Formula 1 not a formula

Some of the MBA aspirants claimed to be avid followers of Formula 1 but have not heard of the legendary Ayrton Senna. Some others claimed to follow NBA but were not aware of the single game scoring record of Chamberlain.

Perhaps these folks should stick to a simple sport, like running, and just RUN it.

Distant memory of Distance Runs

Taking classes at NU's downtown campus on Saturday's was fun, because after the class I would run for an hour and a half and then return home. The luxuries that time and space can afford!

Making running mandatory

Too many kids with too little to do and parents just AWOL.

Mobs Are Born as Word Grows by Text Message

By IAN URBINA

PHILADELPHIA — It started innocently enough seven years ago as an act of performance art where people linked through social-networking Web sites and text messaging suddenly gathered on the streets for impromptu pillow fights in New York, group disco routines in London, and even a huge snowball fight in Washington.

But these so-called flash mobs have taken a more aggressive and raucous turn here as hundreds of teenagers have been converging downtown for a ritual that is part bullying, part running of the bulls: sprinting down the block, the teenagers sometimes pause to brawl with one another, assault pedestrians or vandalize property.

In the Heat of the ... Mornin'

The temperature and humidity is climbing quickly, and so is the discomfort level for runners and walkers.

Racing Oxymoron

Recently there was an auto race in India that was being telecast on NDTV. The station, like its western counterparts, made it into a bigger than life event. But the worst part involved calling the event the Green Race. Nothing is green about wasting gasoline and increasing pollution- perhaps NDTV can sponsor truly green races.

A Juma Memory

Going back to the late 80s and early nineties, Ibrahim Hussein of Kenya and Juma Ikaanga of Tanzania dueled in a few marathons. It was great fun to watch the latter, who looked frail but could power his way through tough competition. Unfortunately he finished behind the leader at Boston a couple of times.

Marathon Season....Rotterdam and London

James Kwambai – favourite in the 30th Fortis Marathon Rotterdam

ROTTERDAM – Top athlete James Kwambai (http://www.fortismarathonrotterdam.nl/james) is returning

to the Coolsingel to put something right. The Kenyan doesn’t want to be taken by surprise

again on Sunday 11 April during the 30th Fortis Marathon Rotterdam. Last year his compatriot

Duncan Kibet passed him, just before the finish, after an exciting sprint to the end. Both

Africans were awarded 2.04.27 to their names. Only the Ethiopian world record holder Haile

Gebrselassie has ever run faster.

Off and Running

WOnderful weather in Chicago for those runners itching to get out.

Whale Runner...

Whales Dying in Record Numbers Near Argentina : Discovery News: "Southern right whales are dying in record numbers along Argentina's Patagonian coast, resulting in the largest die-off of great whales that has ever been documented, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society.

Since 2005, a total of 308 dead right whales were recorded in the waters around Peninsula Valdes, which is an important calving ground for this species. Eighty-eight percent of the dead were calves less than 3 months old. That means about 28 percent of all calves in the region appear to be dying, and no one knows why."

Gated running

Getting to three of the four gates at IIT is not bad at all, especially when the temperature and humidity can get a person hot and sweaty. However all four need to be covered to be regarded as a geuine run.

Gate-to-Gate

Another hot day for a good run from one end to another...the surprising aspect is that one does not get too thirsty running in this weather.

Partners in Run

If one had to pick a a person to go running with, who would that be? It's an interesting question. Oprah? Jordan? Clinton? Jon Stewart? Colbert? Rosa Mota?

Having Fun

As the temperature goes higher and tempers start flaring it is time to chill and get the miles in...too much time watching TV can be dangerous to one's temper(ment).

Crazy or Lazy...

Traffic in Chennai or Delhi is enough to drive one crazy. Little space to walk- is one more reason for people to avoid walking and get their own vehicles, which results in even less space for pedestrians. Then people will drive to gyms to get exercise...

A hot dilemma

Should one run early in the morning and get it out of the way (as my students often refer to the pain of attending my classes) or should it be an event to be enjoyed in the evening, when the body has had the whole day to limber up and exercise? It is a tough one for a serious runner. One key variable is the temperature. During the winter in Chicago, it is dark and cold at 6AM and at 6PM, so one could run in the evening (if one prefers) and the weather would not be a factor. Here in Chennai, the temperature is in the mid 80s early in the morning and in the low nineties in the evening- again not much of a difference. One can sweat a lot deciding when to run in this city.

Trite...but True

I was at a bookstore yesterday and happened to read a few passages from the book "The Last Lecture" by the late Dr. Randy Pausch. One of his messages is to "work hard." Rather obvious, one could say. And one would be right- especially if one was a runner. If one wants to be good, one should be good about putting in the hours.

How Time Runs...

Keeping time can age runners quickly...when one realizes he/she is not as fast as in the years past. But, to paraphrase Calvin's father, the runner has not slowed down, time is moving faster.

Easy Seven

Covering the four corners of IIT today took about an hour. A distance of about 12 km or 7.5 miles, it was by far the longest run in recent times. Hot, but enjoyable.

Running...in fear

Folks who followed Indian cricket in the seventies remember players who were intimidated by the fast bowlers of West Indies and Australia and used to step away in fear. Players like Brijesh Patel, A. Gaekwad, and Sudhir Naik who were prolific scorers in the domestic circuit simply failed miserably when playing against foreign fast bowlers.

In is Out

Personal Best - Winter Training - Faster and Safer Indoors? - NYTimes.com: "The sad answer, exercise researchers say, is that you really cannot get the same training effect with indoor substitutes. That’s not to say that indoor training is useless, but rather that it has real limitations, with differences that sometimes are subtle, but significant.

“I think most athletes know that,” said Peter R. Cavanagh, an exercise researcher at the University of Washington in Seattle. “That’s why they are out there in all seasons.”

The most obvious difference with indoor exercise is a lack of wind resistance, Dr. Cavanagh said.

“The important variable here is speed relative to the air,” he said. For example, if you are running at 8 miles per hour into a 10-m.p.h. headwind, your speed relative to the air is 18 m.p.h. Dr. Cavanagh explained in an e-mail message: “Work done against air resistance can be extremely costly because the ‘drag force’ (force caused by air resistance) is proportional to the square of speed and the power required to overcome drag force is proportional to the cube of speed.”"

Stomach's the problem when there's no stomach for running

What makes a person who gets up in the morning with no enthusiasm for running go out and run a decent distance at a fast clip? Need to study the research on models the brain runs to position the body for an activity like running.

Lot of Air...Polluted air

Air Pollution Slows Down Women Marathoners - Yahoo! News: "Dirty air could hinder the performance of women in marathons, a new study finds.
Linsey Marr of Virginia Tech evaluated marathon race results, weather data and air pollution concentrations for seven major U.S. marathons in cities such as New York, Boston and Los Angeles, where pollution tends to be highest
Multiple runnings of each marathon were evaluated, from eight to 28 consecutive years, depending on the race.
The top three male and female finishing times were compared with the course record and contrasted with air pollutant levels, taking high temperatures (which can negatively impact running performance) into consideration.
Higher levels of particles in the air - also known as smog - were associated with slower performance times for women. Men, however, showed no significant impact from pollution."

Running..into nice people

We were invited to tea by a wonderful couple yesterday. The ancient Indian hospitality is still alive, at least in certain people, and hasn't been run off the planet completely. At least, not yet.