My 1st Half Marathon! Yes I can run

I was often called the lazy bum of the family. Totally non athletic and far away from being robust in any way. When i enrolled for the half marathon and its 12 wk training i had never ever run even a mile. I enrolled only because i wanted Mohit to run and get into a regime. I came across an email about a training for half Marathon! I googled how much is a half Marathon! Such was my ignorance! 13.1 miles 21kms ! Thats how far my office is from home and it takes me a good 45 mins drive in peak hours to reach there. So am I thinking of running to my office. That seemed like an undoable task but regardless there was no harm in training. All i had to do was to ensure Mohit completed the run and my goal would be achieved. I joked with my friends that after 5 miles i would take an uber and reach the finish line.

The 12 weeks training started and to my shock the very 1st run the coach made us do was a 3mile! Each and every part of my bone cracked and pained for the next 3 days. Honestly i was the most difficult student for my coaches and also the most doubtful one. However thank God the coaches did not give up on me. Till the 8 miles week i use to have sleepless nights every Friday thinking how would i do the run on saturday morning and then something changed. By now my Saavn music playlist had grown and had all my favorite numbers. I was running with a free mind to beautiful terrain enjoying the music and i completed 9 miles. The training is only till 10 miles. Once you complete 10 miles its understood you would make it for 13.1miles on the race day. For me the self doubt had given way to an immense confidence by now. While I saw many others much better runners being nervous about the final run i was somehow at peace. I just felt i would be able to run and complete 13.1 miles.

The day of the final run arrived and we all reached Berkeley. Beautiful morning and an amazing crowd - 9000 runners and that euphoria. At the gunshot we started our run. Me and Mohit ran together for the 1st 2 miles, clicking pictures and sharing with our families back in India who were cheering and tracking us online - great moral boosters. But as is always the case my journeys are always the tough ones, it started to rain and it suddenly changed into heavy downpour. I had never seen such huge rain in the bay area before this day! To top it up it was so cold! and i have a problem - if my feet are wet and cold they cramp!!! If not cramping pneumonia was sure to happen! I looked up into the sky and said “Seriously God ?????”

It was all fine till the 7th mile and then rain got worse and my shoes and feet were drenched in water. At the mile 8 my mind started giving away with the fear that my legs will cramp any moment. If they cramped there was no way i cud even walk leave aside running. I would need to be lifted in an ambulance! Mohit was way ahead in the run constantly calling me to check on how i was doing but i dint want to disclose my fear to him and make him to stop. I messaged my family to pray and called my sister who was half asleep yet tracking my run. Cried in fear. I was already disappointed in anticipation that despite the hard work i would not be able to make it. She said U just run till u cramp coz the cramping wouldn’t happen today. I slowed down but continued to run. Somewhere at the 9th mile i heard from Mohit that he had completed the run! I was in tears Mission accomplished! My mind told me at this point - take an uber and get to the finish line. Lol.

10th mile dragging my feet i was at a huge crossroad with traffics stopped on all 4 sides and 6 cops in their black uniform standing very much in the same rain and clapping for me as i cross it!! That feeling i tell ya - I felt like Shahrukh Khan and the universe conspiring to help me finish the race... lol.The run had to be completed in 4 hrs else u would be disqualified.. I was amongst the last 100 from a total of 9000 runners who ran that day and completed my run in 3 hrs 40 mins!! I danced thru the finish line. I did it. Mohit and my coaches standing there to welcome. I had run not 13.1 but 13.5 miles actually in a heavy rain with drenched feet without cramping and without pneumonia.

Huge learnings from this whole episode.... You can achieve just about anything if you decide to ....Our brain cheats us.. Dont let it do that.... Dont fear cause most of the things you fear for dont happen... Have ur anchors ready who can motivate you :) and pull you up. A coach your teacher is important in life. This wouldn’t have been possible without their discipline and coaching. I dint realize when running became addictive or rather i should say meditative. A new profound joy of unleashing your energies in the right direction. Running frees you, cleanses your mind detoxifies you! We were born to run!

We are running our 2nd half Marathon on 21st May this year and i can assure i will finish it with better timing than 3hrs 40 mins.

Nothing is IMpossible.

A forward from a team mate – The video below. I was truly touched with it and thought will include it in my blog. Very rightly said Nothing is Impossible. With persistence, faith and passion coupled together the impossible can be turned to an opportunity and then a possibility.

