Last week, the chassis came back from the workshop. This week, I finally got to take it out on the highway.
Not racing. Not flooring the accelerator. Just checking whether all the nuts and bolts stayed where the physiotherapist had left them.
After two weeks of protecting the right knee, Week 9 was about getting back to something resembling running training rather than rehabilitation disguised as running.
The week began conservatively. Monday was deliberately easy. Tuesday was an hour of Zone 2: 9.8 km at 6:09/km, HR 138. Thursday was almost a repeat—10 km at 6:07/km, HR 140. Nothing spectacular, which was precisely the point.
The encouraging bit was that the mechanics were beginning to look normal again. Cadence around 170, stride around 0.96 m, HR behaving itself and, most importantly, no complaints from the knee.
Then came Saturday.
14.4 km in 1:23:39 at 5:49/km.
I started easy, gradually moved into steady running and finished the final 4 km in 5:07, 5:18, 5:22 and 5:05/km. Still slower than Ahmedabad marathon pace, but after the last few weeks, I wasn’t interested in proving that I could run 4:59.
I wanted to know whether the knee could handle 83 minutes of running followed by an increase in load and speed.
It could.
Sunday was the other half of that test: could I run again the next morning without the chassis making strange noises?
Another 11.4 km, this time deliberately Zone 2: 6:22/km, HR 133, over a hillier route. Cadence remained a comfortable 168 and the shorter 0.93 m stride showed I was slowing down properly rather than forcing the pace.
Week total: 62 km.
That number feels good after the disrupted last couple of weeks, but it isn’t the important number.
The important number is zero—zero knee complaints during the key runs.
Ahmedabad is still the main project, with the Vedanta Delhi Half on 18 October as the next checkpoint. First, I need another couple of weeks where the knee accepts progressively faster running without sending the chassis back to the workshop.
Last week the car was on the lift.
This week, it got back on the highway.
Next week, maybe we gently press the accelerator.
