ISHTRIIIIDERS!! at the PDP 10K

The calm of early dawn was rent by the loud war cry "ISHTRIIIIIDERS"

At 6 am in the morning, a few hundred sleepy Mumbaikars assembled at the PDP Grounds to brave the 10K PDP Run. Most were limbering up, going through elaborate stretching routines, waiting for the show to get on the road. Some broke away into little groups to catch up on a busy week gone by.

I was just trying to keep my plums from freezing - 6am on a Mumbai winter morning isn't exactly the chill zone, but can be pretty bracing. As mentioned earlier, the calm of early dawn was rent by the loud war cry "ISHTRIIIIIDERS."

I sea of runners,as if held together by an invisible thread began easing toward the central lawn. Other runner, bystanders, curs and yours truly parted to make way for this flowing mass. This group then proceeded to warm up in unison, Suzuki style while the rest of us watched agog. Apparently STRIDERS are one of the larger running groups in Mumbai, and this commune like behavior is not uncommon in running circles. 

In fact the running group phenomenon is so pronounced in Mumbai, that most are surprised if one is not part of a few groups. Dear friends are always recommending groups to join, but to be quite honest I'm under enough stress just getting myself going - additional peer pressure I do not need. Perhaps next year if I manage to clear the Half this time around.

The run itself was uneventful apart from the 35-degree Manek Jivan upslope which some nit thought it would be fun to set up as the first hill on the race. Was downhill from there, though and that worked out just fine!! Still struggling to eradicate the ISHTRIIIIDERS wail completely from my head!!

Spandex Virgin Smuggling Plums

If you're squeamish, look away - I'm just trying to make a point.

This is way too much information

I could never fathom what would possess anyone to share this intimate arrangement of their assorted wobbly bits unless they're closet exhibitionists. And so it is with much surprise and  consternation I am forced to confess ... I am now a card carrying member of the spandex shorts brigade, and I'm proud of it.

In my many travels on the internet - I cover more ground on running, than I run on the ground - I read somewhere about the benefits of spandex shorts. Another chafing story, which seems to be a firm favorite with these runner types.

I've never been a fan of the get up, since the material appears to get much too close and personal without even the suggestion of a first date. Never having experienced the need for such specific cupping, I must confess I am a spandex virgin.

However I've conquered so many past stereotypes, i figure it it's time to give the spandex a go as well. To my surprise, I don't have a single bad thing to say. The combination of stability, warmth and compactness provided by the shorts is so great I will likely cross them over into my regular sporting life.


I am still not at the place where I can wear them commando, like the lads above ... and I hope I never will be!!

My Feet are a Science Experiment - Running Shoes

Once you know what you want, the internet helps you find it. But before that it makes you question if what you want is really what you want. I wanted a reasonable pair of running shoes, which would last 24 months. Instead, I discovered that what I really want is a extra cushioned, non-motion controlling, light durable running shoe for the underpronater / supinater with a normal arch.

I first had to take the wet test, to establish what kind of feet I have. It's a little intimidating self administering a test, with water leaking all over the place, while you stoop and try to figure out what pattern the impressions are throwing up.


The other test was the undersole study of my old shoes to show whether the instep or the outstep (??) was more worn out. When you're moderately fit & certainly overweight, all sides look pretty worn. Anyway I did manage to figure out that I am an underpronator with normal to high arch (apparently less than 10% of the popn has this affliction), and even better news that there are shoes for my kind as well. I settled on the Adidas Supernova Glide II, which is certainly an impressive name for a shoe, and bought them at a nice discount from Selection Sports (Mumbai). 

The good news is that my discovery and subsequent purchase solved a bevy of problems all at one go. The bad news is I'm out 6 grand for a running shoe, which is twice what I had planned to pay.