Fitness enthusiast Vandana Rajesh speaks about managing work and home

Dr Rajesh currently training for the halfIronaman at Dubai says her day runs like clockwork but she also wants to squeeze in some quality time with her twins Ishika and Ishaan aged 7 PICNimesh daveThe one indulgence that Vandana Rajesh 42 admits to having given up is television Itrsquos helped her find time to squeeze in other things mdash training for a triathlon while juggling a day job as anesthetist at Juhursquos Sunridges Speciality hospital and being mom to Ishaan and Ishika her 7yearold twins ldquoIdeally Irsquod keep my kids away from TV too but thatrsquos not so easyrdquo she smilesRajesh always a fitness enthusiast says she took to running in mid2011 around the time her twinsrsquo were around two ldquoAs their sleep patterns regularised mine became awry Instead of tossing and turning through the morning I decided to go runningrdquo she adds Having missed the deadline to register for the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon SCMM Rajesh signed up for the half marathon at Auroville It was her first 210975 km run Since then she has run so many races that she needs to pull put one of her goody bags in which she keeps her medals to recall all the names correctly However itrsquos her last medal thatrsquos got her excited mdash the recently held Hyderabad Triathlon with distances of 15 km swimming 40 km cycling and 10km running on an Olympic distance route in which she clocked 41555 hours and even got a podium finishAndan Angadi makes it a point to head home every day for lunch so that his nutrition stays in check Pic Poonam BathijaldquoI had done the half marathons and the next challenge would have been to do a 42K But I found that too dull Then I realised that I was good at swimming and if I took up cycling I could attempt a triathlon It would also help me cross train and use muscles that are not touched during runningrdquo adds the Andheri residentRajesh is among a growing tribe that having done the half fullmarathon route is now setting its sights on steeper challenges such as ultra marathons or in Rajeshrsquos case triathlonsPrepping is keyWhen not training for an event Rajesh trains one hour daily Closer to races mdash her next one is the half Ironman in Dubai in January 15 km swimming 90 km cycling 211 km running mdash it can go up to 15 to two hours Her days begin by 430 am when she goes for a run or swim depending on when a surgery is lined up at the hospital If it is at 630 am she will squeeze in an hour of strength and core workout before heading to work Else you will find her plugged into music and running on Juhu beach or clocking in 17 km in 45 minutes at the Juhu Vile Parle Gymkhana Club where she is member ldquoItrsquos close to my hospital and is convenientrdquo she addsJayaram Rankawat canrsquot cook eggs at home so ensures he gets his protiens at work PicDatta KumbharMinutes are shaved off in the morning routine with a welloiled machinery that begins rolling the previous night While Rajesh keeps her own clothes and gear ready depending on which is the chosen workout for the day breakfast for her children is a staple boiled egg which is prepared the previous night Lunch and dinner are prepared by the domestic help who has also now fit into the routineBut hitting Mumbairsquos roads that early in the morning hasnrsquot always been a pleasant experience Once Rajesh while running in Aarey Milk Colony got mugged she now carries a pepper spray Having started cycling last year the first time in years she recalls having suffered bruises at least twice within the first fortnight after being chased by dogs ldquoEven before the first set of scrapes healed I got a second one at the same spotrdquo But giving up is not an option ldquoIf you have an accident in a car do you stop drivingrdquoWhat she does regret is not having enough time with the kids While she is back home on most days by 5 pm she says ldquoI donrsquot have time to take them to any special classes or the library to read booksrdquoAn expensive passionIn Andheri East 31yearold Jayraman Rankawat an ultra runner will be able to join Rajesh in the calculations it takes to keep his passion for fitness goingRajesh has spent a cool Rs 53000 on her cycle the SCOTT Contessa Speedster 45 and registrations for events are an added cost the registration for the Dubai halfIronman is Rs 22000 excluding travel and staying cost Rankawat smiles sheepishly when we ask him how many pairs of shoes he owns ldquoFourrdquo says the father of a toddler who took to running last January when he was prodded by wife Harishika Swami who worried that he was putting on too weight ldquoTwo pairs are the Adidas Ultra Boost which costs Rs 21000 They stand good for a mileage of 2000 km Another is a Reebok that cost me Rs 8000 and the fourth is in the same price range These I wear when running shorter distancesrdquo he addsRankawat travelled the distance from 10K runs to ultra runs rather quickly His first half was in March last year and in August he ran the 12hour Independence Day run thatrsquos held annually at Shivaji Park clocking 62 km ldquoThen I signed for the 100 km run at the Bangalore Ultra in November 2015rdquo adds RankawatWith the ultras in his training schedule Rankawatrsquos mileage has increased He had targeted 3000 km this year and has already clocked 3065 km His weekrsquos schedule includes running three times a week for 810 km and yoga on the two spare days ldquoIf I run 25 km on Saturday then Irsquoll run 21 km on Sunday I have to practice running on tired feetrdquoAmong his longer races Rankawat counts the JaipurDelhi run of 260 km the MumbaiGoa run of 600 km both of which took between eight and 10 days off his calendar How does he manage leaves from workldquoI donrsquot take any other leaves I take leave to run And when they runs are in other cities Harshika and I make a holiday out of itrdquo he says He wanted his wife to accompany him to Ladakh where he ran 2109 km in 3 hours but she couldnrsquot as she was then pregnant with their son Chaitanya and a high altitude wasnrsquot recommendedScheduling a personal lifeAndan Angadi a Chembur resident was 42 when he took to cycling and then running In 25 years he has run about 60 marathons and completed several long distance cycling rides ldquoAfter college time was spent trying to establish my business Once that was done I was already 40 and decided it was a good time to get back to a fitness routinerdquoAngadi initially started taking part in local cycling events where he met likeminded individuals Hersquod head for practice rides with them and in a few months started participating in BRMs mdash long rides of over 100 km within a specified timeframe mdash different terrain rides cycling on weekends in the outskirts of Mumbai and elevation rides Running entered his life when he wanted to add a variation to his regimeldquoInitially I started with 10k runs and took part in all local challenges and improved my timing to participate in the SCMM Marathon I started with the half marathon and initially my timing was 227 Thereafter I ran 15 half marathons with my best timing being 205 I am moving on to running full marathonsrdquo he adds Now Angadi concentrates on doing off beat runs and cycling trips For which the training is all about building high levels of enduranceThree days a week Andan runs and works out his upper body core and abs and legs Sundays are reserved for long runs or long cycle rides to the Yeoor hills in Thane Pali Hill loops and daily evening cycling of about 1015 km There has been some sacrifice on the family and friends front ldquoMy habits have changed drastically since I started training I donrsquot keep up late since sleep is very important for the body My friends werent too happy initially Now I meet them once a month My family time has decreased Now I try and spend as much time with my wife over the weekends Irsquom also now selective about the events For instance I had to choose between the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon and the Indian Navy Run in Mumbai I chose MumbairdquoAndans wife Hardha says ldquoInitially he would inform me about the events at the nth hour I have told him to prepare a calendar so that I can plan my schedule accordingly I also try and travel with him as often as possible That is our chance to be togetherrdquo