Ameenpur Lake was on my list of places to ride for a long time and the opportunity finally came during the first weekend of May, 2015. I had promised my wife that I will take her for long rides during summer and was excited to see The Bike Affair post Ameenpur Lake as part of their Saturday Leisure ride on May 2nd.
The ride was about 35 Km in total including some off-road at the lake. The breakfast en-route at BHEL was pretty good. A memorable experience overall!
I visited Bangalore on work for 3 days during mid May. After a long day that started with an early morning flight from Hyderabad to Bangalore and a tedious journey from Bangalore airport to office followed by several meetings, my colleague and I reached Lemon Tree Hotel at Whitefield to check in. At the hotel entrance, the sight of 2 new bi-cycles caught our attention. I asked the receptionist who those cycles are meant for and I was delighted with his answer that it was for us! We were not going to miss the opportunity.
We decided to wake up early and explore some nearby areas. I started the next 2 days with biking at 6AM. Coincidentally, we spent exactly 1 hour 10 minutes biking both the days. On day one, we covered 17.6 Km biking up to Varthur lake – it should have once been a beautiful lake but now one of the most polluted ones I have seen! On day two, we covered 15.8 Km riding through some scenic fields near Kodigehalli including some off road.
I plan to explore more of Bangalore during my future visits! Look forward to it!
Over a Friday lunch at work with my team-mates, we started discussing on the best way for the team to spend some time that Saturday with one of our colleagues from Bangalore. I suggested going for an early morning ride to Gandipet and was surprised at the enthusiasm shown by most of the team members. 9 people said yes and all of them turned up! They rented cycles from HBC and were all set by 5:45AM. I drove my car to HBC along with my wife and both our cycles. We all started riding from HBC around 5:50 and arrived at Gandipet around 7AM. After spending some time at Gandipet and clicking some pictures, we took a different route on return that included some off-road riding as well. We completed the ride around 9AM covering about 30 Km and wrapped up after a good breakfast.
Having covered Gandipet, we wanted to cover the next nearby lake the next weekend. This time 6 people turned up including a couple of new ones. We started a bit later in the morning but luckily we had pleasant weather. We covered Qutb Shahi Tombs and Golconda Fort on the way to Himayat Sagar. We ended the ride only by 10:30AM covering 45 Km but the beautiful weather made it possible.
Across the 2 rides, we had 2 flats and a broken chain. Though everyone seemed to have enjoyed the rides, better cycles would have made it easier and more enjoyable. I hope the enthusiasm continues and we continue to ride as a team!
I came to know of the annual Club Run conducted by Hyderabad Runners Club towards end of January. I was not sure if I wanted to participate. But once I realized that they also had a 3K run for kids, I decided to participate along with my wife and kids. The only decision I had to make was around the choice between 10K or half marathon (21.1K) for me. I had done about five 10Ks so far, but never did a half marathon. We always have a first time and decided to make this one for me!!! And my target was to finish under 2:30.
I registered online about 5 days before the event and was a bit annoyed as the google docs page did not send me a confirmation with my details. I emailed the organizers and got a positive response from them in a couple of days asking me to collect the bib the day before the event. I went to the venue to collect the bib and the arrangements were excellent. I was in and out in less than 5 minutes. The event day arrangements were also excellent – great job Hyderabad Runners Club!!!
The flag off for half marathon was scheduled for 6AM but was delayed by about 15 minutes because of bad light, which was understandable. I felt I started a bit slower than usual but picked up pace after the first 10 minutes. The terrain was largely flat, which is rare in Hyderabad. That helped me to maintain good pace.
I forgot to carry my arm band and had to carry my mobile in my palm. I felt it would be a pain but it gave me the opportunity to check my speed frequently. I completed the first 5K in 27:37, which is my personal best. After 5K, I started to struggle and after 6K, I started to walk. One of my friends who was behind me till then passed by urging me to maintain pace. I tried to keep up with him that helped me cover a Km in good pace. But I eventually asked him to carry on and alternated between walking and running. When I reached 8K mark, I had taken just over 46 mins and I told myself this is my best chance to conquer 10K in under 1 hr if I can run the next 2 Km at 6.5 Km/min. That motivated me and I completed the first 10K in 58:26. I was very happy and decided to relax a bit for the next few mins. I covered the next 3 Kms in more than 22 mins. I tried to increase my pace and managed to cover the next 2 Km in less than 14 mins but my will power was starting to fade away.
