A really nice run today.
Well, I got an email from the Tokyo Marathon organizers. The lottery results will be in at the end of the month. I put on my ambient playlist, stashed some money in my pocket for a water, and headed off down the road. I changed up my route today to make things a little more interesting, and had forgotten what a great thing that can be just for the overall mood of the run. I also realized that I am an extremely goal-oriented creature. Thinking about "better times" makes me feel like I am sitting in high school Algebra class with the goddamn teacher standing over my shoulders. I like to think about goals. Destinations.
As a matter of fact, the first time I ran 20 miles without stopping was the time I plotted a long course along the Sea of Japan, down the coast, and into the rice fields and lone mountains of a town called Yahiko. I ran to one of my favorite Shinto shrines there, where my wife and son picked me up. The goal? The shrine. And then the beautiful dip in the local onsen afterwards. My second and final long run in last year's training was a journey to another hot spring, this time chartering a course down the winding Agano river.
I like the adventure. The curves. The not knowing, and also the knowing that there is a very unique and individual goal I am out to accomplish. The destination is a real place up ahead in the distance, and it is up to me and no one else to get there.
Thanks for stopping by, guys. Onward we go.
~*~
~KafkA
Graham Smith is a Voluntaryist activist, creator, and peaceful parent residing in Niigata City, Japan. Graham runs the "Voluntary Japan" online initiative with a presence here on Steem, as well as DLive and Twitter. (Hit me up so I can stop talking about myself in the third person!)
That's a lot of fucking people! that signed up I mean. That's nuts. Good luck in the lottery drawing man. I made it a goal of mine to run a marathon this year. A broken ankle slowed me down quite a bit but it's still a possibility. I hope you get in amongst all those applicants!!
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Cheers man! And sorry to hear about your ankle. That’s the fucking attitude, though! I broke my ankle, but I think I can still do it. Good stuff, and keep us updated. Do you blog here about running ever?
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Hahah I think it's kind of become embedded in my brain by years of skateboarding and things of that nature. Every time I injure myself it's kind of a race for me to see how quickly I can heal. I know that's not the best method but I also hate sitting still for too long.
Our conversation actually did inspire me though and I just got back from a fairly mellow run. I now live literally on a mountain so I guess "mellow" isn't the word I should use and even the short few miles felt a lot longer than it should have. I considered blogging about running at one point(before the ankle injury) but I kind of forgot about that. Maybe I will!
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Man, 20 miles isn't easy. Good job!
Have you considered using @actifit? They're an SMT project that rewards folks for activity. Their app tracks the number if steps you take in a day and rewards you for reaching certain levels of activity.
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It's really beautiful in the morning when we run in the morning with very fresh and clean air, do you always run morning?
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This pic was actually taken at sunset. I usually run in the evenings. But yes, the air in the morning is very beautiful. Especially in the fall. Thanks for stopping by and commenting :)
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I am confused, whether running at night is not harmful to our health because night air is dangerous
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Night air is dangerous?
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to my knowledge, but it is not certain if it is too bad, where is it not dangerous for our health?
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That's good for you, you know one of my dreams has always been to travel and meet japan.
I should take some photos of your route and ride them to see and know a little more.
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Mucho éxito en ese reto. Establecerse retos en la vida es lo que le da sabor. Saludos
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