Windmill 5K

34 minutes for the 5K on a hilly and tough trail. Also, didn't warm up well before the run.

Better timing than expected at the start of the run. The course was scenic in Holland township, NJ

Two good runs at LSP

Had two very good runs at LSP on Thursday and Friday.

On Thursday, ran the entire length of the walkway from one end to the other and back - approximate distance 3+ miles - in 36 minutes with the following sequence of running and walking : 11 min run + 2 min walk + 11 min run + 2 min walk + 10 min run.

On Friday, ran the same distance in 36 minutes with the following sequence of running and walking : 12 min run + 2 min walk + 11 min run + 2 min walk + 4 min run + 1 min walk + 4 min run

Good preparation for the Windmill 5K in Holland, NJ on Sunday.

7.5+ miles hike along the Yosemite falls

3 miles at Sunnyvale Baylands County Park

Ran three rounds at the Sunnyvale Baylands County Park yesterday; one round being one mile. Running in California heat was a bit exhausting. Scurrying squirrels made the run interesting.

Very surprised to know AS and JHS ran in LA marathon and completed in 5 and half hours! I should see if there are any training groups in New York City / Jersey City to prepare for a half-marathon; could run the half-marathon instead of 5K at the Newport Liberty waterfront run in October.

Three rounds at Briant Park

July 4th. Independence day in the US.

Ran/walked three rounds at Briant Park. One round on the track is approximately one mile. This will be a good benchmark run to keep tab of my progress w.r.t. fitness over the summer.

My fitness goal for this summer is to be able to run a 5K race in 28 minutes or less with running the full distance. That would be a significant improvement over my current timing of 32 minutes with 40% of the time walking.


Of course I want to be able to run the 5K run in less than 20 minutes. And I also want to finish a half-marathon. And start on a Triathlon as well.

All that I can work on later. Right now, it will only be a distraction towards achieving a manageable goal over the next three months. The 5K race at the Newport-Liberty Waterfront run in early October will be the place to check my progress against my goal.

Second 5K run; fun run with TD at Centennial park

Ran a 5K race at Centennial park today morning, and completed the course around the lake in 32 minutes. That is 1 minute better than the timing of my first 5K race last september! Small improvement, but an improvement nevertheless. And considering that I haven't been working out regularly over the past few months, and that I had run the same course around 12 hours earlier, I am very happy with the performance.

On saturday, I made most of SD's family go out to run with me around the lake at Centennial Park. 7 year old TD gave me company in my run/walk on his bike. Enjoyed the run very much, getting motivated to keep up with TD at times, pushing him up the hilly slopes at times. It is quite an experience to go running with people I am close with :-)

On this trip on saturday, got to know about the 5K run organised by Cade Foundation on sunday morning at the same place.

Less intense work-out in LSP

Alternating between walking and running, I covered the entire stretch of the walkway at LSP early today morning. The whole trip taking me around one hour.

A few more of these kind of efforts over the next few days, and I will be able to run the whole stretch without stopping - like I used to do a few months ago.

Repetition is the mother of Skill!

On and off running - II

Went running/walking - more of walking than running - in Liberty State Park this morning; didn't want to push myself too much after a week-long trip to Paris and the associated lack of sleep / energy.

While in Paris, went running once around Lac Daumesnil in Bois de Vincennes - the lake and the park being less than 10 minutes from the hotel I was staying at. Walked a lot in the city though during the whole week, and that should add towards my fitness goals!

Before the Paris trip and after my India trip, went running a couple of times at LSP.

Overall, haven't been as regular as I want to be in engaging in running and other fitness activities. Also missed the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge run due to the timing of my Paris visit. Now that I am simplifying various aspects of my life, I should be able to devote more time to important things in life - fitness goals being one of the most important.

Have been considering recently to revive my long forgotten Yoga practice at home and bought a book to help me with it. It is definitely a good idea to start on Yoga now, as it would make for a healthy exercise regimen which I can stick to easily while traveling or when the weather is bad.

