And Today ... I Ran... I RAN!!! !


More than 5 months since i ran last. I had run in the morning then. With a fresh mind , to gulp in the greenery.To breath into my lungs the hovering dew of the early morning. I felt bright and the run made me feel physically exhausted, yet mentally satisfied.
And I ran today . In the evening !. Only 'teen' times i would have done that through my life so far. Came back from office at around half past six. Changed into tracks . Without a word spoken , I dashed out.
The skylight was dying. The sky, a grey blue turning dark navy . Nothing was on my mind. Or maybe I did not want anything on my mind ?. There were dark clouds gathering in the distant horizon .Flashes of lightening.No thunder though. As i started walking briskly, the trees lining the road hid the threatening clouds looming in the yonder."I have to get back before it starts raining..." Not because i dreaded getting wet. But more like a challenge,when pitted against the inevitable .
Fifty yards of brisk walk and then i started into a skip , a hop and then into a gallop. I clasped my lips shut.My nose flared open. I took a heavy breath every three gallops. (RULE:1 One never breathes through the mouth when in a run, this is undisputed throughout the running community. It accumulates foam and dries the mouth, causing thirst twice faster than required.)

After about 200 mts .. a searing pain ripped at a single point in my abdomen towards the left side. My lungs felt like a furnace. I had to slow down. I gradually came down to a jog. Disappointed . I trotted along in my jog for the next 20 mins. Everytime i gave a burst on my legs .. a few hundred yards and the pains shrivelled me back to a trot. At a bend on the run I reached a tree with a swarm of mosquitoes as thick as a 1990 Ambassdor classic's exhaust(horrible simile !! i Know ! ) . I invaded their buzz and ran through them, hundreds hitting my neck and face. Some digging into my horse sized nostrils. Hundreds buzzing into my ears and countless stuck inside my tees. A minute of thrashing about and flailing my arms , and a couple of elaphant sneezes later ,I continued my run .
30 mins since I started. My head got heavier. I thought I was running smooth. ( RULE: 2 The smoothness/effortlessness of a run is estimated from the noise the feet make ... the lesser the noise.. the smoother and more effortless the run).But I started to realise i mustave been making a noise like a duck with a flipper on a road. My arms were swinging wildly as if i was forcing myself ahead by pushing the air. I i was breathing heavy.The was like an ice pick piercing my abdomen. I felt i was breathing fire. A motorist passing by stared at me in disbelief. Didnt have a second to stare back (RULE: 3 which i generaly do in those cases !give a steely stare back)

My head started to swing like a ping pong ball. I guess people could hear my tread a hundred yards away. A hundred metres ahead, A grandpa turned around to see who it was (me !) disturbing his peaceful walk and frowned . I finally jogged home 2 and a half kms later. I was walking. I couldn't feel my legs . I climbed the steps to the open terrace on the second floor. Did a warm down (RULE:4 One needs to stretch and warm down before and after a heavy run or workout to relax the muscles and avoid muscle cramps the next day.)
Short jumps and stretches .. a PT drill for a minute. I sat down . The sky a pitch dark. I could hear thunder booming in the distance. i felt my head swing . I could see my eyes redden . The red viens formed a pattern on my vision.I sat down and took deep slow breaths. I could hear the thunder again.. but very regular.. like a cannon firing every second !!. I felt my throat throbbing . I felt someone punching me in my back for like 100 times a minute !! My HEARTBEAT !! .. I wanted to relax.. Couldn't .. It wasnt a great run!! but why did I . Was I running away from something !! Or was i Running for something i Wanted... leaving everything behind .............

10 minutes and half a dozen bananas later. This is keyed down ..

Adious amigos , Gracias !!