Testing, very testing!

Testing One Two...

Rainy Season

The rainy season officially started last week and this means, you guessed it, lots of rain. It should rain almost everyday for a month or so but usually we get a few dry ones in between.

I've probably mentioned it but I do like running in the rain, especially warm rain like now. One of the reasons for this is because it was a warm rainy day around 4 years ago that I got up off the couch and did my first run, that is, the first one that began this present obsession.

By the way if you want a Japanese lesson go ahead and download it from the box to the right.

Home sick

Thanks for your nice comments. I really am happy that I started this blog as I'm able to be in contact with such cool people! Thanks, here is a song cause I feel home sick. I'm sure you all like this! thanks again.

Looking for signs

My Grandmother, the one I told you about recently, passed away yesterday morning.
I was thinking about her all day today, about what constitutes a "life" and what remains after one has gone.

I left for my daily run a little later than usual and when I arrived at my route, it was 9:00pm. The ground was wet from a big storm that had been battering the Osaka region all day, but the storm had stopped by the time I arrived it was humid and sprinkling lightly. In the dark the lights from the nearby houses and apartments reflected off the glassy lake. I began on my first loop of my usual 3k track.

I was still thinking about my grandmother and sort of wishing that she would be able to show me a sign that everything would be alright. As soon as I started I noticed a group of ten or so tiny bats swirling and swooping just above and around my head. Was this a sign?

I was not yet into the 2km when a weasel dashed across my path, this has never happened to me before. Was this a sign?

On my second loop I noticed how calm and quiet it was, not a soul around. Was this a sign?

On the final loop not yet seeing a ghostly vision I started to think I was being stupid looking for such signs so I instead focused on my breath and the way I was feeling running through the darkness. I could feel each breath going in and out, each step bringing droplets of water down on me ones that had gathered in my wet hair. I concentrated on the moving of my chest and arms and by the time I hit the 10km mark I was really cruising. Racing through the dark wet night thinking to myself, this is a sign, I'm alive, I'm healthy and doing what I love and none of this would have been possible without my grandmother.

She continues to live in me and as long as I keep her in my memory and do my best I am honoring her memory by living as she did, the best she could.

Teach them well and let them .....

I went to my youngest son's sports festival on the weekend just gone and was pleased to see that he seems to have some talent for running. Well at least he is not as awkward as his older brother and Dad.

In my family my Great Grandfather won the Stawell Gift in Victoria, my Father qualified for the Melbourne Olympics, but didn't go, he was too young, and my elder sister was going to be a handy runner too but bronchitis and a boyfriend derailed her career.

As for my Mother and most other members of my family and me when it comes to sports we are pretty good at watching them, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that a bit of sporting talent jumped a generation in my youngest son's case.

Take up running Paris

I'm not really impressed by the coverage Paris Hilton gets at the expense of real news but there is certainly somethings to be gained from knowing about this story.

The problem for Paris, as I see it, is that she cannot stand to be in an uncomfortable position. It's understandable growing up in America with all the "pursuit of happiness" and "greed is good" bullshit but this is on the whole unbalanced and unrealistic.

Life is about putting up with being uncomfortable. And the key to a having a successful life is doing just that as best we can.

Runners understand this and are good examples to others. Where would we be if we never put ourselves into uncomfortable positions. I mean we wouldn't be runners at all without "hills," "speedwork" and "long slow runs." And I bet that there is no real runner that seriously wants to avoid discomfort, I know for a fact that we secretly enjoy the pain to various extents.

Now if Paris would just go to jail quietly, put up with this discomfort, and use this time to read up on running and runners she might just be able to get over this and continue with her life.

But if she refuses to acknowledge the "truth" of the matter the suffering will only come in some other far worse form. That is, by trying to avoid this suffering she will lose the respect of people, this in turn may result in a loss of popularity something that sustains her carreer at present.

Quite apart from my quazi-philosophical musings, Paris should be a runner. She has runners arms and legs, looks like an albino Kenyan to me, now only needs a runner's heart.

Shaking things up

I'm on the second day of my new running plan. For the last couple of years of my running life I've been getting professional advice having others write my plans. While it was indispensable at first, as I had neither the time or knowledge of the sport, I now think I can write a reasonable plan based on my experience so far. And with the help of you dear bloggers who have generously given me direct help and/or written the down the details of your own training routines on a regular basis.

I have taken a little bit from all of you and hopefully put it all together in a way that will work for me. We will see.

It's about time I thought more deeply about my running goals and how to achieve them so I'm happy I made this step, no matter what the outcome I will learn from this and get better.

Ani's raw food kitchen

In my quest for a healthier life style I've come across so called "raw food." The people who adhere to this type of eating are extreme to be sure but its basic principals are sound.

I'm not "going raw" anytime soon but if "Ani" would have me I'd think about it. Anyway, the recipes are delicious and obviously good for your health.Take a look at one such recipe above.