stochasticity

Week 35 (August 22 – August 28) – MJ’s Running in 2021

I ran more than 10 miles last week, let’s see how many I can get this week.

Day 238 – 08/26/2021 – 5 miles
Welcome to the first run of the week.

For the last couple weeks, I have started running around my old route, which spans from the Northville township to the city of Novi. When I was running the same route last winter, in the cold weather and snow scattered all across the roads and sidewalks, I used to find it really peaceful and enjoyable to run on this route; But, the warm (or should I say, hot) Michigan weather is making it difficult for me to run on this same route.
In spite of this, I try to get in as many miles as I can every time I run here and I must say, I look forward to the different traffic lights and walk signals, which give me some rest and enough time to catch my breath.

I completed 5 miles of running today, just a couple minutes before the 1 hour mark, which is a good time for me.

Day 239 – 08/27/2021 – 5.3 miles
Welcome to the second run of the week.

This run was quite unusual. When I started the run, I thought I was going to run my usual route around Northville-Novi area. But, the traffic lights at Haggerty stared at me, I thought, it would be cool to run around the shopping district of city of Northville and Livonia. Instead of taking a usual left on Haggerty, I took a right and that’s where I started this awesome and adventurous run.
First, I passed a gas station, followed by Meijer supercenter, then a Chick-fil-A, Starbucks, Kohl’s, Target, Costco, Home Depot, AMC, countless restaurants, other stores and residential complexes. I mean, it was so much fun to run around all these cool stores and so many people staring at a guy running through the busy streets in the broad daylight, but I could care less.
The run ended when I entered my community through the other entrance on seven mile road. I must say it was fun to run like this and this run was definitely faster than my last run, so it turned out to be a good decision.

I completed 5.3 miles of running in exactly 1 hour.

Day 240 – 08/28/2021 – 7 miles
Welcome to the third and last run of the week.

I must tell you that I was in no mood to run today. When I woke up this morning, I knew I felt a little tired, my back was a little stiff and my toes were telling me not to go out for a run and just sleep it off. But, my Instagram was telling me a different story.

So, today was a very important day for my favorite Ultra-Marathon Runner, Courtney. When I opened my Instagram in the morning, I saw that she was competing in the UMTB, which (IMO) is the pinnacle of the Ultra Marathon running. I knew that she had won it the first time she ran and this was the second time she was running. I was very sure about how easily she will be able to finish this race, but little did I know what she had in store.

Anyway, that news was enough for me to force myself out of the bed, stare at my socks for a good 10 minutes, then putting them on and then my shoes and with heavy steps, start my run. I must tell you, I didn’t care how much time I would take, I just told myself to finish this 5-mile loop and don’t do it for yourself, do it for Courtney.

I was so pumped up and wasn’t tired because of the slow pace that I could finish 7 miles of running. I felt so proud of myself and this would definitely go down one of the most memorable runs for me. When I got back and checked the status of UMTB, I was relieved to find that Courtney was still leading the Women’s race and was in the Top 10 runners overall. She would go on to win the Women’s UMTB and finish 7th overall, becoming the top performer from the USA. I felt so happy for her, motivating myself to run more.

Anyway, I finished this 7 miles run in 1 hour 45 minutes, one of my slowest, but certainly a memorable run.

Before you go, please check out the week number 35 highlights. I finished 17.3 miles this week, bringing the distance covered in 2021 to 530.3 miles.

See you next week!

Week 34 (August 15 – August 21) – MJ’s Running in 2021

Week 33 was a really good week, let’s see how this one turns out to be.

Day 230 – 08/18/2021 – 7 miles
This week has been a little different for my running route. My usual DOGE loop was unused during this week.

The first run of the week came around the Northville-Novi area. I tried using the same route as my Half Marathon route, or at least the part of it. I was very careful while running on this route as I was running during the Hot Michigan afternoon, with temperatures in the highs of 80F.
I kept the pace slower throughout the run, helping me finish the 7 mile distance with ease. The rest after the run was much needed, and I could see myself sweating profusely after the run. I took enough rest before entering the house to bring my heartbeat down and cool myself and not to ruin my carpet with all my sweat.
I was glad to finish 7 miles distance with 12′ pace, which I thought was decent enough for a 10K distance.

