Truth is stranger than fiction

The month of July had been a roller coaster ride. A lot of uncertainty and confusion with regards to certain decisions coupled with my triathlon training made it feel like I was on a perennial roller coaster ride.  I decided to take a break from my triathlon training and resort to some therapy. Personally, for me there was no better therapy other than running.  The San Francisco marathon was scheduled on July 28 th . This one holds a special place in my heart as I began my event calendar with this race when I landed in California for the first time back in July 2017.  San Francisco is beautiful and picturesque with its scintillating views of the golden gate bridge arched over the pristine blue pacific.  Most run routes were designed in a way that gives you a view of the bridge. It made up for the fact that runners were subjected to some monstrous rolling hills.   Amit and I signed up for this race and it was one of the rare occ...

No matter how many times you swim in the ocean, how many times you do a triathlon/Ironman, there is always something new to learn with regards to sea swimming. Such is the might of the ocean. The waves can intimidate and humble you with its capricious moods, currents and tides. This is the reason why I try and attend every open water session/clinics.  Cowell Beach at Santa Cruz holds a special place in my heart. I tried my first open water swim here in August 2017. It was quite an eventful day, considering how I was traumatized by the freezing temperature. My anxiety levels had increased double fold. I was in panic and almost on the verge of giving up my triathlon dream, thinking that I wasn’t quite cut out for an open water swim. I did manage to enter the waters again thanks to encouragement given by the race director Penni Bengston and Coach Rajeev Char from Team Asha.  Even then I couldn’t bear to put my head inside water. The thought of not being ab...

Book review Title: 26 Marathons Author: Meb Keflezighi Genre: Memoir 26 marathons in 15 years.  This book traces the journey of  4 time Olympian Meb Keflezighi from 2002 to 2017.  Divided into 26 chapters which is the marathon distance in miles, each chapter is dedicated to the race he's competed in. He describes his experiences and lessons learnt from every event.  He thrives on the philosophy of running to win. With this he doesn't necessarily mean securing the first place but getting the best out of yourself in every run.  He begins his running career in 2002 with the New York City Marathon and goes on to participate in the Chicago Marathon and several editions of the Boston,Olympian, London and ends his career with the 2017 edition of the New York Marathon.  Meb's tumultuous journey sees him through his visit to his birth place Eritrea, the tough life of folks in that place, his training regimes, struggles, injuries, illness...

Complimentary chilled beer? Post a 10-km run? The offer was too tempting to resist. I came across this post about a city beer run on Facebook on a Saturday morning when I had finished a 2-km open water swim. The run was to be held the next day.  I scanned the details and found that the bib collection was just 15 mins away from the place of my open water swim. Thankfully the race wasn’t sold out so I instantly signed up for it in the car while my hubby drove me down to the packet pick up. The run was scheduled at 11 noon. Being peak summer, the temperatures soared mercilessly. It wasn’t any different that Sunday.  I reached Coyote point recreational area which was 30 minutes from where I lived. It was a familiar place as I had come for an open water session a couple of weeks ago. The lush green picnic area overlooked the pristine blue pacific. The waves were friendly and calm for a change. Families and dogs splashed in the water merrily.  ...