Mindless eating on Friday sent my weight up to 148.2lbs the
next morning and my response was to cut supper. I only
succeeded half-way by devouring, late night, two good slices
off the whole wheel of Ireland Regato cheese from Milk Pail.
That might be part of the reason that I slept poorly afterward.
I had a long run on Sunday and couldn't help feeling queasy.
But this was nothing compared with the night before my SFM
race. My legs felt fine as I went on the trail at about 6:35am.
The sky was blue and air cool. The sun, however, was already
high which I didn't like: the last thing I needed was heat. The
plan was to run a loop between Mission Blvd to the east and
Ardenwood Blvd to the west for roughly 16 miles. I executed
this with better precision (comparing with cutting meals). The
last two miles, however, were hellish. I didn't know if it was the
fatigue, the heat, simply my pushing the limits, or some combination of these. The joints
started to hurt and the strides shortened just like before I gave
up running and started walking during the 50km race. I was
glad to locate the spot where every step afterward was short
and painful. For me, this was important in training. When not
overdone, this was where antifragility kicks in.
The sun was not helping at the end and I only drank before
and at mile 8. I joked to Tim that it felt like the beginning of
a mummification process. But the water, cheese, melon, and
leftover dish all tasted great. I realized that I needed to do
something hard almost everyday so that I could better
appreciate the food, the drink, or mere relaxation. After a
short nap, it's time for coffee and enjoying some good writing.
Taleb's words came to mind:
The glass is dead; living things are long volatility.
The best way to verify that you are alive is by checking
if you like variations. Remember that food would not
have a taste if it weren’t for hunger; results are
meaningless without effort, joy without sadness,
convictions without uncertainty, and an ethical life
isn’t so when stripped of personal risks.