After 15K, the sun was also out and I started tiring. I drank gatorade and ate some bananas every couple of Kms but I was slowing down progressively. I could never manage a full Km under 7 mins after that. As I crossed the 18K mark, it was just over 2 hrs since I started. I had 3.1K left and I told myself that I should do a really bad job from then on to miss my target of finishing under 2:30. So, I did not stretch myself and was just monitoring the time. As I was about 400m from the finish line, a couple of my friends came from the opposite direction and started pushing me to finish strong. One of my friends even started running along with me and he later sent me a picture he took of me as I approached the finish line. It was a great gesture. I was glad that I had energy left to give it a last push and collect my medal. The clock showed 2:26 and Strava showed 2:25. I would take either as I finished under 2:30!
My family was waiting for me at the finish line. My wife and kids had already collected their medals and it was picture time. After a generous dosage of pictures, I picked up my food packet but was not in a mood to eat anything. It was a great feeling to finish in good time!!! Look forward to more in future!!!
Runners and Riders Club at my organization regularly participates in and conducts events that promote health of its team members. The annual 10K Walk / Run / Ride for 2015 was scheduled on Saturday, Feb 7th. I registered for 10K Run.
I had previously completed four 10K runs with my personal best being 1:01:19. My target was to complete 10K in under 1 hour. I was confident given my regular runs of about 4K and my fitness level. However, my last 10K run was more than 3 months back and I had only one 5K run in almost 2 months.
I had reached the venue by 5:30AM and the organizers had done a great job in getting everything together for more than 200 runners and 200 riders. The run was flagged off perfectly on time at 6:30AM.
I started very well and for a brief moment, I was the lead runner! After 2 Kms, we hit a steep climb and I slowed down. I continued to progress as best as I could but noticed at least half a dozen runners overtake me as I settled into my regular pace of about 5:40 minutes per km. I reached 6K point in about 35 mins and tried to push myself to complete the remaining 4K in less than 25 mins. With the last 2K remaining, I realized it will be a touch and go.
I eventually completed the 10K in 1:01:09, which is 10 seconds faster than my previous best but not good enough to be under an hour. I realized that daily 4K runs at an average pace between 5:40 mins/km and 6:30 mins/km was not going to get me to 10K under an hour. I need to figure out a new strategy.
I got some refreshments and waited for my team-mates. They started finishing one by one and it was a proud moment when the entire team finished successfully!!! The medal and t-shirt were a bonus. A great event overall. I will return in 2016 with a better plan to finish under and hour.
Republic Ride conducted by TAF to coincide with Indian Republic Day on Jan 26th every year was one of my planned events in 2015. I almost dropped out 3 weeks before the event with an alternate weekend plan that I could not skip. With the eleventh hour cancellation of the other event, I immediately jumped on the opportunity to participate in the Republic Ride 2015.
My target was to complete the 100 Km in less than 5 hours. I assembled with my colleagues at Gachibowli stadium by 5:15 AM to be part of the early start planned for 6 AM. It was a cold morning and visibility was low. The ride was flagged off around 6:22 AM after visibility improved.
I settled into good rhythm with a pace of about 24 Km/hr whizzing past the first couple of checkpoints at Malaysian Township and Inorbit Mall very comfortably. Unlike Freedom Ride 5 months back, I did not lose pace or energy even after the first 30 Km. I could sense that my regular weekend long rides was making me stronger.
I was on track to complete the ride under 5 hours when a couple of TAF guards posted to guide the riders pointed me in the wrong direction at Narsingi Junction. The irony was that I was very familiar with the route and I was sure that the third checkpoint at Taramati required me to take a left turn. But the guards did not allow me take the left and asked me to proceed straight on ORR Service Road. With a doubtful mind, I proceeded straight but soon felt confident as I could see more riders ahead of me. I caught up with one of my colleagues and shortly a TAF volunteer on a motorcycle from the opposite direction told us that we missed the checkpoint at Taramati. I was mad at being misguided but reminded myself that my anger was not going to help me. I took a u-turn and rode back to the junction. I eventually found that I had cycled an extra 8 Km due to this and I now had to complete 108 Km to finish the ride. On my way, I expressed my anguish to the guards and they said they just did what they were told. I knew they were just doing their job and told myself that I should just focus on finishing at my best pace. By then I also knew that under 5 hours was ruled out now.
