The Runnerd

Hey guys! As you may have read, I'm running the TCS London Marathon for charity. Raising funds for the Royal Society for Blind Children. They're doing some great work to help blind and partially sighted kids live a life without limits.

Please do consider donating whatever you're comfortable with. No donation is too small to make a difference in these kids' lives. Thanks in advance. 🤗

Dhruv's fundraiser for Royal Society for Blind Children Help Dhruv Varma raise money to support Royal Society for Blind Children

Post-run 10k before a salad and fish dinner. Well, there were a couple drinks, and live music to make this dinner more glamorous than the average Tuesday-night dinner. But hey! At least I made healthy food choices and limited the drinks to 2. 😆

I was in two minds about going for this run last night Vs putting it off for this morning. I was tired and it was starting to get dark, but then just went ahead and put on my running shoes so I could just head out before I convinced myself to just lie on the couch and have a drink. I knew that the run would help me decompress way better than a drink. Turned out, I needed both! 😂

Managed to get another night of good sleep, so hopefully the jetlag will be behind me now. Still managed to get a few minutes late to work this morning, though! 🤷🏻‍♂️ It's crazy how time seems to sneak up on you when you feel you have enough.

Anyway, back to work for now. Looking forward to a rest day today. Hoping to catch up with some friends and colleagues for a beer.

Alright, back to work!

Ohh in case you missed my post and story from yesterday, I'm running the to support the Royal Society for Blind Children, . Please do consider donating to the cause. The link to my Fundraiser is in my bio.

Ciao!

Cloudy morning 8k, before work, yesterday. Jetlag had me up at 4 am! So after an hour (or two) of trying to go back to sleep, I decided to just go for a run, and get on with my day.

By the time I headed out, I barely had enough time for a 5k, but decided to run 8k anyway! 😝
Sure, that meant that I had to take a super quick shower, inhale my breakfast, and still be late for work. But it was worth it! 😄

Apart from being cloudy, it was also fairly windy and chilly. Between the chill, and awesome AQI, I was happy to push the pace a little. Had at least one sub 5 min km in those 8.

Had a fairly productive day at work, followed by a nice dinner at an old favorite, pan-Asian food place. Managed to fall asleep fairly early, yet again. But this time managed to sleep through the night. Probably thanks to the sake and/or the melatonin. 😄

Didn't quite have enough time for a run this morning but let's see if I can get one in, in the evening, or maybe tomorrow morning.

In other news, I've managed to get a spot in the , this year!!!!
I will be running for charity, raising funds for the Royal Society for Blind Children, .

I really appreciate all the great work they're doing to support young people with visual impairment, and their families! The link to the fund raising page is below, please do consider contributing whatever you can/are comfortable with. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions about the cause or the organization.

Can't wait to get some focused training started!!
Watch this space for more!
Back to work for now. Ciao!

https://www.justgiving.com/page/the-runnerd

Two 5ks, some 13k kms apart. Both the runs felt great but the travel in between, was rather painful, to say the least.

It all started on Friday night, I was to leave just before mignight for a 3:35am flight (to Austin via Frankfurt), which got delayed to 3:50. First, my -ever so reliable- driver decided to not show up or answer his phone! Luckily, I met me cousin downstairs and he very graciously offered to drop me to the airport.

I got to the airport at 1 am, managed to check in, go through the crazy lines at immigration and security, in good time. I bumped into my friend, in the security line! So we hung out over a bite and a drink, before he left to catch his 3:30 am flight.

I went to my gate around 3:15 and was told that the boarding won't start for another 30 mins. So I went and got another beer and came back at 3:45 to be told that the flight is delayed and the next update will be at 5am. 🙄

I went and killed more time, trying to stay awake. Went back at 5am and leant that the flight had been canceled! So now we all had to go back through immigration and collect our bags while the airlines rebooked us on different flights!

So we (chaotically) made our way to immigration And then collected our bags before exiting the airport. Luckily, by this time I was able to see the new flight on the app. It was a 12pm flight to Newark.

But given the fact that it was already 7am by then, and that I needed to be at the checkin counter by 9am, it didn't make any sense for me to go back home to freshen up. So I went up to the departures and waited for the checkin to open.

