Marathon 2016

My fifth ever marathon run coincided this time with the one hundred year celebration in Ireland. Last year was a disappointment and my blog back then reflected that. the Illusory red balloons. This year was nothing different. End of story. Well, though I was not completely satisfied, I should not complain either. I did slightly better than last year. Just improved by another four minute. The same kind of gain as before. There is something different to the experience as compared to the last one.
To begin with, this year my outdoor activity has been split. I have done as much as cycling as I have been running . Clocking a  total distance of 490 km running, while I put in 1960 km in cycling. in the past one year alone. It's quite shocking to see these stats by the end of the year. Kind of blows my mind away , that in total I spent over seventy thousand calories in just running and cycling.

The training for my running this year was split into two, The first quarter I was focussed on getting a 10K run in 45 minutes. I managed to get that done in 45 minutes. Which were 5 minutes better than the previous year. The rest of the year was mostly cycling and majority of the running, well over one hundred kilometers  in the last month of October alone.

This was my Achilles heel in training which I only realized later . The week previous to the big run managed to get 27 km run done in two hours eighteen minutes with a  respectable Avg heart rate of 171 bpm. That gave me the confidence that I could pull this off easily. (proved wrong later) .
the bank holiday Sunday was finally upon me. Collected my race pack from RDS next door. I got a sense that this was huge this time. well over 19,500 participants this time. My chip number 10800.

Sunday the 30th was the best anyone could expect weather wise. It was a nice thirteen degree with gentle breeze under 6 kph. To my own surprise, I was not wearing a thermal wear. I had not worn it throughout 2016! The turnout was massive. seeing close to twenty thousand people on the street is amazing and quite a rare sight. I was inspired by few of the participants I noticed at the green wave. A soldier from the Irish army in full gear. A firefighter in full gear . There was the now common, superman, and batman. The green wave has the flag off at ten past nine. I started off with a slow run, 6minutes for the first kilometer. it was kind of congested to pick up any pace. But I was determined not to up the pace and keep it slow and steady. The focus was to get my energy level up till the finish line. was aiming for a pace of just under five minutes thirty which would keep my heart rate at a comfortable 170 bpm.
The kilometers kept ticking ant I was holding a steady pace till the 32nd kilometer. I was already in celebratory mode. I had just another ten kilometers to go. The three hour fifty pace keepers were right beside me. All I had to do is dig deep and keep the pace steady.  Few tips that kept me ticking was nibbling away at the free jelly beans handed by the good Dublin folks. I had a banana handed out by a kid, which I am very grateful for. Also kept sipping water to keep hydrated. All is going good, right; WRONG!
After that I cannot explain what happened, I could not keep the pace, I was fighting with myself to keep running the whole distance. I decided to walk 100 meters for every 900 meters of running. That's the only way I could see myself getting to the finish line . This one stat of my pace  alone is self-explanatory .

It has to be mental because I did not have any cramps , nor did my muscles tighten up. Mysteriously I had lost all the energy and my body was not able to deliver them. I had three gels and that was not doing it for me. The red balloon went past me again this time, to my total dismay when I was just three kilometers from the finish line.
My daughter and wife were by Merrion road, outside my home to cheer me up. That gave me some joy. I had to keep chugging along at least for them. I had seen many collapses along the route, but what broke my heart is when a chap fainted just 100 meters from the finish line. The medics rushing to him was the last thing I remember. I had to take ten steps walking at that point thankful that I am still able to walk. The final 50 meters mustered all that I could in me and crossed the finish line. I thanked the lords. I spent well over 40 minutes just sitting by the curbside on Merrion square park. tried to get some food in me. gently limped back to my bike, made my way to home to sleep for two hours straight.
What a day!! Dublin Marathon Vs me is still 1-0. But I am not giving up just yet; am I .

