Random hits on the keyboard

I have completed 1,000 miles this year. I am not a big fan of the old metric system of miles. I prefer kilometres. But 1,000 miles sounds much cooler than 1,609 kilometres. So, I am going with miles. I did it. And yes, it feels like another proud moment. I did some math. It is only a little more than '6 kilometres a day'. Six kilometres! That sounds minimal when you look at it that way. Still, somehow, it feels good to think about the whole distance. The compound effect is amazing. I run on alternate days, so it is about 12 kilometres per run on average. Some days are different. On Friday, I ran 20 kilometres. I had no plan for a long run, but as I started running, the distance slowly added up to 20. And then I went to the office afterward. It was a happy Friday. I have been thinking about what this 1,000 miles really means to me. Perhaps it is simply an example of 'showing up, no matter what'. Six kilometres on an average day. Sometimes 20, sometimes less than 10. Some...

After a few years of running, I have made my run not only about the distance, the pace, or the time on the Garmin. I weave stories out of it. I like to create little stories from my runs. Some come from my daughter. Some come from the streets of Kathmandu. Some come from my memories. Some are simply things I notice along the way. These little stories make my run interesting. They give meaning to the kilometres. They make the journey lighter. Take today's run. As we all know, the distance is never fixed. But when Garmin showed '13.99' km, I stopped it. Why? Because my daughter wanted my run to end at .99. I had actually run another 700 metres before reaching my destination. But I stopped the Garmin at 13.99. I could have recorded 14.69 km or more.  But then I would have spoiled the story. Sometimes, it is these little things that make running fun. A few days ago, I was running along the Bagmati River. I went out and came back along the same route. This happened because of an...

My daily routine is so set now that it almost seems boring. But I love to turn boring things into interesting things. Firstly, we have always been told, "Do what you love to do." I do not buy this. There is nothing wrong with doing the thing we love to do, but what if we don't love the thing that we have to do, ie, 'the hard things'? I have built a habit of doing the hard things, which I started to love doing, but not always. Yesterday was my scheduled running day, but the morning brought a heavy, relentless downpour. Running in the rain after you are already out on the road is tolerable, but stepping out the front door into a torrent feels counterintuitive and strange. All day at the office, I felt a lingering sense of incompletion. My body missed the familiar, satisfying fatigue that comes from a morning run. I kept promising myself that I would make up for it after work. The moment I arrived home, I changed into my running gear and headed south into the cool ai...

I run. It is not easy. It has never been easy. There are mornings when the alarm rings and I already feel tired. The body is heavy. My legs are lazy. I feel discomfort in my knees. I often think of skipping running. But I have also learnt that I can simply convince my body and mind. Once I’m out, they obey.  So I get up. I lace up. I step outside. The first few minutes are always the hardest. I breathe heavy, and my body is jammed. Within a few kilometres, I feel good. I keep going and complete a round. I can then say it is a good morning.  Despite all its difficulties, I find running is extremely rewarding. I like to make noise on my Strava profile. I post my completion, adding some photos that I took on the way. I get some thumbs up and some rare comments. But there are more.  The most visible incentive is health. My body can now move and twist in ways that were impossible a few years ago. Walking a few kilometres is not an issue. My body hates running and loves mobilit...

Inspired by a quote from the famous philosopher René Descartes “Cogito, ergo sum” (“I think, therefore I am”), I grounded my thoughts to find – I don’t know what – something meaningful. I wonder if this has to do with the middle-age crisis? Or something else. I have been writing a few blogs - not realizing that many of them are on running, By no means, can I be categorised as a runner. I started running recently, about two years ago. Slowly, I started to feel something that I had not felt earlier. Running has connected me to my body, mind and many more. It has a profound effect on me. I run for fun now.  Running has changed my viewpoint on pain and pleasure. It has given me confidence and of course good health. Every run is a challenge to be a bit better. I start to eat good food. I am becoming selective about what I eat. I try to attend running events in my town. Surprisingly enough, I have been challenging myself on other aspects - for example my reading habit. These days, I tend...

It is a cold morning in Kathmandu. I, unwillingly, get out of a warm bed. It is still dark outside, and I get ready for a run. I turn on a hand torch so passing speeding vehicles on the empty roads can see. I pay special attention to stray dogs, although almost all generally ignore me, but some don't. Today, I scroll back to my older blog where I had written that Forrest Gump who said “That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run. So I ran to the end of the road. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd run to the end of town.... For no particular reason, I just kept on going.” Now, it has been nearly two years since I started to run, for no particular reason. I was not chased by a dog, nor, was someone chasing me with pizza. I kept running - for no particular reason but now I have one thousand reasons. The snowball effect of running is amazing. The willingness to hit personal records keeps me going. Firstly, non-stop 5 km was my ambition. Soon, it beca...

