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This time with Gaju and Nikhil. Coach Ravi’s cast of off so he is driving the scooter himself. Dogs, cars, buses, trucks, vendors, chai and paan wallas, cow dung, cows, cabs, pedestrians, walkers, runners, a microcosm of Gurgaon lines this stretch.

But no run. Dashed off for a site puja and inauguration.

Running in this weather impacts performance. This is a fact I know intuitively. It’s good perspective to read about this, dew point and such.

But to begin to describe it – phew. This weather is something else to for long distance training. It’s draining to another level. I saw many spent runners taking walking breaks.

Electrolytes and cold water never felt more important.

I am quite used to seeing glistening six pack bodies at the track. But today when I reached, I had to do a doubke take. Standing at the start line was a guy I hadn’t seen before. Wearing Nike short tights and shirtless, he looked as if carved from molten lava poured into an action figure mould. He ran pretty good too.

Gaju wasn’t there today but Kapil gave me company over the mile-200s-mile repeats that went on endlessly. Kapil has a unique running style – his neck sways from side to side, gently, as if listening to classical music. Below neck, he’s effortless with a long stride length.

Spending the morning with Kapil and watching action figure now and then was a good start even as everyone was sweltering in the deep heat. Back home, it was a solid core workout to round up the session.

Because of travel yesterday, I thought I would make it up today. But I couldn’t wake up on time. I gave myself a hall pass. Does working on cello passages in the evening count?

But there was a butterfly flitting about the wing of the plane. It went up, down, here and there, as the aircraft taxied towards the arrival gate after landing in Chennai.

Flight dynamics of a butterfly. Someone got a workout.

Because of very early travel today, I didn’t do my morning run but carried my running gear just in case I could squeeze out a run in between commitments.

Some things fall into place just like this. A meeting call ended earlier than usual and I had an hour before the next commitment.

On the spanking new treadmill it was at the hotel gym. I was immediately reminded of this recent post by my coach Eilish. While of course my travel or routine is nowhere near hers, I too always ask about the gym and its timings. This one was open 24 hours.

Fortunately, I didn’t feel too tired although it was one of the rare times I felt sleepy on the treadmill. So, every kilometre, then 800, 600, 500 and so on, I kept increasing the pace and adding some elevation work in between.

By the end, I had worked out a decent sweat and done the work for the day.

Because I am travelling tomorrow and the flight is quite early, I don’t think I would have had a chance to do the intervals. So I switched it to today.

After long run Sunday, Tuesday intervals seems like a task. A glistening wet track from the overnight rain, Gaju, Coach Ravi and a relatively empty track greeted me this morning.

It was 400s at a pace I couldn’t maintain save for a couple here and there. But it didn’t bother me. I feel I am easing back into the training right now. The weather is playing a bit of havoc. The paces will come – it’s a matter of time – more training – a bit of losing weight – and perhaps improved weather.

Meanwhile, the track smiles this first day of July.

A rest day that always seems to have hectic overtones as the start of the week.

I got up relatively early, reached the office earlier than usual and got a few tasks done before anyone was in.

But I didn’t run or workout today. Rest day.

After a couple of rounds down the Shanti Path side, my friend Amit met up with me and we did a loop on the Vinay Marg side. Twice in a month now with Amit. Not bad at all considering we’ve barely run together in years.

After that it was me by my lonesome. One more round towards Vinay Marg and then I went up and down the familiar roads of Niti, Shanti Path, Nyaya and Vinay but combined them in unfamiliar patterns.

On the bars and deadlifts rounded up Sunday morning. Later, it rained cats and dogs.