The First

For everything, there is a first. The first job, the first car, the first home, first child
There is one more first that very few of us remember but it truly is the most significant. The first birthday. There are two ways to go about it. The kid is not going to remember the first birthday celebration anyway so why to bother. It quickly dawned on us it is not for the child but for yourself. A child getting through the first yea

r of life is a significant achievement in biological terms.
We were far from family and relatives so the celebration had to be just between us and friends.
In Dublin or outside was the next question. But the answer to that was easy since my wife and I always wanted to visit an island resort since the last couple fo years. Leverage this opportunity to hit two birds, one stone.
Fota Island Resort in Cork is a place many of our friends have been and had only good things to say about it.It was one of the top destination places to be at in Ireland as well. We booked a self-catering lodge at the resort for three night four days right away.
The countdown to the day had begun, train tickets booked lodge booked for the weekend of April the twenty-fourth 2016. With the remaining few weekends were spent in shopping for dresses and shoes for the birthday girl and ourselves.
The lodge was a three bedroom accommodation and we were thinking we might feel lonely just the three of us there. We decided to invite a friend of mine and his good wife to join us for the celebration. A very simple celebration that is.
Packed our bags and took off on Friday morning at the morning train to Kent train station, Cork.
The journey was extremely comfortable. At cork, we went to the nearest M&S and shopped for some food, snacks, cakes and sweets enough to keep us happy over the weekend.

A short taxi to the Island was all it took for us to be wowed by this amazing island. I still can't figure out how this is an island since we did not cross any bridges. I am not complaining. as we entered the gates where were plenty of wooded areas and pristine green golf courses spread all over. We drove up to the main hotel and picked up the keys to the lodge. There were two such blocks of lodges space by half a kilometer.  We were put up in a corner lodge with the children's play area right behind it.
The lodge was a duplex in mint condition. Everything we could think of was available and the bedrooms looked so cozy. We unpacked quickly had some quick lunch and stepped out for a walk.
We were given maps of the four different routes within the resort. we decided to explore the short one. It lead us to a beautiful meandering path within the woods. Everything looked so lush and green. The sound of water, the breeze flowing through the leaves of very tall trees, the birds chirping and squirrels scampering across the foliage felt like we had reached a magical place.  Almost forgot that we still are in the middle of civilization. Just beyond the woods, we could see the golf course.
The routes were a bit confusing but we were not completely lost. We care around to the back of the Main hotel. There was beautiful gazebo placed down the hill. A small bridge to get to it. To our complete surprise as we walked up the bridge water fountains sprouted all over. There even was an orchestrated water jet going over and above us while on the bridge. Impressive display.  Spend few minutes there while we let Gayathri try out her walking skills. She had just barely learned to walk a couple of weeks ago and was honing in on her skills.
Back at the lodge , watched some telly and cooked food. Our friends from Dublin arrived the next day morning (Saturday). It was great having them over and share our joy. Gayathri got her birthday gift which she loves.

 We all decided to walk around the island to the Fota wildlife sanctuary on the other end. On the map, there was a yellow route that was supposed to take us there. We tried to follow the route to the best of our abilities but we ended up getting lost. SO big was the island that we had to ask someone to get back. Exploration was fun and the cloudy weather did not help us with GPS being useless.
We somehow followed the edge of the golf course and got back to the main hotel. To our surprise , the staff forgot to mention that the yellow path no longer exists though it's clearly marked on the map. We were offered a free shuttle to the sanctuary which was nice. So we decided to head over on Sunday. Back at the lodge, we spent time chatting away, cooking dinner together and having a good time.
Sunday morning , I started decorating the living room with the little supplies we had brought over. The cake and the sweets laid out, the little princess dressed in her fancy new dress and it was time. George and Teena joined us in singing Gayathri's first birthday song. She looked clueless and amused that all of them were singing the same song. We enjoyed the cake and sweets.


It was time for the free shuttle and we got to the Fota wildlife sanctuary. it was a massive place now compared to what it was seven years ago. That is when I visited last. There was a new jungle section with Tigers. The spider monkeys were the most entertaining. The dexterity of these creatures and how flawlessly the navigate through the tree tops jumping and swinging away from one branch to the next. They even use their tails as hooks to hang upside down to grab on to the next tree. All of this at a striking pace that totally took me by surprise. The other top entertainment of the park were the peacocks. These birds had to show off and it was absolutely worth it. the pictures speak better than I can describe.
We had five hours for the return shuttle to arrive  and we could not reach few of the exhibits. It was time well spent. Back at the lodge, we had some time to walk around in the garden and let the little one play in the play area. George and Teena had the return train that evening . We stayed over that night had a photo shoot of our own. finished up the food that we had brought for the weekend.
 Monday morning we had the first train out of Cork back to Dublin . A weekend to remember for few of the "firsts". The first visit to Fota resort and the First birthday celebrated there. The history book of Gayathri now will always have Fota, Cork as the place where she celebrated her First year of arriving into our life, arriving into this world.

