It has been weeks since I did intervals in any form. Whether on the road or at the track. It had to be Gaju. It had to be Coach Ravi. It had to be in darkness and in Gurgaon. 400m repetitions.
It felt like coming home but at the same time as if all new. It was hard. But also fit right in. I wasn’t as fast as I would like to be but it was on point with each repetition within seconds of each other.
On the way back and on the very last repetition, I heard a few men shouting, a ball of white fur at my legs. Gaju and I clutched at each other facing two very angry dogs. Coach Ravi was further down the road. We walked away, trying to be calm and restarted the last interval. Close call.
Seene se dil hi nikal gaya, said Gaju.
Finishing up, I said I would come back tomorrow for an easy run.
Writing about Running 