Category: Read Run Write

2019 week thirty seven

Book Read
36. If You’re Not Yet Like Me – Edan Lepucki

Kilometres Ran
week thirty seven – 66.0

2019 to date: 1,817 KM

This book could have been an episode of Girls. And just like Girls I liked the first bit and then lost interest really quickly once I realized that I really dislike all of the characters. Then, because I get petty when I’m annoyed, there was this line in particular that I hated, “my menstrual cycle is like a German train: always on time.” I always hate it when writers do this. No, not write the word menstrual. I hate it when writers use simile and/or metaphor and then immediately afterwards, (often with a colon but sometimes a dash) feel the need to explain it to writer’s readers because we are clearly too dumb to understand how clever writer is. Anyway, the story was nearly done so I hate-finished it. And then to rinse the bad taste from my mouth a decided to read this article that people were yammering about online by a woman named Natalie Beach all about her relationship with Instafamous influencer (barf) Caroline Calloway in The Cut and now all of a sudden I’m supposed to have a strong opinion about Yale plates. And while I sort of feel for Beach and she sure seems like a pretty good writer and definitely makes me dislike Calloway but it turns out a dislike them both.

Mile2Marathon Eastside 10K takeover. I’m in the middle somewhere.

I blame the weather. The week was pretty wet, which sucks because my mental health of late seems to be tied to my bicycle commute as much as my running, and I am definitely a fair weather cyclist. But you cannot live in Vancouver and hate running in the rain. I raced my first Eastside 10K in 2016, in the pouring rain. It was the last one run with the start and finish at the top of the Dunsmuir Viaduct. I ran 44:56 for 20th in my age group and I was ecstatic. I missed 2017 (for an epic half marathon in Copenhagen, in the pouring rain…I made the right decision…). Last year I ran the new course in the pouring rain and a knee brace and set a PB (at the time) 41:23. I set two goals for this year: run faster than last year, and sub 20 minutes the first 5 KM. (I’ve been chasing an official sub-20 5K all year, and I knew that there is an official timing mat at this course’s midpoint just before its dreaded hill.) I woke up Saturday morning and it was wet but it wasn’t raining, downed downed four shots of espresso and jogged the two-and-a-bit kilometres to the Woodwards building. After a group photo and a few strides I got into the start corral. I don’t know if the PA wasn’t working but all of a sudden there was a 10-9-8- countdown to start and we were off. I lost a bit of time dodging people who’d no business being at the front of the corral and then the crowded, tight turn around from Cordova onto Water Street but you would’t know it from my pace splits. I got into a just slightly uncomfortable groove, with the 40:00 pace about 25 metres ahead of me. I could tell he was building a buffer for the hill that comes just after 5K. My watch buzzed 5K a bit early (as usual) and I checked the time as I crossed the mat – 19:40 – and goal number one was in the bag. Next was to finish the rest of the course in 21:43 or sooner.

I took the hill and lost a bit of time but felt pretty good coming down and just settled back into a groove and held on. The eighth kilometre felt really rough but I took a peek at my watch as I crossed nine and saw I was on pace for well under 41 minutes. I probably could have given more kick at the finish but the only kick I gave is to myself for not checking in on my time more frequently. I crossed the finish line 40:19 for not just a new course best, but fastest 10K yet. I think I could have gone under 40 if I’d known how close I was but I’m still elated with this result. I took a handful of seconds off my personal best, and over a minute off my course best, and achieved an official sub-20 5K along the way. My sub 40 minute 10K is coming soon – NorthVanRun 10 is just two weeks away.

