.

Ani - the new running kid on the block

So finally after five years of marriage Ani got hooked into running. She upgraded to Pegasus 31.

Its a breeze according to her. Even I tried the Pegasus 31 it was super smooth. Since I've Vomero 9 going strong I'll wait for some more time. I also tried on the new Vomero 10 but found it a tad heavy.

Bangalore Trips

Pics from Xiaomi - Redmi 2 !



Otherwise, its half way down the year and things are pretty cool on the running front. More as we progress !!

Until then, Keep Running !

Aadu's birthday card

It was a great surprise to get a handmade card from Aadu on my birthday ! 33 !

It was also back to be shape after the viral attack. Pretty much everyone in the family were down.
But nonetheless we achieved our weightless targets by 2kgs !

So Diet has been one thing that has taken serious shape as part of the new year resolutions. As the foot injury seems to soothe, running and efx are pretty much part of the daily routine.
So in the next couple of months we have another couple of kgs to shed !

Trying out health Apps but have not caught the fancy yet !

Been to Ahmedabad for a week. Will review it next !

Wonderla, Chennai Again, Plantar Fasciitis, Voomero 9

So, finally some time to write 2014 summary blog. This year has been a comeback of sorts into running, a little injury.

Chennai Again

Chennai seems to be our new found holiday place. We were at Chennai for the third in this year. Unbelievable ! And seems like 2015 will also have Chennai - first in our itinerary.

 At the Grand Chola ! We had a great stay here over the weekend, traveling Shatabdi !

We finally ended 2014 with a weekend stay at Wonderla. Aadu enjoyed his rides at wonderla.
Its a pretty decent place for kids.

Even I tried one of the most easiest rides, and look below for my shouts !!

We stayed at the wonderla resort, which has kids activity room, heated pool, decent gym.

Good old cycling days. Rs 100 per hour.

The buffet breakfast was also good and so were the cycle rides.


Plantar Fasciitis

The small nag after the TCS run turned out to be plantar fasciitis. Probably weight or some jumping jacks had led to this. So most of my running took a hit the second half of the year. After trying a dumb orthopedic to Ayuervdeic massages, finally a neat youtube video helped me fix this problem.
The idea is to strengthen the muscle by following those stretches.


Currentyly from last few weeks I've started with my weekend runs at Lalbagh. I've tried few tappings and use a heal cup in my shoes. This helps relieve the pain.

I tried the below taping that helps. I use to before the run. Check the video for more details. You can buy leukoplast adhesive tapes (white color), size 5x5.

But this below stretch was the most useful to me. I did this for almost 2 weeks and I could see the results The below video exactly summarises my pain area as well.

 I tried the below foot massage with a hard tennis ball. This was also very useful.

Nike Voomero 9

Finally the Nike Voomero 9 turned out to be a great shoe for me. Coming to Nike feels good, especially if you are looking at some good cushioning. I've clocked close to 100 miles in this one things are pretty good so far. In fact I use this for my office wear as it helps me immensely during the day ( i generally do not use running shoes for office).

Sketechers Performace Go Walk 2 - Ladies

Ani also caught the running bug and she upgarded herself to Sketecher GoWalk 2 series. Seems like a great shoes for brisk walking and general walking. I'll ask her to review

Cross Training - EFX

We bought a cross trainer (EFX) so that I can do some cross training when I'm not running. This was from Propel Fitness and - CX 86 and with a good bargain. Have been using for 3 weeks now and seems good. Will review it later.


All in all 2015 should be the year of one half marathon, and hopefully a Mumbai full in 2016. Hope to meet the weight loss targets in next couple of months and improve upon endurance. On the travel front, couple of beach visits (Chennai and Kerala), drive to Hyderabad, Mysore Zoo and others are planned.


Wishing you all a healthy and prosperous new year 2015 !

-- Keep Running --- ABa