stochasticity

July 14, 2018 – Rock climbing at Novi, MI, USA

Well, after the Put-in-Bay trip, I hung around Michigan area and that’s when Monika recommended checking out the Rock climbing spot at Novi, Michigan.

As I am with all my trips, experiences, and events, I wasn’t sure what to expect about Rock Climbing, as this was something I was trying for the first time. I had Monika, Anupam and their lovely kids Aryan and Arnav for company. I took it as a challenge to see for myself whether I can climb the vertical rocks or not. I could have chosen a better suited outfit for the outing, but was glad that I didn’t experience anything negatively surprising.

The drive to Novi from my place at Westland was a good 30 minutes. I arrived at the location before time and was surprised to find how hard it was to find the parking spot. I didn’t know this sport was that much famous and was just praying that I wouldn’t make a fool of myself.

Once I entered the building, it felt like a whole new world to me. I was looking at scenes which I had seen only in movies and TV shows. I felt like a small kid in a candy land. I could see myself climbing on countless spots and checking out different themed climbs that the location had to offer. Before I could go in and enjoy the rock climbing thrill, I underwent a 10-15 minutes training which helped us with all the technical details that we needed to know in order to start rock climbing. I was paying extra attention as I needed to make sure I get it right and trust me, it took me more than two attempts to get the knots in order.

After some formalities, it was finally time to head to the playland and enjoy some actual rock climbing stuff. One important thing that our trainer told us was that we must climb the rock in a pair of two – one will climb the rocky wall and his/her partner would support the climber in case something goes wrong. I think it was an important tip since all of us were climbing rocks for the first time.

I decided to go first and Anupam was my spotter. When I started the climb, I thought it would be very difficult, but as we started on some easier climbs to get ourselves used to it, I found out it was not that difficult especially because Anupam was spotting myself from the ground. I tried to climb as efficiently as I could and discovered that when I reached the top of the wall, I looked down and found myself sweating because of my acrophobia. Interestingly, climbing down was harder part for me than climbing up.

After my turn, it was Anupam’s turn to climb the wall and he made it to the top quicker than me and I found out how hard it was to be a spotter too as I had to pay attention to his moves all the time and I had to make sure that I release the rope in time for him to come down to the ground.

After we tried rock climbing, we helped kids climb countless walls. The location that we went to had so many kid friendly climbs that kids had a lot of fun. I remember Arnav falling a couple of times from the safe height. It was fun to help them climb rocks.

It was a good experience and I would love to do it again.

Next stop: Seattle, WA, USA.

Week 24 (June 06 – June 12) – Running 2,021 miles in 2021

Week 23 was a good one and I have high hopes from this week. Let’s see how this one turns out.

Day 157 – 06/06/2021 – 1667/209
The first run of the week and it couldn’t have been this beautiful.

I spent this Sunday quite well, as I started it with a 8 mile run around the DOGE loop. When I started the run, I thought I would end up running 6 miles as I was in the mood for just 5 rounds of the DOGE loop, but the weather was nice and not too hot, which helped me complete 6 rounds of the DOGE loop, bringing the total distance covered to 8 miles for this run.

This run brought the distance covered in 2021 to 1667 miles.

Day 160 – 06/09/2021 – 1661/206
The second run of the week came a couple days after the first run.

The DOGE loop has been my go-to location for my daily runs. For today’s run, I decided to complete 4 rounds of the DOGE loop. The run started just before the workday started and the timing couldn’t have been better. The cool temperatures in the morning and the fellow greeters on the way made my run so much smoother, I didn’t feel that I was running more than 5 miles. The pace could have been better, but it was on part with the last run, so I am not too worried about it. Also, my heartbeat was in check throughout the run, which is an important factor when I analyze my runs.

This run brought the distance to cover in 2021 to 1661 miles.

Day 161 – 06/10/2021 – 1655/205
Welcome to the third run of the week and this was (again) around the DOGE loop.

