dahsiN's top 10

A lot of people, friends, relatives, park joggers keep asking me, How can you run so much ? How can you pedal for so long ? Why do you have to get up so early ? Why are you doing all this to yourself ? What do you get after doing all this ?
In order to answer all the above questions, I have created my Top 10 reasons, Why I am doing all this. I will start in the reverse order,

10. When I was 20 years old weighing 73 kg, I wasted (or rather enjoyed) my time playing Quake 3. College days, played quake 3 all day and night. Food I ate was all junk, Chicken, eggs, fried rice, Noodles, and what not. At the age of 24, I was 82 and I realised where I was heading. That's when I decided to lose weight.

9. Joining a Gym, a diet program was all tried and tested, nothing worked.

8. Running at first thought, was not for me. Like others, I used to bonk in just 1 or two rounds. Others of my age, completed 5-6 rounds in ease. That made me feel ashamed of myself. One day, I don't know, what happened, This running and cycling got into me. (In Marathi, we call it "zapatne") It became my habit, that every morning, I go to the park, run at least 3 rounds and come back. I took the harder way of losing weight, Run run and run. Cycling helps build your stamina, so cycling came along.

6. Of all the people I see around, I notice, 60% are overweight, if not overweight, they have a bouncing tummy. A survey has predicted that by 2040, all the people in US will be overweight. I have made up my mind, Never in my whole life, I will become overweight again, have a tummy like that. Today, I have a massive intake of food. In order to maintain, I have to go through all this running and cycling.

5. Nobody is born strong, You have to make yourself strong. People drop their jaws when they hear about my stamina, how much I can run or pedal. (I drop my jaw when I hear about real athletes, and their stamina) You need not be this strong, but at least you should have the stamina to walk the stairs 6 floors without running out of breath. Trust me, I was one of those who would come last in a 200 mts race. Afraid of the traffic on the road. Ate chicken as if it was the last chicken left on the earth. Waited for lifts to take me to the 2nd floor. Now, I don't care if the lift works or not. going up to the 10th floor is never a problem.
Check these 3 things in life, and you will live healthy :
a. Always use the stairs. Never take the support of the handles along the stairs.
b. Sit on the floor with your legs folded. When you get up, never take help of your hands. If you already have problems getting up, I doubt, you need exercise.
c. Everybody uses shoes. Majority of them tie their shoe laces while sitting on the chair. I say DON'T DO THAT. Make it a habit to pull your socks, tie the shoe laces while you are standing.

If you follow these 3 habits, you will never have a health issue. You might also not have to read all of my dahsiN's top 10 !!!

4. These habits help me save money ! Don't believe me ? I have saved a lot ! A descent bicycle cost me 4000 rs. I have done at least 10,000 kms on it. Imagine me buying a motorcycle and riding it for, lets say 10000 Kms. I might have consumed petrol worth 12000 rs + the actual cost of the motorcycle. I can travel to any part of Bangalore on my bicycle without second thoughts. I don't keep any shame in my mind about being such a grown up, and still riding a bicycle.

3. This habit has changed my lifestyle. Earlier, I used to sleep late, get up late. With this running in my mind, I have to go to sleep early, and wake up early. And you all know the benefits of a early morning walk. These habits make me stand out in a crowd. Instead of a me being recognized as on of the millions and millions of software engineers, I am better known to people as a guy who rides a cycle to his office and does a 10K run in his free time.