After the checkpoint at Taramati, I had a good breakfast of idly and vada along with a break of about 20 minutes. The weather was pleasant and with the breakfast recharge, I proceeded comfortably to the next checkpoint at Himayatsagar. I had completed 50 Km at an average pace of 24 Km/hr.
The next checkpoint was at Kalika temple 30 Km away. The sun was out by this time and it was getting tougher. I passed through VIF College and Gandipet strong. As I started along the Shankarpally rode, after about 65 Km, I could feel that I was tiring. I started to lose my strength as I reached Kalika temple around 10:15 AM. The average pace for the last 30 Km stretch was 21.5 Km/hr. I had started to lose strength.
As I started after the checkpoint to head back to Gachibowli stadium, I encountered strong headwinds and felt I was just crawling. My pace was only about 18 Km/hr now and could see a couple of folks overtake me. My objective was to hit the Kokapet foothill with strength left to climb it and Microsoft hill. I managed it and suddenly found several riders struggling with the Kokapet climb. At least half a dozen riders had given up the climb and were walking their cycle up. I lowered my gears to 1-1 but did not give up. As I continued to cycle, I overtook several folks to swipe at the last checkpoint above the hill. The same repeated as I climbed up the Microsoft hill overtaking about half a dozen riders. After reaching the top of the last hill, my adrenaline started kicking in and I wanted to finish strong.
I reached the finish point just before noon with Strava showing elapsed time as 5 hrs 37 mins, moving time as 5 hrs 13 mins and total distance as 108.6 Km. It was 37 mins more than my target but 8.6 Km more as well. My target of under 5 hrs will have to wait till Republic Ride 2016!
During the last week of October, I heard about an upcoming 200 Km Hyderabad Brevet on November 22nd. I initially brushed it off as I had just a couple of weekends in between to prepare. I then came to know of practice rides scheduled for the next 2 Saturdays. I planned to test my stamina during these practice rides and decide whether I should register for the event.
The first practice ride was named Century ride as it covered about 100 Km. Add another 20 Km for me to to reach the start point from my home and then cycle back, I would get a fair idea of my ability to go beyond 100 Km. I had a minor problem with the cycle chain as I just started cycling from my home at 4:30 in the morning. It took a few minutes for me to fix it and as a result I was among the last to assemble at the start point. Route briefing had already started and I was glad that I reached before the gang of about 25 riders started. I was in the lead pack for the first hour but started to slow down after about an hour. I was still among the first few as we stopped for coffee after about 30 Km at Shankarpally. But I started to fall behind as we cycled to Chevella. My average speed came down from 22 Km/hr to about 20 Km/hr while the others appeared to maintain a better average. We had breakfast at Chevella and I struggled to maintain pace after that. My speed dropped to less than 17 Km/hr making me question my ability to complete 200 Km in less than 13.5 hours. But I decided to give it a shot during the next week as well.
The second practice ride was shorter at about 65 Km, which would make it 95 Km from my home and was through slightly different route. We passed through IIT Hyderabad campus which is located inside the Ordnance Factory. It was a beautiful 10 Km ride through the scenic campus. We stopped for breakfast at Shankarpally and I felt much better than the previous weekend. I completed the ride strongly and felt quite confident about the brevet now. I then registered for “The 2 Lakes Heaven & Hell Brevet” on 22nd November!!!
The D-Day started for me at 2:30 AM giving me an hour to get ready, have breakfast and start from my home at 3:30. I drove my car with my cycle to the start point at “The Bike Affair” to save an otherwise extra 40 Km. I picked up my friend Mani on my way and reached the start point at 4:30. After an hour of pre-brevet routines of bike checks and paperwork, we all started at 5:30. Mani and I had already planned to ride together throughout the 210 Km. We had devised a strategy to complete the distance in 12 hours. Now was the time to execute it. At 5:30, the brevet was flagged off.