This was almost a repetition of the last run, except that this time I managed to complete 5 rounds of the DOGE loop, 1 more than the last run.
I got up early (like yesterday) and tried to do my best to complete a 10K run. The first couple rounds were normal and the third one was exactly what I expected. After those three rounds though, I felt a little tired and started asking myself why I wanna run a 10K today as I already have completed 4 miles. I told myself to stop running and get back to my place, have a nice shower and enjoy breakfast. At the same time, I told myself to keep the running goal in mind and work towards it. In this back and forth, I lost my momentum and when it was the last round of the DOGE loop, I could feel the pain due to this lost momentum. I couldn’t crack the 10K distance as I stopped just 0.05 miles before accomplishing that. Felt good about it – NO, lesson learnt – YES.

This run brought the distance to cover in 2021 to 1655 miles.

Day 162 – 06/11/2021 – 1651/204
Ah, this brings us to the last run of the week and this too was around the DOGE loop.

I think this was the common theme throughout this week as I got up early everyday and enjoyed the cool temperatures of the morning weather and get my miles in for the day.
I decided to take things slowly today as I didn’t want to stress myself after yesterday’s run. I nicely enjoyed my 4 mile run around the DOGE loop, appreciating the beauty of my route and the lovely neighborhood that I am so lucky to be a part of.

This run brought the distance to cover in 2021 to 1651 miles.

Before you go, please check out the week number 24 highlights. I finished 23.6 miles this week, bringing the distance to cover in 2021 to 1651.1 miles, that’s 8.13 miles every single day for the remainder of the year!

See you next week!

July 04, 2018 – Put-in-Bay, OH, USA

After visiting Hocking Hills State Park, it was time to head to Put-in-Bay with my roommate Ravi.

This was the first time both of us were visiting Put-in-Bay, so we didn’t know what places we were going to see there. The only thing we knew was that we had to get to the place where they had ferries, which would take us to the island of the Put-in-Bay and then we would spend time at the island, before heading back to the mainland, and finally home. It seemed like a simple plan and it turned out, it was.

We left home early to get to the island, as we anticipated a big rush for the 4th of July vacation. We had our bikes strapped to cars, so that if possible, we could enjoy some bike rides, which actually never happened. When we got to the docking area for the boats to get us to the island, we knew that finding parking would be hard and we should have come earlier in the day. Anyway, after spending a few minutes through countless parking spots, we got one under the tree and felt happy parking there.

From that moment, it was all waiting game. There was a long line before the ticket counter. Once we got the ticket, we had to wait in longer line to get to the island. The boat ride from the mainland to the island was roughly 20 minutes and was stoked to sunbathe during the hot July afternoon.

As soon as we got on the island, the first thing that we did like everyone else was to hire a golf cart. Later I discovered that the island was pretty small and must be explored via either the golf cart or the bikes. I so regretted leaving our bikes at the mainland when I learnt it. Anyway, getting a golf cart was pretty smooth as I didn’t have to wait longer to get one. And once we got the golf cart, that’s when all the fun began.

We started exploring the island from one spot to another. I remember we were roaming and clicking so many pictures as we had the entire day just to explore the island and have fun. We had prepared some home cooked food for the trip and were waiting for a good spot with some shadow to enjoy some food and have a relaxed time.
Fortunately, I got a spot to park my golf cart nearby and we set the camp near the water, where only 4-5 more people around. We ate our food and then just sat on our camping chair. The cool breeze from the lake and dark shadows under the tree worked as perfect combination for an afternoon nap (my favorite thing in the world), so it didn’t take long for me to just lay down and enjoy a good 1 hour of nap time. It was the best way I could have relaxed over a long weekend. Man, I am a sucker for afternoon nap and just talking about it makes me feel like having one.

Anyway, after the nap, it was time to explore the rest of the island, which was pretty uneventful. However, the surprise was at the end where we found an awesome spot to get soaked in water. I wasn’t expecting such a sweet spot to mark the end of the day. There were not many people, which worked perfectly for us and we spent at least 30-40 minutes in water. After that, it was finally time to say goodbye to the Put-in-Bay island.

