Friday 17 July 2015

Aaja Meri Gaadi Mein Baith Jaa!


Though I have been running fairly regularly (barring a few days) since my last visit to the internet, I have been keeping off blogging. I can live with one addiction, running, it cannot be that I start get withdrawal symptoms due to not blogging after a run! So, what brought on today’s foray to the net? There was a running theme through my run today which called for a post.
Started the run at 4:28 AM. Going by my encounter with Sundar​ a few day’s back, I must have been pretty close to his time of passing my house. Even though the roads on my route have  still not having been done with the botox treatment (read tarring!), largely, smooth roads and not much diversion is called for.
A new stray dog, which has still not presented its credentials to me on joining my beat, barked at me near the start of the Uttamar Gandhi Salai and I was still low on endorphins to take a sympathetic view of its indiscretion. It was too lazy to either follow me or take any further steps, and it went back to sleep after having registered its protest. Youngsters riding double/triple on bikes after the morning rituals for Ramzaan also got a grumpy response from me to their cat calls. I was behaving like Bertie on the morning after before having had one of the Jeeves Pick-me-ups!
The clouds have been doing lip service to the water problem of Chennai by delivering a token spray in the middle of the night. What would I not give for a full session of run in the rain. Nothing like the Hubli Light and Sound show of lightning and thunder with fierce rains in this part of the year. The run till Lighthouse was largely uneventful barring the usual lot of cyclists, runners and walkers exchanging courteous waves.
I had to miss my run yesterday as I had to go to the station in the morning to pick up my wife returning after a day’s visit to Bangalore. I was therefore surprised when one among a group of army men on their morning walk asked me as I passed him, ‘Baba, kabhi toh aaram kar liya karo’. Clearly, he was not marking attendance regularly.
On my way back from RBI, an auto-rickshaw slowed down beside me and the driver asked me to get into the auto for a drop to Lighthouse. I asked him if I look tired, he said ‘No’. He asked if I am practicing to be a Boxer? When I told him I am running for the joy of it, he did not look convinced.
Finally, after finishing my Marina beach stretch, when I was starting on my return leg near Gandhi statue, a friend (name unknown) asked if I would like to take a ride in his car till the Saravana Bhawan outlet. I usually greet him there on my return trip after the water break. I politely declined, but, switched on my smile and increased my pace a bit so that I do not attract any more offers of lift looking at my tired face!
I would like to believe that these offers of lift are more out of affection and claiming kinship with me than a reflection on show of tiredness on my face. The real test would be the back to back Full marathons planned for the weekend. Hope I can do them without offers of rigging from my well meaning friends!
I reached home at 7:45AM, a 3:17 32K, surely not a limping pace to attract calls for stretcher!

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