 Once again, I ran around Kritipur today. Today’s blog consist mainly photos. Kritipur Old town Newar House View of Swyambhu and Kathmandu Tin Thana Uma Maheshawari      And finally, Bagmati at Balkhu. I can not imagine an Olympics opening in the bank of this river. But, if there is the one by miracles, there will be no ‘Last Supper’ parody. #Happy Sunday  

I have a desire to achieve another milestone. I signed up for the Kantipur Half Marathon. I had never attempted that long run. 21.1 km is a long distance, and I am less excited and more nervous.  On 18 May, I got myself ready. I tied my running shoes and reached Thapathali. The Prime Minister shot into the air to start the run. I ran through the crowd. The runners of 5km and 7 km sprinted ahead of me. I monitored my Garmin to make sure that I wasn't running too fast. I had a long way to run. By 6 km, I was already tired. I used to run more than this without feeling fatigued. I continued slowly. By the time I crossed 8 km, I saw the real runners returning from the midpoint. Oh, they're like superhumans. I trudged through the vehicle exhaustions until I finally reached the midpoint. Pausing for a moment, I took a leisurely walk and replenished myself with some much-needed hydration. My journey from Kathmandu to Bhaktapur was difficult and a return trip was going to be more diffic...

I decided to go to Dakchinali on Saturday. Friday night was a bit of 'Friday night' - a few pegs and I was on Pathau to drive home. I woke up a few times at night, waiting for the morning. Finally, it was four and I was ready. I took the Bhaisepati trail - it was dark and dogs were looking at me suspiciously. The GPS app was set wrongly and showed me the long vehicle route. I had to return, about a km back to the dusty, dark and empty road. Down from Baisepati towards MagarGaou to Khokana and Bagmati river. Passing by the paddy field was full of nostalgia, the smell of wheatfield and the chilling air rewind my good memories to those good old days. I was enjoying the narrow routes, a suspension bridge, uphills and downhills and chautari.  The smell of the Bagmati River was awful. The sin of the sinners in Kathmandu was evident. The river has turned sewerage, which is open. All the devotees visiting Pashupati have no meaning. The planners of Kathmandu Valley are naked.  Ok, on t...

I participated in a marathon for the first time and have so many stories to share. It was an amazing run and I can't wait to participate in the next one. I participated in the shortest Manju Shree Trail Race, 10 km, to test myself. It was challenging for me, not because it was difficult, but due to my ignorance.  The trail running was completely different to running in the plain. Downhill was hard on my legs and the uphill in the sun exhausted me completely. I was excited initially but nervous as well. I was surrounded by professional-looking participants. To my surprise, they were companions, not competitors. They were supporting, guiding and cheering each other. I made some good friends while running. I realised that runners have a whole new world. Their topics of discussion were out of my world. Now, I am learning a few running terminologies- zone two, posture, VO2 and BPM etc. Plus, I met some superhumans who ran 30km, 50 kms, 100 kms and 100 miles. They were simply amazing cre...

  No! not facebook. It is not how much you drank yesterday evening, it is how much you ran this morning. 

  And here we go.. at 05:22 am, I completed 6.25 kms in 30 minutes, with an average pace of 4.53 minutes per km. Pat on my back.

Hello! I am back to blogging today after a few weeks. The enthusiasm to write a blog brought me infront of my computer several times but I have other 'priorities' (A usual excuses). Finally, I manage time to jot down a few lines about my week - which is well spent. I have a two friends visiting Nepal from aboard. One was my former boss who is non Nepali, who is retired, who is visiting the world and who is going to everest base camp. I show him a little bit of Kathmandu - during Indra Jatra. The city was lively. He and his wife also enjoyed Newari bhoj. He is a very good story teller and here are some of his stories of his travel to the world. https://www.oskarlehnertravel.news/  And I have another friend visiting Nepal who is Nepali born, who now lives aboard - here not exactly a tourist but likes to go around tourist areas. We walked around.. a hill, a tourist site, temples and bars. I know 'bar' is bit unusual. But this was the most important a part of his visit. :) ...