As much as we wanted to stay on the island for the 4th of July fireworks at night, we were told in the morning that they were sold out off those tickets, so we had to leave the island the same. I wasn’t sad about it, but seeing the fireworks at night would have been cooler, as I haven’t experienced it yet. It was a good, eventful day. And, how can I miss the pizza that we had for dinner? It was awesome day.

Next stop: Rock climbing at Novi, MI, USA.

June 30, 2018 – Hocking Hills State Park, OH, USA

After exploring Detroit with the Ford team, it was time to head to Hocking Hills State Park, Ohio. For this trip, I was accompanied by all the close friends and family members too.

This trip is memorable for many reasons but the one that stood out the most for us was the Airbnb that we booked. It was a 3-4 bedroom Airbnb for almost 10 of us, and worked perfectly for us as it had one of the biggest living rooms and a nice kitchen, which was stocked with all necessary grocery items that we needed and didn’t. The host had a lovely farm nearby the Airbnb, where the kids got to see the pet dogs and some pigs too.

Anyway, getting back to the Hocking Hills State Park, I wasn’t expecting much from this visit, as I hadn’t done any research of some sort prior to heading to this place. Everything was unfolding quite nicely and in an amazing way for me. I remember starting to hike and was mesmerized by the beauty of different spots that the hiking trail had to offer.

When I was taking in all this amazing beautiful scenery, I was approaching toward the Old Man’s Cave part of the trail. I wasn’t a vivid hiker, but surely, this scene and part of the trail made me realize the beauty of the nature. I had heard fellow hikers taking about the beauty of the Old Man’s Cave trail, but I didn’t believe until I saw it. It was such an awesome view to take in, I mean, spread across different area, with such a narrow place to get to a point with a view and all that, makes me go there one more time.

After the Old Man’s Cave, we continued hiking some more and that’s when I was impressed with Monika’s mom. The trail was not evenly paved and was filled with muddy patches and passed through the tree branches and steep climbs and we were worried that she would be tired or get injured while hiking through this difficult trail, but to everyone’s surprise, she not only hiked with us but also made it through the end of the trail. I was really impressed with her ability to hike through this strenuous trail.

The trail had its own surprises for us. I never expected to witness a couple water falls falling from the 30-40 feet height and soaking myself in the cold water. The experience of getting wet in the cold water was amazing and I would love to do it again.

The most amazing surprise was waiting for us at the end of the trail. Never in my wildest dreams I imagined having a natural reservoir of water, constantly getting supply of fresh water from the nearby water fall. It felt like a scene from an imaginative story. The water was fresh and cold and we didn’t want to miss out on the golden opportunity to play in water and have some fun. I remember spending at least an hour in the water and playing with everyone and the kids, before it was starting to become dark.

We had to hike all the way back to the parking lot to get our cars near the water fall where rest of our crew was waiting for us. It was an amazing day, among the nature, the wild, hiking, and soaking in water. Loved it.

Next stop: Put-in-Bay, OH, USA.

Book 15 – The Optimist’s Telescope – Bina Venkataraman

This was the 3rd book I read in 2021. I bought this book after recommendation by Morning Brew.

When I started reading this book, I thought it was about financial education, but I was wrong. I do have the habit of reading the book before knowing what the book is about and what to expect from the book, which enables me to keep an open mind about the book.

The best thing about the book
The best thing about this book is that it goes through so many real world examples that while reading about some topics, you can relate to them. The span of the examples that the author gives is from the BC time to the modern times of COVID-19 pandemic. I was surprised to know how latest the content of this book is, when the author points out the failure of the US Government to contain the COVID-19 pandemic under President Trump.
While reading this book, there were so many “Aha” moments for me, but the biggest one was when the author mentioned that Jeff Bezos sponsored team is building a clock which would last for more than 10,000 years. It was just a mind blowing thing I have read in a long time, so I am sure I am not going to forget for years to come.