Welcome to VR

Generally I do not write blogs about gadgets or stuffs I have bought. I do make an un-boxing video. Even if that was the rage five years ago, I am still fascinated by un-boxing video.
With this new gadget I bought, I sure did make an un-boxing video but what amazed me so much with it was, the possibilities. This is truly one of the most affordable , mass market gadget that's going to push the technology to the next level. Its Virtual Reality. It has its ups and down. The Downs' coming up first..
In this day and age we see almost every one scratching away at a mobile device in their hands like as if there is no tomorrow. If not a rare moment occurring in front of them is being viewed on a small screen rather that soaking it all up in fullness on the spot.  No one wants to speak to the person sitting next to them in a train or a bus, they are more than happy to stay in their own world staring at a five inch screen. Thankfully there are few sane pubs that offer no Wi-fi and encourage people to socialise in reality, but not on Facebook. I still don't understand, what it means "accepting Friend Request" on face book. In real life, has anyone ever come over and asked, "Will you please accept my request to be friends with you?" Obviously not, then why does it seem so normal doing it electronically. Are we really "Friends" : "Friends" in the virtual world, or is everyone being too nosy about others lives, because theirs own is too boring to be lived. People are zoning out of reality and me having a eleven month old daughter am concerned about the world my little girl is growing up into. This little gadget that I have bought it taking this zoning out to the next level. Seriously to the next level. A good pair of headsets and this VR headset is all you need to take two out of the five essential senses away from this world. Sight and hearing. The person sitting right next might be having a stroke and the one wearing the VR is living or is enthralled in another world.
Now that the downs have been served up in Dollops, On the plus side. This VR world can take you places where ever you want to, or at least limited to all the media that is available to you . You want to be in the middle of the thick Amzonian jungle, and hear the sounds, yes you can do that with few clicks. Inside the space station, touring all the modules ( my all time, personal favourite) Yes you can!
The possibilities are awesome. My wife normally gives out about me letting the boy in me getting the better of me and I indulge myself in such gadgets. But this one, she has nothing to say one she tried on the set. It was just WOW! after WOW! . I did take the device to work to give a demo. A mate of mine who generally despises me at the tech stuff I buy was instantly sold within few seconds of trying it on. Other younger friends of mine were more than surprised. All of them walk away after trying this headset with just one thought. "Unbelievable".
 The response time of the image that one sees every time one moves the head is very quick. You look one way and the cross hairs that lets one select is right there. Movies can be played in true cinema style. A large screen in front and empty seats all around. The exit signs and the stairs leading to it all clearly visible. If you were in a couch , I sure do not find a reason why not believe that you in an empty cinema hall. A great pair of head sets sure does add to the complete experience.
This new platform has a great future of being an educational tool. Google has already capitalised on that potential at classroom level with its Google cardboard. Students can virtual be at places to look at the wonders of the world, bottom of the ice caves or be right next to a great white shark. Visual aids that are memorable and powerful  which no blackboard or projectors can replicate.
I am not that much into gaming, but I tried a couple and immersive it sure is. You get to sit right next to the characters while looking up at a gunship that has just been shot down. Gamers paradise!
Samsung has also got an app in there to just browse the internet, so YouTube galore. Every video clip can not be in cinematic mode. The true advantage of this application is that one can lie down and reorient the screen to be where ever you want it to be. So I generally have it on the ceiling while I lay down and watch with supreme comfort . I cannot think of any other place where the such a large screen is at that position for all that visual experience.
Occulus who pioneered the VR concept, has a tie up with Samsung and hence such top quality technology is made available on every Samsung S6 and beyond phones. The Occulus app store allows you to shop for movies and games. This does mean a natural product line extension to
apps that are sold in millions. 360 degree videos, photographs, movies, games is going to become main stream in a couple of years. Go Pro the market leader in action cameras have a 360 degree camera lined up for release this year which means the action footage is going to be complete. This will change the whole market for VR. Nokia, Samsung, HTC and many others have go such 360 degrees camera's lined up. Now it has just become a matter of time, when VR will be a part of normal day to day life, just like how scratching on a screen all day long to stay engaged, or a "Friend Request" on a website is normal. The truth is , it horrifies me and amazes me wondering about the future at the same time.
Mixed feelings really

Here is a video clip of the up-boxing of VR headset.