To make things rougher, there are no restaurants or lounges pre-security on the departure side. I managed to get a cup of tea and a chicken wrap from a kiosk and waited for the checking counter to begin. Finally went through check-in, immigration, and security all over again to board the 16.5 hr flight to Newark!

By the end of it I was just so beat that I didn't even have it in me to be mad anymore. The onward flight to Austin got delayed too! Anyway, I'm just glad I made it!

BTW, the AQI in Austin is 5! So at least my lungs are happy! 😁

Long run done! The weather, and more importantly, the air quality was just too good to put it off for later. Went for this lunchtime run with the intention of running 21k, ended up running 25k instead. 😁

It's remarkable how big an impact, a single night of rain can have on the weather and AQI. I mean, I was anticipating better air after the rain, but I wasn't expecting it to be this good! 😃 I thought we'd get a steady drizzle through the night, that'd lead to more fog in the following day's smog.
What I wasn't expecting was a proper storm, followed by a sunny, windy day!

The sun played hide and seek but was out long enough to keep the temperature rather pleasant, despite the winds.

I started by running up to . It'd been a while since I'd run there. Reminded me of the awesome time when both and were in Delhi and we'd go running there. Can't believe that was almost 4 years ago!! 🤯

After a couple of rounds inside the garden, I decided to venture out. Ran up Lodi road, past my school, turned on to ASM, and then ran around Lutyen's Delhi, appreciating the beauty of the freshly washed streets, trees, and buildings. Reminded me how pretty Delhi can be if it weren't for all the dust and mess. And the hoards of ppl, if I'm being completely honest, but that's a much bigger problem to solve. The dust, mess, and air quality, on the other hand, are manageable, if not solvable, issues. Hopefully, someday we'll get govts that have the will and conviction to do something about it. Something more than greenwashing and finger pointing.

Anyway, I continued my run onto Kartavya Path, before heading back towards ASM and then home. I purposely took the long route back to ASM, so I would complete at least 23k when I enter my neighborhood. That was my way of ensuring I don't stop at 21k.

As always, I was super happy to have gotten the run done. It's been easy running since the , needed this run to get back into the training mode for the !

Alright time to go pack! Flying out tonight! Ciao.

Shared the 'inspiration' medalwith the man who made it possible; my pulmonologist, Dr. Deepak Chaudhary. When I first got the dual medal, I thought it was two defective medals glued together. 😂
I repeatedly asked the volunteers about it and they tried to reassure me that they're all like that and that they're that way by design. Confused and still a little suspicious, I walked away wearing the conjoined twins.

Later, I asked a fellow runner about it and he showed me how they come apart and how one's an "inspiration" medal "to give to your spouse as bribe for enabling your running addiction." 😂

The inspiration medal just felt gimmicky at the time. But later when I started to reflect on the race, and how I was in no shape to run it, just a few days ago, it hit me that maybe this medal would be a worthy token of appreciation for my doc. And maybe it could even be source of 'inspiration' for his other patients with .

So I carried the medal to my appointment this morning. Had gone for my regular, pre-race check up, since I'll be running the in just over 2 weeks! It was great to see the smile and sense of pride on his face when I gave him the medal.
My wife often complains about how people seem to have lost respect for doctors, these days. So I guess this was my little way of expressing my gratitude and appreciation for my doc.

My plan was to go for a run right after the appointment. I was hoping that the AQI might get a little better as the sun comes out. But unfortunately, it only got worse from there. Luckily, the rain forecasted for the evening, came early! But then it refused to stop. 😂

Finally got a short window between the rain (just about) stopping and the evening's calls. So I decided to put on a parka and headed out for a run. Was super happy to get the run done, especially since I had to skip yesterday's run due to the horrid air quality.

The original plan was to run a 10k but didn't quite have the time for that. However, didn't mind the shorter distance since I'm planning to do my long run tomorrow, while the rain (hopefully!) keeps the air clean.

Alright, time to call it a night. Ciao!

Back to Delhi. Back to obsessing about the AQI. Back to running in the afternoons to minimize exposure to pollution. Back to clothes smelling like a campfire. 🙄
As much as I love being back home, part of me just wants to go back. But then again, I'm only here until Friday night! Heading to Austin, TX for work and then the !

