I salute the light within you..

It is strange that I had never really wondered before what NAMASTE literally meant. I mean I knew it meant something that implied the act of bowing in Sanskrit. But wouldn’t have been able to dissect the word down to its roots and elaborate what its literate meaning was. So today when I heard the rendition in the blog title (in a yoga CD of all places!) it got me thinking.. Its pretty neat isn’t it? ‘I salute the light within you!’ ….Seems like a lot to say in a single, short greeting, yet quite remarkable! Its derived from the Sanskrit namas (bow) and te (to you). More accurately though, the implied meaning of the term is - "I respect that divinity within you that is also within me". Of all the countless times that I have spoken this word and greeted family, friends, acquaintances and strangers, I never appreciated its entire breadth. The act of pressing your palms together and bringing them close to the chest that accompanies the vocal address is a pose called ‘anjali mudra’. The symbolism behind the pose is that one hand represents the divine, spiritual self, while the other represents the worldly self. By combining the two, the person making the gesture is attempting to rise above his differences with others, and connect himself with the person to whom he bows. I am not sure if the meaning of the term will really come to my mind the next time I use the salutation—I will probably parrot it out of habit as I have been doing for so many years..Yet I at least know what it implies now and will hopefully try to make it mean more on some occasions!!

Part III: A sense of calm..

Day 21: It was the longest run of our training yet-- 20 miles! I could still feel pain at the back of my knee while walking, hence running was not an option. It was a big day for Abhi though! So I decided to accompany him and bike my way along on the Minuteman Trail while he completed his 20-mile run. It is interesting that although walking was painful, biking actually felt quite good since it does not involve the same muscles and repetitive impact. It was great to cheer Abhi and the other runners and I was able to get some cardiovascular exercise too in the bargain! Getting out actually felt better than staying home. At the same time it was difficult to sit out yet another run. Typically a few weeks before any marathon, athletes enter what is called a ‘taper period’. That means you do shorter runs at an easy effort with the intent of not over-exerting your body and resting it to be strong for race day.  So in a couple of weeks, our group was about to begin this period—this meant that peak training time was NOW … or never. Everybody in our group was sorry to hear about my injury and hopeful that I recuperate soon.

Meanwhile, as a last ditch effort, our coach recommended another physical therapist. I decided to give it a shot. So on Day 25, I was at his office bright and early at 7 a.m. I was very apprehensive – after having visited a couple of doctors and PT’s in the past few weeks, there was a weird sense of deja vu and a fear of getting lost in circles again. To my pleasant surprise though, things turned out quite differently! After some quick questions and evaluation, the therapist was very confidently able to diagnose that my problem seemed to be ‘popliteus tendonitis’ – an inflammation in the popliteus tendon that runs at the back of the knee. The symptoms he described for the condition fit in quite well with my own and I was relieved that finally there seemed to be a definitive diagnosis. Now, the important question was recovery and time-frame. He said we could be ‘cautiously optimistic’ about running. But first it was important to treat the injury—that meant no running and only simple exercises that he prescribed. To speed up the healing he affixed a patch filled with anti-inflammatory medication that uses a micro electric current to "drive" charged molecules through the skin and into the tissues. As I have now learned the process is better known as ‘iontophoresis’ and is a common therapy tool. I felt really good that day—it was as if the pain had absolutely disappeared!! However, as the effect of the medication wore on, the pain was back by evening – though lesser in intensity! This was a promising sign.

It’s now been 2 days since then. I have to meet the therapist for sessions throughout next week. I am still not sure how my knee will feel once I start running – though I want to be optimistic! These past weeks have been chaotic—I have realized how frustrating it can be to not be able to do something that you thought you almost did. I have also been humbled by the sheer reality of circumstances that present themselves, and the importance of finding a silver lining in bleak times. Through the well-wishes of family and friends I have found the ability to remain positive. I will still try to train for the full marathon (if time allows), will aim for the half-marathon if that doesn’t work out, and will try my best to raise funds for AID and ASHA even if I can’t run. It is because I have realized in this process that it is not simply about running – it is about finishing what I started – about making this journey worthwhile. If by something I can do-- like running or reaching out to my friends and colleagues-- I can help two hard-working organizations find solutions to some of India’s overwhelming problems, it is totally worth the effort. So if you are reading this, please visit my fundraising page for TEAM AID-ASHA at http://2009.teamaidasha.org/Runner.aspx?Num=20088826 and donate any amount that suits you. Your donation will be so important in bringing about grassroots change in India  – and the gesture will raise my spirits to heal fast and run hard!

Part II: In the Doldrums….

A week into the injury, I was getting really worried so visited the massage therapist I’d seen in the past- unfortunately, the therapy didn’t seem to have the same miraculous effects as before. I tried running the next day and couldn’t even get past the block – limped my way back home and tried to convince myself that I had to be patient and rest it out.  Time was running out though. The upcoming weekend was the 18 mile run, and to keep up with the schedule, I had to heal fast. On Day 9 I tried a 2-mile run and walked almost half of it, tried another 3-miles on Day 11 & tried to run most of it. It was painful all the way and my knee had swollen up by the time I got home. I was getting rather stressed by this point.  More than the physical pain, the injury was gnawing at my mental peace. I was irritable and confused –dug up a dizzying amount of (often conflicting) information on the net about running injuries, hoping to find a miracle stretch.

