metronomy

I am intoxicated with a feeling of rightness, a psychological snapping together of moving parts, a lucid moment of geometrical perfection. A liberating bliss.

— Andrew X. Pham, Catfish & Mandala.

Posted 3 months ago

Spotter & Sniper

Last bit of a 6 mile run and ahead of me are 2 skinny chavs in poorly-produced tracksuits and baseball caps kicking a stoney-lookin’ ice ball. 

I spotted them before they saw me and knew what was going to happen.

I panned into the adjacent bike lane to pass them, and sped up immediately, increased turn-over of foot falls, swaying from left to right hand-side of pavement when I stepped back on.

The snowball hit the ground behind me. The inevitability, the certain expectation. You can train dogs not to give chase to anything moving at pace - why not the general public?

A non-event - I wasn’t even hit - but why does this happen? Why the public commentary, interference, harassment? The strange thing is that whilst people love watching sports stars for their physical aplomb, a percentage seem to also love berating anyone keen to improve their own physical aplomb. I don’t know where the compulsion comes from.

I can easily run an hour through forest trails, getting maybe a couple of ‘afternoon’s. the minutes it takes me to get there through suburb streets are often quite different. Why are runners, cyclists, gymnasts and the like a matter for scrutiny in an urban setting?

Prior to the almost being hit from behind by strangers with ice, 2 old guys cheered me on [I think..], a car full of young guys beeped its horn as I hurtled uphill.

At least I’m not a woman. I get the impression that no women can do their thing without leering men and harassment 

Having said all this, I’m not too bothered if/when a stranger passes comment or worse. I’m not upset.. it’s just weird, and common.

Once I had a car of women wolf-whistle at me. That was alright :D

Posted 3 months ago

Runners, in general, are romantics.

We value emotion over calculation, aesthetic feeling over controlled inquiry, messiness over clarity, epiphany over argument, transcendence over facts, insight over pragmatism.

Like Catholics with their rosaries, we go through the motions and the rituals, bead by bead: tempo, interval, long run, easy run. We stay at them, hoping that our piety will be rewarded with a glimpse of what? — that which cannot be seen or articulated, but can only be felt.

— http://thelogicoflongdistance.blogspot.com/2012/02/running-as-romanticism.html

Posted 3 months ago

On Running in Japan →

Your brain hates everything about you and wants you to fail.

What your brain wants is to be safe, comfortable, warm and well-fed. Anxiety is your brain’s way of making sure you stay swathed in a down comforter eating chocolate ice cream in your apartment for the rest of your life.

Every time I put a foot in front of the other, I beg myself to stop. Then I ignore it.

Running is really just a prolonged series of arguments with the part of your brain that wants you to stop running.

Running is a good example of practice in the Buddhist sense, because the thing you are practising is also the thing you are doing. When you approach everything as a chance to practice, everyone becomes a perfect player. I have to tell my anxiety to shut up and do the things that I want to do but don’t want to do.

Eventually, as you run, you stop being at war with your entire body. If you allow yourself to practice, you will become mindful of the choices you are making with every step, in spite of every part of you giving you an excuse to stop.

Posted 4 months ago

Along comes Mary Christ / Skating light on ice

This morning after 11km running, I arrived at my gym to find school kids were bellowing “Y. M. C. A.!” in the sports hall. I knew I was in the right place.

The gym was deserted, so I found myself sauntering pogoing to Mary Christ by Sonic Youth on the arm mill thing.

On the way home, a missionary with the worst acne told me to keep going.

Finished at 15.5km. Carrying a ruck-sack. And it’s rill cold today. [pleased with myself]

Posted 4 months ago