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I had an endless interval workout today. It was a reverse pyramid so right off the bat, it started on a hard note.

Probably because of last week’s race, I was not primed to hit the numbers but I put in the work.

Today was a rest day albeit pillar to post for work and meetings.

I slept late on Wednesday night and woke up early for my class. I crawled back to bed after the class but of course I couldn’t sleep.

The young boy and I decided over breakfast to run in the driveway in the evening. In between calls for me and tuitions for him.

It worked out superbly.

I reached Nehru Park for intervals exceptionally late. The traffic bore down on me. Eventually I did them in the quiet inner lane of Shanti Path.

Although the overall work was short, I couldn’t quite manage the paces today – perhaps tiredness from the Sunday racing.

I woke up and jumped on the treadmill and put in a steady hour. About midway, the young boy came to the gym room and I trained him while continuing the run.

It’s not so simple to look sideways and correct form, call out instructions and motivate, all the while on a moving belt.

At the end, we both sat quietly for a few minutes. After so much movement, the stillness is surprising.

I woke up early this morning. There was no run, no race, just a pleasant wash from yesterday. Instead I read and caught up on my work.

I nearly did not take part in the Indian Navy Half. A Saturday text from my sister convinced me. It was a perfect half marathon. It was near perfect racing.

This time, unlike Bombay, I wanted to push hard and keep an eye on the clock. By the time I was on Mathura road on the way towards India Gate, I knew I was feeling good. Now it would be a matter of holding on and climbing through the inevitable slumps that come your way in a long race.

And so it did happen exactly in that manner. Around the fourteenth kilometre, I felt sluggish and my body wasn’t moving as well. It was time to forgive, push on, but keep it moving. I had to get past ten, maybe fifteen minutes, by then I would be on the home stretch back on Lodi road.

I squeezed in my last gel around the sixteenth kilometre. A runner, an older man raced past me. I caught up to his heels. I stuck with him until around the eighteenth. By that time he was further ahead. But I had found my stride again. As I write this, his face is a blur but I thank him. It was because of him that got my engine going again.

This is an individual sport but how uniquely communal it is too.

I ran the last three kilometres as my fastest block and the last one was the quickest in the race.

It was a short one today as I am hoping to race a half marathon tomorrow. I was iffy about it, but my sister convinced me with a text.

That allowed me to sleep in today and put a short half hour run on the treadmill before training the young boy and his cousins for a ‘corridor’ workout with hurdles, agility drills, push ups, squats and walking lunges.

Rounded up the Saturday morning quite perfectly.

It was up and down from Chandigarh today. The city seemed a fry cry from the hustle and bustle of the New Delhi metropolis and I found it utterly charming.

While this was a work visit, I will try and be back for a marathon. The city seems prime for a fast, flat and clean race.

Today was a mix of an outside run and back inside to make the young boy workout.

Alas, he missed his workout hut we ended up chatting while I ran and worked out inside.

At breakfast, I had an avocado with toast. The young boy had the same. I don’t think I knew what an avocado was when I was his age. Not sourdough bread.