The gist of the book
The author has kept the same throughout the book. With so many awesome examples and importance of those examples which impact our daily lives, the author has stressed on why we should always think about the long term instead of the short term solutions to the problems.
Even though I am from India, which is still a developing country, I wasn’t aware about the hardships that countries from different parts of the world face. It was an emotional experience for me to go through the entirety of this book and come back stronger and start to think about the humanity as a whole, instead of thinking just about yourself.

Change
Change is always constant, but it is not easy to implement that change and the author has done an exceptional job putting how to implement a change throughout the book.
I loved how the author has used this theme throughout the book mentioning how to implement a change on a global scale. She has taken the proverb “Charity begins at home” in the correct way and has given us such a wonderful guidance about how we can implement change on a global scale, starting off with our own home.

The author has done a fantastic job to take us from implementing a change at home, and then to our neighborhood, and then a county, an organization, and a country. Improving a habit from your own home and then implementing that good habit in an organization is a big thing and she justifies coming from a background of working with the office of the POTUS Obama.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

See you at the next book review!

Week 23 (May 30 – June 05) – Running 2,021 miles in 2021

Week 22 was not that great, let’s see how this week turns out.

But, before that, let’s see how May went. In May, I ran 78.7 miles. I know this is not a lot for running target, but it is definitely better than April. There are still 7 more months to go in this year and I am excited for the time ahead.

Day 154 – 06/03/2021 – 1688/212
Welcome to the first day of running this week.

Today, I discovered a “new” way of planning my runs. If you have been following my running journey here, you would know that I mostly run around a 1.3 mile loop, which I call “The DOGE loop”. I usually prefer completing 3 rounds of the DOGE loop, totaling 4 miles of distance. The down side of this strategy is that due to high temperatures, sometimes, I feel tired and end up stressing myself more. To counter this, I tried finishing just one round of the DOGE loop and taking a few minutes rest, before heading for the next round. This enabled me to run longer and I didn’t feel that much tired at the end of the run too.
With this strategy, I could complete more than 5 miles of distance, completing 4 rounds of the DOGE loop and it felt satisfying at the end of the day.

This run brought the distance to cover in 2021 to 1688 miles.

Day 155 – 06/04/2021 – 1686/211
The second day of run was more or less a repetition of yesterday.

I completed the first round of the DOGE loop and found out my Apple Watch didn’t record the entire run. I was disappointed, but I quickly shrugged it off and took 5 minute break before starting the second round of the loop.
Both the runs were normal. The temperatures are soaring high, so it is becoming more difficult to run during the afternoon time. I think I should spend more time in the morning on my running.

This run brought the distance to cover in 2021 to 1686 miles.

Day 156 – 06/05/2021 – 1675/210
The last day and time I got to run this week.

This was the longest I ran in a long long time. The plan was to finish the first Half Marathon of 2021, but my Apple Watch didn’t accompany me for the last couple miles.
I got up pretty early as I wanted to be done with the Half Marathon before 9AM for breakfast. When I was putting on my Apple Watch, I saw it was discharged. Cursing myself, I put it on for charging and waited patiently for 20 minutes, before I saw it clock 50% on the battery meter. I thought this much charge will be sufficient for a Half Marathon distance.

As I had a target of running 10 rounds of the DOGE loop in mind, I took my first break after finishing 6 rounds, and I didn’t even feel tired. One of the reasons I love long distance running is the slow pace. I love running slowly, which helps me keep my heart beat just under, doesn’t cause me to sweat that much, and keep my legs fresh even after running for long.
When I took a sip of water after running 8 miles, it felt so great. I thought I hadn’t had water in a long time. As the temperatures were in 60s in the morning, it felt easier to continue running without burning too many calories. I continued my running after the water break and didn’t pay attention to my Apple Watch until it beeped weirdly. I knew what it was telling me, so I was just praying for it not to die during the run and should allow me to finish at least this round which would bring the distance covered to 10.9 miles.

Anyway, I fell short by a couple miles, still I felt really happy with the effort and distance I covered during this run. This run proved that I still can run longer distances like I did in 2020.

This run brought the distance to cover in 2021 to 1675 miles.