2. We have a company bus to our office, One of my team mate asked me, why don't you join the bus ? You can come to office, and go back sitting peacefully. I replied, " That is what I don't want" People find it easy to board an auto, bus or accelerating a bike. Instead of the easier way, I would rather choose the harder way. Accelerating a bike is easier than pedaling a bicycle. Even for the weight loss, joining a fitness centre, paying thousands and thousands of rupees to lose weight was much easier than running. I chose the hard way to lose weight, so, weight gain for me will be harder :-)

1. People say, riding a bicycle for such a long distance is crazy stuff. Yes it is !! but only in India. In many European countries, people respect cyclists. For them, no distance is too far on their bicycles. People ask, "What pleasure do you get by doing all this to you ? " I said, "Pleasure ? I do it for the pain" Yes, its as as crazy as riding a bicycle. Like most of us, my parents have brought me up in a very simple way. No costly gifts, no un-necessary spending, no fancy clothes. When I started earning, I was living a luxurious life. A salary which my parents would not have thought of when they were of my age. A few month's salary is enough for you to forget the pains your parents had to suffer, just to give you good food, good education, and a good life. Riding a bicycle or running long distances, hurts a lot. My legs pain, my stomach pains, my back aches. Every time they hurt, it reminds me about my parents, my relatives and all the good people who came in my life. There was pain when your mom's hands burnt when she prepared food for you. There was pain when your mom was worried about your illness. There was pain when your dad had to pay donations for your admissions. There was pain when you grew up and stopped listening to what your parents said. I feel good when my runs make me hurt. Maybe this is my way of thanking my parents for all the things they did for me! This pain will not go unnoticed. In a couple of years from now, my mom will see me as a healthy, fit, and a very active son.

The Banyan Experience

I was waiting for a long time for this one. Finally last sunday, we did it. I always wanted to go on a long bicycle ride. This one was perfect. A 30+ kms ride on the Bangalore Mysore Highway. Our Destination was The Big Banyan Tree.
Here is the route which we followed :


I was accompanied by my friend Paresh. We both started off at 5:15 am. It was all dark outside. We felt very nice riding our bikes on the empty roads of Bangalore. Somehow we had to reach Mysore road, we asked directions and finally hit the highway. From here it was a straight road. I have a cycle computer fitted on my cycle. It give accurate readings of my current speed, average speed, total distance etc. We recorded a top speed of 41 Kms/Hr on the highway. Everything was going as expected. Before leaving, we had decided to reach the Banyan tree in less than 3 hours. Within a hour, we had already covered more than half the distance.
Finally we saw a diversion board : "Way to Big Banyan Tree ----> " From here, it was 8 kms more. We happily pedaled our way towards the tree.

We passed through a small village. There were funny stares from the people there. Imagine 2 stupid guys wearing a helmet, T-shirt, shorts, shoes and riding bicycles in a remote village. We continued the journey and followed the only road ahead. We saw a couple of BMTC buses # 227 overtake us. I thought, If anything goes wrong, we always have a return ticket :-)



Finally, we reached. We saw a huge jungle, and we were sure, this was it. From the outside, it looks as if it is a dense forest, but actually its just one Banyan tree, with its roots spread all across. It was 7:30 am and we knew we were too early. The Banyan tree is surrounded by a compound, and has an entrance gate. We asked one guy, when will the gate open, and he said, "Welcome, the gate is open for you !"

We had brought our own breakfast. we sat under the tree, and had it. After that we roamed around, and decided to head back. The place was excellent, but you can spend a maximum of 1 hour over there. Also, If we decide to leave late, we would have to pedal our way in the afternoon sun.
So at around 9 am we started back. The sun was up, and we had started sweating. The return trip was all uphill. The highway was full of vehicles. and we two innocent riders were always riding on the edge of the highway. Our speed had dropped, we were all exhausted. We took a halt at Kengeri town. gulped a lot of water, and continued. As we proceeded, the conditions worsened, My t-shirt was all wet with sweat. Bangalore was still 18 Kms away. I was confident of making the distance, but Paresh was falling behind. This one was the first long distance ride for both of us ( Me and my bicycle :-) and of course Paresh) . After a 30 mins ride, we had another halt. gulped more water. We were near Majestic. Actually, we missed the Banashankari bypass, so had to travel till Majestic and back. Third halt was at Majestic. We had finished our water supply, so bought some more water, and finished it there itself. This journey lasted for more than 2 hours. Next stop : Jayanagar 4th Block. again thirsty. had sugarcane juice. Finally, the last stage of the journey, and within 20 mins we were home. We parked the bikes in the garage, looked at each other and smiled. My hands were all Sun tanned, Face, which is already dark, had become darker. That was a wonderful ride. I called up my friends and told them about the trip. They were amazed. Actually, The trip distance was not that much to get amazed. I could have done another 70 Kms on the same day, but my ass was not ready to bear the cycle seat.

