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I am trying to not ask ChatGPT what this will do to my training. I’ve messaged my Coach and I still have my hopes up.

In the middle of the night, I go walking in my sleep.

Except this was no Billy Joel moment. The stomach felt both as if an anvil was on it and bloated like a hot air balloon.

How could this happen just before race week? I am better this evening as I write this. Fingers crossed.

Took the rest day !

With fries on the side, please.

And so it went this morning, The lean, tousled hair Gaju in a black tracksuit was waiting for me at the parking lot. First a quick warm up and some bouncing about and stretches at the corner of Shanti Path.

The first group was mile intervals at five kilometre race pace. Quick, speedy and on target, we got this out of the way.

Next up was the ten kilometre tempo effort. We started counter clockwise towards Vinay Marg, then did the second loop towards Shanti Path and then back again the other way before tracing back for the final kilometre.

The double D loop as it is inelegantly called amongst some runner folks.

All wrapped up, it was back home for a solid workout to begin the rest of the day.

Because I had a morning flight to Bombay, I began earlier than usual at the track. Gaju and Coach Ravi had not yet arrived. It was best to start off on Lane Nine and then head out on the road for the rest of the run.

But when they did come, after some back and forth, we decided to complete the run at the track itself.

It was an easy loop after loop run, only slightly progressive as the kilometres ticked down.

Back home, quick shower and out for the flight.

I met Gaju, another kid at the parking lot and off we went for a short run. I could feel that my body during this bout of common cold is not at a hundred percent.

But it’s always good to run. Coach Ravi joined us 500m in, on his white scooty. We ran straight ahead today instead of turning left at Bakhtavar Chowk. Till the T-point, this is a neat three kilometres. From here, a left for another kilometre before turning around back to the stadium for this quick short start to the week.

Back home, it was core workout and the morning was done.

I took a red eye to Hyderabad this morning and was back by late afternoon.

When we turned into the short section of Shanti Path, Gaju asked me if he had been on this road before. When I said yes, he was surprised, pointing out the rose garden on our right.

Yeh to nahin dekha tha, he said.

After tulips last week, roses this Sunday. Clearly, he liked flowers.

Further down Shanti Path, families were taking photos next to the tulips – many beds were in blossom. Last week, these were just buds, said Gaju. He was delighted.

Because of my nasty cold, we switched to an easy run and I was glad for it. I was worried in missing a key session but it wouldn’t have been a good idea to do a hard run today.

Conversation it was then, a bit about his family, running, and of course flowers.

HUDA and the Taj Gurgaon were about a mile way when an orange Lamborghini Urus roared past us.

Friday night partying? Perhaps. The early mornings on weekends over the years have seen a share of crazy drivers, some very drunk people, puking by the pavement, mascara running and cinematic theatrics, the occasional catcalling egging me on.

On the way back, Coach Ravi started his usual humming which turned into making all manner of Urdu-Hindi poetry impressions – terrible – but we laughed and time passed.

When we arrived back at the stadium, Coach Ravi zoomed off for sports day at his school. Gaju and I had a few kilometres to go that we did in gentle laps in the driveway as the sky turned a soft pink.

Buzzing from here to there, crisscrossing the city and beyond, rest of one kind, but not of another.