Foodie - Bangalore Bistro

Though Bangalore Bistro has been here for long, it was a new discovery for us. It is located right on Brigade road next to the Eva Mall. If you are looking for an international cuisine and want to try food varying from steaks to Italian with good choices for both vegetarians and Non vegetarians you would surely enjoy the menu at Bistro. We settled for a more Mediterranean meal and went for Lebanese and Turkish items on the menu.


To start with we had 'Burchetta platter' which was an assortment of Pesto, tomatoes, mushroom and Olive burchettas. Truly a vegetarians delight. For the main course we ordered a 'Lebanese Sheesh touk' which had Chicken Skewers with pita bread, hummus and salad.

Another dish we went for was 'Shawarma marakesh' which was grilled chicken inside the pita bread served with Tabbouleh. The primary ingredients for this are finely chopped parsley, mint, tomato, scallion, and other herbs with lemon juice, olive oil and various seasonings, generally including black pepper. Both so tasty that we wished we had more space to eat yet another item on the menu.

Bistro welcomes you with warm décor. Orchids spread amidst a candle on your table gives a very soothing effect. If you want to enjoy a nice view of church and the city skyline you may decide to sit in an open area. The live music, décor, awesome food - all an ingredient for a memorable evening.

Parking however can be a tough task especially on a weekend. But then there is, as always a work around available. Park your car at the Eva Mall and then step into Bistro on foot.
Bon Appetite!

Aero Show @ Banagalore

Bangalore becomes a hub of many aviation related business activities around the 5 days Aero Show event at Yelahanka Airforce Base. This was the 7th show and like always included both the static and flight displays of a number of civil and military crafts. I learnt that the very first one was held in the year 1996 and has acquired the position of being the fourth largest air show in the world!

The show popularizes the latest products and technologies of the aviation and aims at bringing under one roof, exhibitors from all around the globe to showcase the best in aviation industry. There are 2 shows held every day with a panoramic display in the sky.


The fighters F-16, F-18 and Tejas set a wave of euphoric reactions in the crowd with loops, dangerous turns and steeper nose dives. They did a low-lying, slow flypasts right along the line of the viewing area. The Sarang choppers displayed ssynchronized aerobatics and left most of the audience admiring the glamour quotient and thrills experienced by the pilots.

The Surya Kiran’s which are the show stoppers of the events are 9 crafts flying with utmost precision making the most beautiful formations in the sky. Their signature moment in the air — a heart with an arrow piercing through painted against the blue sky. All of this hair raising manoeuvres for sure requires tremendous concentration, grit and determinations. I learnt that the pilots chosen to fly the Kirans are very experienced pilots who have flown gigantic machines like Mirage 2000, MiG-27, Jaguar and MiG-23 and have a minimum 1,000 hours of flying experience. Unfortunately due to a Surya Kiran crash we lost a few ace pilots (Wing Cmndr Dhaliwal and Wng Cmndr Dheeraj Bhatia in a previous crash), However as they say the Show must go on, the IAF put a brave show though with only 6 Kirans this year and without the heart formation in the sky.

Next time (2011) if you happen to be at Bangalore during the Aero Show event, make sure you don’t miss a chance to experience it. A word of advice – If possible either get hold of the passes or else buy the Rs 800/- tickets to get an entry to both Air show and the exhibitions area. The Rs 400/- ticket does not entitle the visitors for the static display of the crafts which can be very disappointing and heart breaking. Also make sure you keep your hats, shades and sunscream handy to beat the scorching sun. An ‘umbrella’ if possible!


The Blog Dedicated to Wng Cmndr Kapil Marwaha

Random thoughts – Feb 2009

While handling the different strokes in life we keep struggling to get our wishes, our dreams fulfilled. I find it never ending. Long before a wish is to come true the seeds for a new one would have been sowed. The moment a desire is fulfilled we start working towards achieving the next. The hard work, the anxiety, the planning, the prayers have all become such an integral part of our lives that we can probably not imagine one without them.

A new wish born and we start working towards it. We hope against all hopes - if only this one wish comes true! We work hard. We get to make all ends meet. We really sweat it out both mentally and physically, We also seek spiritual blessings, we make requests to God even bribe them. And of course GOD is great at multitasking. Most of the time he handles the requests of all and helps us achieve what we have been putting our lives into. But then what follows next ? Momentary pleasure, rejoicing and then the very next day we would conceive a new desire and the journey would start all over again.

