Friday night I exercised at the gym after work. As expected, practically empty. Ran for 30 minutes at 9kph but my heart rate was up to 150 so I slowed down to 8kph for the last 15 minutes, keeping my heart rate about 110.
Then I did the routine. DAMN that is a high number of leg swings. Hard to imagine that with all that modern equipment, they don't have two chairs I can use for chest dips, so I improvised: jacked up the two inclining benches in front of the free weights to 45° and dipped between them. One guy watching me commented: "Hope you didn't patent that move, I'm gonna do that from now on!" and another older Japanese guy had a complex set-up involving two 30k bars with neck/shoulder pads, braced on the squat rack, so that he could climb up and dip between them. He saw me on using the benches and had a slightly confused-but-trying-to-hide-it look on his face.
Oops, sorry for slashing you with my Occam's razor.
After the workout, went back to the office, finished off some emails, and walked home.
This morning I slept in late, got up about 8am, stumbled through my workout whilst the kids watched Saturday morning TV, skipped breakfast because it was a beautiful day and we went out for a walk before meeting friends for dim-sum brunch. I definitely over-ate, but figured it would be the one meal of the day and I need some carbs for the run tomorrow anyway.
As predicted, dinner time rolled around and I was incredibly not hungry. Kids wanted soba so went to where we always go for lunch and took our usual table in the back corner.
Table next to us had 2 guys smoking, and 5 seconds after we sat down I got a stunning headache. Turns out the place is no-smoking at lunch but not so at dinner. We moved to a table on the other side of the restaurant, but my head was pounding, and I was still not hungry anyway.
Haven't gotten a smoke headache like that in a long time. Even though I live in the Last Bastion of Smokers, aka Japan, I have managed to avoid being around much smoking for quite a while. Guess because I am so cleansed from PCP and KFB, I am really sensitive. I am quite sure if I stayed at the table next to those smokers I would have been covered in hives, itchy, and shivering.
Nasty stuff, that. Glad both my parents quit!
Incidentally, one of the reasons I was and am straight edge is that I cannot even imagine the concept of smoking being fun. Watched my parents do it ever since I was born, had plenty of friends start, and I never, ever felt any kind of peer pressure. I just thought to myself: "light something on fire and inhale the smoke? WTF kinda moron thought this is even a remotely good idea?"
My parents I can forgive; they started smoking when it was cool and healthy. Pretty sure the doctors told my mom to keep smoking when she was pregnant because it helped relax her.
Speaking of which, one day in junior high school, after dinner my mom lit up a cigarette, as was the tradition. But instead of my dad joining her, he stood up and declared: "I am going for a run."
And I remember thinking "From what?"
He went upstairs, came down wearing a choice 80's jogging fashion statement of mid-thigh shorts, knee socks, and giant bright yellow radio headphones held in place by a white cotton tennis headband, and left out the front door.
30 minutes later he returned, sweating and red-faced.
This repeated several days a week for the next few decades.
Anyway on Sunday I got up early, did some zazen, had a reasonable breakfast, and got on the train. 10k kicked off at 9:10am so I got there just about 8:30, found our spot, joked with the others, and headed to the track. There were several thousand people running the 10k; quite excellent and scary at the same time. I took off at my usual leisurely pace, getting passed by many. The route started in the stadium, then went outside and finally looped back into the stadium. 4 circuits. After the first time around I felt good, hit my stride, and noticed some people slowing down to walk. Half-way through the top guys were already finishing. 3rd time around I just saw one of my co-workers, a proper long distance runner, finishing.
I push hard on the last lap, lengthening my stride and gulping for air, and when I checked the clock I finished 10k in 58 minutes.
I was shooting for 1 hour and 15 minutes, so I thought I did great. I have never run a 10+kph pace before, and any time I try I get really tired really quickly. So I guess the power of the crowd helps alot!
After the run I collected some free food; granola, banana, bag of chips, curry-bread...
Hung about for a bit, watching the other runs (5k, 2.5k walk, 400m relay), then the family arrived so we headed back for some lunch.
After eating I was dead tired, so when I got home I napped for about 3 hours, got up in time for dinner and a bath, and then back to sleep.
Epic post man. Loved every word.
ReplyDeleteAwesome, Ren. Congrats on that 10km, and thanks for the story
ReplyDeleteCouple things. Love that story about your dad. HILARIOUS! My mom still smokes despite watching both her parents die terrible, lonely deaths from smoking (and other bad relationship habits). She has ridiculous health problems, and though I hate to say it b/c I love my mom very much, she's part of the reason health care is so high in this country. She's always sick, always getting some random expensive test done and really most of her problems stem from poor eating, smoking and lack of movement. When I tell her this, she doesn't want to hear it. I just watch her kill herself, slowly, painfully, day by day.
ReplyDeleteThe 58 minute 10K. AWESOME! That was about my time in the last 10K I ran...'twas my best time, too. There's something to be said about the excitement and energy of the crowd. I always run faster without even thinking about it. Now, for the next step, the half marathon. :)