"Grand Fun Do" - Cycling at Granfundo Westport

The past year, I have taken up a new sport along with my running. Cycling, has struck a chord with me. After my Dublin to Sligo charity cycle on a borrowed bike, I bought a good pair of wheels for myself at a dear price. In the past year and a four months I have put in more than one thousand four hundred kilometres on it and counting.

Few other mates joined me for the early morning spins. Really early morning, half four. We regularly did fifty kilometres every week. I would additionally do another fifty on weekends by myself. This kept going on for few months, until the day one of them suggested we take part in a sportive event. All of us agreed and quickly signed up. That also meant, training up. It was 122 km route along the scenic routes on Connemara, Co Mayo, West coast of Ireland. The excitement was building up, so much so that I bought a go pro camera to capture the event. I had a few practice spins with the camera beforehand. Editing the footage with metadata overlay and colour correcting was all new skills I had to learn.

Alan and I had a few serious spins to get to the 100 km mark, just so to check if we really had it in us. I noticed that I was depleted by the seventy kilometre mark and I needed food to top up. Bought some extra gear like overshoes and full length trousers just to be prepared for the worst of the weather.

It was March the 11th and the logistics were all sorted. We rented one car to throw in two bicycles and booked a B&B at Westport. Alan drove his car with two bicycles in it. So the four of us set off on a busy Friday evening. It took us over four hours to get there. The first port of call was the Castle court hotel where we had to register and pick up our race packs. First aid kit and reflective blanket was mandatory along with the usual extra bits and bob one needs for a sportive like this.

We checked in at the B&B, we had requested for an early breakfast since the race starts at eight. Three of us went to grab a bite and a pint. Now that the energy levels are all topped up a good night’s sleep is all that was required.

Race Day:

Water bottles topped up, and the tyres pumped to 110 psi, cycling gear on, Jersey pockets filled with energy gels and finally the race number pinned to the back of the Jersey we were all set. Had porridge and cereal for breakfast and off we went to the briefing area at castle court. Seven hundred cyclists out of which 277 for the the longer route.

The entrants for the longer route had an early start at eight AM. The event manager was clear and concise about the course. The weather was mild at thirteen degrees and less than 25 kmph winds. Just what we wanted. We started with a rolling start off from Castle court. Few camera poses and three kilometres down the line was the official start line.

Everyone were trying to find the pace they are comfortable in.

Alan and I stuck together for most of the route. Our pace matched and we kept it steady. Meanwhile we kept jumping groups until we found a bunch of cyclists who matched our pace. Never have I taken part in a sportive such as these and I was not sure how things would fall in pace. I was well aware that cycling in a group is the most efficient way of cycling. A cyclists third behind the lead cyclists spends thirty percent lesser energy to propel forward. On the course it felt natural that such groups kept forming. Cyclists who could not keep up, dropped behind, but those who could maintain stayed in such tight groups, often just six inches behind the wheel of another. I sure does sound we are drafting on some ones hard work as the lead. For over ninety kilometres Alan and I was part of such a group. Couple of times, I did shoot to the front and took the lead for over ten kilometres, just to show that I am contributing to the group as well. It turned out not to be a good idea, since I drained lot quicker and soon I was looking for energy.  Alan kept telling me, "don't go to the front of the group Badri, stay behind" . 

There is some level of grossness to cycling in such groups. Every often one needs to spit or clear the nose, no one had time to stop, so it all has to be on the go. Some just spit on their own jerseys some try their best to avoid the ones behind. But nothing much can be done. Second, is on a wet section, the tyre wash is in your face. The dirt and grime from the tarmac is on your face into your mouth if open. Yuck!! In Spite of all this, there is no time to even think about it. Just keep pedalling ahead, keep up the pace. 

The event was well organized. We had clear markings along the route to watch out for deviations. At corners where caution had to be exercised, race marshals were present with red flags, with clear verbal warnings as what laid ahead.  There were markings on the road as to the road condition and bends that came up. There was a camera crew in an Audi, and couple of motor cycles zipping by two and fro to keeping a good vigil on the cyclists. 