Day 231 – 08/19/2021 – 5 miles
The second and last run of the week was around the same Northville-Novi area.

I kept the distance shorter than yesterday’s as the temperature was higher today. Throughout the run, I kept thinking about the wonderful food and awesome things that I would get to taste once I finish my run. That though kept me motivated to finish the run and get my break after the run.
Fortunately, I completed the 5 miles of running and was glad to know that I finished it just a few seconds before the 1 hour mark. It felt really nice.

Before you go, please check out the week number 34 highlights. I finished 12 miles this week, bringing the distance covered in 2021 to 513 miles.

See you next week!

Week 33 (August 08 – August 14) – MJ’s Running in 2021

32nd of the year was just barely over 10 miles of running, let’s see how many miles I get to run this week.

Day 223 – 08/11/2021 – 4 miles
Welcome to the first run of the week, and as always, it was around the DOGE loop.

I kept myself cool and calm throughout the 3 rounds of the DOGE loop, as the weather was kind of nice and cool at around 7AM. It felt extremely comfortable and soothing to roam around the neighborhood in 50F temperature. It helped me finish the 4 miles of distance in under 45 minutes. This quick run was followed by the tasty breakfast.

Day 224 – 08/12/2021 – 3.1 miles
The second run of the week came around the DOGE loop.

I wanted to finish 4 miles of running, but I stopped myself at 5K distance, because I felt extremely tired and dehydrated on a hot Michigan afternoon. The story was quite usual.
I lapped around the DOGE loop until I finished 5K and then walked home the rest of the distance. I was drenched heavily in sweat and had to wait 15 minutes before I entered my place.

Day 225 – 08/13/2021 – 3.4 miles
Today’s run was on a slightly different route than the DOGE loop. Instead of continuing on the DOGE loop, I took a different turn and thought of exploring the different part of the neighborhood, instead of the regular route.
It was 85F, so I made sure I don’t go with 10-11 pace and kept my pace slower than 12′, which helped me finish the 3.4 miles of distance without tiring myself entirely.
It felt good to be able to run around the different part of the neighborhood and got to meet some more people.

Day 226 – 08/14/2021 – 13.2 miles
Wow, the second half marathon of 2021.

When I was planning to go out for a run on Saturday, I had planned for 5-6 miles of distance around the DOGE loop, but I thought it would be good to go around my old route which I lapped many times in 2020. I headed to the 8 mile road, which had been my favorite last year and when I reached the intersection for Novi road, instead of taking that, I just kept going straight to catch a glimpse of the pack of 10 deers, which made me cover some extra miles.
I took a right on the Grand River Avenue and kept going until I hit Haggerty road, which gave me a relief as it meant I was closer to my place. When I took this turn, that’s when I started getting thirsty. I really wanted to drink some water, so I went inside a Dunkin Donuts, but was greeted with a long line, so instead of waiting, I just kept going. When I was 3 miles from my place, I saw a good Samaritan, who seemed kind enough to be approached and I requested him a bottle of water. He was busy packing to go out in his Ford F150 and when I approached for a bottle of water, he went inside and grabbed a couple. I just got one bottle and finished it in a few seconds. That single bottle of water turned out to be a very good energy booster for me. It helped me cross the remaining distance with ease and I could see myself finishing the HM distance just before 9.30AM on a Saturday.

It felt good to run a long distance and felt happy that I still got some stamina to go for longer distances.

Before you go, please check out the week number 33 highlights. I finished 23.7 miles this week, bringing the distance covered in 2021 to 501 miles.

See you next week!

September 29, 2018 – Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Munising, MI, USA

Welcome to my most favorite spot on this planet Earth!

This was the first time I was visiting this place. Before I dive into the details of the trip, I must tell you my desire to visit the place that I once saw as one of the wallpapers on a Windows laptop. Little did I knew back then was that the place was called “Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore”. Fast forward a few years in my life, I didn’t know my faith would bring me to Michigan for my first job after graduating from UConn and until I reached this magical place, I didn’t know I was going to realize my dream of visiting my most favorite place on the planet Earth, just a few hours drive from my place.