One other thing I need to do next week is to cancel my NYSC membership - haven't been to NYSC over the past 3-4 months and continue to pay my monthly dues, and have become what they are likely to call "Easy profits!!"

On and off running

Tried to run almost every day while I was in India recently. It is heartening to see increased awareness of health and fitness among the Indian general population, as evidenced by the urban parks buzzing with activity early in the mornings and the evenings, both in Chennai and Bangalore. I was particularly impressed with JP Park, which has been opened very close to where I spent all my childhood days. Was wondering if I would have been much more stronger physically if that park was there while I was growing up.

Also took the opportunity to run in Boyce Park on sunday while visiting Pittsburgh.

I have to ante up my efforts at running in the coming days.

6 kms biking indoors in Gurgaon

Spent 30+ minutes on the exercise machine at PK's place biking 6 kms today afternoon. It felt good to sweat due to physical exertion and not due to the heat here!

First run in Liberty State park this spring/summer

Just came back from a satisfactory run/walk in Liberty State Park. Covered the entire length of the LSP walkway starting at one end and returning to it. Ran most of the onward run, and alternated between running and walking on the way back. Also included two short and sudden bursts (fartleks) on the way back. The whole exercise - including stretching and warming up and cooling down - took around an hour. The run did wonders to my stressed-out and worried state-of-mind I had been enduring since yesterday evening.

I like running at LSP enjoying the nice views that include the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the entire length of the West-side of Manhattan, parts of Brooklyn and Staten Island, Jersey City downtown, Liberty Science Center, Verrazano bridge, Hudson river with its ferries, water taxis, yachts, boats - small and large - and the occasional Cruise ship or a Aircraft Carrier of the navy.

A good run after a long time!

While visiting North Carolina last week, got to run/walk for a good 20-25 minutes on Friday morning at the William B Umstead State Park which was surprisingly close to the city. The place is very good for running and hiking. Also saw some people biking and horse-riding early in the morning.

This run was the first after a long winter / laziness break. Even after buying some new shoes and new running wear, I haven't been able to get myself to run in the past month!

With the JPMC Corporate Challenge race in NY just a few weeks away, I should strive hard to get back into running shape. It will be particularly difficult to keep the habit going while traveling in India next week.

33 minutes finish at the 5K race

Completed the 5K in 33 minutes walking part of the distance. First mile in 9:20 minutes and two miles in 20:40 minutes.

Definitely can do much better next time. For a first timer, it was good that I not only competed but also completed the race. It was a good experience being part of a race running with hundreds of people. Haven't yet figured out how to achieve peak fitness by race time; will probably need a few more races to get some idea on that!

Less intense run/walk in Central park yesterday

Yesterday evening did the weekly run at central park at a much lesser intensity and only one colleague accompanying me. Ran very slowly from the entrance the the reservoir. Completed one round around the reservoir at a slow pace and with a couple of breaks. Ran half way back to the entrance.

1.5 miles in 16 minutes

Ran 1.5 miles today in the Gym after work. Thats the best I can say about todays workout :(

40 minute run/walk at Liberty State Park

Went to Liberty State Park today evening, and ran/walked for 40 minutes. Ran the entire stretch of the walkway in about 15 minutes. Then walked/ran the way back.

"Side stitch"

Hmmm, interesting! The pain in the side of the abdomen I experienced a couple of times while running is called Side Stitch Good to know!

Two rounds at the reservoir

Had been to Upper east side to meet with some friends today. Later on went running at the reservoir in Central Park. Ran the first round in 15 minutes. Ran/walked the second round in 20 minutes. Much slower pace than yesterday.

3.1 miles in 30:02 sec!!

Went to the Gym early morning today, and ran 3.1 miles in 30:02 sec! Am quite impressed with myself. Did a little bit of weights afterwards, but felt I was too exhausted to be doing any more exercise.

Weekly run at Central Park

Did the same run as the previous three wknds maybe at a slower pace. The whole thing took around 1:05 minutes. Should try to go for two rounds around the reservoir next week.