Why have we made this journey more important than the destination? Why is that once achieved the goal which was once the only aim of life become secondary. why do we forget our past achievements and always keep dreaming and thinking about what we are yet to achieve.
A poet rightly coined these words -
Dunia Jisse kehte hain, Jadu ka khilona hai.
Mil jae tho mitti hai, kho jae tho sona hai.
Which means Life is magical, if you get it, its nothing more than a worth of mud, BUT if you loose, its worth a gold!

Choose to be a "Good" Manager

You can not choose your own manager, however an employee’s days in a company is definitely numbered by the kind of manager he reports to. You can specifically make out a difference if you have worked with a good and then also with a not so good one. Working under an unreasonable, partial and incompetent boss totally de-motivates and can also shake up the confidence.

I have worked with one such boss who was always so partial towards a particular group, would refrain from appreciating any one else’s work. He never could understand that he should have made sure all his employees are learning, growing and also enjoying work. However growing up under a manager like him I realized how much of a disrespect he was earning from the team members due to his management style. Almost on the verge of changing my company I suddenly was put under a new manager. Probably a twist in my destiny and this change proved to be very good for me. it dint take me long to gain my confidence and motivation back and I also grabbed the traits of being a good manager which i try and follow today.

Be a good listener. Show respect to all your team mates. Understand their areas of growth, groom them to the next level. Most importantly learn the ability to motivate your people. Set clear expectations and do not be stingy in appreciating a good deed done. Acknowledgement of an accomplishment of a work in an open forum not only helps an individual gain confidence but also motivates the team further to work cohesively towards the goal. Being good at communication is upmost important to make a connection with the team, Bad news does not get better with time nether does it help withholding a good news. Involve the team in decisions – it works magically to keep the team members feel important and worthwhile.

Ofcourse its not an easy task to ensure the work is done efficiently and effectively within the constraint of resources and time. One can not always have a win win situation as well as it is impossible to please everyone but then a good leader must realize that to be effective they must cater to the needs of most of the team if not all. Besides traits like fairness, sensitivity, integrity would help them achieve the best.

It is true you can not choose your manager but then you can for sure choose to be a good manager yourself and be a role model for the coming generations. Good luck and God bless.

Mangalore Jan 2009

This New years we decided to elope from the hustle bustle and explore a new place. We dint want to go very far from Bangalore and wanted to keep it short as well.
The place zeroed down was Mangalore. Options to reach there from Bangalore are many. You can chose to drive down. It is a scenic 10 to 12 hours drive. You could take a bus either.
If you are not very inclined to road journey you also have a very convenient train option. The Yashwantpur Mangalore express leaves from Majestic at 8:30pm and reaches Mangalore at 8am.
And if you need to save time taking a flight is the best option.

We decided to stay at the Summer Sands resort which opens to a very clean Ullal beach perfectly apt for unwinding after a day long sightseeing. Spending time at the beach in the moonlight is truly blissful.

The very 1st day itself we headed 60 kms from Mangalore to see the Bekal fort and beach. This place actually falls in Kerala and is the same place where the shooting of the song “Tu Hi Re” took place in the movie “Bombay”. The beach is very clean and the fort very scenic.


On the way back we visited the Someshwar beach which is only 10 kms from Mangalore. The beach has a big rock which houses a Shiva temple. We stayed there for a breath taking sun set.


We next went to the St Marys island. Its an hour and a half of travel by car to Malpe fishing Port from where you are ferried to the island. This place is a total surprise package. Reminded me of the Pataya beach in Thailand. Its very much the same minus the commercialization. Very few people venture out here. Never the less

it truly is a mesmerizing place to explore. Crystal clear water, white sand. The salient feature of this island is the unique formation of basalt rocks which have crystallized into columns and split into vertical hexagonal blocks.

On the way back to Mangalore we also visited the Kaup Beach which has a light house. You are allowed to go to the top for a panoramic view however a word of caution to any one suffering from vertigo should stay away :)
From the lighthouse you can see the endless stretch of golden sand over the long coastline, the palm trees and the fishing boats. To sum up a spectacular sight.

They say you cannot complete your visit to Mangalore without eating the famous Pabbas Ideal icecream. They claim it’s the best in the country. Well I honor that sentiment. It’s the same as a Barodaite vouching for Dairy Den and a Delhite for Niruals. However the flavors were truly mouth watering. “Parfait”, “Gadbad” and “Tiramisu” seemed to be the favorite of all. We ordered the 1st two.


All In all a great start of the year. I hope many more visit this great place.A short video done by my husband -