The start of this trip though wasn’t ideal for me. During this time in my life, I was on my F1 OPT visa and had just filed an extension, but hadn’t received it yet, so legally I was in a limbo, waiting to hear from USCIS about my fate and stay in the US. Due to this, I couldn’t renew my driver’s license, and frankly, I forgot to check the expiry date on my DL and wasn’t aware about the fact that my DL had already expired.

I was driving with my friends, Manju and Bhaskar, in their car and we were carpooling. During the last stage of our journey, I decided to drive until we reach our destination so that Bhaskar can take some rest and have a shut eye for some time. He had a Ford Edge vehicle, equipped with Apple Car Play, so I sort of developed the habit of not looking at the road signs, and just relied on the monitor in the car. That didn’t work for the construction signs and speed limit though. There was something going on as soon as we entered the village of Newberry, and the authorities had put the road signs showing the speed limit was dropped from 65 to 55 MPH. Unaware of this fact and relying totally on the Google Maps, I assumed the speed limit was 65MPH, and I was briskly cruising along at 68MPH, which I thought was a good speed to be driving at.
Everything changed when I saw a police vehicle chasing me as soon as I left the a gas station. I got scared, since this was the first time a police vehicle was chasing me for a traffic stop. I literally felt my heart beating faster as soon as the police officer started the lights on the vehicle, instructing me to stop. I immediately obliged and just waited for the officer to arrive. As soon as she came to talk to me, I mentioned that I was driving at the speed limit, looking at my car screen, to which she told me that I must pay attention to the road. She asked for my DL and car’s insurance and my worst fears came true when the officer returned explaining that my DL is expired and I shouldn’t be driving now.

She gave me a ticket and a court appearance on Monday so that the judge could decide what to do with me. I was scared, sad, and angry at myself that I didn’t pay attention to my documentation properly and now I was going to face the consequences. My friends consoled me stating that it is not a big deal and they should let you off with a warning and some fine. As it was happening for the first time with me, I was scared and was picturing scenarios in my head as to what might happen to me.

After discussing it with my friends, they told me to enjoy the nature and not to overthink about it. After the incident, we had some pizza, before checking into our AirBnb, and finally getting out to explore some hike in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.

Being my first time at Pictured Rocks, I didn’t know why this place was so famous among the visitors. I got to know that when we couldn’t find a parking spot near the trailhead and had to park it on the dirt road and walk the rest. We clicked many pictures at the trailhead before beginning our hike to the Chapel Rock.

The hike to the Chapel Rock was going to be just 3 miles long, which didn’t seem a long distance to hike surrounded by the beautiful trees and waterfalls and scenery that only Upper Peninsula of Michigan could offer.
Monika had told us how beautiful the Chapel Rock looked like and I just could imagine it. I didn’t want to google the place before visiting it so that I could enjoy it and savor the moment in my memory and I must tell you the wait was totally worth it.

Upon reaching the place, I didn’t know how to react because the place that I had been waiting for all these years was right in front of me. It felt like a dream of mine became a reality, but I hadn’t prepared myself enough for this wonderful surprise. I hadn’t planned how I was going to react, but I definitely felt like it was worth the wait. I had more than 20 minutes to soak in the view and appreciate the beauty of the Chapel Rock and I considered myself lucky that I was living in Michigan where this beauty was just a few hours away from my place. I promised myself that Pictured Rocks will be a place that I will visit over and over again to soak in what this place has to offer.

Once we were done spending time at the Chapel Rock, we decided to head back to the parking spot using a different trail, which didn’t turn out to be a good idea. I remember we were lost for quite some time but we did have some experienced hikers in Anupam and Monika with us, who made sure the group didn’t panic and reach the parking spot before it got dark. With some hiccups and getting tired after almost 6-7 miles of hiking, it was time head to our Airbnb and retire for the day.

It was hard for me to fall asleep but the delicious food and lovely company eased me into it and had a good night’s sleep.

The next day is filled with more adventure! 🙂

Book 19 – The Woman Who Smashed Codes – Jason Fagone

This was the 7th book I read in 2021.

One of my coworkers recommended reading this book as we bonded over our common interests of books and cryptography. When he introduced me to this book, he gave me a gist what this book was about and why I should read it and I must tell you that this book didn’t disappoint even a single bit.