Meanwhile it was also high time in our program to begin fundraising – which really is the bigger purpose behind running at all. For me that is what makes this program so special –the fact that you undertake a challenging personal task and use it to create awareness about a larger cause. The relationship was so symbiotic  in my mind that the inability to run any more, made it very difficult to initiate the fundraising effort.  Still defiant to run I showed up for the 18-mile weekend run on Day 14. I somehow completed a painful 7 miles and by the end was certain that I needed intervention. Looked up a sports therapy place close by and went in for an evaluation on Day 16. There began my journey down the road of endless calls to my PCP (who was on vacation), her assistant, the specialist’s office and an overwhelming exasperation with the needlessly complex way healthcare works here! As if I was not already drained by the effort, the new therapist recommended that I see an orthopedist to rule out any bone injuries! I must confess that by this time I had reached the brink of my patience and good humor. It felt as if I was just going round in circles. The therapist was unable to provide a definitive diagnosis and asked me to lay off running for a while. Having lost more than 2 weeks of training time in an already tight schedule was not doing wonders for my faith in being ready and able to run the marathon. Besides the knee and shin were not feeling better either.. there was persistent pain and swelling that would go away and reappear. Nonetheless an appointment with the orthopedist was made – and I continued to try shorter runs without much success.

 

Day 20: The orthopedist ruled out a fracture (again!!) or compartment syndrome (that my therapist somehow thought I might have) and asked me to forget about running this year. His diagnosis was that due to multiple and persistent piling of small injuries after each run, my left leg had inflamed to a point that I simply needed to let it heal completely. Running would commence only in small increments and with the marathon creeping up so soon there just wasn’t enough time. The drive back from his clinic was a sad one—I had till now been harboring hope against all odds that I could still run the marathon. In the ensuing two days it finally dawned upon me that I might not realistically be able to accomplish the goal towards which I had been training for the past few months. It was definitely disappointing. After a day of brooding and during yet another bout of Abhi trying to lift my spirits, we got talking about aiming for a half-marathon if not the full this year. This would also allow me to canvass for the charities and be able to raise funds. It being the last day for registering for the Lowell Half-Marathon, I went ahead and reserved my spot. However, as I limped about our one-bed apartment from one room to the next, how I was going to be able to run the 13.1 miles seemed very dubious.

Part I: The 17-miler!… and the Aftermath

The past 4 weeks have been a mixed bag of emotions  – there have been moments of elation and those of disappointment, of inspiration and renewed resolve, yet more setbacks and confusion, and finally efforts to find some peace. Since an elaboration was turning this post into an epic in terms of length, I have split it in 3 parts..I apologize for the verbosity – regard them as the ranting of a beleaguered wannabe runner.

Starting where I left off, August 8 was a high point – I completed my 17-mile run..yippee!! And was hoping it was going to signal a comeback of sorts after my previous bout of shin pains. It was also a great mental motivator..17 just seems closer to 20 – and although the number seemed quite intimidating before the run, I had decided that I needed to overcome it if I was going to be running the full 26.2 miles…Fortunately, things seem to fall in place that particular sunny Saturday morning – I ran at my pace, and after a couple of miles of discomfort in my shins, felt pretty strong throughout the rest of the run – and of course the smile strategy helped too I believe ;)    I was able to appreciate just how challenging it is to run long distances..to be engaged in a back and forth dialogue between your mind and body, fend off the temptation to stop and be fueled by the desire to get to the finish. As I came running in towards the finish line, Abhi was already there with camera in tow so thankfully there are some pics for memory’s sake! I could never ever imagine that I could run 17 miles..and here I was, both humbled by the effort and yet proud of the accomplishment.

And then there was the AFTERMATH-yep, as great as I felt immediately after the run, the story was a little different as the day wore on..by the time we got home my legs started feeling more and more sore. By afternoon, I was hobbling around the house with a piercing pain in my left knee and calves—and by evening the pain became so unbearable that I could put absolutely no bodyweight on that leg…which meant that Abhi had to literally carry me from one room to the next. Hmmm…this was not looking good at all—we were both scared that that I might have developed the dreaded ‘stress fracture’ and we did not even want to contemplate what that would mean for running the marathon. Anyways, long story short, I called up the emergency dept. and fixed an appointment for the next day.

The doctor knocked and pressed at several spots on my leg and was able to discern that there didn’t seem to be a fracture—so that was a good news!!..Yet, he cautioned against putting any weight on the leg and gave me crutches to use for a few days!! Imagine that—running 17 miles one day—feeling all fit and healthy and being in crutches 24 hours later! I was quite demoralized to say the least and anxious to get back on my feet asap. Took the Monday off from work, downed a few ipubrufens, iced, elevated—followed the whole shebang and the pain seemed to be getting better, if only slightly so. Limped my way to office the next day – it was pretty clear that I was going to have to sit out on the upcoming weekend run. Infact by Saturday- Day 7, I was still limping and running seemed quite incomprehensible.