Onwards Journey :
Trip Distance : 30.15 Kms
Trip Time : 01:48:22
Avg Speed : 16.4 Kmph
Max Speed : 41 Kmph

Return Journey :
Trip Distance : 39.44 Kms
Trip Time : 03:14:54
Avg Speed : 12.3 Kmph
Max Speed : 33 Kmph

Total trip Distance : 69.59 Kms
Total Trip Time : 05:03:16
Avg Speed : 14.3 Kmph

I am always ready for another ride. The next destination will be Nandi Hills.

I am Special !

After watching "Taare Zameen Par", I was wondering, these people claim, every child is special.
If everyone is special, there must be something special about me too ! I thought of some points which can make me special.
1. I don't smoke / Drink ?
There are many who don't smoke or drink.
2. I don't have a girlfriend ?
Many people don't have a girlfriend.
3. I spend money wisely.
Actually I don't. So I cannot be special.
4. Can I paint like Eshan Avasthi ?
here is the proof
5. I love my Mom.
Everybody loves their parents.
6. I like cartoons.
Not a valid point to qualify as special.
7. I am very emotional.
Again not valid.

Actually, I found 100 reasons, why I cannot be special. But there are a few good reasons which make me special.
I have never been to a Gym, but still people ask me, Whether I used to do wrestling (In Marathi we call it Kusti. This game is famous at my hometown Kolhapur.)
Nature has given me such a good built. Strong arms, strong legs. Good height. All the basic senses intact.
Now I am 25 years old. I looked back till the point I remembered, and asked myself,
When was the last time I was admitted to a hospital ?
Never.

When was the last time I took a Sick leave from Office ?
Not a single.

Did I ever break any of my bone ? Any Fracture ?
Nope.

Did I ever vomit ?
The last time I remember was when I was 17 years old, and I ate a lot of Mutton.

Did I ever suffer from any disease ? jaundice, TB, Typhoid, Cholera, Chicken Pox ?
I asked my mom. She said Never.

To be special, What more can you ask for from nature. (For me, Nature is God)

Recently, I figured out another special thing within me.
Its been 6 months, I have been going out for Jogging everyday.
I admit, I am at least 4 Kgs overweight, have an extra 2 Inches of tummy, and still I could run better than people who appear to be fit.
Recently, On nikeurunning.com, I found a VO2 Index Runners chart. according to that, My running pace is rated as "Excellent". When I tell people, I can run 10 Kms non stop. Their jaws drop.
I wondered, How can I run so much without getting tired ? I feel the pain, but that is at the toes. My Thighs never hurt, I never run out of breath (when running at a pace of 5 Kms / min)
If allowed, I can continue to run a marathon of 42 Kms at that pace non stop.
I think, I have the answer. Its my nose.
Lance Armstrong has slightly bigger lungs, which allow help him gather more stamina. Similarly, I have a bigger nose, from which, I can have a large intake of air in one breath. This fact is not proven by doctors. But I think I am right. Till yesterday, I kept cursing my nose. Half of the day, I keep scratching my itchy nose. Whenever I catch cold, I suffer wholesale !. (Imagine a Giraffe catching cough) But Now, I will use the same itchy nose for some good reason. That is what will make me special.
Because of my nose, I can run a long distance. Normal 'Fit' people get tired within just 1 km of run. I can run 10 Kms and dont get tired. After the run, I travel 3 Kms on my bicycle. Go home, I never feel tired. Of course, I get a snory sleep. But I dont collapse after reaching home.

Now, I will continue my runs. Improve my stamina. And one day, I will run a Full Marathon.
When I do it, I will consider myself, "Special"