There are certainly days when the nagging problems of the left knee and right hamstring make me wonder why I continue running. Soon, invariably, comes along a very forceful answer in the form of a day like today.
Our Sunday Funday Runday was canceled because of the rains. I decided to go ahead and keep up with the tradition of the early morning run on Sunday – albeit all by myself. The 5 mile run in rain on Greenway Trail was an absolutely delightful immersion in nature.

It was nature’s pristine beauty at its mesmerizing best. The early morning light struggled to break through the firm grip the dark clouds had over the sky. The verdant spring leaves were even more resplendent with the glisten from the overnight rainfall. As far as I my eyes could go there was the narrow trail snaking thru the tall impressive trees vanishing in the misty white drizzle in the distance.

The drone of the continuous pitter patter of rain on the leaves were interrupted only by the mellifluous chirping from the birds and the occasional darts of rabbits and a particular deer startled by me. Saw a couple of other runners too – reassuring that I was not the only madcap out there!!

Couple of times I ran by and over creeks brimming with muddy water from side to side. The unbridled mind floated back to the days a few decades back, when my sister and myself would make boats from paper and float them down small rivulets made from sharp rains. And go out after rains to check the water puddles for tiny tadpoles. I wondered for a while while I can still make those paper boats… or for that matter when was the last time I saw a tadpole.

Five miles later, I was back to my starting point, dripping wet but with a serenity that probably comes with stepping out of the four walls and being one with nature on a dark rainy day. And as I started drying myself up, I remembered – Indeed, that is why I run. With the hurting knee, hamstring and all…

6 degrees centigrade. (It was cooold)
5 km run. (Like every Sunday))
4 Bengalis. (The usual suspects)
3 Starbucks coffee (Samaresh bailed)
2 pictures (Our weekly souvenir of friendship)
1″adda”. (Awesome get together)
BUT….
0 monkey caps 🙂

5 miles in Fowler Park. Perfect sun and temperature. To maximize the sun, ran around the park in the open roads instead of the tree covered trails. Makes you wonder why did I drive to the park in the first place!! Ah! Well!!!

5 miles in the morning at 9:06 min/mile in the gentle slopes of Milton. Forgot my cap today. I was profusely sweating from my head by the second mile. I am not a pretty sight to begin with. Sweating did not exactly help me there either 🙂 But I had fun this morning. Hope you did too!

Quick 5 K (8:24 min/mile) this morning in gentle slopes. Cloudy but cool. More importantly not much pollen. Yet. 🙂

5K run on a very cool morning in Fowler Park. Arup and Amitesh was there but we missed Manas and Samaresh. The cooler temperatures helped us run at a pretty good clip (8:30 min/mile). The Starbucks coffee was accompanied by our stories of moving violations. The incidents of all the traffic tickets that the three of us have cumulatively gathered convinced me that the speed we lack in running – we try to make up in driving 🙂

Richmond. Run. Rajib. 🙂
4 mile run by Lake Innsbrook in Richmond, VA. And then a couple of sprints.
For whatever reason, adding the sprints completely takes the pain from my knees away!! Go figure!!

We had a “first” in our otherwise humdrum Bengali Sunday Runday. We had our first lady runner! Atashi joined us! As did Sid! The regulars – Amitesh, Manas and Arup were there too. (although Manas was there more in body – than in spirit; he ran off to a grocery store for chores immediately after the run 🙂 ). Amitesh and I put in a couple of short sprints during the 5K which, above all, reminded us of our age 🙂 It was a great get together. As was the Starbucks coffee with the group albeit sans Manas and Arup.