The wife is highly suspicious of how the marathon is lining up so perfectly with my work trip. 😂 And while I don't blame her for being suspicious, I truly had nothing to do with the scheduling of either of the two events. I just got excited about the coincidence and signed up for the race, not realizing that it has more elevation gain than the ! Which, totally kicked my butt, just a few months ago. 😬🤦🏻‍♂️

Anyway, I'm just happy to be running the race. It's been on my wishlist for a while. There's something special about running a marathon in a city that you've lived in. Boston is the other city where I spent some considerable amount of time, but that marathon is a tad harder to sign up for! 😄

I'm also excited to finally be feeling a lot better, after weeks of ups and downs. I first got a cold then pretty much recovered, before it relapsed and turned into something even worse than the first one. Somehow managed to get in, just about good enough shape to run the ! And then managed to get a minor stomach bug in Goa. But luckily, it all finally seems settled today.

In fact, I felt great on this run. I almost couldn't remember how long it'd been since I felt this good on a run.
As usual, it took some pushing to get myself out the door, especially after the two day break. But once I got started, the world started to make sense again.

Can't believe I'm running another marathon in less than 3 weeks! Let's see how this goes. 😬🤞

Consistency demands commitment, and sometimes that commitment presents itself in the form of stubbornness.
Unrelenting, unreasonable, stubbornness.

Yesterday was one of those days, when I was stubborn as a mule, to get this run done. We were supposed to go meet our friends at the W Goa for some drinks at sunset. However, I woke up late and it was too warm to run in the afternoon. So I convinced everyone to head to the W, a little earlier, so I could run on the little beach in front of the hotel.

However, we got late heading out and ended up reaching just in time for our reservation, at 5pm. 🤦🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️
But much to my friends and family's annoyance, I still decided to go for the run. The wife was rather annoyed that I wouldn't just skip my run, since she too had to cancel her plans to go explore the Chapora Fort. But given the fact that I wouldn't be able to run for the next two days, I really didn't want to make it a 3 day break.
Hence, I was relentless in my commitment to go for the run.

I had driven there in my running gear and carried a change for after. So while everyone settled in and ordered their first round of drinks, I made my way down to the beach and started my run. I kept the pace slightly brisker than usual, to minimize the time away from everyone. Got done just before sunset. Joined the gang for a beer as we saw the sun melt into the ocean.

Once nature's grand show was over, we decided to head out for dinner. So I went and took a breezy little shower under the stars, at the roofless outdoor shower, by the pool.

We went out for more drinks after dinner, before wrapping up a rather fun and wholesome day in Goa. Can't believe this trip is already coming to an end. Not looking forward to going back to the toxic Delhi air. Ughhh!

Anyway, I really should go sleep now. Goodnight!

Beach runs hit different. Came to Goa after the . The wife and I had already planned to be here on the Republic Day weekend. So while she had to had back to work in Delhi, I figured I'd just come here directly and work out of here. I really didn't want to go back to the toxic Delhi air, if I didn't have to.
As if I needed an excuse to be in Goa for longer! 😆

The missus flew in last night and we have a few more friends that decided to join us here. So it should be a pretty fun long weekend.

About these two beach runs, went for an easy, recovery 5k on Tuesday and then an 8k yesterday. What was interesting was that both of these runs were preceeded by short swims! It's been awesome to swim again, after ages! I used to be a regular and a pretty decent swimmer but somehow that activity just faded away from my life. In fact, I now believe that swimming laid the foundation for my running. It helped me understand endurance.

Growing up with asthma, my doctor had recommended swimming as a good form of exercise. So I used to go swim almost everyday, in the summer. Every year my dad would give me some crazy goal of how many lengths per day I need to get to. So I got to the point where I'd do over 50 laps of a 25m pool, most of which would be consecutive, with all of them being at a leisurely pace. That focus on volume (lengths/distance) over speed, taught me how to get into that flow state where I could just get lost in the rhythm of motion, and within my own thoughts.

But once college started, or maybe even before that, I managed to lose touch with swimming. So many years later when I started running, I found myself in a similar state of flow and rhythm that I had completely forgotten about! Funnily, I didn't even make that connection immediately. But it ultimately hit me why that feeling felt so familiar.

