I’ve been running consistently for the last two weeks now, and it has given me some respite from the exercise rut I was in. And now I’m running everywhere. In my neighbourhood, around my neighbourhood, beyond my neighbourhood, and taking myself to the park for longer run as often as I can.

As usual, humbled and amazed at how the body adapts and responds, still. It took about 12 days of being dissatisfied with my pace (because I am nothing without my unrealistic, gold-standard expectations of myself) and feeling so much regret for all the lost stamina, for my pace to improve. When I noticed that tiny sliver of an improvement, I behaved like I’d run a full marathon, of course.

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Then last week, just as I was reminiscing my days of training hardddd with B and R in Goa — literally the only thing I still sorely, sorely miss about my life there, and the one thing (yes, even more than than the beach) I could go back for in a heartbeat — B messaged me to say hi after almost a whole year. And it turns out they’ve moved to teaching online, much like the rest of the world. I don’t know why I didn’t think to reach out sooner and get in on it, right from the safety of my own home. But, I managed to sneak in two sessions last week that injected me with energy and excitement about working out differently again.

It was a good reality check too — to see that I’m not nearly as badly off a I imagined and I haven’t quite lost all that good form from three years ago. I was stunned to have finished the class in one piece, even though I has collapsed into a ball of sweat and endorphins by the end of it.

One year ago: Rest
Two years ago: Not yet lost all our graces