Sukhna Lake

It was one of those business tours that I dread because I get hit by several double whammys. The tour was to north India and the weather is oven hot. I did a road journey from Chandigarh to Patiala and then to Ludhiana, on the first day, arriving my hotel at 10pm. The next day was spent meeting customers with long waits in reception rooms. The third day was the worst with a journey from Ludhiana to Kathua (near Jammu) and then to Chandigarh; a total travel time of 13 hrs! Then there is the rich Punjabi food and the endless rounds of "cheers" in the evenings. All of these calories that I load on the inside and the calories from the hot weather outside, play havoc with metabolism; end result? Blubber!

The fourth and final day was a respite because a runner from Chandigarh encouraged me to run at a place that I was sceptical about, at first - Sukhna Lake. However, when I reached the spot at 5:45am, I was amazed at the sight; it was a serene lake set in a valley and a soft runners' mud-track went thru' wooded gardens. What was even more surprising was that the chandigarh administration had thoughtfully provided drinking water fountains every one km. And then there was the pleasantly surprising early morning cool nip in the air that made it seem like the track was air-conditioned. I ended up doing a zippy 12K followed by an unscheduled 8K walk back to the hotel. At least that got some of the blubber to melt:-)

On my way back home, I pondered my life and the inherent push-pulls of work and family. I came up with a plan to spend as much of my time teaching Bryan, as is possible. I feel that it will add meaning to my life, besides running, and allow me to enjoy the subjects that I once loved; chemistry, physics and trignometry. I have a lot on my plate this year, in terms of my work assignments, travel, running and of course, the time I have to make for the NIKE Run Club. I ought to take each day at a time and not wallow in the maelstrom of commitments. I also need to focus inwards even more now. Well, first let me look forward to the vacation I have scheduled with another international marathon on the cards. I have not done a single predicted-marathon-pace workout because the weather will not permit me to do one. Lets play it by ear - as usual:-)