Before you go, please check out the week number 23 highlights. I finished 18.8 miles this week, bringing the distance to cover in 2021 to 1674.7 miles, that’s 7.97XX miles every single day for the remainder of the year!

See you next week!

Week 22 (May 23 – May 29) – Running 2,021 miles in 2021

Week 21 was good. Let’s find out how this week turns out.

Day 144 – 05/24/2021 – 1705/222
The first run of the week and it was a 5K.

I got a chance to go out for a run at the end of the busy workday. The temperatures were high during this time, so I decided to loop around the lake instead of the DOGE loop. The loop around the lake is approximately a mile long and give me good feeling, especially when I run around the lake.
The run was pretty normal. I remember being tired at the end of the 3rd loop, still I ran for a few more seconds, to complete the 5K distance. Today’s run was quite faster than my usual runs as I pushed myself during the second and third loop, which brought my pace closer to 10’ a mile.
This run brought the distance to cover in 2021 to 1705 miles.

Day 145 – 05/25/2021 – 1701/221
One more busy workday and one more run at the end of the day.

I got out at around 4.30 PM for usual run and I felt my usual to complete 3 rounds around the DOGE loop for a distance of 4 miles. I remembered yesterday’s run being tiring, so I told myself to take it slower today and I took my time to finish the 4 mile distance.
I saw so many familiar faces along the run and it has become a tradition now to greet fellow joggers, bikers, and walkers. Love the neighborhood and running here.
This run brought the distance to cover in 2021 to 1701 miles.

Day 146 – 05/26/2021 – 1697/220
This week is turning out to be a good consistent week of running. Today was the third time I got out for a run this week and it was (again) around the DOGE loop.

Today’s run was a repetition of yesterday’s run. The temperatures were lower by 2-3 degrees than yesterday, which helped me run the 4 mile distance in almost 40 minutes. I put more efforts during the last round of the DOGE loop, which might have worked in my favor increasing my pace and lowering the total time taken.
This run brought the distance to cover in 2021 to 1697 miles.

Day 147 – 05/27/2021 – 1693/219
And this is the last day of running this week.

Today’s run was repetition of yesterday’s run and frankly nothing else changed apart from the date. I felt the same way I did when I ran yesterday. The only thing I didn’t like about this run was that I took more than 41 minutes for the run, even after knowing that I could have run faster and grab the 40 minutes finish line. Anyway, these things happen, especially when I am running the same route everyday for so many days.
This run brought the distance to cover in 2021 to 1693 miles.

Before you go, please check out the week number 22 highlights. I finished 15.1 miles this week, bringing the distance to cover in 2021 to 1693.5 miles, that’s 7.8 miles every single day for the remainder of the year!

See you next week!

Week 21 (May 16 – May 22) – Running 2,021 miles in 2021

Week 20 was okayish. Not many things have changed since the last week, including the fact that I have still a long way to go to my running target. Let’s check out this week’s progress.

Day 139 – 05/19/2021 – 1727/227
Welcome to the first run of the week and this was the first time this year that I didn’t wear my Apple Watch for the run, partly because I was still recovering from my trip to New York City over the weekend and I thought I put my Apple Watch for charging, but I didn’t.

I wanted to run longer distance as I hadn’t gotten chance to do so for the last few days as I was traveling. Too bad that I didn’t have my Apple Watch with me, as I couldn’t track the distance, time, and calories burnt perfectly. I checked the start and end time of the run and calculated the pace based on the number of rounds I completed of the DOGE loop. It took me more than I expected, but I think it was a good run just after coming back from the vacation mode.
This run brought the distance to cover in 2021 to 1727 miles.

Day 140 – 05/20/2021 – 1722/226
One more day of running and I got outside twice for running.

The first run came in the early morning. I wanted to complete at least a 5K, but could complete only two rounds of the DOGE loop, totaling 2.6 miles as I wanted to freshen up before my morning meeting.
The second one came just before the lunch and I must say this run was more exhausting than the one in morning, especially because of the high temperatures and soaring sun. I barely managed to complete 2 rounds, before deciding to stop as I was sweating heavily and really needed to take a breather. As we are progressing towards Summer this year, I am starting to realize how difficult it is becoming to run in the afternoon than the morning time.

