When I slept last night, I had my doubts. I was under slept, under trained, and not in great shape. All of these continued to be true when I reached the start line of today’s Tuffman half marathon with my sister Roshini and Gaju from track.
The route was ever familiar – out from Jawaharlal Stadium, down the cobbled bit passing the Sai Baba mandir, left at Lodi Road to Jorbagh, U-turn at the end, past Lodi Gardens, Chinmay Mission, India Islamic Culture Institute, Golf Links, the back of the golf course, left at the Nizamuddin intersection, on Mathura Road, pass the blind school, The Oberoi, under the flyover, opposite Sunder Nagar and a U turn again at the 6.85 km mark, retracing the route, except turning left at the Lodi crossing and back to the stadium for 10.5 kilometres. Do the loop again for a half marathon distance.
It was a fabulous race. It was hot and humid and my training didn’t suddenly jump to utopian fitness. But within a kilometre, I found a rhythm and an acceptance to where I was at. Now I could push just hard enough, feeling great, finding joy in these roads that weave through the centre of Delhi.
Hundreds of other runners around the course, the various distances at play, this is why this is one of the world’s greatest unifying activities.
Writing about Running 