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Couldn’t run. Coughing away. What is a cough. Such a strange sensation. Such a strange thing. Yet we think it to be a part of existence, especially say if one was unwell.

What a day. Barely slept at night. Or at least of what I remember is just coughing away. Ditto for the day. Missed the run.

I’m coming up into a bad cold and cough.

Did a long run today after what seemed like ages but it isn’t. It’s been a slow week – for running – because of travel and it felt like that.

Gaju and I began when it was daylight. The half marathon got cancelled because of pollution so Eilish said let’s try a fifteen kilometre time trial. Within a couple of kilometres, it was apparent that I would not be able to keep up the pace. It has been several nights of very less sleep and I have a perpetual cold at the moment.

But we made most of the situation. Or rather that Gaju sportingly accompanied me through the run that essentially turned into a tempo plus effort. With the warm up and cool down, it was a not so shabby twenty.

At home, the young boy did a real solid forty five minutes on the treadmill combining hills and speed training. A reasonable Sunday by all accounts to round up the end of November.

Did a super short run and then made the young boy do drills and hurdles in the corridor which was great fun. Showed him on the slo-mo feature how during some hurdle jumps his legs kicked backwards and in some his knees rose up to his chest. In some of those images, he looked like he was flying.

Back to training today with an easy run on the treadmill and a core workout after.

My friend Kirat had reintroduced me to the Hanuman Chalisa during the trip to Madurai and Rameshwaram and had urged me to listen to it or read it daily.

I switched it on during the treadmill run and let the album play.

We left Madurai early morning and back to Delhi and straight into the work cycle. Once again no opportunity to run today and feeling exhausted and sleep deprived.

Because of travel today and early morning and evening darshans, there really was no opportunity to do the run. All told it was many hours of walking and a full 22 hour day.

I travelled south today to nearly the tip of India to Rameshwaram for my friend Mohan’s fiftieth birthday celebrations with visits to temples and multiple darshans.

There were two more runners in the group and we decided to put in an easy short run in the evening before dinner time.

Babloo, Sukriti and I set off in the crowded market area outside the hotel and did an easy five kilometres avoiding traffic and dogs. We came back fresh as day, ready to have a gentle evening with food and conversation before next days early morning darshan.

As I think I wrote last Monday, I like these Monday runs. It sets the tone to the week. Perhaps a few more of these and I will ask Eilish to make it an occasional habit. Perhaps between Friday and Monday, I can choose a rest day. While I ran, the young boy worked out. He finished up with an impressive two minute walk sit. I continued the run. He came and said bye to me before leaving for school. I continued the run, playing with the incline and pace throughout.