Rendezvouz In Delhi

The time that followed i meet Ben Aka Caesar. respect and the times we shared stand strong, i realise, even after a year. we took a moment to pay mutual honor and shoot adrenaline.I still have no freakin Idea how we got past the security wid a coupla swiss army knives and pair o nun-chaks in our baggage. so, we enter the metro.

Its a Program. I was hoping to fight Agent smith der. no such luck tho. :P

Highly Organised an Very facilitationg. the Del Metro is one o the fastest an easiest means of transtport i've ever been thru. We ride to Kashmiere gate and take steps to ISBT. Felt like we were hurled between a pack o wild hungry wolves on leashes. each state had a base station of operation where they'd convince you to oblige. the mess was more evident than the noise around.

We went thru an episode which i claim,is not for the weak of heart or the metally challenged abt star wars.

The days draw near

Yes friends, the time for adventure is nearing. Blood shall be spilt, Legolas.

I have a few concerns about our trip, mainly dealing with the Rohtang Pass - ChandraTal leg. Firstly, we are renting bikes. Nothing wrong with that, however these bikes are going to be in a pathetic condition. A puncture on the way, or worse, a breakdown.. We will be in the middle of nowhere in sub zero temperatures.. I don't know if we will be carrying tents with us, either. Hmm.

Second problem is finding a place to stay near ChandraTal for a night. I suppose food can be managed but scouting out for rent-tents seems like a vague and expensive proposition.

That aside, the only other problems are gear-related, which I hope we can get sorted out. As far as I am concerned, my GMAT exam prep is coming in the way of everything. The prep is not too bad, thanks for asking. :)

More next time.

Training status

Ah dear numerous readers, you must be wondering as to what happened to good ol' Ben Kenobi's training log. To those who regularly tried to check for log updates , my sincerest apologies.

Well it is true that I took a hiatus of about 4 weeks in which, as far as fitness went, all I did was shoot a few hoops now and then. I tried to resume my running yesterday but felt a nagging pain on the shin of my left tibia. It continued being tender and is so even now. I think I have 'shin splints' or more specifically a minor stress fracture. It's probably due to my zestful basketball layups that I've been doing recently. Oh did I tell you, one of my recent goals has been to be able to slam dunk a basketball. Haven't come close to that one. Another goal is to run the four minute mile. Yeah the list goes on, there is a marathon and a triathlon in it too, but more about that on another day.

Not to worry folks, 'coz a true fall trekker uses the power of the Force to face such adversities. I am going to resort to cross training - i.e. stop running and basketball for a while, concentrate on gym exercises and start to swim. And to those who are wondering about my training log.. Yes! I will resume it!

On another side note, which is of little relevance.. I booked a GMAT date for myself next month. I will give it a few days before our foray into Himachal this year. May the Force be with us.

The Enrollment form.

For the all those who are enthused abt joinin us on the Himalayan Trek
this is the Enollment form frpm the National Youth Hostels of India
that you need to take a print out of an add an ID proof fotocopy and a Passport size foto of ya along with a Demand Draft of Rs.125 send it to the given add.

Download the form here :

http://www.4shared.com/file/38892634/8f1d080e/Enrollment_Form.html?dirPwdVerified=c82c2cd8

Resuming Training

Week 2. Eh.

19 February.
A bit apprehensive after my last foray. Stretched quite a bit this time, as I've been shunning it for the past few sessions.
Creedence Clearwater on the Walkman, and I was on my way.

30 minutes, no problems.

And a new personal best of 5.6 kms! Yay!
That's progress. And that's one of the things I wanted to highlight by means of this 'running log'. Your body adapts rapidly to increasing stress and training conditions and the results are evident.

My immediate aim now is 6 kms in 30 minutes.

I think once I touch 6-6.6 kms in 30 minutes, then I could increase running time to 40 minutes and more.

Training Lapses

Whoops. Bound to happen.

On 12th Feb while running I felt a severe cramp-like pain in my legs which felt like tingling numbness; which I immidately attributed to decreased blood supply. Pretty soon my lower back started paining and there! Pulled a muscle.

So with the back pain I couldn't even walk properly and so, a few days of rest.

Damn.

The Fall Trekker Training Programme

A Jedi has to be trained, and so does a fall trekker. Om Shanti to that one.

Anyways we follow a 3 month training program before every major trek. I will document my progress in this post and I'm sure the Saadhu will have his own training post as well.

Condition the body, and it will serve you well. I follow a three-pronged approach:

1. Strength and Flexibility: Alternate day workouts at the gym concentrating on back and shoulder muscles.
2. Stamina: Daily runs starting at 30 minute sessions, with a target of a 10km continuous run in under 45 minutes. Swimming once summer begins.
   
3. Diet: Load up on Protein and Vitamins. A balanced diet. No junk food.

My log starts here.

Pre training:

2 alternate days of 20 minute jogs and 2 alternate days of full body gym workout - just to get used to equipment

1 Feb 2008
Warmup: 20 min run
Gym.
Full upper body workout
Couldn't do more than 2 and 1/2 sets
Should get better

2 Feb 2008
Jog Day
30 minutes. 4.5 kms
Will push it next time. 30 mins is base time.

3 Feb 2008
Today's Rest day.

4 Feb 2008
Shit! Missed today. Couldn't help it though, I came home too late. Can't help telling myself, it's all right, a rest is good as muscles still sore from 1st Feb. But that's no excuse for a Jedi. HAVE to work out tomorrow.
Note to self: No more junk food.

5 Feb 2008
Alright, so I hit the gym today. Thought of concentrating on back muscles but couldn't find enough ways to use the equipment for that specific purpose so randomly worked on arms and shoulders.. Still, can't do more than two sets of anything without the possibility of breaking a ligament or two.

6 Feb 2006
30 min run and complete leg workout, 3 sets! Too lazy to define sets. L8rz.

7th Feb 2006
Rest

8th Feb 2006
Pushed myself a bit. 30 minutes, 5kms (up from 4.4 last few times). Felt good.

9th Feb & 10th Feb: Impossible. No workouts today.
11 Feb: Not feeling too well :( Catch up on studies.