Why you should read this book?
The author of this book, Mr. Jason Fagone, has gone to tremendous lengths to make sure the truth comes out before the world regarding the origins of the NSA (National Security Agency). Most of us (including myself) are not aware about how cryptography played a huge role in winning the WWII. Before reading this book, I used to think the US won the WWII because of their military power and scientific advancements, but I never knew what actually happened behind the scenes and how the US could crack every move of their enemy country.
I am a huge sucker of reading WWII material, so it was natural that I would love this book, but I wasn’t prepared to see the transcripts, notes, and collection of the great Elizebeth (notice the “z” instead of “a”) Friedman. The author has made sure to keep this book as authentic as possible and most of the credit goes to Mrs. Friedman, who kept all these notes while working on top secret mission for the Coast Guard on behalf of the US Government. I cannot emphasize enough about how authentic and convincing this book is and it definitely made me wonder how Mr. and Mrs. Friedman worked on top secret missions for the US Government, without revealing their secrets to anyone (not even to each other).

Behind the scenes of WWII
Reading behind the scenes of the WWII stories was my favorite part of the book.
The book starts off with Elizebeth’s stay in Riverbank, which I found to be a boring part of the book, only because of Mr. Fabyan. I didn’t like reading about Mr. Fabyan’s glory and his craziness of scientific experiences and proving some theory which only he believed in and not anyone else. Once I got past the Riverbank part of the book, it became very hard for me to put the book down. The book just became more interesting with each page and it reached the epitome of thriller and suspense when the US got involved in WWII.
The best thing about Mrs. Friedman that I liked was she always wanted to keep low profile while working on some of the most important Cryptanalysis work. If there would have been someone else in her place, that person would have gotten tired of someone else like FBI taking the credit for the work that she had done, but she was very comfortable with the setting with the fact that as long as the enemy nations such as Japan and Germany doesn’t know about her cracking their codes.
It is one thing to crack a cryptic code and another to make sense of the decrypted message. Mrs. Friedman was working for the Coast Guard and used to satiate the cryptanalysis for Coast Guard, FBI, and other Government agencies, so she became a bridge between different Government agencies, helping them teach how to help one another. Not only she acted as a good Samaritan for the greater good of the country, she provided them vital information based on her analytical ability to make sense of the decoded messages. It was a great learning experience for me as she demonstrated going an extra mile for the team. Apart from delivering these highly sophisticated decrypted messages, she made sure she took notes of all the decrypted messages and meaning of each decrypted text for her note keeping purposes, which would turn out to be very important in the post-WWII era.

How Mrs. Friedman balanced both personal and professional lives
It was commendable just how coolly and easily Mrs. Friedman handled her both personal and professional life. Being in charge of US’ largest cryptanalysis unit and appearing to defend her decrypting abilities before the court, she had to travel a lot, but that didn’t deter her from writing to her husband. At the same time, when her husband was deployed in Army for top secret missions, they kept writing each other letters, planning when the letter would reach each other and which address to give since her husband had to move a lot to support his mission.
When I read about it, I was stunned, because in today’s world of always-on relationship, I sometimes don’t get time to catch up with my friends and family, let alone writing a letter for them. It was truly commendable to read how much they loved each other and wanted to keep their love alive through those love letters.
Apart from the love letters, both Mr. and Mrs. Friedman had this lovely holiday tradition, where they would draft out a cryptic puzzle for all their friends and family and they used to ask them to solve it and see who gets it first. I thought that was such a cool thing to do to bring the family together and have some good time with each other.
Being a busy cryptography professional didn’t mean she ignored her children. She was always in touch with them and was aware about what was going on their lives. I really adore this quality in her, as I am a huge fan of women who are independent and who knows how to take care of their families. I loved every single bit of information that the author gave about her personal life, just as much as her work as a cryptography expert.

I wish I could give you more reasons to read this book, but I would say just give it a shot and it will definitely turn out to be a good read.

See you at the next book review!

Week 32 (August 01 – August 07) – MJ’s Running in 2021

Week 31 was a little consistent, let’s see how this week turns out.

