Category: Uncategorized

Today was a rest day.

Today I felt like running outside of the usual loops at Nehru Park. After a round combining Shanti Path and Vinay Marg, Gaju and I headed out, taking Racecourse road, then Safdarjung, down Lodi, Amrita Shergill, towards Khan Market, India Gate, Raj Path, Janpath, Man Singh, and looped back down to Nehru Park and eventually rounding it up to twenty six.

A solid run, a tour of Delhi, and the scenes of dozens of women on Raj Path, this international women’s day.

I met Gaju this morning at Nehru Park. It has been a long time since we ran together.

It was a solid ten miler at tempo pace and we nailed it. Niti Marg, Shanti Path, Vinay Marg, Nyaya Marg were all our roads today. The weather was fresh. Life is good.

Slept in a bit. In fact slept after ages it seems. Went out for a short and most pleasant run in beautiful new Nike shoes.

Parul got them for me from London. The salesperson is running the Boston marathon himself. He recommended this training model that I hadn’t tried before. Runner to runner recommendation – what could be better. Certainly better than restaurant recommendations or travel destinations that are often treated with a measure of hmmm I wonder. I hope I don’t do that but if I am writing about it perhaps I am speaking to myself to be aware of such reaction.

At any rate – I would take a shoe recommendation from a Boston runner any day.

This is definitely now a pattern for the next two months. Have to adjust the routine a bit and get Friday going.

Finally it was off to a good start at Nehru Park. Many 400s and followed by a tempo run. I didn’t feel particularly strong but at the same time I managed to cover the paces required.

I divided up the morning into sets on the treadmill. Toggled with the incline and off I went counting down the workout.

I finished with a light core workout and rounded up for a new morning.

I woke up early and started the day off almost immediately with work. Day off from training. Feeling great after yesterday’s long run.

And that’s the way to do it.

Slept late. Woke up late. A clear dilemma. Should I go to Nehru Park and run in ever increasing morning traffic or should I just stomach it and run up and down in the driveway?

Even as I was putting my shoes on, I was undecided. Finally, saving an hours worth of driving and dodging traffic made the decision for me.

And so it was. Up and down for thirty six rounds. At least I have the luxury of this driveway.

Nearing the last 7-8k, the young girl joined me in nearly every round running anywhere between 20m and 100m with me. Pure joy. First run with her.

Her brothers were on the swings but she stood in the middle of the driveway waiting for me, running with me, holding my finger, tongue out, keeping up. Pure joy.

Woke up today feeling quite bombed. But hit the driveway. Soon the young boy and his cousin joined me. We did a fartlek type run and then a solid core workout afterwards.

Good start to the weekend.