Twelve hours after yesterday’s evening run, I was back on the driveway. It was easy peasy and I listened to music.

Done with the short run and I headed for pull ups. Brutal.

Tomorrow endless intervals. Let’s see how brutal that is.

Because of a late evening, I woke up late and almost immediately started working.

Even as it is national holiday, I had to head out into work. I was quite sure that today’s run was going to be a miss and that I would have to make it up tomorrow morning.

But when I get home, I saw a quick window of opportunity to get it done and out into the driveway it was.

Less than an hour later I was done, drenched and dripping but so very glad that I got the session in, this Independence Day.

The previous night the young boy and I agreed on a three level challenge. That he would beat me at a single 400 and 800, then times two, then times three.

I would imagine that to get past that third level is perhaps a longer term goal.

But this set a flurry of excitement, a bit of competitiveness for him – and perhaps me – and a prize for both of us at the end of the third level.

That I am sure he will beat me one day handily – is no question. Nothing would make me happier.

In that we reached the track for a longish interval session for me and serendipitously one that had 400s and 800s apart from mile repeats.

He couldn’t manage the 800 but he beat me in the 400 by a second.

Still, that’s half a level and to complete it, it has to be done in one session.

It was great training for both and especially him – in more ways than running around the track.

I slept in a bit this morning and thought I would take an extra day off.

Eventually, got out of bed and thought I would see how it goes after wearing the usual kit and morning coffee. Before long I was out on the driveway running easy, completing time on feet.

A short core workout later and I was good to go for the rest of the work day.

I woke up this morning to a grey morning and a disappointing email in my inbox. For me this blog is mostly about running.

The email has no connection to running. But life’s joys and stressors and everything in between does (must) spillover to the road and the track in a visceral or subconscious manner.

Because it is a rest day, I won’t run today. I wonder if running would make me feel better as it always does. At any rate, I need to shake this off and move on.

Because I wake up early to run, I often wonder what my first words of the day would be. To whom? Would it be at the track? Or perhaps to the dogs in the kitchen?

Sometimes it is to Siri. Today it was “Play Megadeth.” My first words. It was Megadeth then all the way to Nehru Park.

I began alone and then bumped into my friend Gokul who ran a round with me. Then I ran into Kapil and I ran a loop with him.

Then finally Shikha. She had just finished the double marathon in San Francisco – came in fourth position – and was preparing for a monstrous ultra in Ladakh. Hats off.

We ran steadily and quietly for the next hour or so. I was so very grateful.

At the end of it all, I messaged my friend Aditi if she was free for a coffee and a catch up at the wonderful Fig around the corner.

Megadeth once again as I drove towards Gurgaon for a spot of work in torrential rain as if lakes emptying from the sky.

The young boy and I reached the track just as the clock turned 5:01 AM. After a round or so of warming up, he commented that it was totally dark – fall was certainly here – if not marked yet by significant change of weather but definitely by sunrise time.

The young boy joined me on alternate rounds in the tempo effort. Monu and Nikhil weaved in and out.

When we finished, we were drenched in sweat and humidity but also humility and a large dose of fun.

I’ve missed this short optional run for the past couple of weeks and replaced it with intervals for some reason or the other.

It was good to do a short one at home. The run was easy and a simple time on feet.

Just before, I caught up on the Olympic highlights. Neeraj Chopra, India’s hope for a gold in the javelin, instead won a silver medal losing the top spot to Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan who also created a new Olympic record.

At any rate, that it was one-two for the subcontinent is outstanding.

With these thoughts, I finished and rounded up the morning with a short and quick core workout.

Yesterday, I had assumed and hoped that I would do the usual Thursday road run with some of the track kids. But it had rained overnight and there was much water on the streets.

So track it was which in itself had glistening puddles reflecting the grey sky above. Dawn has noticeably moved. It is dark until nearly five thirty now.

The track was near empty but Khushbu was there and joined me for the first half. Then Nikhil overlapped with her and finished with me. We ran silently, the sound of sneakers on the wet track surface.

The morning shakeout describes the Yasso 800 very well.

I had eight of these today. It’s a tough workout and as the article says – it’s an honest interval.

Suryansh and Monu joined me for many of them, taking breaks in between. It was hot enough that I was pouring water on my head and face between sets.

Last rep, best rep. And that’s how the morning ended at the track.