These two runs brought the distance to cover in 2021 to 1722 miles.

Day 141 – 05/21/2021 – 1717/225
The third day of running this week and I got to run outside twice today as well.

The first run came just before the lunch and felt more like the repetition of yesterday’s pre-lunch run. The weather was almost identical like yesterday, so instead of running through the DOGE loop, I took a shorter route around the lake which is couple minutes away from my place and is exactly 1 mile in length. The good part about this run was that the cool breeze around the lake helped me keep the body temperature down for the run. It helped me run faster than yesterday, but the two rounds enabled me to complete only 2 miles, which is better than skipping the run altogether.
The second run came during the late afternoon when I got a 40 minute window between my work and meetings. It was very hard to run during the high temperatures but I somehow managed to finish more than 5K distance. It took more time than I anticipated, but due to the temperature, I think, it was a good effort.

These two runs brought the distance to cover in 2021 to 1717 miles.

Day 142 – 05/22/2021 – 1709/224
Welcome to the last running day of the week and it was a memorable one.

Today was the first time in a long time that I ran a long distance of 8 miles. When I started my morning run, my plan was to finish 5 rounds of the DOGE loop, totaling 6.7 miles, but the cool breeze and low temperatures helped me keep my body in check and I saw myself finishing more distance than I originally thought. I ended up completing 6 rounds of the DOGE loop, bringing the distance covered to 8 miles. I was very pleased at the end of the run, but realized my toes were hurting a little bit as the shoes that I was wearing were a little bit tight. I had to spend the rest of the day taking rest and relaxing and enjoying the Saturday afternoon nap.

This run brought the distance to cover in 2021 to 1709 miles.

Before you go, please check out the week number 21 highlights. I finished 23.9 miles this week, bringing the distance to cover in 2021 to 1708.6 miles, that’s 7.62 miles every single day for the remainder of the year!

See you next week!

Week 20 (May 09 – May 15) – Running 2,021 miles in 2021

.Week 19 was a good week for my running journey. I am still a long way from my running target and trying to get closer with every single run. Let’s see how this week turns out.

Day 130 – 05/10/2021 – 1743/236
The first run of the week came on a Monday afternoon around my usual route of the DOGE loop. The weather was nice and I saw many people outside, either walking or biking.
As I mentioned before, the DOGE loop couldn’t be more perfect. The 1.3 mile long loop takes roughly 15 minutes (if I am lazying around) and if I complete the 3 loops (which takes roughly 40-45 minutes), I cover the distance of 4 miles.

Today was no different. I covered 4 mile distance in 41 minutes 33 seconds, which is an ideal pace for me. This pace doesn’t sweat me too much and I get to warm down nicely after the run. This run brought the distance to cover in 2021 to 1743 miles.

Day 132 – 05/12/2021 – 1737/234
The second run of the week and it was still around the DOGE loop.

The difference between this run and the previous one was that I covered 2 more rounds around the DOGE loop. I started the run in the afternoon and the weather was kind of same like during the last run. After completing the 3 loops, I knew I could go for at least 2 more rounds, since I had kept my pace a little slower than the pace that I was comfortable with.
A single round of the DOGE loop is 1.3 miles, so the 5 rounds enabled me to cover more distance than 10K. I could run 6.7 miles in around 75 minutes, with a pace slower than I would have loved, but I would take it.
This run brought the distance to cover in 2021 to 1737.

Day 133 – 05/13/2021 – 1732/233
The third and last day of the run, and this was too around the DOGE loop.

For the third run of the week, I wanted to cover more distance, but I ended up completing 3 rounds, totaling 4.1 miles. I think the hot temperature and the fact that I had lunch just a couple hours ago made me run slower than I expected. Usually I take not more than 45 minutes to finish the 3 rounds of the DOGE loop, but this run took almost 50 minutes, something which I am not proud of. Anyway, this run brought the weekly mileage to 14.8 miles, 10 miles less than last week – not a good thing for my running target.