But, before we dive into this week, let us revisit July’s highlights and what things I accomplished during the last month (running-wise).
In July, I got to go outside only 20 times in the entire month. In these 20 times, I ran 60.7 miles in total, taking up 11 hours and 27 minutes roughly. It is a good number, but not something to proud of, especially since it is officially a summer time here in Michigan.

Now, let’s start with this week’s running update.

Day 214 – 08/02/2021 – 3.7 miles
This day was a little different than my most running days.

Instead of completing the 3 rounds of the DOGE loop, I decided to break them down and completed only one round each time I went out for a run.
During the first two runs, I stopped before my usual loop finish line, covering only 1.2 miles and missing out on the last 10th of a mile. The last round of the DOGE loop, I made sure I cross the finish line, completing 1.3 miles on the last run, totaling 3.7 miles.

Day 215 – 08/03/2021 – 4 miles
The second day of the week for running.

Today, I made sure I complete my usual quota of running 3 rounds of the DOGE loop, to cover a distance of 4 miles. The run was quite enjoyable, especially during the early hours of the day, giving me a head start for the day. Whenever I run in the morning, it gives me an extra boost of energy, which helps me face my day with stronger zeal and power.

Day 216 – 08/04/2021 – 3.6 miles
And this turned out to be the last day of running for the week.

As usual, I got outside around the DOGE loop for my run. Unfortunately, I couldn’t go out in the morning, so I had to force myself out the door at around 4PM to cover some distance before calling it a week.
The temperature outside was in 80s, so I had to make sure I don’t run at my usual pace, and tried keeping it near 15′ minutes per mile. This strategy paid off, as it helped me cover 3.6 miles of distance without tiring myself too much and not facing any serious repercussions.

Before you go, please check out the week number 32 highlights. I finished 11.3 miles this week, bringing the distance covered in 2021 to 477+ miles.

See you next week!

Week 31 (July 25 – July 31) – MJ’s Running in 2021

Week 30 was awesome. Let’s see how this week turns out to be!

Day 206 – 07/25/2021 – 1 mile
The first run of the week and it came around my favorite DOGE loop.

For the first run, I managed to run only a single mile even though it was a Sunday. I wish I could have gone for more distance, but had to stop it after a mile to take care of a few things.

Day 209 – 07/28/2021 – 3.7 miles
The second run of the week and this was also around the DOGE loop.

I got up early and didn’t spend much time and decided to go out for a quick run. I took my usual approach, completed 3 rounds of the DOGE loop, and finished 4 miles of distance. The weather was in 50s, so I didn’t sweat that much and loved the feeling. It had been a long time that we had weather in 50s in Michigan, so really enjoyed the 45 minutes that I was outside.

Day 210 – 07/29/2021 – 2 miles
The third run of the week, and you guessed it right, it was around the DOGE loop.

I couldn’t get up early today, so decided to go out for a run just before the lunch time. Instead of completing the usual 3 rounds of the DOGE loop, I completed the 1 mile run and took some break, before heading out to finish 1 more mile, completing 2 miles of running for the day.
It wasn’t a long distance, but I would take it instead of skipping the run for the whole day.

Day 211 – 07/30/2021 – 3.8 miles
The fifth run of the day (as I ran twice yesterday) came today around the DOGE loop.

I used my regular formula of running 3 rounds of the DOGE loop, but didn’t finish the 3rd round of the run and gave myself some break just before the 4 mile distance. I ran 3.8 miles in 41 minutes, making this the fastest run of the week so far.

Day 212 – 07/31/2021 – 3.1 miles
This brings us to the last run of the week.

This run was a little different than my regular runs. My youngest sister got an admit for her graduate degree in Central Michigan University, so I was visiting the CMU campus on Saturday and it gave me a perfect opportunity to run across the campus.
I chose the area around the Department of Computer Science to kick off my run. I didn’t have any fixed route for the run and went wherever my heart felt like. I wanted to finish a 5K distance, but when I reached the Soccer stadium, I was tired of running around the loop and wanted to give up at 2.3 miles, so I decided to go outside the stadium and just roam around the campus.

Whenever I run on a new route, I tend to run faster. I completed the 5K distance in around 33 minutes, which is not great but it was relatively faster run for me, even in some high temperatures. It was a great way to finish the week.