Anyway, glad to reconnect with swimming, maybe I need to get back to more regular swimming, this summer.

Alright back to vacay mode for now. Ciao!

This one is dedicated to the 2 doctors that made this possible, my pulmonologist, Dr. Deepak Chaudhary and my fabulous wife, .

They say 'any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic', and while the treatment of a cold/flu may not seem like cutting edge tech, the fact that I was able to run (and finish!) this marathon, is nothing short of BFM (black-friggin-magic)!

Not gonna lie, running this race was HARD! But despite the misery, I was nothing but grateful to be able to do it. I felt grateful for the care that I was able to get, which also made me feel compassionate towards the millions who don't have access to good Healthcare.

So while I saw so many of my fellow Indians (including a bunch of runners and spectators at the marathon!) celebrate the inauguration of a temple, I couldn't help but notice the contrast between what was going on within me Vs the world outside. It made me wish that we, the people, demanded better air quality, clean water, proper nutrition, and better Healthcare (for all!) with as much passion and gusto, as we did a temple.

I know these aren't mutually exclusive. And I would love for us to have it ALL. But it just feels like we might have our priorities backwards.

Anyway, don't want to turn this post into a political debate, so coming back to the run.
Between the hills, humidity, air quality, and the shunted lung capacity, I went through all sorts of misery during this run. Yet, I somehow managed to enjoy it!

I had to adapt my pace to optimize for a level of discomfort that seemed bearable and sustainable.
Ended up with my slowest race ever (apart from the of course, but that was run at an altitude of 11.5k, which is a different ball game, altogether!). But timing seems insignificant for this run. I'm just thrilled to have finished!

Finish Lines >> Finish Times

It was heartwarming to see Mumbaikars of all ages come out to cheer! Senior citizens handing out fruits, kids giving hi5s, people screaming their lungs out, school kids with sign boards. 🤩 I had heard a lot about the and it lived up to every expectation. There's just no other race like it, in India.

They say 'it takes a village', to run a marathon. Turns out, sometimes it take a pharmacy, as well! 😆

Jokes aside, the last week has been a real struggle. Ever since my last long run, over a week ago, I've been dealing with pretty severe congestion and respiratory issues.

This week has reminded me of my childhood days, when I struggled with rather severe asthma. Having gotten considerably better over the years, I had forgotten how frustrating it can be. And while I don't usually like taking too many medicines, I am nothing but grateful for all the meds and my exceptional Doctor(s); Dr. Deepak Chaudhary, my plumonologist (and my in house doctor, aka my wife!).

I'm still nowhere close to feeling 💯. But even getting to the point where I could imagine going for this run, after a week long break, was a victory for me.

Went for a short and easy test/shakeout run with , yesterday. We kept the pace easy as we weaved through the infamous Mumbai traffic and crowds. However, despite the easy pace, my breathing felt rather labored. I knew that running any longer or faster wouldn't be sustainable. So I chatted with Dr. Chaudhary, shared how I was feeling and reported my

Reliving the awesome, awesome with the official race pics! I know, I know, I've been sitting on these for a while! But it's hard to believe that this was over 10 weeks ago! I'm still riding that post-race high from this event. 😁🤷🏻‍♂️

I guess the other reason for the delay in posting these, was the fact that I didn't buy the photos right after the race. I was contemplating whether I should be spending any more money on this race. 😄 Of course, I too knew that I'm going to buy them but just wanted to ease myself into that decision. So while I was trying to convince (read fool) myself that I make financially prudent decisions, black Friday came around! So decided to pull the trigger. 😄🤷🏻‍♂️

This race was one of the toughest, yet funnest races that I've ever run! I guess that's the reason it was also one of the most memorable and rewarding experiences of my life, so far.
So, of course I was going to buy the pictures! 😂

I love how these pictures capture the pain and the joy I experienced while running this race. The landscapes, the noise, the music, the people, the weather, the vibe, it was all just electric! And while pictures just can't do justice to that experience, they work as stimulants to trigger rather vivid memories and the associated emotions, for me. I really hard time picking just 10 photos for this post. There are some where I have my game face on, some where I'm just ecstatic, and others where I'm just in the , miserable and angry at the friggin race and the stupid elevation! 😂

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I absolutely loved this race. 😇🫶