Getting back in shape

Finished my 5K in 27 minutes. Barely made it to the top 10 in my age group. Not bad taking into consideration that knee is recovering from Orthovisic shots. Getting ready for the 10K, then the half marathon. Will be happy if I come under 1 hour for the 10K and around 2 for the half.

Just got to know the dates for my Himalayan expedition. October 1st to 24th. Yeah!! Cannot wait. Already getting excited.

Been a bit busy catching up with "real work" and ....

Since I came back from my Desert Hiking Expedition, everyday I have thought about it and the people I went with. Specially my uncle and my cousin (Anita). It was so awesome to spend time with them. I have been in touch with the expedition leader Dhaval Shah and some others too. While they are busy trying to decide where to go for the next expedition, I have been busy catching up on work and trying to get back into my workout schedule.

Had a little setback with my knee but getting better by the day. Still on schedule for my various outdoor events this spring and summer. Training is going on in full swing for the following events -
1. March 31 - 5K run
2. April 22 - 10K run
3. May 5 - Half marathon
4. Undecided - Duathlon
5. Waiting on the exact dates (Sept/Oct) for the Himalaya expedition. We were thinking of doing the Everest Base Camp. But this place has been so commercialized that it is not fun or adventure anymore. The team is now deciding on going to Roopkund, a glacial lake (in the Himalayas at a height of about 16,500 feet) and summiting another nearby peak (yet to be named).

As you may know, I climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro for raising money for the TBTG Foundation. The Himalayan expedition this Sept/Oct will also be for raising money for this same foundation. Hopefully I will be able to raise more money than I did last time.

Some good news from my sponsors for this year:

1. GU Energy Labs has renewed their sponsorship and their products are going to go a long way in helping me reach my goals for this year
2. QuikPod has decided to sponsor me again for my next expedition to the Himalayas. They have sent me the QuikPod Pro as this was a very important gadget for me in my expedition to Mt. Kilimanjaro last year. Please visit the "My Pictures" tab to see the pictures and videos taken using this indespensible gadget.
3. Solio Solar Chargers also confirmed their sponsorship again for this Sept/Oct expedition to the Himalayas. They will be sending me a Bolt, a couple extra batteries, and a couple Clip-Minis.
4. SteriPEN has confirmed their sponsorship for the Himalayan expedition. I have to let them know which product will be best suited for our use. I am thinking it would be the "Freedom" since it is the lightest, smallest and rechargable with my Solio Charger.

I had given the opportunity to LifeSaver Bottle to sponsor me for my desert expedition but they did not. So I ended up buying the bottle ($150)...which I gave to my cousin who is in the Army. The bottle was good but too heavy for an expedition. I wish they had something lighter. But on second thoughts, I think I will like the SteriPEN better.

Thats all for now.....

Just back from a 6 day Desert Hiking Expedition (in the Great Indian Thar Desert)

This was one of the best vacations I ever had. Imagine spending time hiking in the desert with a 93 year old legend for 6 full days. I thought it would be easy...but reality sunk in after the second day of walking in the desert sands. It reminded me of the day that I was very tired hiking Kilimanjaro. Absolutely amazing sights, sounds, and smells ;-)
Thanks again to QuikPod and Solio who helped tremendously in making our expedition memories.

I carried with me the QuikPod Explorer. This was voted the most popular gadget by our team. With this device I could take videos of me interviewing people while we were actually walking in the desert sands, riding on a camel, etc. There is no way that you would think I was holding my own camera. Very soon I will be posing these interviews so you can see for yourself how this handy gadget made our expedition a very memoriable one. By the end of the trip everyone on the team wanted one....finally I succumbed and gave mine to a new friend I made on the trip. Now I don't have any... :(

I also carried with me the Solio Bolt (solar charger) and this also was popular with the team since many of them burned out their cell phone batteries and camera batteries in the first few days. This is a very handy gadget to charge just about any battery - camera or cell. It had enough juice by end of each day to charge at least two camera or cell phone batteries. Absolutely amazing product and a very must have for all hikers who are planning to be away from civilization for more than a few days.

Now we are in the planning stages for an expedition to Everest Base Camp. If the logistics do not work, it would be an expedition to Roopkund - a glacial lake in the Himalayas at an height of about 16,500 feet. Not sure if I will be able to take time off but will try. I hope QuikPod and Solio will continue to sponsor me on this upcoming expedition too.

Will be posting some pictures and videos soon. Or...become my FaceBook friend (send me your details too since I do not accept requests from people I do not know) and see the pictures.