 

Smile..and add a mile!

One would think that after having run double-digit miles on past occasions, running anything from 4-8 miles should pretty much seem like a cakewalk..Unfortunately not to a beginner runner like me :( ..The human body has its own peculiar way of adapting to physical stress and regrettably not much of it follows a linear course..rather my stint with the marathon more closely resembles a sound wave of sorts! with its very own crests and troughs. The past week was what one would categorize a TROUGH – I was unable to run a whole lot due to immense stiffness in my calves and as a result ended up missing my 16-mile long weekend run. Laden with guilt as Abhishek went ahead for the run on Saturday morning, I tended to my stiff muscles by a getting a rejuvenating sports massage at the Boston Bodyworker (not bad actually:)).

By Sunday, the guilt had accrued enough to convince me to try 15 miles on my own. Yet, it was not to be – after 8 miles my legs just refused to go any further—on all these occasions when you don’t end up running as much as you had set out to, it’s really tough to pinpoint whether it was our body or your heart/mind that gave out first. I tend to believe that it’s the latter. In fact, it was interesting when Abhi remarked that throughout the run, I looked really stressed and unhappy – part of it was the stiffness in my legs , though a larger share I think was my heart not being vested enough in running that day. By that evening I was beginning to feel that I had hit a roadblock – I was probably getting scared of all the pain and fatigue that I knew was going to be part of all long runs and that had begun to affect my overall training.

After a day of strength training and rest, I got out again for a 8-mile run this past Wednesday on a hot and humid evening - the first couple of miles were again the toughest. The range of emotions one encounters (or at least I do!) during a long run is quite amazing! At the beginning the mind is filled with resolve and determination, yet my body just doesn't want to be shaken out of its dormancy into feet-pounding action! It's almost as though your mind has to fight against this resistance and somehow make it through the first few miles. The temptation to stop or alter your pre-decided mileage for the day is incredibly strong. Anyways, so on Wednesday, 20-30 minutes into the run my legs began to feel more flexible..yet, one by one as the bridges on River Charles came by, I was presented with more and more opportunities to call it a day. Somehow I kept going....perhaps it is importance of tasting failure, be humbled and filled with renewed determination that was at play. I had to do the 8 miles despite the initial pain to know that I was still in the running! I had to make myself re-believe that although I had missed a long-run training day, I COULD come back and do the 17-miles the coming weekend. These and a lot of other things went through my mind. It is remarkable how much time you have to think once you run long-distances (and especially at my pace, trust me, the time is stretched out even more ;)).

I finished the run in slightly better time than my usual pace and biked back from work - with my legs feeling great!! In retrospect, I believe what made the biggest difference that day was my promise to myself that hereafter I was going to ENJOY my marathon training..that I was going to SMILE without rhyme or reason whenever the slightest inkling of pain or fatigue dawned over..I didn't want to frown and feel miserable throughout my runs...I wanted to be happy and proud of the fact that I am training for the marathon, happy to be outdoors and go places in Boston that I had never before traversed on foot. And that was exactly what I did -I acknowledged fellow runners and pedestrians with smiles, some bothered to respond, some simply thought I was crazy, and at times I just smiled to myself. At times I completely forgot about the smiling bit and the heat and miles got to me--yet, thankfully these spells were momentary and the most amazing thing was how effectively the smiling trick acted as an analgesic....

I am sure many others have talked and theorized about how smiling affects any demanding exercise..how it releases the right enzymes or whatever. And of course the now ubiquitous laughing clubs in India seem to have capitalized on the phenomenon to the tee. Nonetheless, it was great to experience it first hand! Having a positive attitude towards whatever you do certainly makes a difference and I am often reminded of Mark Twain's 'Tom Whitewashes a Fence' that I read back in school..So for any beginner runners (or not) out there who might be feeling a little down...do give this a try!

More in the next post about how the 17 mile run panned out and whether the 'smile and add a mile' trick worked a second time round :)

On Running.....and running a Marathon

" If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon."
-Emil Zatopek, Czech athlete, Marathon Gold Medalist, 1952 Summer Olympics

Three months down the line, this past Saturday I ran 15 miles (24 kms)!!

Back in April I came across this quote and am repeating it here, not only because it aptly sums up a great athlete's personal triumph, but also because the quote has slowly and steadily begun to resonate ever more strongly with my own effort to run a marathon this fall. Blessed (at least that is how I like to think of it!) with a short, slender frame and standing tall at precisely 4'-11-1/2", I was never the sports champ- I was fast though, and being able to sprint through 100m races was something I managed to do pretty well until about middle school when the inextricable web of studies and other activities that I enjoyed, supplanted my interest in sports altogether. (The fact that I fainted twice while running 400m races in school further convinced me that I was not cut out for endurance sports! :)). And so life went on and I managed to preserve my short, slender frame without any formal exercise or sport (unless you want to count hostel table tennis in the list) throughout college.

