Friday, October 28, 2016

Five Dollar Lunch from local bodega


Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Brooklyn Greenway Half Marathon


Monday, October 17, 2016

Brooklyn Greenway Half Marathon - Photos while running it










Friday, October 14, 2016

Brooklyn Greenway Half Marathon - Oct 16, 2016


Thursday, October 13, 2016

Why Swim?

Why swim?

Why swim after the season is over? Why not?

Why not feel the freedom of the body flowing through the water from your own propulsion?

Why not fly in the water when you can’t fly in the air?

Why swim before work? To clear the mind. To clear the soul. To wander in thoughts.

Why swim lap after lap? Isn’t it repetitive? No, it isn’t.

Every stroke,
Every breath,
Every kick,
Every push off is different.

Why swim?

Because like Mount Everest, it’s there. 

Sunday, October 09, 2016

Next Year (actually next Sunday)

2016 Brooklyn Rock And Roll Half Marathon, October 8th, 2016

Well, the morning of the scheduled Brooklyn Rock And Roll Half Marathon, I began to shake with the chills and then minutes later, a high body temperature, a fever. If running a half marathon under normal, healthy conditions was a mental and physical challenge, I knew that I couldn't push my body under these conditions. If I still had the sniffles, I think I could've manage running breathing through my mouth, which I do anyway. But a fever, that was another issue. 


In all my years of participating in organized events, I have never been ill or injured to start. I guess that if anyone is keeping track like a professional or semi-professional athlete, this would be labelled as a DNS, did not start. 
I began to begrudge the time I have waited for this event. One full year since the inaugural Half Marathon, when I signed up upon completion of my first ever HM. Call it craziness or blame it on the endorphin of the moment, without any hesitation I signed up. Then I begrudged the loss of the entry fee. I usually don't purchase an insurance in the event of an emergency or an illness for these events, so it was a gamble that I took knowing the odds. 

I wrote to the race organizers if I could receive a credit or use this year's entry fee for next year. Minutes later, an email from the organizer confirmed what I had expected. A no for an answer. But, at least I tried. 


As the minutes went by from the Race Start Time, I  kept imagining how everything unfolded, by recreating the images, the memories from last year's Inaugural Race. The crowds, Brooklyn's architecture, the colors, the sounds of the people and the street bands. I remembered how the slow start due to the large crowds of runners, of all shapes, ages, began to disperse. How little by little, like a heavy freight train, the wheels began to increase the pace. Running by the water tables, looking for a cup of Gatorade, then mix with water. 


I broke down the 13 miles of the Half Marathon into various 5 ks, and I distracted the mind by looking all around, and once in a while looking inside of me. 
Having trained/conditioned for this Half Marathon that I now missed, I just signed up for next Sunday's Brooklyn Greenway Half Marathon. Strangely enough, 24 hours later, that being today, I feel much better without any sniffles, fever or chills, but not with sufficient strength to go for the feat on hand.


Let's go Brooklyn. Brooklyn, Brooklyn, Brooklyn.

Thursday, October 06, 2016

Running sick a Half Marathon

Thursday, October 6th, 2016

Later today, I am going to Penn Station and pick up the race bib for the Rock and Roll Brooklyn Half Marathon.

I feel that I am coming down with a cold, and some signs of a body fever.

I searched on the internet "how to run a half marathon while sick". Of course, responses vary.

I guess I'll make a determination Saturday morning.

Monday, October 03, 2016

Missed opportunity

Well, Monday, October 3rd, 2016, I missed an opportunity to swim some laps at Echo Pool. The girls didn't have school, so I could've went in at 7:00 a.m.

But, I was missing something important - motivation. 

For motivation - I needed a goal = a triathlon of sorts.

Although this Saturday, I'll be running the Brooklyn Rock and Roll Half Marathon, it wasn't sufficient for motivation. 

Man, the mind is simply powerful!