2019 week thirty six

Book Read
35. Wilful Disregard – Lena Andersson

Kilometres Ran
week thirty six – 69.9

2019 to date: 1,751

Translated from Swedish by Sarah Death, Wilful Disregard tells the story of Ester Nilsson, a young intellectual who falls in love with a (much older) famous visual artist. That’s really all that you need to know because just about every other cliché is on display throughout this novella, and yet I thought it was very good. The story is entirely from Ester’s perspective and there are times that I want to grab her and give her a good shake (not unlike her “girlfriend chorus” who play much the same role and do just about as well as Jiminy Cricket). Today I learned that there is a sequel by the translated title Acts of Infidelity, which given the rather apt title of the first, makes me quite curious about the sequel. So I picked up a copy and I sort of feel like it should sit high on the to-read pile. I’ll let you know how it goes soon I’m sure. I find it difficult to sympathize with Ester but I’m invested now and what to find out what happens next. Like watch a car catch fire in an accident and hanging around just to see if it will explode.

This photo of me by Debra Kato looking very official counting laps at the Vancouver Distance Track Series 10,000 event a little over a week ago. I feel like I need a job that involves a clipboard.

It was, for the most part, a rather uneventful week running and by uneventful I mean that maybe in a good way. The slow build towards December is coming along just fine such that I’m waiting wondering when the bad stuff is going to happen. So I made an appointment to see my physiotherapist just to check in for a maintenance visit next week. I’ve had a nagging pain in my hips that hasn’t bothered my running at all but it annoyingly sharp when I’m not. And then, within 48 hours or so of making an appointment I went for a run and my hip flexors were not very happy. They calmed down after a couple hundred metres and it could be due to the 27 KM I ran yesterday. I expect I’ll get some answers this week. They will probably sound something like, “you really need to warm up before / stretch and foam roll after / do some cross training / maybe something (anything) with some lateral movement.” I mean, those are all true but I’ve never had any hip issues before. I’d rather not mess up the very full fall I have lined up: one week until Eastside 10K, three weeks until NorthVanRun 10K, five weeks until Victoria half, seven weeks until Fall Classic half/10/5 and then the big one, thirteen weeks until California International Marathon.

2019 week thirty five

Book Read
34. Grief is the Thing with Feathers – Max Porter

Kilometres Ran
week thirty five – 61

2019 to date: 1,681

In this pretty great debut novella a father and two sons deal with life and grief at the loss of partner and mother, along with a crow who serves as a sort of asshole grief counsellor who promises to hang around for as long as the family needs. Porter’s experimental style is not easily accessible but I liked it a lot. I am sure most of the Dickinson and (Ted) Hughes references went right over my head but I really enjoyed this book regardless. A relatively short read that you might have to work a bit for, but worth it.

Saturday was the third and final event in the Vancouver Distance Track Series hosted by Nic Browne and the Vancouver Falcons Athletic Club. Initially billed to be a 10,000 on the track up at UBC, a couple weeks ago Nic added an 800 and mile to the event so I signed up to see if I could better my mile result from back at the beginning of June. The field was a lot thinner this time out, which I think turned out to be a disadvantage. My goal was to try to run 1:25 laps for the first three and then try to explode my heart on the fourth but without a pacer my timing was merely guesswork.

Photo by Debra Kato

First lap I came through at 1:26 and I was rather pleased with myself and settled into a rhythm that, turns out, was a bit slow. Second lap the clock read 2:58. Third and into the bell lap and I don’t recall the numbers on the clock but I had a feeling it was my slowest. I pushed hard through the 300 metres of lap four and then tried my damndest to cough up a lung on the final straight to the finish.

Photo by Debra Kato

I crossed the finish 5:52 for the same finish time as my first mile attempt back in June, proving, I guess, that it was not a fluke. Hindsight being what it is, I think that I could have given more on lap three. I also think that back in June I benefited a lot from having people close to me throughout the race. This time out I was 14 seconds ahead of the runner behind me, and 38 seconds behind the next person in front of me. But then this morning I checked both times again; my run Saturday was 7/100 faster than June. I’ll take it. Twelve days until Eastside 10K. BONUS: I knew that Rachel Cliff is the current Canadian women’s marathon record holder, which won me an entry into the Gunner Shaw Cross Country race in December. Yay! BUT: I think I’ll be in Sacramento running the California International Marathon. Boo! I need to double check.