Today was rest. Looking forward to a run tomorrow to wash off the start of the week and pull in much needed energy.

It was easy run Sunday. But I was drained from the week and there would be no good outcome in running fast-ish.

So easy it was. For the first part of the run, I ran with my friend Gokul, chatting through the larger loop around Niti Marg, Nyaya Marg and Shanti Path.

It was warm but on the pleasant side – it had rained all night and en route to Nehru Park, there were several felled trees on the roads and pools of standing water.

The young boy joined us on the second large loop and off we went again. Gokul departed in the middle and the young boy and I carried on to complete the Sunday innings.

It was Fig after for a large breakfast and a drive back home with all types of music, choosing artists in alphabetical order picking up from last time.

Today was absolutely brutal. The penned workout in itself was not so difficult. But I wasn’t in shape and haven’t been this week. Not expecting top form but steady maintenance.

But at least Gaju and a friend of his were there. The heat, as it has been, isn’t intervals friendly. Once again, as we did on Wednesday, we glugged and doused ourselves with water between sets. Hopefully it counts for a different kind of training even if the timing doesn’t show it.

Back at home it was a steady circuit and core workout.

Because of a late night yesterday, I woke up on the later side. Technically, it’s my optional run day and usually a short one but because I missed Tuesday, I wanted to make it up today.

Back home earlier than usual, I jumped on the treadmill for a slightly progressive run to keep things interesting.

Again and again. So many runs on this road. But just like so many other roads over the years. These roads become my intimate friends.

We instantly started off on a fast note – a whole bunch of track kids and I – out from the track parking to the L shaped out and back that makes perfect 90 degrees when I review it on the Garmin map.

Checking off a mile at bakhtavar chowk and then pushing the accelerator. A bunch of them peeled off, racing ahead.

I was fine where I was. Fast enough for a so-called easy run. The weather was much better than yesterday so we pushed on, settling into a rhythm of each kilometre about five seconds of the other.

Going hard in the final stretch, I yelled out to Coach Ravi saying we would do ABC’s in the parking lot.

At home, it was a full workout starting with the bars and then moving into a steady circuit of to round up the morning.

Today was kilometre interval day. It was 33 degrees Celsius. But it felt like I was in a microwave.

The warm up was literally that – it felt like we – Gaju and I – were in a hot box. Coach Ravi on the bike said it was “gandi garmi.”

We hadn’t even begun the intervals.

For the first kilometre I was on pace – we were on pace – or put it yet another way – I was on pace because of Gaju. And because of Coach Ravi yelling splits from the bike. Then a gentle jog. Whatever that meant in this weather.

Then off again. The difficulty level that usually by a second interval stabilises, instead only increased. But once again, we were on pace.

I doused myself with water. So did Gaju. Coach Ravi looked sympathetically at us. He didn’t look like that very often.

During the next three, I felt I would faint after each interval. Between one of those, Gaju said, Rukte hi shareer jalne lagta hai.

That was absolutely true. After each interval, the heat was tremendous, searing through us. During the interval, while it was hot, it didn’t feel like the burn it did between sets.

There must be some straightforward physics and chemistry for this. Cumulative heat build up, said ChatGPT amongst other things. Hmm. Whatever.

I thought a few times that my friend who came last week would have seen something in this session through the lens of a camera. Something beyond the visceral sweat and the pain of today’s intervals. What? I’m not sure. What did I feel? And Gaju? Relief and feeling faint.

In the car, on the way home, Let Me Blow your Mind blasting through the speakers, was apt enough.

I slept late last night bumming and binging on a TV show. The hours slipped by and when the alarm went off a few hours later, I couldn’t do it.

An early morning meeting meant, I did not have the option of the treadmill or the driveway. Will make this up later in the week.

Today was rest as far as running and workout goes.

After finishing a fairly decent eleven on the Shanti Path loop, the young boy arrived.

We had decided to do a ten in a similar manner to the eight kilometres last week. A slow fast alternate combination.

We started off to a fast first kilometre settling into a rhythm that stayed within a ten second consistency across the slow-fast run, save for one errant kilometre that got away from us. That was an extra five seconds off pace.

It led to a smashing new personal best for the young boy and a well earned Dutch pancake that l made us for breakfast later.

Or rather bombed after a late night, an early meeting. Rest was planned anyway.