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Boarded back for Delhi today.

Ran with Giorgia again this morning. We finished nearly five kilometres until the docks where we took a short ferry ride to the amazing Lido island.

We ran on the side of the ocean as well as the bay. There were kilometres of ribboned tarmac where we saw no one at all. Save for the sounds of the waves and sea birds, it was impossibly quiet. It seemed as if I was running inside a dream. Was I?

We finished twenty just shy of the dock. A fresh orange juice with Giorgia rounded up the morning for a hectic day ahead.

Ran in the Venice streets up and down bridges, through hair breadth alleyways, hidden squares, unseen parts with the amazing Giorgia.

I ran with her two years ago as well and remembered her as a fabulous runner. Indeed. Amazing woman.

62 and running like the wind. Beautiful way to start the day.

Travelled today to Italy. Landed fresh for a hectic trip ahead.

Leaving tonight for travels.

Slowly but surely getting back into a good pattern. The week ahead will be slightly disrupted by travel but regardless I am hoping to get some running action in.

There were hundreds of runners today at Nehru Park. It’s become a running festival every Sunday. Familiar faces, newbies, shirtless jacked gym dudes, regular running groups, Nehru Park “stars” – the ones who run like the wind – and the regulars – that’s what it is all about. Staying true to the sport, to these roads, that the weekend is all about the long run.

I did combinations of the usual roads but within that added variations that kept a bit of guesswork going. I was done well before my anticipated finish. Good run. Well deserved.

Hit the track at Tau Devilal this morning and did 300s with Gaju. Although it was a short workout, the intervals felt blisteringly hard.

Meanwhile later in the evening went to Thyagraj Stadium to see the young boy give 600 and 300 trials. Very fast and exceptional. Although in the 300 he got fairly “cooked” by a girl of his age. Fun!

It was late when I got to Vinay Marg. But the roads were still teeming with runners. I did a short loop, then a longer one and I was just down the inner Shanti Path lane, I saw a car flashing its lights. I thought perhaps I needed to get on the side.

But then Gauri stuck out from the window. What a lovely coincidence. We chatted for a few minutes. Simply wonderful.

I carried on to finish up – at a pace far better than expected – and then went to Fig after ages to have the one of the best flat whites in the world.

Slept one hour last night and woke up for my class. Tried to sleep after but I couldn’t. But I also didn’t have the himmat to go for a run.

Went to Nehru Park again today. I had intervals that seemed deceptively short. They weren’t easy in part because I was hitting intervals after a long time and in part because intervals are not meant to be easy in the first place.

If you aren’t working then they aren’t intervals.

Of course my timings were shit. But I was just glad to be out here and amongst a training week again.