Close to the ninety kilometre mark where I had already passed two food station, i was craving for food. My water was low, so that is the point where Alan went by with the group. I topped up the bottle and had a banana costing me seven minutes. From that point onwards I was by myself most of the way. I did meet a fellow veteran racer on a steel bike. He must be sixty plus and he was keeping up the pace on his heavy bike. That is when you find new respect for the sport and the commitment of the participants. The route was simply too scenic to be missed. I did take some time to not worry about pace, but lift my head up and absorb the beautiful hills of the west coast. The road alongside the Kellymoore abbey was smooth as chess board. The lake on the left, the Abbey by the right with the backdrop of the gorgeous hills with the smooth tarmac ahead was bliss. It was a great feeling, to be putting out the watts with other fellow cyclists at that moment. 

My wife and I had been to these places on the same route before on a day trip. But at that point, I was not in a position to refresh all those memories.  We cycled around the lake where we once went on a two hour cruise. And we were on the return leg that is when the last challenge was waiting for us. It was a steep climb for three kilometres. That was the point when I was at the largest cog on the gears and willing to be as slow as I can to keep the balance. It was tough and standing up to cycle did no good. My heart rate only climbed as the elevation did. I could go as low as seven kmph which is slower than even my running speed. All I had was to get to the top of the hill. Really SLOW and steady was the mode. 

Once past the hill, the best part of the hill, the downhill; that's what I thought. I was wrong, the other side had really bad patches of roads with some acute corners. The Marshals had warned us to be extremely cautious. I could not get gravity to take at me at full speed there. Every Time I braked, tears almost rolled off my eyes (exaggerating). All that momentum lost.

At the hundred kilometre mark was the final food stop. Here there were tents set up and hot beverages served. I had to fight the temptation and make a flying pass at the stop just stopping for a mere thirty seconds to grab few Jaffa cakes from the volunteer. 

Energy levels were low and I had run out of the last gel at the climb of that nasty hill kilometres behind me. There was no groups now to draft behind to conserve energy. All I had, I had to give. The weather at this point was bright and roads kept getting better. We hit the wide N roads and I could hardly see anyone neither in front of me nor behind. The road looked familiar as this was the one we took on the way out. I just put my head down and kept at it. Then a sign which more than boosted by spirit showed up. "10 kilometres to the finish line". My Garmin concurred, the end was near.

Finally one cyclist caught up and I drafted him for a few kilometres and then he did the same with me. The volunteers as I approached showed up more often with red flags, cheering us along shouting out how close the finish line is. Music to my years. The final left corner and there it was. I was so overjoyed, that I let go of the handle bars and did that the pro's do at the finish line. Felt really good. A pretty girl was handing out the medal and I remember telling her “You have no idea how much this one means to me”.

Clasping the medal, i rode on the last few feet, hung up the bike on the stand and got on both my feet. It left like my legs were made of Jelly, wobbling around I looked for Alan's bike. He was at the message tent. He got in 15 minutes ahead of me. Grabbed at least five croissant and a cup of soup and some bananas. Fed myself and waited for Mihir to come in. 

After half hour of feeding myself, I headed back to the B&B. Took a shower and then I was on the bed and I was out within seconds. I slept for an hour and woke up to feel my legs fully functional again. 

The lads came later on. That evening we all headed out to celebrate the race. Had a few pints and good Indian food at "the Everest" restaurant. The food was amazing and all we had to talk about was the race. Analyse and dissect every moment each one had on the race. What worked for them, what did not? As we had our dinner, we checked for the results on the phone. I was the 74th  position out of the 270 odd cyclists which I think is respectable. I was able to complete the route in four hours forty six minutes. Alan was 49^th, Mihir 111^th and Lee 264^th .

Lee did have a tough time, but that was purely due to lack of training. But I have so much respect for the man for not giving up. He kept it going and made sure he was on the saddle at the finish line.

We rested up well that evening, and the Sunday morning, it was time to pack the bags, check out and hit the road. As we started driving towards Dublin we noticed many cyclists as part of a club cycling together. I had so much of respect for them and I respect myself more than I had known for partaking in such an awesome event. Thoughts about the next event popped up then,  and by the time I am writing this, I have already signed up for the next sportive and training has been planned. 

Here is my short video diary

The race route