It was a cold morning. I was wearing a new pair of gloves that made it difficult for me to get a feel for handle bar, particular during the first 15 minutes as I was just warming up. We were about 80 riders jostling for some space in the beginning and I was looking for my partner! In the process, I hit a bump, lost my balance and fell down. I landed on my left hand and ended up with minor bruises. My first thought was for the brevet – am I going to be able to continue riding? The handle bar was also stuck – is the cycle fine to continue? The first check was for the cycle. The handle bar was stuck as the front brakes were jammed. It was easy to fix it and within a minute, I realized the cycle was ok. But I was not so lucky. I could feel the bruises on my left thigh and right foot. The worst was my left hand – in addition to the bruises, I had sprained my wrist as I landed on it. Anyways, I started riding and after about 30 minutes, I got into my groove.
The first 3 hours were awesome. The breakfast of granola and coffee kept me strong during this time as I covered 65 Km by 8:30 at about 22 Km/hr. Mani and I were riding together and we stopped for breakfast of bread with nutella and bananas. We reached the first checkpoint at about 9:15 that marked completion of about 75 Km.
After a bit of stretching, we started the next phase that was much tougher than the first 75 Km. It was getting hotter with the sun out on a clear day and the road weaved through several gradients. We had planned to reach the lunch venue (Kotepally Lake) by 11:00 but there were no signs of the lake even after 11:15 as we hit some barren country roads. We finally made it for lunch around 11:30 that marked about 110 Km. Though it was a 200 Km brevet, the route covered almost 210 Km. I started realizing the enormity of the additional 5% distance at that time, particularly given the time constraint! I forgot about the ride for some time as I had some parathas and pulav for lunch. After the food energized my body, I checked my injured left hand. It had become numb and I could not move it at all. I lay down for 20 mins letting my body get some much needed rest. By 12:15, the other riders restarted their journey but I was not yet in a shape to move. Mani started prodding me, reminding me of the dreaded Anantagiri climb that we would hit about 40 mins after lunch. We finally managed to get back on road around 12:30.
It was tough! As I was riding in the hot sun on a barren road, I could see the Anantagiri climb of 160 meters and I was almost ready to give up. Mani was riding strong and kept prodding me. After a while, he either got tired of me or decided to push me by riding in front. I could not keep pace with him at all and gave up as we hit the climb. I could not cycle all the way up the climb and started to walk. I sipped my Gatorade every 5 minutes but it did not appear to help. I finally managed to reach the top of the hill and was happy to see Mani waiting for me. After another 10 minute break, we started riding again. With the tough part of the circuit all conquered, we decided to increase our pace. And we did it in style.
I remembered Mani telling me that the trick to ride on gradients is to maintain our turn-ratio. I always tend to ride on higher gears that does not help while climbing up gradients, particularly the steep ones. With my left hand practically non-functional now, I could not switch my front gears. So, left it on a lower one. That did the trick for me. I was able to maintain my pace much better with a consistently lower front gear. I kept changing only my rear gear as we climbed up and down gradients.
The sun had started going down and I got my energy back. The next 65 Km were the best phase of the brevet. I was practically riding on one hand but was enjoying the consistent pace. I reached the last checkpoint with more than an hour left to cover the final 14 Km. I was almost there and I wanted to finish strong. There was a minor last minute scare as we hit the Saturday evening traffic jam with less than a kilometre to go. I managed to squeeze through the traffic and completed the brevet in 13 hours and 16 minutes, with 14 minutes to spare!!!
Another milestone achieved and I am now an official Randonneur!!!
I came to know of 10 K run as part of Puma Urban Stampede when I went to collect my bibs for Olympic Duathlon 3 weeks earlier. My friends were not very keen as we had just completed a much tougher Duathlon and I ignored it along with them… Till I met another colleague a couple of days before the run on November 2nd. He encouraged me to participate and I decided to spot register the next day at Puma showroom, Banjara Hills.
The Puma showroom was impressive with an excellent collection of latest sports wear and gear from Puma. There was a 20% discount for all Urban Stampede participants that lured my into buying a Puma Faas 600 S shoes and a few dry fit apparels.
