Sunday, April 19, 2015

Running in the high places!!!

As I ease into my routine of getting higher every run in a bid to run up hills, my weekend long runs have essentially become running tours of the richest hills in Mumbai.

A 5:30 am start from home and a flat jog takes me to Haji Ali junction past the shaded boulevards along race course road. Often the ever-wary strays begin barking as i move on from one territory to another. Its almost like having a relay of sound escorts.

5:50 am. Finally i reach the junction, its a lovely open road with half asleep beggars, carelessly strewn Mumbai police barricades and an occasional Merc zipping by.

I almost feel the crunch in my quads as the gradual incline begins leading to the "killer" Peddar road slope and the snazzy JSW white house. The roads getting re'laid' for the 178th time plus the heat aint helping. So i begin walking to catch up on precious breath. 30 seconds and i begin running to reach the top of the slope. I look up and find the awesome Antilia (yes. Awesome) and Mukeshbhai looking down at me. He waves out to me with a promise of a glass of chaas on the way back. Maybe the heat's giving me hallucinations.



From here on, its gladly downhill now to the swanky Kemps corner.

4kms done. 25 mins. Slow but today is just tooo HOT a day.



Next I cross Babulnath and am heading towards the richest vegetarian real estate in the world!! Malabar hill!! Its all an uphill climb of 1.5 kms past the Governor's pad and a building called Necklace view...

Hmm..To begin with it does give an awesome view of chowpatty!


I break into a  walk then a slow jog and huff and puff as i make it to the solemn Teen Batti
 Runners often feel they've arrived having climbed up to here. I feel so too and i feel so cool!!

Next, i take the first slope down to the seaside residences of Napean Sea road. The SBI chief's bungalow with its sprawling garden, makes me ponder and smile!!

I take the next slope up from napean sea road back to Malabar hill with some high walled apartments alongside. This one's a steep slope up but i stay focused on my breathing as i slowly trot up back to the ridge road of malabar hill.

I turn left here and go across the Sahyadri guest house. This one plays host to visiting politicians. Its 6:15 am. Sure enough i hear a siren blaring off a laal batti gaadi and 2 cars in tow enter and a dhoti clad politician with a bureaucrat juggling files and 2 mobile phones and a bunch of cronies emerge at that hour. Glad to see someone's working too!!

I then turn down left onto the steep slope back down to napean sea road along the most important road of the state. the one that has Varsha, the chief minister's bungalow. Just before there's a quaint road that shoots to the left towards the home of the chief of the Bohri Muslims. This road is so tranquil and quiet, its almost meditative and peaceful to even stop a few moments there.


Back down onto Napean sea road, i run towards Priyadarshini park and find a hell lot of people jogging there. Feels good that I am not alone!


I now turn up one of the steepest slopes in Mumbai, the one that goes past some awesome skyscrapers. Its so steep my legs almost automatically break into a walk. I realise that walking is even tougher on this steep gradient, so i choose to slow jog up the loong slope up back to ridge road.


Pretty much at the highest point of my route, it does feel like an achievement. I turn left towards the hanging gardens. The area houses plenty of politicians so there is a fair amount of police security and chaiwallahs to cater to them. Luckily i find a shop open at that hour and fill up my bottle with some water and have a couple of bananas to feed my growling tummy.


I then run past the tens of cars belonging to morning walkers at the park and descend down what is arguably the loveliest part of my run. In a jungle of cold stone, nestles a verdant oasis. The beautiful Parsi Tower of Silence. Simply the number of trees here, the summer crescendo of the Cuckoo, plenty of bulbuls in their morning frenzy, and the komorebi of the early golden sun adds up to the joy of running.


The quiet roads head down to Kemps corner as an occasional cyclist zips past me.


Its 6:45, I have completed a good 11kms and i turn back on my favourite road to retrace my route back home up and down all the lovely high places for an 8:00 am finish !

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