Before you go, please check out the week number 31 highlights. I finished 13.6 miles this week, bringing the distance covered in 2021 to 466+ miles.

Book 18 – The President’s Daughter: A Thriller – James Patterson and Bill Clinton

This was the 6th book I read in 2021.

Woah! What can I say about this book? James Patterson and Walter Isaacson are two of my most favorite authors and when I learnt about this new book by one of my favorite authors, I just couldn’t resist myself from buying this copy from my nearby Costco. I was left with only a few pages of the Amazon Unbound, and seemed like a good book to read.

When I started reading this book, I already knew a little bit background about it as I had already read the prequel “The President is Missing”. While reading that book, I felt how suspenseful and thrilling the writing was, and couldn’t wait to finish this book.

The book started off with some expected happenings. The first couple chapters were quite intriguing, but I couldn’t relate them to the title of the book. It was until the third chapter that I finally got to know why the book was titled like that. I didn’t have the slightest idea what was going to happen next and that’s what kept me away from keeping the book down.

I am a sucker for Hardcover books and this one was no different. It was 600+ pages long book and I took less than 2 weeks to finish it. It was captivating to see all the events unfolding right before your eyes. The book got interesting with each page and I couldn’t contain my excitement at the idea of getting to the last page of the book.

Don’t worry, I will not give any spoilers in this book review, but I would like to mention the timeline and the range of emotions I went through during this entire book.

When the author introduced the President’s daughter, I felt at ease, followed by sad surprise by the turn of events. When something else happened, that made me more sad, which was replaced by happy feelings when I got to know that the things that the world thought had happened, never happened. And, this pattern is constant throughout the book. On one page, you are sad after learning something. This sad feeling instantly gets replaced by revenge and happiness when you read two more pages, and this goes on until the last chapter and last page of the book.

If you love reading thriller novels, then this is by far one of the best books to read and I would highly recommend it. It has been one of the most intense readings for me this year.

See you at the next book review!

September 07, 2018 – Winners of Contenders Trophy at Ford Premier League, Canton, MI, USA

Well, I laid low for a couple months, but, I didn’t have to wait long to have a celebratory evening with my friends and fellow teammates at Ford.

If you know me personally, I have always been a sports player. Ever since I started walking, I remember playing cricket outside with my childhood friends and buddies. When I was a small kid, I was so good at cricket that I used to win almost all competitions in my village or nearby village. From my school, I moved on to my college in Nanded, where I spent most of my time on the college playground and played almost all kinds of sports throughout the four years. I got a chance to captain the college cricket team and was a vital member of the Baseball and Softball team.

When I moved to the US, cricket didn’t leave me and on my second day in the US, I made almost 10 friends by playing cricket with them. The friendship continued so much that throughout my masters and especially during the summer vacation, I got a chance to win multiple trophies and made lifetime friendships.
When I moved to Michigan for my job, I had to wait a little to get to know my friends through cricket, but once I got a chance, I got to know so many things about Ford and cricket at Ford. It all accumulated to this day. I must say I had to wait longer for my first trophy in Michigan but it was worth the wait.

I was approached by one of my teammates to join his cricket team and the name of the team was “Lincoln MKZ”. The team names at Ford are named after Ford and Lincoln models and they all compete for a coveted title of the winners of the FCL (Ford Cricket League). I wasn’t surprised to know that the team named “F150” wins every year and the other team that comes closer to them is the team “Ford GT”. Both F150 and GT are crown jewels for Ford Motor Company, so it was fitting that they are the champions of FCL for a long time. I was happy to finally join a team and play in FCL.

The first few sessions with the team were nice and they reminded me of my Hartford days. I knew that the FCL was scheduled in a few days and that’s why we were practicing so much. One thing that was different here was that before playing the game or practice sessions, I always had to think about parking as I was still new in Michigan and there wasn’t a need of parking in Hartford as I didn’t own a car when I was a student.

Anyway, coming back to my FCL journey, our team didn’t do well to qualify for the quarter finals. I was disappointed that our team didn’t make it to the quarter finals at least, but was happy to know that we were allowed to participate in the Contenders cup, which was organized between all the teams who didn’t make it to the quarter finals.
I and the entire team was happy to know that we would get one more chance to play cricket and if played well, lift a trophy.