Before you go, please check out the week number 20 highlights. I finished 14.8 miles this week, bringing the distance to cover in 2021 to 1732.5 miles, that’s 7.5 miles every single day for the remainder of the year!

Week 19 (May 02 – May 08) – Running 2,021 miles in 2021

Week 18 was something I needed to rejuvenate my running journey. Let’s see how this week turns out to be.
We finished the month of April already for this year. As it was the birthday month, I thought it would bring more miles for me, which, unfortunately, didn’t happen. I have high hopes from May.

Day 122 – 05/02/2021 – 1767/244
Welcome to Sunday Morning run. For this run, I headed to my former running spot at NHS. It brought back so many memories when I used to spend so much time at the NHS track doing what I love the most – run, soccer, and walk.
Before starting the run, I thought I would be able to complete 10K distance, but I fell short by a mile to reach home before the breakfast.

When I was running at the track, I felt peaceful while running. I usually run on a concrete sidewalk, so running on the track field, my feet were easily moving and I clocked in <10’ pace for the entire run. At the end of the run, I felt so good and relieved to have finished the 5 mile run, which turned out to be one of the longest runs I did in a long time.

Day 124 – 05/04/2021 – 1763/242
The second run of the week, and it came at the DOGE loop.
My love for the DOGE loop is increasing with each run. The 1.3 mile loop, which takes less than 15 minutes to complete is a perfect setup for me. I don’t decide on the distance before heading out to run, and that’s why sometimes, I end up completing just a couple miles, and most of the time, that number goes to 4 miles.

Today, I completed 3 rounds of the DOGE loop, finishing 4 miles of running. The weather and my approach to the run was quite similar, that’s why I finished the 4 mile run in roughly 40 minutes.

Day 125 – 05/05/2021 – 1761/241
I got to run twice today – mostly because I finish 1 round of the DOGE loop each time I went out for a run.

After the workday, I felt like going out for a quick run. Unfortunately, the first run cut short right after finishing the only round of the DOGE loop. I took some time to refresh and answer a few emails before heading out again for one more round of the DOGE loop. I would have loved finishing more distance, but had to stop my day at 2.6 miles distance.

Day 126 – 05/06/2021 – 1754/240
This week is turning out to be a good one. I am getting more opportunities to go out for runs and complete those miles to meet my running goal.

Today’s run was the longest at the DOGE loop. Initially, I thought I would get to complete the 6 rounds of the DOGE loop, but I could finish only 5 of them. I kept my pace slower than I could run or needed to run, to sustain for longer duration. This strategy worked, like it works every time. I could have gone for more distance, but it would have delayed lunch, so returned home at 6.7 miles. This was the first 10K distance that I ran this month.

Day 127 – 05/07/2021 – 1750/239
One more day and one more run around the DOGE loop.

Today’s run was a repetition of May 4th day’s run. I completed 3 rounds of the DOGE loop and could complete the 4 mile distance. Slowly and steadily, I am trying to inch towards my running goal for the year.

Day 128 – 05/08/2021 – 1747/238
The last day of the week and it turned out to be a busy Saturday.

I wanted to take my family to the Ford Rouge Factory Tour today, so I made sure that I go out for a quick run before heading out for a busy Saturday. I completed 2 rounds of the DOGE loop, bringing the total distance of the week just shy of 25 miles. I had a very narrow window for a run between 11AM and 12PM, as were scheduled to reach the venue at around 12.45PM.
The run was quicker than my usual efforts at the DOGE loop, as I wanted to finish quicker to avoid any delays. I loved the weather and saw myself cracking 9’30” pace at the DOGE loop for the first time.

Before you go, please check out the week number 19 highlights. I finished 24.9 miles this week, bringing the distance to cover in 2021 to 1747.3 miles, that’s 7.31 miles every single day for the remainder of the year!

See you next week!