Category: Well-being

Personal Marathon

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Yesterday I completed one of my bucket list items, which was to run a marathon.

I am actually registered for the Austin Marathon that is happening in February, but with the Omicron variant going crazy right now, I’m not sure that I want to join the masses and run in it. That has been on my mind lately.

I realized that it’s convenient and easy to say that the virus is the reason I don’t want to run in the Austin Marathon, while the real reason might be that I am just not confident that I can run that distance. So to eliminate that possible reason, I decided to just run my marathon early and prove I can do it. Now I can have a clear conscience if I decide to not run in the big race.

Another thing I was thinking about (and I should admit to myself) is that I’m not really into running in organized races or events. I’ve run in several 10K and 5K races, and they aren’t that fun to me. People have said that running the marathon is fun because people are cheering you on. That actually doesn’t sound fun to me. It makes me feel uncomfortable. I prefer to run in my own little world. I guess that’s just the way I am.

Well, I have over a month to decide if I want to race in it or not, but right now I’d give it a 20% chance of it happening.

Daily Japanese

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Photo info: FUJIFILM X-E4, 27mm, f/2.8, 1/160 sec, ISO640
 “Study Time” Cedar Park, 2022

In 2021 I started a couple of new habits which I am somewhat proud of.

One of these is studying Japanese with Duolingo. It’s a lot of fun, and I can definitely see progress. In 2022 I will continue with Duolingo, but also make an effort to use my Genki book, Anki flashcards, and WaniKani in order diversify my studying a bit.

A cool thing is that when I go running and am listening to Japanese songs that I’ve had on my playlist for years, I can understand more and more words. And my listening skills have gotten better too in that I am able to isolate words and phrases that I do not know. However, I wish there was a way to make a quick note when I am running with the unknown word or phrase so I can look it up later. I don’t think Siri can do that while my phone is in my running belt. So I try to repeat the word so I can remember to look it up later. Or maybe I should just remember what song it was from? That may be easier… We’ll see! At any rate, it’s a fun and satisfying learning journey.

Listening to Songs While Running on the Trail

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Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 1.55mm, f/2.4, 1/3200 sec, ISO25
 “Clouds” Cedar Park, 2021

Today I went for a 7-mile run on the hike and bike path near my house. I really like the longer routes, especially towards the end when I am getting tired. I’ve noticed one change that happens to me when I get mentally fatigued on a run, and that’s that I get more emotional when listening to songs. Today, the songs that hit me were “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears, and “Alison” by Elvis Costello.

I can’t really place what specific emotions arise when I heard these… it was just a general feeling of being moved.

Maybe it’s kind of like a type of runner’s high? I don’t know, but I do know that I enjoy it when it happens.

Here’s one of my Spotify playlists that I often listen to while running.

Weekend Distance

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Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/200 sec, ISO32
 “Under the Tracks” Cedar Park, 2021

The marathon training schedule I am following suggested a 7-mile “long run” this weekend, but I felt like I should up the mileage from last week’s distance so I went for a 14-mile run along Brushy Creek Regional Trail. I felt really good, especially because at about the halfway point (where I turn around and head home), there’s a water fountain and bathroom. What a huge difference that made!

Anyways, it was only 49° F when I started so I wore my Uniqlo leggings on and my old thrift-store Adidas pullover. With that combo, I am pretty comfortable running in the 50-60 degree range. Yay.

Regarding the training schedule, I think I will follow the schedule for rest days, but will use the recommended distances as a guideline. We’ll see how that goes. 😄

Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/1700 sec, ISO32
 “Sunrise” Cedar Park, 2021

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‘Tis the Season

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Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/120 sec, ISO80
 “Jack” Cedar Park, 2021

Some days, I feel like I could just run forever and today was one of those days. Maybe it was because I decided to run on streets I haven’t run before, but I felt so good and actually ran faster than I have in a long time. I don’t know if it was the proverbial runner’s high, but it was magical!

And part of what it made it so fun was that I saw a lot of really cool Halloween decorations. There was one house that had a huge skeleton with fire in its ribcage, but I didn’t take a photo because they were still setting it up. Next time!

Photo info: Apple iPhone 12 mini, 4.2mm, f/1.6, 1/120 sec, ISO64
 “RIP” Cedar Park, 2021

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