At 5 am, long before Bengaluru’s traffic thickens and cafes pull up their shutters, Sunil Lade is already several kilometres into his run.

An ad-film producer, he spends most days thinking in frames, shots, and deadlines. Now he is training for another deadline: the London Marathon on April 26, after which he will prepare for the Chicago Marathon on October 11. His upcoming trip is a solo vacation, for some much-needed me-time. While the London marathon is the prime reason he is travelling, he plans to explore the Scottish Highlands for five days.