Coming to the US was a turning point--the relative availability of time and easy access to a wonderful college gym managed to rouse me up from lethargy. Yet running was never my thing -- I would jog a comfortable couple of laps around the gym track (i.e. barely half a mile) and secretly marvel at the individuals who ran round and round for what seemed like an eternity. Our first year in Boston, Abhi & I 'experienced' the Boston Marathon - 'experienced' as opposed to saw or watched..cause I remember it being a truly moving experience...I had tears in my eyes as people young and old, physically fit and unfit, made it to the finish line with agony, joy, determination and pride writ large across their faces. 26.2 miles was an incomprehensible distance for me at the time -- it seemed impossible how anybody could run all of it at one go (how anybody can do in a little over 2 hrs is still a mystery though!). Pumped up with awe and inspiration, Abhi remarked that he would love to run the marathon one day. I told him I would cheer for him along the way if he did - running a marathon myself still seemed a completely insane idea.

And so another year passed - it was almost time for the 2009 Boston Marathon when Abhi chanced upon a website of a program run by two India-centric charities, AID and Asha, wherein volunteers train together to run a marathon and raise funds in the process. Reading accounts of first-time marathon runners was indeed inspiring; the fact that it was coupled with a cause we could connect to, made it even more appealing. So, on we went for the orientation session in late April - a fairly well-attended gathering where presentations were made by the charity administrators, the coach and previous runners. While nobody said it in quite the words of Emil Zatopek, most runners attested to the fact that training for the marathon would be a HUGE commitment and a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Abhi and I decided to give it a shot - we thought maybe we could try the half marathon option if the full 26.2 miles seemed really long. Anyways, so the following Saturday, around 30-40 people met by the Charles river (on what has to be the worst spring day with freezing temperatures and rain) for the first run. The coach outlined 3 loops - 3, 4 and 5 miles..I obviously chose 3 - but wait 3 miles!!!! The most I had ever run was a mile - so completely unsure of what I was getting into, I herded along with the '3 mile' group and off we went. Five-ten minutes in, with cold winds and sleet slapping across my face, I was completely out of breath and energy. I really wanted to complete the whole distance running though, and resolved to keep my legs moving - tempting as it was to walk for sometime and pick up the run again. A couple of bridges, steps and ramps on the way didn’t help the situation—and when I gazed up along the river to the finish line, it seemed just too awfully distant. Nonetheless, I kept my legs moving, even if my running was more like a slow jog at times. Twenty minutes in, I was utterly exhausted, yet it seemed like I was more than halfway through…this realization acted like a shot of adrenaline – it would have been a waste to stop now…I just had to hang in there for a few more minutes. The last quarter mile was the best part of the run – the prospect of finishing was so desirable that I could actually run faster. Dashing to the finish and meeting Abhi there was even better..I was so glad it was over that exhaustion took a back seat! THAT was the beginning…

Three months down the line, this past Saturday I ran consistently for a little over 3 hours to complete a 15 mile run. The journey from 3 to 15 has been an exciting one—it has had its share of pain, disappointments, injuries and triumphs. From getting up early every Saturday for the group long runs, to running (or not) during the week after office hours, to giving in to the urge to stop mid-run and decide its not my day, to nursing my bruised ego by running over-ambitiously and injuring my knees—all have been illuminating experiences.

More on them in subsequent posts and hopefully the journey from here to 26.2 in real time!

Backpacking in the Adirondacks..

Blogging for me took a rather long hiatus this past few weeks, which stretched into months...well, I'm making an attempt right this moment to save it from being years ! I have been grappling to understand why it was so...although the answer is fairly simple...it just takes a sizable amount of time and commitment to blog, to document your thoughts and experiences and not just live through them and move on to new ones. Also the whole logic behind blogging is still not fully resolved in my mind..the activity still seems to me a little self-indulgent--I mean why in the heck would you want to tell people what you think, what you do etc etc...I do like the fact that somewhere down the line I will be able to look back, read these entries and live through the details of my experiences better than my mind can ever remember them..and that's a good incentive...so anyways, since I have a few minutes to kill in the office, and I recently got back from an adequately 'bloggable' long-weekend trip...why not! :)

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It was Independence day weekend and since we had experienced the Boston version last year with all the fireworks et al. Abhi & I decided to spend the vacation elsewhere -- and backpacking in the Adirondacks/ ADK (took me a while to get the pronunciation right !) with the Goyals was the chosen adventure. We felt it would be a good extension to our camping/hiking trip in the White Mts sometime back and also last year. Very soon, we realized though, that a backpacking trip can very quickly snowball into an extensive gear-shopping extravaganza -when you want to haul all the stuff you are carrying on your back, spending money on some ultra-light gear surely seems like a very good idea! So thats how the week preceding the trip was spent..both Abhi & me got new backpacks, and I also got a super-small sleeping bag, pad and trekking poles (amazing knee savers, though they do slow one down a bit)...

