Sunday Run

Reaaaaaaally good run today. I felt excellent. Could have gone on some more. Comfortable pace. I weathered the weather. Roughly 27km (Malakoff route + 1 round of Jesselton). Time was around 2 hours 30 minutes but I took a terrified stop due to scary barking dogs, 5 minute toilet break, kept backtracking and running backwards to ask Sun Nee for directions (sorry ah kacau you so many times), and stopping to adjust the damn sole of my shoe which kept slipping. That's easily ten minutes wasted. Race day: must go faster, must glue shoe, must know exact directions, must pee and pee and pee before starting. Then everything will be awesome. This week, I hit 80km. How do I keep increasingly weekly, then?

Cadence is a very nice word.

I love running in the dark at 5 a.m. (Well, technically 5.15 a.m.) and you hear sounds around you but really, you're all alone and the silence is so profound and your legs are moving and you don't seem to hit the ground and everything is light as a feather and you start to sweat and it feels so damn good and you're keeping the pace and you're not thinking of anything at all and the rain starts falling in your eyes and despite that you just keep going and going and going and your feet have a life of their own; mind and body are separate entities but they are still one because they have to work together even though it's unconscious and there's so much communication between blood and bone and sinew and heart and emotions and all this is going on in you even though you don't know it, even though the rain is falling and the wind is blowing against you, you are unbeatable; you are indefatigable. Maybe this will only last for one day and I'll never have an experience like it again, but runs like these make me feel lucky to have legs and a 46 beats/min resting pulse.

We run because we are animals, and much more besides.

REMINDER TO SARAH S. CH'NG

ALWAYS STRETCH YOUR FASCIA LATA BEFORE AND AFTER EVERY RUN !

From One of My Fave Books of All Time

There is nothing quite so gentle, deep, and irrational as our running—and nothing quite so savage, and so wild.

- Bernd Heinrich, Why We Run: A Natural History

I read it three years ago and it's still one of my favourite books of all time even though I have read many good books in between.

I love differentiating and integrating. It makes me feel so differentiated and integrated.

Peace.

Hello my little people

Sorry for the severe lack of updates. Just didn't really have much to tell you about what's going on in my life right now. Got lovely late birthday presents from Sarah B and Mum (black Nike jacket with sparkles, long sleeve pink T and another white Reebok shirt). I started doing Maths exercises again. It's a relief to get the brain working. I can't believe I've been stagnant for so long. I feel like such a redundant fool. Did some medical check ups and took a couple of jabs yesterday. Filled in forms for the scholarship. Very troublesome. I spent about 5 hours just filling up three quarters and there's still so much to be done: passport, Visa, blablabla.

I really think I need help to curb my shopping. Went to Queensbay on Saturday and for no apparent reason besides the fact they were 50% off, I bought three Billabong shirts and a hat (even though I already have 6 hats and they're all very similar). I don't even wear hats to go out here. I always think "Aiyah what's the point, just going to Gurney only". So why do I buy? Good question. No answer. On that Saturday, Adidas was having a foot scanning thing to check what kind of feet you have and the degree of pronation. Well since I had nothing to do I checked mine out, but the line for the consultation was too long and the guy said they would be going to Gardens the next morning so I could just meet them there. So I said OK. He asked "Are you a runner?" I said "Hell yes I am" He said "You don't look like one". I just kept quiet. The next morning I was running in the Gardens and at around 6.30 a.m. I saw some Adidas people come set up their little booth. I continued running. On my 5th round it started to pour. Like, really heavily. I continued running. I was super soaked and it was super cold. Bloody fantastic. I ran faster. Passed the stupid little Adidas booth again and again. Finally when I finished I went up to the same guy I had met yesterday and said "Still don't think I look like a runner?" He was the one who kept quiet this time. They'd kind of packed up because the rain was so heavy. I still wanted a foot consultation though. So this other guy checked my foot. He said that I have normal feet but I over-pronate (I already know that). Apparently I need shoes with higher soles in the middle. But I love my Nike frees! Especially my 3.0. It's like running barefoot. So so so wonderful. Makes me feel more of an animal. Wait, do I want to be an animal or do I want to be a Kenyan?

Anyway after that I bathed and had TO MISS RPM BECAUSE IT WAS AH KONG'S 93RD BIRTHDAY. -.- Family reunions are excruciating. I went to take a passport photo as well but I was wearing red so I had to buy a black shirt since the black coat at the photo shop was too big. So we went into the first clothes shop we saw and not only did I buy a black shirt but of course I bought black heels as well (but they are lovely).

Now how could anyone not buy that?

And then after Sunday was Monday and then today is Tuesday and nothing substantial has happened. Bai

<3

17 years and counting :)

Dying House

I talk

about you like

you are a stranger,

but I know you well.

You are the

poison

that infects

this empty house -

our windows mottled

with disease.

The pallor of

your

fingers

that caress the

mildewed walls make

you

the Demon

of my living nightmare

0939

280909

We Are Not Joggers by Pearl Izumi