Finally, back on home ground and simply hoping for better running days ahead. A step at a time.

Another time, another world this word could mean anything. It doesn’t sound or look like a bad word. Like the words horrible or yucky. You know they can’t mean anything good.

Malaise doesn’t quite give out the same vibe.

Today I am devoid of all energy. It’s a pity that it’s come to this on a short vacation, at the end of the year and during a solid training routine.

It was on the bike again today – not quite leisurely – the young boy playing a racing game – friendly he called it – perhaps just what the doctor ordered.

Would you believe it. Continuing to feel poorly today, we reached Bintan, Indonesia. It absolutely sucks to be unwell on vacation. There is no other way to quite say it.

When the young boy and Parul decided to go cycling around a nearby lake, I declined. I just wanted to sleep – as I had done most of the day already.

But, I saw them gear up for their ride and the young boy asked me if I would come. So I did.

It was a lovely, idyllic loop around a lake with a golf cart type track. I couldn’t help but think many times what a lovely run this would make.

But today was instead very easy, conversational, and of course on the bike after many, many moons.

The Singapore Cricket Club established in 1852 is a charming colonial building in the heart of the city.

The young boy and his friend were here for a football coaching session and parallel to it was a service road that was a flat, straight 400m.

It was quite perfect for today’s interval set. After a few kilometres of easy running with my friend Nakul by the river, I began the intervals.

But I had woken with a terrible cold and had hardly slept after a night of coughing. It was not to be. After a few repetitions, I could feel my body groaning.

I made my way through a side gate to the club and called it a day.

Runners have a different spirit, a woman who I had just met said to me Christmas evening after a brief exchange.

I smiled. I wondered what kind of spirit could be living in runners.

Earlier in the morning, I ran down Orchard Road, past the embassies on Nassim Road to reach the botanical gardens.

After running in cold weather, the change was welcome although very quickly I was soaked because of the heat and humidity.

When I finished the time on feet back outside the hotel, l felt lucky as I so often do, to enjoy this sport that has meant everything to me.

Perhaps that’s the spirit she spoke of – to be lucky to love something – or someone – with unending passion- at least I liked to think of it that way.

After barely any sleep, I caught a flight to Singapore, today, on Christmas Eve.

I had been going through the motions after the long run – an intense work day, an evening out, the early flight, and catch up with friends here this evening. Finally, the bed called out to me to close out this so-called rest day.

Because of an evening commitment and an early Sunday flight, I planned my long run on Saturday.

I reached out to my friend Gokul hoping he would join me. Thankfully, he said yes.

While I love long runs alone as much as I like to run with company, during the winters, Nehru Park as opposed to the track feels ghostly, still and all too silent.

We were nearly the only ones at this time. We ran silently, barely spoke a few words, just the sound of our feet, movement next to each other, with each other.

Dawn was only approaching when we were more than half way done. Gokul finished and I carried on. By now, the Saturday morning traffic had begun to build up, Delhi was awakening fast.

When I finished, the air seemed like it was shining, perhaps like an overexposed photograph – night and day merging into wisps and dreams.

I woke up slightly late today since I had a short recovery run and because of a dinner outing.

But it was on the treadmill quickly and before I knew it the run was over.

In the background played Berlioz’s L’enfance du Christ.

In the foreground, beyond the glass, the sky rapidly changed colours, morning rising, the day awakening.

The lady in the salwar kameez and her daughter reached the parking lot the same time as me.

Like me they began almost immediately. What else to do at the track but begin?

I looked around for Ashwini and hoped to see Sujit again today. Fifteen minutes later after warm up laps and some half hearted stretching, the usual track folks were amiss.

The one kilometre repetitions were brutal and I felt that I had to fight for the prescribed time. And so I did, and did better than expected. That’s a loaded word though – better – I got to be careful about that word, especially at the track.

Without Ashwini and the crew, I had to push harder. Perhaps it was in the mind, perhaps I simply missed having my partner in so many training sessions.

All this time, if the track crew joined me, I considered it a big bonus. I still do. But I have got used to training with them – especially Ashwini – and even as I realise that they will move on – who knows what lies ahead – it is easy to get used to a good thing going. Especially with them. Most especially them.

I had heard that Sujit had given the tests for agniveer and that is why I had not seem him for quite some time at the track.

This morning, perhaps because I started very early, and Ashwini only joined in later, I barely took notice of a tall runner who ran alongside Ashwini. Perhaps because we were all clad in jackets, skullcaps pulled low over our foreheads, looking straight ahead, thinking about the warm up, or trying not to think about the biting cold weather.

Only after a few rounds and because of a mishap involving earbuds did I see that it was him – Sujit. I asked him about his tests and he said he was waiting for the merit list – but I didn’t quite know what that meant.

He was awaiting to eventually go to Siliguri. His face shone and he looked older to me even as it is evident seeing Ashwini and Sujit run, how very young they are, their bodies as if still transitioning from boy to man.

Eventually, Sujit tapered off and Ashwini and I continued the time on feet, increasing pace and finishing many laps in Lane 9.