Anyways, so we were all packed and ready to leave on Friday morning at 7.30..My pack weighed almost 29 lbs. while Abhi's was 35 lbs. First time I picked it up at home, I wasn't really sure how the whole thing was going to pan out - it seemed so heavy!! but a couple of minutes into it one begins to feel more accustomed. Weather was cloudy and glum as usual (hmpf!!) but after picking up the Goyals we were on the road by 8.30-9..We stopped at Chillis in a town called ‘Halfmoon’ for lunch- spent a generous amount of time eating and chatting and restrooming -- which in retrospect wasn't the best of ideas cause it pushed forward our arrival time at ADK. We got in at the ADK Loj (ranger Station) from where the Mt. Marcy trail begins, at approx. 3-4 p.m...after quick rearranging of the packs, renting of an additional bear canister (quite an apparatus they are-- Vigo will vouch for their sturdiness after the one hanging from Abhi's pack banged against his head causing a huge bump!!) we were off in another 1/2 hr..the rain was coming down quite hard when we started....we ran into a ranger right at the beginning of the trail who informed us of about 15 other backpackers at the campsites ahead...

Spirits high despite the weight of the backpacks, gloomy skies and pouring rain, we set out on the 3 mile trek to the campsite...we should have ran into the first group of ‘lean-to’s’ after two miles….but there was no trace of anything…infact all the hikers who we met in the opposite direction did not recall seeing any signs for campsites. This was not good news…getting lost in the woods at night and looking for a place to camp in the rain, didn’t seem like the most exciting prospect. Nonetheless, with no other option than to trust our map and trek further till the 3 mile point to find the second campsite, we continued hiking further. We crossed Marcy Dam on the way – a rather rudimentary dam built of wooden logs, but very rustic and scenic - it was pity the weather was so depressing…

Anyways, further on we went..And then there was the brook—since I have never blogged about my hiking trips before, I should make it clear that I HATE crossing brooks and streams and any of those things with cold running water and slippery rocks! It is one of those little quirks that I guess everyone has & for me it is the fear of getting my shoes wet (haha they got so absolutely wet the next day that it seems such a joke I was trying to save them on the first day!!) Anyways so ‘Phelps Brook’ it was called. To get to the campsite we had to cross a wooden bridge—yet apparently it was closed due to some hazardous trail conditions and after wandering off on a false trail in vain search of it, we got back to where the brook could be crossed on foot. It was uncertain whether we would hit the campsites this way as we were not being able to follow our map directions to them. Almost all of us were in two minds—to trek further (and for how long?) or turn back and head to the base.

It was getting dark and the rain was coming down ever harder. We gave ourselves half an hour more and continued forth. It was almost nearing the verge of our time limit when Abhi noticed a solitary teeny-weeny backcountry camping sign stapled to a tree trunk – nothing could have been better! We took a short herd trail inside the woods and came upon the first clearing where tents could be pitched..the signs urged us to go in deeper where we came across another pitching area. Elated at having found a place to sleep, exhausted from the trek and weight of the packs, slightly scared by the idea of encountering black bears and anxious to pitch tents and cook food before dark, we quickly set about our tasks. There were no other campers at this site – we had clearly missed the area with the 15 other campers :( Having some company around would certainly have been reassuring, though in retrospect, it was quite cool to have all that space to ourselves!! We made the higher area our ‘dining space’-- it is not recommended to cook and sleep in the same area in bear country -- and the lower space we used for pitching tents.

Headlamps and torches in tow..we set about pitching our tents, and soon thereafter cooking dinner. I have to admit it was a reasonably scary feeling – out in the middle of nowhere in the woods, no fire, inadequate light and pouring rain. Our stove was this tiny, small backpacking version and was the only source of fire we had. We discovered this really thin, though running stream of water close to the campsite and used that water for cooking. The dinner menu was exciting though—nothing less than sada very Punjabi ‘Chana Masala’!!—for those who are wondering how we managed to enjoy such an exotic Indian delicacy on a backpacking trip, look in the aisles of EMS for a packaged meal by ‘Backpackers Pantry’..they have a whole range of other cool dishes that can be cooked right in the pouch by adding hot water..we made some hot cocoa to accompany the dinner…and slowly things started looking much better..:)

God! It seems like this post is going to go on forever at this rate!! Anyways so fed and happy, we got back to our tents and were about to sleep….when a cell phone ring pierced the silence – so much for the middle of nowhere experience!! AT&T undeniably has good coverage – it was my cellphone that had signal and the concerned soul calling us was Chaubey. Disappointed that the wilderness hype was slightly shattered, yet reassured that we could atleast call the ranger station if needed, we got back to our tents and called it a day..well of course before that, there was all this shouting amongst us across the tents and su-su trips out in the woods…

