After the HM on TUE, Wed and today(THU) proved to be good running day, today was however cooler. The mornings are dark despite starting around 6AM. The air is cold  and heavy with humidity and you can to feel it. It takes a little over a km to get the cold outside my system, and about 3km to get the body warmed up. Even though the body is warmed up, fingers get chilled. I miss my gloves. Tomorrow I hope to compensate this with my socks on my hand 🙂

Lights On and Off
Running the side streets near in the dark is interesting. The side lights of houses come on, shining on my back like flashbulb that is out of sync with the photo. The first time when you hear a pop with light turning on in the dark street, is fun. Wonder what the people feel when I repeat this a few times.

By the 5th km, the road gets busier. People scurrying to work, workers unloading crates to shops, overnight road repairmen finishing up and leaving, young kids with schoolbags walking, scores of people huddle in the smoking zone lighting up and enjoying their smokes, young men/ women saying bye to each other after a binge night out. 

Men are men in any part of the world
I saw a taxi driver peeing on the edge of the storm water drain. Always wondered if people here did this outdoors, and today I got my answer :-). When I went to Paris for PBP, I was concerned about this and was delighted when I saw people fertilising the fields! Men are men after all in any part of the world 🙂

Blessing and the legs pump up
As I continue to run along the tree lined avenue, the dried yellow leaves gently fly away from the branches and come lovingly towards me. Dancing vertically, it kisses me on my cheek as if saying “Bless you dear”. Very Christmassy. Legs warmed up, air nice and chilly, mind happy and calm are a wonderful combination. The legs pump up and the you can feel the leopard in you. The “Running Trance 100 album” music in the ears enhances the rhythm, and the sunrays fill you with radiant energy. That is is when I notice that I have crossed the 10km mark effortlessly, and it is time to turn back to hotel, which is about 3.5kms away.

The home stretch
The home stretch of 3+kms is brilliant as the Zen mode seems to be activated.Breathing is very rhythmic and I am mindful  observing the graceful swaying of hand/legs, the quiet trickle of sweat beads, the lub-dub of the heart, the eyes narrowing to shrink the world into a dot. The home stretch of last km is sheer bliss, it is running with careless abandon like a young deer past the pedestrians on the busy road only to stop abruptly at the hotel entrance. Then you feel the heart still in full glory, it mellows down and and you feel the sweat.