Some footage to
Biscuit, my seven year young Labrador, is overdue. He has been a bit moody and
is picking on his food the last few days. So, back to Pedigree it is for him.
He is also quaffing on Curds like a reforming drunkard hitting the bottle with
a vengeance after an unsuccessful attempt at quitting. A family of young dogs
(four of them) with no adult has recently moved into the colony. They are
giving vocal ground support to the atmospherics Tiggy (Biscuit’s combative
Rottweiler neighbor from the other colony, familiar to the faithful following
their epic exchanges!) provides from his first floor balcony. Biscuit has been
giving them all a tolerant silent treatment. Biscuit has recently made friends
with twin girls whose idea of friendliness at present is approaching him from
the rear and placing green leaves on his back. They have got to the extent of
brushing off the leaves without touching his body. Biscuit is giving them time
to approach him at their pace!
Back to my
running saga, probably I wanted to satisfy myself that there was nothing
serious with my foot. The moment swelling and pain went down and one day of
rest without painkiller drove me back to test my limit on the 6th
August. After that I have been guilty of being irregular in my morning runs, I
can only blame it on the long gap after the 24 hour run and the accolades
getting to my head. The only other drug as heady as the endorphin is the ‘likes’
on facebook!
I must have been a little low on
motivation to run the usual daily distance after the marathon 24 hour run. I have
been able to turn in two standard marathons one each on Saturday and latest
today! The missing run on Sunday (blasphemy for any runner worth his salt!) was
also Biscuit’s doing. He got me up in the middle of the night on a false alarm
and after sniffing around for a while let me get back to bed after half an
hour. In the process I missed the alarm and woke up too late. Sunday, usually a
day of lazing and hogging turned out to be a day of guilt tripping while gorging
on my Anatole’s delicacy (read my wife!).
The Saturday run
was in a cloudy, but, breezy morning and I turned in a 4:21 full marathon. I
was kept away from taking rest after the run as there was an official
engagement between 1PM and 4 PM. The Sunday fiasco of oversleeping could also
be partly due to insufficient rest after FM on Saturday!
Fully rested on
Sunday and bloated with hogging, I decided to get even today. I started early
at 3:48 AM intent on completing a full. This would be fresh ground broken as I haven’t
been able to run a full marathon on a working day after moving to Chennai.
A pavement
dweller sitting on the divider at the start of the Uttamar Gandhi Salai
opposite Hotel Sangeeta called me to help him guide a truck driver who wanted
to reach Mount road. After seeing him off on his way, my new found friend
wanted to shake my hand. He told me that he has read about me in a magazine
(reach of the vernacular medium!). I tried to be civil to him and enquired about
his amputated foot. He mentioned it was due to accident, but, refused to tell
me his age. I must tell my wife not to bother about my running in the early
hours, I seem to have friends from all walks of life!
Today, a divider
occupant near the slum at the start of the Mount road, took time off from his ‘Dum
pe charcha’ with is friends and asked me why I was late. I told him I was
running longer due to my bunked Sunday. I have now realized this is people’s
way of showing off to their friends that they are friendly with me. He told his
friends to try and run with me. I told him what I tell all others who try to
pull the leg of their friends by daring them to run with me, You first throw
the cigarette butt away and join me for a run, your friends will then most
likely follow your advice!
Today my
thoughts during the relaxed run was the book I am reading now, ‘Eat and Run’,
by Ultra running legend Scott Jurek. Though I am not even a small candle to his
exploits, I am surprised by similar results of quicker recovery and lesser
soreness after run I have also been experiencing after turning Vegan. We,
however, seem to differ on going barefoot. His prescription stopping short at
landing sofly on midfoot/forefoot and practicing mindful running. I am in the
process of first reading, will do an encore more leisurely!
With
no competitor to rush me, I ran a very leisurely pace. I tried breathing in and
out only through nose. I still finished in 4:23, reaching the colony gates as
late as 8:11 AM. If good weather persists, may be able to turn in more full
marathons on working days too! That way, I may stop missing Hubli runs, maybe!
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