I managed to catch some sleep that night – tough as it was with raindrops splattering atop the tent. We peeked out at dawn -the sky was overcast and the rain looked determined..It was important to get ready fast and begin the roundtrip trek to the mountain peak so we could be back before dark. We had a quick breakfast of oatmeal, cocoa and nuts and since we had run out of water and were hoping to use the brook to refill our bottles..that was our first stop..The backpacks felt considerably lighter than the previous day, and we were on the trail by 9.30...We saw some intermittent slivers of sunshine in the beginning, however, soon thereafter there was incessant rain all the rest of the way..the trail was sludgy and flooded..we all managed to hop on rocks and avoid our shoes from getting drenched for some time. In fact when we encountered a wide stream which could only be crossed by wading through it, we all took off our socks and shoes beforehand. After this point though, the trail only got more flooded and the rain was nothing less than a downpour. Soon, my socks, shoes and everything else was drenched and muddy—the rain was so strong that even after rain covers over our pretty waterproof backpacks, it was hard to prevent the water from getting in....4 hours into the hike.. I was feeling rather beat up…we were hungry, had still not reached the top and our shoes were wet and heavy..almost 0.8 miles were left to the summit when we started entering the alpine zone, the wind picked up considerably, trail conditions worsened further and it was quite chilly….all the hikers we met in the opposite direction said it was very windy at the top, the skies were overcast, so any spectacular views were out of the question…afraid of over-exposure from lack of proper clothing, and the desire of making it back to our campsite before dark, we decided to head back..It was not an easy decision, yet in retrospect, we believe it was a wise one…So that’s what we did and ventured downhill on the trail.

The descent seemed like an eternity of hiking in the rain, wading through pools of water and stepping precariously over slippery rocks….yet, it took only 4 hours and we were back at the site by 6.00…It was such a relief to get out of drenched clothes and put on something dry. Having not had anything substantial to eat all day other than a couple of energy bars and nuts, we were all pretty famished and ready for some ‘real’ food –packaged Mac n Cheese never sounded so good and we headed up soon to our dining space where we’d stored all the eatables inside bear canisters. Food was quick and we were soon off to bed…we also had a radio that was catching a nearby station and they were covering July 4 firework festivities ….it was quite cheering to hear some music and I would have loved to listen more, except that the radio was powered by manual charge (i.e. it had a spindle that had to be repeatedly swung manually around a pivot to build up the battery charge..and as much as I like the overall concept of such devices for outdoor use…I was dead tired to swing it any more), so once it died it was time to say goodnight…

I slept really well the second night…and the reason was the lack of any rain—Yep!! It stopped raining at night and the next morning we woke up to a clear bright sky with a promise of sunshine ahead!! Amazing as that was, it was sad that this was our last day in the woods and we couldn’t help but wondering why it couldn’t have been like this throughout…well, but as it is with weather…you just take what you get and crib about the rest! For breakfast we decided to consume all our freeze-dried food and had mashed potatoes with pasta primavera! While we were savoring the food, another activity that occupied our minds was locating spots of sunshine on the ground to dry our wet shoes. The very thought of putting on wet shoes was making me cringe but it becomes easier when you really have no other choice! A couple of hours later, tents down, and all our stuff back into the backpacks, it was time to set out on the last 3 miles down to the ranger station where we parked our car. This was by far the best time we had on the trail…it was bright and sunny, we were all in light clothes and the moderate descent made things even more relaxing and enjoyable.

We reached the base around afternoon and after a quick change of clothes we were off to nearby Lake Placid for a hearty lunch! The chosen jaunt was a lively restaurant around the lake that had a great outdoor patio and reasonably good food! Happy and fed, it was time to hit the road and begin the 5-hr trip back to Boston. The return drive was really scenic - everything looks so much better in the sun and 70 degree temps :)—and we savored every bit of it! To keep us entertained were some ‘Sheldon-isms’ and ‘Sad songs of Lata Mangeshkar and Mohd. Rafi’ from some really really old Hindi movies! It almost 10 by the time we got back and while the prospect of sleeping on a real bed was very comforting, we were sort of sad that it was over --nonetheless, it surely was a memorable trip whose detailed memories I have now captured in my blog!!

A weekend of information-overload!

Okay, so before I begin this post, I have a few confessions to make....first, of course is that I have not been regular AT ALL with my blogging. While I really enjoyed my initial burst of blogging, during the past two weeks, my performance has been dismal. Well, it wasn't that that there was a dearth of material to write about (rather there was quite a lot!) and actually I did start more than a couple of posts, but never did find the time and inclination to finish them. What I have realized though in the process, is that blogging really has to be quick and spontaneous….cause if it ends up taking time…it really never does see the light of day. So instead of taking up those unfinished posts now that have been in the works for the past two weeks, I will write a fresh one---well, because everything on this blog has to be mostly ‘naya-taaza’!! And this past weekend was filled with stuff that might be fun to write about, share and document in the process.

So, during this past weekend, I had the rare opportunity to attend some work-related and some not-so work-related conferences in Boston. For some weird reason, this time of the year seems to be really popular with conference organizers of all sorts---must have something to do with the imminent promise of spring, although this year the expected enthusiasm was somewhat marred by the current recession—leading to fewer attendance and modest arrangements.

