Nov. 15, 2022
I had a fairly satisfying running session tonight. I covered a little less than 15 K in a little less than an hour and a half. It is a good session to mark the start of a new week.
I had a very good day in terms of my work. I completed my first draft for a new seminar. I got focused feedback from my boss. I immediately worked on revision and came up with my second draft.
I also finished another important task. So overall, it was a pretty productive day. Bad weather helped me focus on my work. It rained until late in the afternoon. I had no choice but to stay home and work. (I sometimes go to a nearby cafe on my motorbike and work there when the weather is good.)
The completion of two important tasks allowed me to feel relaxed briefly. I needed some physical refreshment, so I hit the nearby park for a barefoot run.
The long rain earlier in the day made the ground rather soaked and the grass cold. Five minutes into running, my feet grew numb from the ankle down. But I kept on going, hoping at some point I would get over that extreme cold.
About forty-five minutes into running, I finally found myself not thinking so much about how freezing my feet felt. My focus was more on running and how far I could go.
My goal tonight was 14 K. But it's still not easy for me. There is a lot of inner talking going on while building mileage. Should I settle for 10 K, or should I continue until I reach 14?
There was no pain in my once-injured and now recovering left knee. But there is always some lingering concern that it might start hurting again. Pain could be induced mechanically. But it could also be induced psychologically. There is a phenomenon called ischemia. It is your parasympathetic nervous system's attempt to reduce blood flow to a certain area in your body. When that happens, the affected area can malfunction. It could happen to my recovering knee. It is your mind-body's defense mechanism to shift your attention away from a difficult psychological conflict to a more acceptable physical symptom. For more information about ischemia, please check out "The Divided Mind" by the late Dr. John E. Sarno.
Anyhow, tonight I successfully covered 14 K by listening to the audio of the movie "Before Sunrise" while running. It is a 1995 romance starring Ethan Hawk and Julie Delpy. The whole movie takes place in the time frame of less than one day, and the whole movie is mostly conversations between a couple. It's a good film. If you haven't seen it yet, you should. It won't let you down.
After coming home from running and taking a shower, by the way, I realized both my feet had developed minor frostbite if you can believe it! They soon recovered, though, after a short massage with menthol cream on.
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