India Run!
I've done it! My second run in India! My first run was at the resort of Goa. Now, thats a tourist place and so I wasn't too stressed about going for a run. My second run today though is right in the heart of an Indian City.
I had been very apprehensive about going for a run outdoors here in India. My hotel Regaalis though a very nice business class hotel, does not have a gym. I hate running on thread mills. The option to run in the safety of a hotel gym in India was always going to be the more appealing option, but Regaalis didn't have one. Having no choice, I spent the last few days looking for a place to run. I had been asking my colleagues everything :from about how safe it is to run in the city as a foreigner, to what to wear!
Then I found Cubbon Park! Cubbon Park?
If you do a search, it is one of the most popular places in Bangalore city area to do your morning workouts. An online search for "bangalore runs" would yield many links pointing you to Cubbon Park. However, it would not have been my choice as i didn't know where it was - until I took a walk one evening, and found the entrance to a park near the state aquarium. I then asked around, whats that park called - it was Cubbon!
After 3 days without a workout, I was raring to go. Woke up at 6. Warmed up. Got to the park by 6:45a. Started running from Regaalis (on Levelle Road), to the Aquarium and started exploring the park. Google maps didn't give me any route from the aquarium, but there was a road that lead up to the Press Association of Bangalore. Following the roads and the small paths eventually lead me past the Karnataka High Court, the children's library, the sate central library and other sights in the park.
India really has education at the top of their priority. They placed their state central library as almost the center piece attraction in the park! Beside the central library were 2 buses full of books, marked "mobile library". I was amazed.
Back to the run. I did 2 laps around the park in total. In the first 30 minutes, I felt really heavy and slow. However ,the air was very cool - almost cold. I think it might be the high attitude and the different atmospheric pressure that I'm not used to, and maybe the cooler temperature. (Bangalore is 1000m above sea level. Yes, it will not be in any trouble if the sea levels rise! ) I decided to do another lap as I really needed the longer workout due to the fact that I will have no runs again for the next 2 days. The 2nd lap didn't feel any better. But! have a look at my Nike+ data -
It seems like I ran quicker than usual. Was it the cooler weather? Maybe it was the stray dogs.I was subconsciously running away from them. But then again, none of them ran after me!
So! There you go. Bangalore run done!
(for those without flash enabled)
Altitude: 1000m above sea level
Distance: 9.33km
Time: 48.46min
Pace: 5.13min/km
Calories: 653
I had been very apprehensive about going for a run outdoors here in India. My hotel Regaalis though a very nice business class hotel, does not have a gym. I hate running on thread mills. The option to run in the safety of a hotel gym in India was always going to be the more appealing option, but Regaalis didn't have one. Having no choice, I spent the last few days looking for a place to run. I had been asking my colleagues everything :from about how safe it is to run in the city as a foreigner, to what to wear!
Then I found Cubbon Park! Cubbon Park?
If you do a search, it is one of the most popular places in Bangalore city area to do your morning workouts. An online search for "bangalore runs" would yield many links pointing you to Cubbon Park. However, it would not have been my choice as i didn't know where it was - until I took a walk one evening, and found the entrance to a park near the state aquarium. I then asked around, whats that park called - it was Cubbon!
After 3 days without a workout, I was raring to go. Woke up at 6. Warmed up. Got to the park by 6:45a. Started running from Regaalis (on Levelle Road), to the Aquarium and started exploring the park. Google maps didn't give me any route from the aquarium, but there was a road that lead up to the Press Association of Bangalore. Following the roads and the small paths eventually lead me past the Karnataka High Court, the children's library, the sate central library and other sights in the park.
India really has education at the top of their priority. They placed their state central library as almost the center piece attraction in the park! Beside the central library were 2 buses full of books, marked "mobile library". I was amazed.
Back to the run. I did 2 laps around the park in total. In the first 30 minutes, I felt really heavy and slow. However ,the air was very cool - almost cold. I think it might be the high attitude and the different atmospheric pressure that I'm not used to, and maybe the cooler temperature. (Bangalore is 1000m above sea level. Yes, it will not be in any trouble if the sea levels rise! ) I decided to do another lap as I really needed the longer workout due to the fact that I will have no runs again for the next 2 days. The 2nd lap didn't feel any better. But! have a look at my Nike+ data -
It seems like I ran quicker than usual. Was it the cooler weather? Maybe it was the stray dogs.I was subconsciously running away from them. But then again, none of them ran after me!
So! There you go. Bangalore run done!
(for those without flash enabled)
Altitude: 1000m above sea level
Distance: 9.33km
Time: 48.46min
Pace: 5.13min/km
Calories: 653