The first one (although it was a 3-day thing, I attended only a couple of sessions on Thursday) was the ‘Traditional Building Show’. This is actually a bi-annual event, of which the first event in the year always takes place in Boston. It is usually a good mix of architects, contractors, builders, masons, craftsmen, manufacturers and almost anybody related to the historic building industry. The first session was on window restoration, and tied in with the whole current emphasis on restoring rather than replacing existing wood windows in most historic buildings (although the latter might be advisable in some cases). The second session was more general and talked about the first “double” platinum certified LEED (read Green for the uninitiated) building in the country..it’s located in Lansing, MI and houses the offices of a developer firm – the project involved reuse of an existing building.

What was most interesting to me though, was the number of entrepreneurs and small businesses in the traditional building industry that exist in and around this area – from people who make historic window frames, to historic mortars and all sorts of specialized products. It’s remarkable that industry trends and preferences in this part of the world have made it possible for such businesses to come into being and sustain themselves…hopefully we can learn some lessons (in the Indian context) to allow tradespeople specializing in traditional techniques to make money..although just like here, the impetus will first have to come from the demand for such type of work In India.

The other conference was a one-day affair on Friday, organized by the North-East chapter of the Association for Preservation Technology (APT-NE) and was held at the Boston Architectural College in Back Bay. I actually really enjoyed the conference, except for the one session after lunch when it was very difficult to keep my eyes open, not least because the presentation was boring..but cause I was so stuffed on the cookies! Anyways a quick synopsis would be that the theme of the conf. was Glass (used architecturally of course). Open-ended as that may sound, the lectures were rather delightfully focused - either on a particular project or technology. The keynote speaker, partner at a local structural engg. firm, talked about the infamous John Hancock Tower and the problems it underwent in the 1960’s and 70’s, when regular storms would leave many of the installed glass panels flying out onto the street, making the area a nightmare for the local police to cordon off and patrol and causing much embarrassment to the celebrity architects of the building. In the ensuing scrutiny, a number of other material and structural problems were discovered with the building and thereafter fixed. Most interesting was that even today, a rigorous maintenance schedule exists for the tower, glass panels frequently develop cracks and are immediately replaced, rather secretly at that, to avoid attracting too much attention. No wonder many local Bostonians remain very skeptical about walking too close to the Building, especially on windy days!!

(a pic from Wikipedia, showing the missing glass panels covered up with plywood in the 1970’s, earning the building the notorious epithet ‘Plywood Palace’.)

The other lectures talked about ---an abandoned 19th century glassworks factory in the Berkshires, MA (fascinating details about how glass was blown, then rolled into sheets, given texture and tinted with hues), restoration of stained glass in a historic church that was destroyed in a fire, restoration of the Hoboken terminal in NY, the new design involving glass panels at the Fogg Museum at Harvard, and another townhouse project in Manhattan involving the first fully cantilevered glass staircase. Highlight of the day was a trip to something called the ‘Mapparium’ – a hitherto undiscovered destination in Boston that I was glad to get a free ticket to visit during lunch. It is apparently the biggest stained glass sphere in the world and they have a neat sound and light show. The conference ended with a reception at yet another beautiful historic building in back bay---the Ayer Mansion, a 19th century house with magnificent stained glass windows, and middle-east-inspired tile/inlay work in the interiors. All in all, it was a day well spent—especially since after trying to for the past year, me and Abhi finally went to the Frog Pond (ice-skating) rink in Boston in the evening, skated (or rather tried to!) in freezing temperatures for two hours and skidded and swooshed across the ice unabashedly – better late than never though!

The Obituary of a Laptop

My laptop (of merely 7 days of age) died last evening. It came as real shock to both me and Abhi, primarily because of the mysterious nature of its death. I had been working on it all day, running multiple (and huge) graphic programs simultaneously, that too, with such remarkable ease ! It gave absolutely no inkling of any impending mishap. Rather its performance had been superfluous in the past 7 days since it came to be mine (well, other than the exasperating keyboard it had and the fact that its battery was non-existent, meaning it worked only when plugged in directly to the socket). Nevertheless, it was a GOOD laptop. Its sleek, black and grey body with sinuous curves strewn across the front were subtly attractive, despite the fact that it was slightly over-weight and that it ran on an early version of Vista..Nonetheless, it was mine and very newly mine. In its previous life of almost 2 years it had belonged to Abhi. I agree that this recent transition from being a straight-thinking , number-crunching nerdy laptop to a more creative, inspired and graphicy one had been quite hard on the poor (now departed) soul. Yet, it held up quite alright until yesterday’s fateful Sunday evening.

