Pushing myself into a corner

I’ve run at least 100 km every month this year. I want to keep this streak going.

After Sunday’s run, my total for October is ~82 km. I needed 18 km in four days. It seemed like four days of easy 5K runs would do it.

I skipped the run yesterday. I claimed sore muscles as the excuse. Then it appeared like three days of 6K runs would do it.

I’m skipping the run today too. Work load and gloomy skies are my excuse today. Now I need to run two consecutive 10Ks in next two days.

Unless I skip tomorrow’s run too, and end up having to run a half marathon on Thursday 😕

Running slower?

Screenshot 2019-10-26 at 15.53.44
Today
Screenshot 2019-10-26 at 15.53.34
A month ago.

A month ago I ran more than a minute faster than today, and was ranked the same1.

Today was my first run in two weeks. I was in bad shape and hurting.
A month ago, I was in prime shape. That was my second fastest time this year, and third fastest time ever in Guildford.

I thought I was running slower. It seems everyone else is slowing down even more.


  1. I love this rank… 111, a Nelson. 

I went to pick up a book from the library…

Books from the library

I ended up getting five. I would’ve brought more, but I’d gone late and the library was closing.

I’d reserved Walter Isaacson’s biography of Leonardo Da Vinci, so got that.
I’d been looking for a few Hemingway books. I didn’t find anything from top of the list, but did find these two, so got them.
Brad Stone’s Everything Store has been on my radar for a while. When I saw it on a shelf, I picked that up.
And close to it was Seth’s little book. So got that too.

I didn’t get to visit the Sports or the Scifi sections before they announced the library was closing.

Aside: I like how the three small books on the right are, together, about as big as the fourth book. And the four books on the right are again, together, about as big as the one on the left. Fibonacci-esque.

Commiserations :(

Got the wrong email yesterday:

Screenshot_20191009-143039.png
Commiserations, unfortunately, unsuccessful…. :/

Not a very happy turn on otherwise a happy, productive day.

Ever the optimist, I had a look at the ‘good for speed’ qualification times.
My current marathon PB is 3:59.
Good for age for my age group at London Marathon is 3:02.
The olympics qualification criteria last time around was 2:14.

From my perspective, the probability of me posting a London marathon qualifying time is almost the same as me qualifying for Tokyo olympics marathon with Team GB :)

Continue reading Commiserations :(

Wuss, moi.

I planned the run in my head.

I got dressed in running gear.

I started the warm-up routine.

….

Then I felt too cold.

The head was full of excitement from a breakthrough in the morning’s work.

Chewie was still wrapped up in bed.

But mainly, I felt too cold.

So I chickened out of the run. I changed back into home clothes. And am now back at work.

Wuss, moi.

Last week, I…

October 2019 calendar dog confetti

… turned 40.

The calendar dog celebrated with confetti.
The dog looks like a 1 year old Chewie with Dudley’s hair colour. Chewie was a master confetti creator at that age :)

00000IMG_00000_BURST20191007113147779_COVER.jpg

… finished reading a book that I started reading more than 10 years ago.

It was worth it. I shouldn’t have taken that break for 9 years, 11 months.

… did a shit load of work.

It was one of my most productive weeks. Long hours + deep focus = lots of good, happy output.

… started seeing the autumn colours everywhere.

IMG_20191006_180535-COLLAGE.jpg

I missed carrying a camera on my runs. But I did get a few shots in on Chewie’s evening walk yesterday.

… ran nearly every day

Missed a run on Thursday due to bad weather in the morning, and Athletics world championships in the evening.
Yep, I didn’t run because I was busy watching better runners run :)

… ran 50 km in the week

It was my first 50km week since the marathon in April

… set a new high for running mileage in a year

My total running mileage for 2019 reached 1,213 km. Previous highest was 1,202 km in 2015.

… sat for an IQ test.

I scored 133.
The score is 12 points lower than what I remember scoring in my early 20s.
Still, apparently it suggests I’m ‘gifted’. Not sure in which way.

It was a good week.