I’ve not experienced this level of excruciating pain. I could barely walk and I was certain it’s a fracture.

MRI and a very painful hospital visit says that it’s this condition that is a mouthful to speak.

I simply cannot believe it. How? I’ve barely begun training. Did yesterday’s intervals aggravate it to this extent? The answer is probably so but I still can’t believe it.

Here we go again.

I slept late and woke up blinking at my phone at around 4:30 AM. A part of me wanted to go back to sleep. But sense prevailed along with a stiff coffee.

It was unusually chilly and blustery today. I thought that spring was firmly here but the last dregs of wintry weather hang on.

I had 16 x 90 second repeats today with a 30 second gentle jog. After my warm up, I saw Ashwini coming down the front straight and I joined him for my first repetition. After that I was on my own for several repetitions until Suryansh joined me for nearly the rest of the session.

Because I was continuously running and towards the end walking during the breaks – the intervals themselves seemed shape shifting. In that they started at one point of the track and the start point kept moving along. Around the bends and the back straight the head wind came rushing towards us.

It was gorgeous.

In these first couple of weeks post marathon, I have the luxury of some extra day offs. Just as well – with a Swiss associate in town – and long days and evenings with him – it seems like the right timing.

After a full Monday and entertaining a business associate in the evening, I woke up to the hint of dawn already seeping in the courtyard.

I began the run soon after, in the driveway, still wearing my layer of trusty North Face long sleeves over a T-shirt. It’s gorgeous perfect running weather in the morning.

After that it was a quick workout and the first day of the year that I could feel sweat beginning to build up. It was decidedly a new weather format.

Yesterday, after Nehru Park, I was surprised at my fatigue. After a solid cello class and a good writing session on the computer, I fell asleep to wake up to this rest day.

Today, the second of March we opened the khata to the month with a Sunday run.

The young boy and I went together today to Nehru Park after months. We both wore shorts for the first time, signalling the start to springtime running clothes.

It was wonderfully pleasant and we ran partly with Shikha and partly with Gokul rounding off this springtime run at a gentle and reasonably paced eight kilometres.

I woke up this morning with Coach Ravi telling me that it was raining that side of town. Usually that has never deterred me, but today it was back to bed.

This morning when we reached track, we parted ways.

The young boy did acceleration drills with other kids. I loved watching his training, leaping across cones and hurdles; the start point at the first bend of the track and well past the 300m mark.

Gaju and I who met after the Sunday marathon grinned at each other and began an easy run in lane nine.

Watching the training, doing our own thing, it was a lovely morning. The weather is firmly turning to spring, the light of the dawn sky changing its quality and its wake up time.

I woke up after very less sleep, made a coffee and went to wake up the young boy. He was fast asleep and after trying a couple of times, I didn’t have the heart to shake him awake.

So it was back to bed for me, except after less than four hours of sleep, but now caffeine fuelled, I could only toss and turn. Giving up, I began work instead.

Today the young boy and I went to track. It has been a long time since we went together. In my opinion, he took to it like fish to water.

He’s been training at IIT or at times at home but the Gurgaon track is different and it has been a while.

I did the warm up rounds with him and then watched him train. It can be something else – both unnerving and thrilling to see suffering in training in your own. You can see that they are putting in everything.

Or what they believe is everything until the needle moves in believing some more.