I had a niggle on my right knee for a few days and was worried if it will hold up for 10 Kms. The niggle caused discomfort whenever I ran more than 5 Kms during the last couple of weeks but got better after some rest. I decided to take a gamble.
The event was at an open ground beside Novotel near Hyderabad airport and the 10 K run was scheduled at 7 AM with a reporting time of 6AM. I woke up at 4:30 AM, made myself some coffee and started to the venue at around 5:15 AM. When I reached the venue, warm up exercises were going on for 5 K participants that was kicked off at around 6:15 AM.
The venue was exactly 2.5 Km from the junction of Airport Road with Srisailam Highway. 5 K was to be covered by running till this junction and returning to the start point. 10 K meant repeating this route once more.
10 K run started at 7 AM as scheduled and I felt good as I set some good pace. Though we are strongly advised against trying a new pair of shoes for an event, my Puma Faas 600 S felt good and I did not feel the niggle on my right knee. Looks like the gamble was paying off!!!
I started strong and was among the lead pack for the first 2.5 Km and finished it in 14 mins 17 seconds to be 29th of 173 finishers. I dropped my pace a little bit during the next 2.5 Km but still finished 5 Km in 30 mins 2 seconds. I harboured hopes of finishing 10 Km in less than an hour. But the 3rd quarter was taxing. I took more than 18 mins and with that went the hope to finish under an hour.
As I was mid way through the last quarter, my colleague passed by and gave me a great piece of advice. We were going through a downhill. He said that I was stopping with each step and I should just “go with the flow” without losing momentum. He was right. I was coming down heavily on my heels with each step and this would hurt my knees too. I tried to carry on with the momentum and could feel myself increase pace slightly while putting lesser effort.
With that, I could finish strongly but still took 1 hr 4 mins to complete what was actually 10.7 Kms. Nowhere near bragging result but I had still done my best 5 K and 10 K during this run. I reserve sub-hour 10 K for future!!!
After Freedom Ride on August 15th that gave me the first sports medal in a very long time, I took a break from cycling for a couple of weeks. I also caught a viral fever towards end of August that took me out of action for some time.
The idea…
As I was getting back in shape, one of my colleagues, Manivannan Elangovan spoke about an upcoming Olympic Duathlon event in October conducted as part of Hyderabad Triathlon. This event starts with 10 Km run, followed by 40 Km cycling and ends with 5 Km run.
Cycling sounded fun when I decided to take the plunge a year back but running did not sound like my cup of tea. I did not want to disappoint Mani and played ball during the conversations assuming that I can pull out later. Around 4 weeks before the event, Mani started pushing me seriously and I decided to give it a try.
Preparation at Hyderabad
For the last 6 years, I walk every morning for about 25 mins at Indira Park that is right opposite to my kids school. I wanted to check out my ability to run any significant distance by converting this morning walk into a run. I embarked on my first practice run on September 16th and was surprised at being able to run continuously for about a kilometre. I completed about 2.5 Km run / walk in about 20 minutes. This gave me confidence and I decided to give it a serious try.
I repeated the 2 Km runs at Indira Park for the rest of the week. I also encouraged my cycling friends Mani and Aditya to subscribe for the event. We decided to spice up cycling that Saturday with some running. Another colleague, Aditya Majety joined us for the ride on Saturday. He had already subscribed for Power Duathlon that was literally double of Olympic Duathlon on every leg.
After riding for 30 Km on Saturday, we locked our cycles at Himayat Sagar lake and started running. Mani ran like a pro and also coached us. I managed 3.9 Km in about 28 mins. Aditya Majety continuously ran at a steady pace and it appeared that he could run for ever. Syed and Aditya did quite well for their first run! The icing on the cake was the 300 meter sprint that Mani asked us to do at the very end. We were all exhausted but felt happy that we were about to run more than 3 Km after cycling continuously for 30 Km. We were all hungry and had a variety of dosas for breakfast at a roadside stall.
I had set a deadline of Sep 30th to make up my mind on registering for the duathlon. I noticed that the registration fee for Olympic Duathlon was going to increase after Sep 28th. So, I registered on 27th and Syed registered the next day. Aditya took a couple more days to make up his mind and he surprisingly registered for a triathlon event. He was the only one to have chosen swimming in addition to cycling and running. I was glad to have a swimmer in the gang.
