The first and only book I read about running is a non-fiction called The Looniness of a Long-Distance Runner: An Unfit Londoner’s Attempt to Run the New York City Marathon from Scratch by Russell Taylor. I read it a couple of years ago, but I have a slight recollection of what it’s all about. A man is trapped in a position with a challenge that he couldn’t just pass up to save his face and for charity good deed. The consequence is, he has to run and finish a full marathon. It documents his running style and trainings in an enjoyable and extremely humorous storytelling. One specific scenario I remember from the book is how he was shocked to see the sign “WATER AHEAD” in one of his runs. Probably too exhausted and lacking oxygen in his head, he thought it’s like some kind of an obstacle relay and imagined he would have to wade across the waters! LOL. Here’s the link of something more I wrote about it when I first read it. I looked at the post date and it was hard to believe that was 3 years ago, and now I have to train for my own marathon experience. 
Too much self-assured I’ll find life elsewhere when I left for New Zealand, I dispose of most of my books to friends as keepsake. Unintentionally, I know precisely which title I gave to which friend, and the book about running, I hand over to Sheila, a friend from high school (and we went to the same uni as well). I’ll search the internet for an eBook copy of it, and I hope I could find one. I mention this not because I want to get my books back (haha, if any of those beneficiaries will be reading this), but if I were in the Philippines, it would be more convenient borrowing as I don’t really like to strain my eyes reading from the screen.
I have actually just finished, for the second time, Kafka on the Shore by Japanese author, H. Murakami, and I’ll probably write a different post about it.
Going back to running, the sport has become a craze recently, everyone has to admit that and I think there’s nothing really wrong about it. Although I’m not really a big fan of fads, it’s a good thing because perhaps people are starting to be more health conscious and a healthy nation is a wealthy nation (how’s that for a cliché, haha). You have to forgive me for my overworked lines; I guess my last post has been too dramatic so this is something to make up for it.
The last event I joined was Standard Chartered’s Marathon last December. I did the 21K, and I timed 02:30:09 precisely. When I join events, I always have in mind that I’ll give my best shot, which is something easily said than done because when I’m right there, I can’t avoid getting to the point that I’ll have to drag my limping body to the end. Possibly I just lack the proper training or I was reaching my human limitations physically. 21 kilometers is not a short walk in the park and so double of that, 42.195 kilometers is a long way away.
It’s definitely a great help, however, that I have comrades with me in this pursuit. For the most weekends, I run with Buffy (I met originally from a lomography club in the Philippines) and Ry (I met originally from a hiking mission in Malaysia). 
During weekdays, I sometimes run with housemates, or by myself (accompanied by Whitey, my running shoes). Speaking of, I replaced my Adidas shoes because it obviously needed to retire. After carefully researching on a new pair, I decided to get a Nike+ (Eclipse Lunarlon) because I can track my training distance, speed and pace times. It’s not really cheap at $203.00 (discounted from $239.00) but I figured this is the first shoes I purchased in Singapore after being here for a year and a half, so not really unjust. And, the retiring Adidas is a bit old and if you look at it, it’s definitely abused. Officially, I ran a 4.30-km, 10-km, and a 21-km race on it, and the amount of unofficial training runs is a lot more than that.
Since I mentioned I could measure my stats with the Nike+, well it’s true and not. I can’t determine my details yet because I have to have the Nike+ sensor with band when running. This is another $99.00 damage, so I’m still waiting for donors. Seriously, I think will get it in the future. The left shoe has a pocket-like hole sitting on its inner sole, resting inside behind the padding. This is where you put the sensor while you wear the band around your wrist pretty much like an ordinary watch.
I have 8 weeks ’til the big day, and I’m sure I’ll stop all forms of training for a week during my upcoming vacation by the end of April. There’re tons of information on the web about training plans, etc., and I still have to do more work on that to find out which suits me best.
The weekend is going to be great fellas.
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