The realisation is that I now know, pretty well, what its like to have crossed into the abyss, which begins when your body tells you it is out of food, water and energy. The abyss loomed right at the beginning of the run, because Kiara starts with a severe uphill and I felt it some 600m after I started. I have never looked into the abyss for a long time, the last being prior to boarding a helicopter for an exercise whilst on training. The tank was empty then, standing on a cold and windy field waiting for the helo to arrive, just like the tank was empty today. After that, it was all heart, focus, and whatever you need to do to get you through.
This is what my running is all about - the challenge of what's next and whether you can overcome it. It's always about going right to the limit and beyond; once I return (and as I am lying, resting, re-fueling), I am pretty glad I did not succumb and it's on to the next.
Bought me new shoes today. Here are the Brooks Launch:
I have never like Brooks, having not been excited at the least with the Defyance, notwithstanding its a shoe that has been rated by a popular running magazine. The Launch changed everything. It's billed as a performance racer because its less than 10oz but the cushioning is so skwishy its on par with the fabled Asics. If anything, it beats my Cumulus by just a crumb! Light, responsive but like all performance racers, lacking in support for the ankle (unlike the Cumulus) but only just slightly. If my running form is good, the lack in support ought not to be an issue. Its so skwishy that I think its going to double up as my trainers as well.
And to crown it all, its about a third cheaper than the Asics! The next 4-5 months with the Launch will be sweet. Like I need another reason to run...
When Jamie saw me take a picture of my new shoes, he insisted I took one of his new shoes as well; he actually said "put on Daddy's blog"!! Here are the shoes he will wear for Raya 2009
My darling Mr Bump. Although it's more apt to call him Mr Noisy, coz he talks a lot and way too loudly for his age. I suppose he just wants to be heard probably subconsciously knowing that adults only want kids to be seen and not heard. By the way, guess what socks he'll be wearing with his Mr Bump shoes.... Mr Noisy socks from M&S!! How cool is that??
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