Reverance for the cow

We didn't see cows roaming the streets in all parts of India: Some parts had a lot, like the back-streets and alley-ways of Jaipur, other places like Mangalore had hardly any. Wherever we saw them, the cows were very gentle and serene looking. Maybe they are just used to being around a lot of people.

This cow which we saw on temple grounds was the only one in India I saw eating grass (Jemma is feeding her a flower in this picture but earlier she was grazing on the lawn.) The city ones lived on scraps like orange peels and paper. There were vendors selling freshly-made sugar cane juice and often there would be a cow on the scene eating the smashed canes.

Pleasant as they are, the cows are not pets: They give milk and dairy is a big part of Indian cuisine.

Time to buckle-down

The last time I went for a run was about a week ago on a Goa beach. I ran without shoes or shirt or stopwatch, so I was a little nervous about today's run here in snowy-cold Boston.

I was slow and achy--situation normal, but it was daunting just getting out the door. It takes remarkably little time to get soft both physically and mentally, but especially mentally.

In all, it went fine: I was a bit slow but ran a good distance and am hoping that the injuries of early November are now behind me for good. Whether they are or not is pretty much moot though since Boston is in April and I really don't have time to wait for injuries to heal. Update: Sunday 8:36.46 per mile 7.9mi

Monday 8:43.08 per mile 5.2mi

Tuesday: Between meetings at work and voting for Scott Brown, no time to run.

Wednesday 8:20 per mile 6.48mi

Thursday 8:16.15 per mile 5.2mi (wiped-out on black ice right at the end)

Friday 8:04.62 per mile 5.2mi

The trend was toward increasing, if still slow, speed. Also, my hip was hurting so badly that I very nearly gave up on the Friday run within the first couple of steps.