The team got back together and gave their best to reach the finals of the Contenders cup. The finals day was really special. It was cloudy, but it didn’t rain at all. The finals game lasted long and it got dark, which was a special feeling. In my life, I hadn’t played under the flood lights and when I walked in the ground for the first time, I felt really special.

In the finals, we won the toss and put a good total on the board. Our captain, Sarvesh, was the best amongst the runs and that boosted the team’s morale. We played the second innings extremely well and defended the runs quite well, winning convincingly. The last wicket of the opposite team fell with me catching it and that’s how I got to keep the winning ball.

The finals was followed by the prize distribution ceremony, which lasted only a few minutes, as the formal ceremony was going to take place a week later. But, we made sure we click many pictures and later on celebrate in the nearby bar. We spent almost couple hours more in the bar and had a really good time.

It was a fun time to hang out with everyone!

Next stop: Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, MI, USA

Week 30 (July 18 – July 24) – MJ’s Running in 2021

Week 29 was decent. Let’s see how this week turns out to be!

Day 199 – 07/18/2021 – 2.4 miles
The first run of the week came on the first day itself.

I had been craving to visit Hines Drive as it is my second most favorite place in this world. Luckily, this Saturday, I finally went to Hines Drive and parked my car near a known spot. The first thing I did was to go for a mile and a half bike ride, just to warm my body up.
Biking before the running helped me tremendously as I the running felt pretty easy to me. I could complete more than 2 miles of running as I wanted to bike even more after my running. My pace was pretty decent as I was glad that I didn’t go further from my parking spot as the temperature was soaring and I desperately needed some water to prevent dehydration.

After the running, I biked 10 more miles and then headed home. I loved the way I spent my Saturday.

Day 201 – 07/20/2021 – 4 miles
The second run of the week and it came around my favorite: The DOGE loop.

As usual, I completed 3 round around the DOGE loop, completing 4 miles of running. The weather seemed quite cool and refreshing in the morning hours, so it felt easier to run as compared to the afternoon hours. As I ran and biked on Saturday, I took a break on Sunday to get myself some rest and Monday seemed perfect day to continue my running.

I took just about 11 minutes per mile to finish this run, which seemed okay to me.

Day 202 – 07/21/2021 – 2.6 miles
The second run of the week around the DOGE loop (third run in total).

It was awesome to go out for a run in the morning, second day in a row. The weather, people on their run and jog, and everything seemed so good. I could complete only 2 rounds of the loop, totaling 2.6 miles. I wish I could have finished more rounds, but I had to be back for breakfast and lunch, or should I say Brunch.

Day 203 – 07/22/2021 – 4 miles
What should I tell you? The week is turning out to be quite consistent as far as the running around the DOGE loop is concerned. Today’s was the third run around the DOGE loop for this week and I couldn’t be happier.

I completed 3 rounds of the loop, totaling 4 miles. This was one of the fastest runs this week around the DOGE loop. I managed to shave off 1 minute from the total duration, bringing the pace to just about 11 minutes per mile.

Day 204 – 07/23/2021 – 4 miles
One more run around the DOGE loop. I couldn’t go out for the run in the morning, so decided to head out in the afternoon.
The temperature in the afternoon was too high, so I thought I would take around 50 minute to complete the 4 mile distance, but was surprised to know that I finished the run in 46 minutes. This run came at 11’29” pace and I couldn’t be happier.

Day 205 – 07/24/2021 – 4 miles
The last run of the week and it was around none other than the DOGE loop.

The entire week seemed to be the repetition of my run around the DOGE loop. Today’s run came in the morning, so that temperature and weather was pleasant. I think I was having a good time during the run and stopped a couple minutes, chatting with fellow runners and joggers, adding to my time. I loved the interaction, learning that many of my neighbors are from Ford and some of them are Ford retirees.

Before you go, please check out the week number 30 highlights. I finished 21.0 miles this week, bringing the distance covered in 2021 to 452+ miles.

See you next week!

P.S. The goal of running 2,021 miles seems to be quite far fetched, so I thought I would just keep track of my runs instead of working towards the 2,021 miles. Let’s see where I land at the end of this year.