Practice runs at Kodaikanal
I continued with my daily runs at Indira Park and longer rides over the weekend. I went on vacation with family to Kodaikanal, a hill station built around a beautiful lake. We stayed at a hotel near the lake. There was a nice running track along the lake and its circumference was about 5 Km. I completed running a full loop around the lake on all the 3 days we stayed there.
Final preparations
After training for 4 weeks, we all felt confident that we should successfully complete Olmypic Duathlon well within the cut-off time of 7 hours. A day before the event, I collected my bib and timing chip from the organizers. I also bought a smart dry-fit from Nike to make sure that I had the right attire to go through with the event. Another learning from Freedom ride was not to push the limit on big event days. So, I attached my cycle mount to my car and decided to take my cycle to Gachibowli Stadium in my car. The mount can carry two cycles and the plan was to pick up Syed on my way to the stadium.
The D-Day
I woke up at 4:30 AM, made myself some coffee and got ready as usual. I started from my home at around 5:30 AM. I picked up Syed and reached the venue by 6 AM. After attaching the bibs and timing chip, we were all set for the start at 6:30 AM. There were about 120 participants for the Olympic Duathlon.
First Leg – 10 K Run
We started running at around 6:35 AM and with the pleasant weather at that time, it was an enjoyable start to the Duathlon. The 10 K run was essentially running along a straight road that passed 2 hills (Microsoft and ICICI at Gachibowli) for 5 Km and retracing the same route back to the stadium. I kept pace with the lead pack for the first couple of kilometres and felt good. Though I dropped some pace after that, I kept running continuously for the first 5 Km and completed it in about 28 mins. It was easily my best 5K and was surprised myself. But after completing 5K, I started losing pace rapidly and another problem hit me soon. At about 8 Km, I started feeling pain on my left knee. The Duathlon had just started and with a long way to go, I did not want to risk losing my knee. So, I stopped running and started on a brisk walk. I completed the 10 K in 1 hr 7 mins, which was still my best time till then.
Second Leg – 40 Km Cycling
I spent about 8 mins stretching my legs and sipping some Gatorade before I started cycling. I thanked my stars that the pain in my knee did not flare up while cycling. Looks like I strained my running muscle, which did not affect my cycling. I started quite strongly and overtook several people during the first 10 Km of cycling. All the 3 hills during the first 10 Km passed easily and I rode at a good consistent pace on the relative flat surface after Kokapet hill till ICFAI. I took a little break at ICFAI for some Gatorade and bananas and maintained good pace all the way back to Gachibowli stadium. I completed the entire 40 Kms in 2 hrs 9 mins.
Final Leg – 5 Km Run
As I got off my cycle and landed my foot, I felt my knee pain flare up. It was much worse than the way I felt after the first run. After some stretching, I tried to run but the pain was too much. I then decided that the goal is to just complete the last 5 Km and did not matter whether I run or walk. Eventually, I limped along the 5 Km in 53 minutes and successfully completed the Duathlon! I took a total of 4 hrs 23 mins to complete the Olympic Duathlon.
I made sure I had some energy left to take some pictures with my medal to show off! Mani had completed the event about 15 mins ahead of me and was waiting for me at the finish line. He clicked a few great pictures that I will cherish for a long time!
Mani had got some Australian oranges that we had with salt for recovering. It felt like magic potion but I started to blank out as we were finishing off with some stretching exercises. I realized that I was hungry and had to eat something. Mani and I went to the food counters and Syed joined us in a few mins once he finished successfully as well.
As we had our food near the swimming pool, we saw Aditya swimming to complete his final leg of Sprint Triathlon. It was around the same time when cyclone Hudhud crossed the coast near Vishakapatnam that is around 700 Kms from Hyderabad. The winds had picked up and several hoardings crashed. We thanked our luck that we finished cycling before the winds hit us.
Mani, Syed and I took a picture together before heading back home. Mission Accomplished… And in style!!! I would not have thought that I could complete an event like this even 3 months back. I realized how determined training can push our limits. And I could see that I am developing an addiction to complete challenging events like this one!