The start of the week was a rest day but the start of the month – yesterday – was a solid long run session.

At first it was a solo start.

Then it was my friend Amit who came to Nehru Park. Characteristic of him, I received a wide smile but I pulled him into a hug. We ran a comfortable long loop catching up after at least a year, perhaps more.

At any rate, it was around the Covid time that the honeymoon period of five years ended between Maneesh, Amit and I. Maneesh moved back to Nepal. Amit concentrated on triathlon training. And I continued down a journey around running.

We spoke about his coach and mine, about training styles and races like the Goa Half Ironman and the Boston Marathon. Of nutrition and electrolytes.

We were back at the car and the young boy joined us. Amit ran with us for a mile or so and then peeled off back to the car. The young boy and I continued down the long loop to close off long run Sunday morning.

A French toast as Fig rounded things up and at home it was a solid workout to call it a morning.

Today, I didn’t set the alarm and slept till about 6 AM. I could have run outside but instead had two coffees in bed.

Rest today.

Same road. Same route. Eight youngsters plus me that started together and broke into smaller groups through the run.

It was an oven out there this morning. You didn’t want to be directly behind anyone. The odour of sweat was too strong. I bet no one wanted to be behind me too.

We gradually increased speed, chatted nearly nonstop, the conversation, light banter alleviating the heat. The group had broken. Some had already taken an earlier U-turn back to the stadium. Now just me, Gaju and Ashwini.

Coach Ravi and his wide smile from the scooter. Monu joined us on the way back with Kapil.

Now we were five. First we were nine. Then three. Now five. With less than a kilometre to go, just Gaju and me. Then ABC drills in the parking lot. Just him and me.

Eilish gave me two strategies over the weekend. Either improve speed through increased mileage or faster interval sessions for short distances. 1500, 3000, 5k.

I liked the second option. I liked the idea of building up from this base point.

And so it was the beginning of this block of training after the Boston Marathon.

The young boy came with me. I had 400s, 300s, 200s – all five times over. The young boy joined me for first, third, fifth. Gaju and another youngster joined in as well.

The usual track folks – Ashwini, Monu, Khushbu and others were doing their thing too. The track was teeming.

After a full, exhausting but hopefully productive session for both of us, we drove back listening to One Direction, One Republic, Post Malone, Prince keeping our music alphabet journey.

It was straight to the bars for me and a circuit workout to earn the overnight oats.

Jack.

And so it was. Gaju, another youngster (who stopped after two kilometres) and me. Coach Ravi in his cast riding pillion with his nephew who never spoke. The warm wind. The usual road. The sun baked, half crazed dogs.

The dirt, the dust, the gutkha packets, the rickshaws, the blaring religious music, school buses and manic drivers, cyclists, bus stands, construction, hotels, the metro, motels, the looming hospital, the ugly clinic, the paan walas, the call centre building, Ubers, the free road.

Only here, in India, can you run just about anywhere. Out and back. One hour. How much does one run in an hour. It hardly matters. A distance is traversed.

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.