I remember it all so vividly –last night around 7.00 Abhi closed its lid, with a bit of a slam actually, and I shot him this reproachful glance, before we headed out to ‘Indian Dhaba’ for dinner. Bac k at 8.00, delighted that I had another 2 hours ahead to indulge in my illustrator dabbling, I opened the lid back up, noticing almost immediately that something was amiss..none of the usual lovely, flickering blue lights came on..except a stray wireless light that came on a couple of times, before extinguishing forever…almost as if the poor machine was breathing its last..:(

Well, this had to happen one day or another, except, I wish it hadn’t come as such a shock, it hadn’t come when the laptop had become MINE, and it hadn’t come at a time when for the first time in the past two years I happen to really have some use for a laptop except the usual email-internet-time-pass. Nonetheless, we are still deciding over the appropriate funeral course and will keep the blog updated, unless of course a new power cord overturns the pronouncement and brings the laptop magically back from the dead!

Weekends and catching up onTV

Well, ever since Abhi made a resolve to not watch TV during the weekdays, so that we 'supposedly' spend our time more productively, and through some sheer stroke of magic (must be one of those days when my reasoning powers are at their super-low), convinced me to join in the plan, our weekend beginnings have been quite interesting. Take today for instance, he called me up at 4.30 in the afternoon, convinced me to get out of work so that we could hang around and then, instead of enjoying those one-off warm days in Boston, we headed straight back home- with reasonable haste, mind you- to enjoy all the amazing programmes that were waiting piled up on our much-beloved TIVO! It's another story altogether that TIVO decided on its own, to not work this week, which actually makes it less beloved...hmph, yet we were able to find an online version of our fav show. So anyways, after sitting glued in front of the TV for a straight hour or so, thus having satiated our pent up TV-viewing urges, we decided to have dinner.

Which brings me to the other TV escapade tonight. While flipping channels for something adequately dull and interesting to accompany my dinner preparation of methi paranthas (believe me, its always a real challenge to choose something just right on TV while i'm cooking across in the kitchen--well if I choose something real intersting, that's all I end up doing while the dishes take their own drastic course, and if it is too boring, then I spend all my time flipping channels to find that perfect dull-intersting combo). So anyways, today happened to be the former instance. Thankfully the methi paranthas survived too, and i ended up watching 'The Great Debaters' on TV. It was quite a well made movie, and i didn't know till the credits rolled up that it was directed by Denzel Washington - so kudos to him, great acting and good directing! Two other intersting factors in the movie were connections to Boston (Boston Univ and Harvard, with shots in Cambridge), as well as references to Gandhiji and civil disobedience in the climax. Since I have now completely run out of my patience with this keyboard (you should really appreciate how there is not even a single mis-spelt word in my blog, cause trust me its mighty difficult to manage that on this laptop!!) i will bid adieu!

Not bad, third day and still counting....:)

How to be an early bird??..(consistently!)

Not bad, not bad...my second day of the blogging initiative and all I can think about in office is blogging...but as I have also resolved...these blogs will need to be spontaneous....yet revolve around topics that matter to me...willl hopefully allow me to share my views and also learn something new by doing some necessary reasearch..so following up on that train of thought..today i'm going to write about how I should train my obstinate self to get up on time..which is 5.30 a.m. and not a second later if I want to get everything done on my plate in the morning and not be the one to walk into office later than everyone else on my team...if not the whole frickin office!!

okay..so after googling for a few minutes...here's what I have learned..tan-tan-aaaa...there are 2 schools of thought on this issue...one leans towards training the mind and the other towards training the body...in short, the former focus on cultivating self-discipline while the latter on training the body...so that essentially at 5.30 a.m. getting up will be a bodily response to the alarm clock that I would have habituated myself to....hmm...they even suggesting trying this activity out several times during the day...even when I am not sleeping...just to get in the habit and so that my body knows exactly what to do when its time to actually get up in the morning...and the mind will have absolutely no say in it. Since i have been struggling with the self-motivation option since a long time...I think I am going to give this physical habit one a shot! Nothing to lose...plus from what I have heard personally from people who consistently get up early in the morning si that it invariably is like a habit....
Another intersting tip...no matter what time you sleep at night (ie. sleep only when you are actually sleepy..don't force urself to sleep at 9.30) get up at a fixed time every day 365 days a year...this is essential for the habit forming thing to work!
So summing up on what I have decided to do....will place my alarm clock away from the bed...actually in the corridor...directly after switching it offf...I will NOT enter the bedroom again...willl directly go to the bathroom and then the living room...drink water...open all the shades...and put on some music...this sequence of events should be enough (I hope) to have thrown me out of slumber....
So update tomorrow...or rather after a week on how this has fared out..

A naya-taaza resolve to start blogging

I still don't know why this seemed like a good idea..yet, this time around (so, yes, this is my second, hopefully , longer lasting attempt at blogging) I hope this blog remains active for at least longer than a week. I have resolved to try and blog almost every day, to not think too much while blogging...as I guess that defeats the whole purpose...to be as spontaneous as time allows...and ufff to use a better keyboard (this one's driving me nuts) and considering that i will probably have to use this if i blog at home .I'm amost thinking of taking care of all my blogging activities in office :)...wouldn't be a very bad idea maybe...so that's not bad....I've managed somethin that looks like a para already...and its time to go to bed..so ciao! and cheers to a happy, satisfying and interesting blogging future!