Summer Capers

On the mountains of truth you can never climb in vain: either you will reach a point higher up today, or you will be training your powers so that you will be able to climb higher tomorrow.
Friedrich Nietzsche

I woke up to see the grey dawn and checked my "inner GPS" and it said, "You are going to get wasted today, Dan!" and so it was to be. I received further confirmation when I felt like lying down a wee bit after drinking some diluted juice. I had to force myself off the bed when I realized that Srinivas would be waiting for me. This was a long run with a group that has grown; we expected 26 runners today.

There were 22 runners when I reached the assembly point and it was a cheerful group that cocked a snoot at the suffocating heat and humidity that pervaded the Aarey forest. There was a group pic and then we shuffled off down the road, each wondering as to when they would throw in the towel. I was miserable from the start as I felt a dull ache all over from the strenuous strength workout I had pushed myself thru' yesterday. I was now certain that I would not be able to do the target 3 loops of 10.7K - it would be sheer lunacy - well not really:-)

Mahesh caught up with me on my second loop and smiled as he boasted, "Mein ne socha tha ke ek loop karun to bahut ho gaya, lekin upke saat daud ke mujhe be dekhna hai ke kitna kar sakta hun, aaj" I could only grunt at this compliment, too petrified to inform him that the mere prospect of holding a conversation with him was taking my breath away :-) Well, many of us did the compulsory two loops and I reached last because I was, well - wasted! They were all happily immersed in deep camaraderie and eating the sprout salad thoughtfully provided by Rajesh, thinking that if Dan is not doing 3 loops, lets call it a day. Well, I am only the excuse - they were well and truly wasted too!!

I took in some fluid and back slapped guys that were perched on a parapet saying, "Get up guys we are doing 5K now". I could see the misery and yet the embarassment of refusing me:-)) They dragged themselves ie Srinivas, Amit J, Mahesh (the eager beaver for Daniel Sir!) and Rajesh, who would have said, "Over my dead body", about throwing in the towel. We staggered and shuffled as I took them thru' a loop of 5K and then they added a spring to their stride when they saw that Pravin and Ashok were going to take pics - no one wants to look like they are walking! And then we reached the finish to gasps and "Oh God!" refrains:-) Such is the hard to find alloy called guts, that they discovered is what makes a true marathoner! Freidrich Nietzche' quote is apt - very apt - they'll find the "truth" when they race:-)