In March this year I blogged about a song that I'd heard just in passing and was sucked into what was a pretty astonishing work of art. I don't know how many times I listened to it but I wanted to wallow around in it and eventually I tried to put whatever I got out of it into words.
In October, it pretty much happened again but this time in movies. To be honest, in terms of movies in a cinema, 2019 has been pretty bare. I've seen some very good movies on planes and on Netflix but I have missed my chances to watch any flicks "at the pictures" (recalling the quaint way we used to say it when we were young). But within a month, I'd seen two pretty decent movies. Ad Astra was effectively my birthday movie. Although it probably had no connection of inspiration, having read Three Body Problem made it even more meaningful to me.
But the movie to make enough of an impression to satisfy a year without movies was Joker. I gladly walked in with very few expectations. I had read barely a jot about it. For all I cared it was just another comic book movie. I went with a friend who cared a lot more about comic book movies and he seemed pretty keen on watching it with me. Did he know that I would have more appreciation than others? I didn't ask.
I won't write too much about it other than it is a violently provoking movie and I recommend if you have darker taste for movies, you can't go past it. It's the 12 Monkeys. The Black Swan. The Mulholland Drive. The movie that is an inhabitable nightmare where you can make sense of things if you stand on your head. In this YouTubular world we live in there is far too much access to commentary, when in the past you'd have to search for cinematic soulmates or coerce others to watch to get some sort of prompted reaction. But the youtube world is always well populated. My yen is nearing satisfaction.
The only spoiler I would give is ironically the only joke said by the main character, who would become Joker, on stage in the movie: "When I was young, I told everyone I was going to be a comedian. And they all laughed at me. But no-one's laughing now!"
In other news, I ran a marathon yesterday. New PB of 3.22:54. First one after 40. Sore feet.
Monday, October 21, 2019
Friday, October 11, 2019
The drama
8 September - I finish my fifth marathon.
22 September - After two weeks of light running, I push myself for the first time smashing my personal record (PR) on my regular half marathon route, TwinPeaks, by 2 minutes.
23-29 September - I break 100km for the week, including a 32 km run, which I really had to push myself on. The week contains some good runs, including a smashing hill 15km run.
30 September - I choose not to run in the morning considering a rest day, but upon getting home from work, and realising my wife had already eaten dinner, I elect to go for an evening run rather than a rest. Wanting to get some hills in at the start of the week, I head straight to Mt Eden. Going up, I feel some discomfort in my front left shin. It's an occasional thing that I've had before so I continue and summit but as I go down it becomes pain and I stop after just 3km. I walk down and the sensation is not pleasant. I limp home.
1 October - My 40th birthday! I have a rest from running and have a pretty awesome day albeit a working day. Physically though, I can still feel it.
2 October - I don't feel anything too wrong with my shin and when asked, I say I'll run in the evening. I briefly jog across the road on my way to my car and realise I won't be running in the evening.
3 October - I wake early and do my warm up. There is some sensation in my shin but not enough to deter me. I run 10km. 9km the sensations are evident but never pain. In the last 1km, it feels a little less comfortable but I complete the run. But when walking, I know my shin doesn't like me. When walking up the stairs, I have a bolt of pain. It's really peeved. But I think it's on the up because I did do 10km after all.
4 October - I wake up early. I can't feel it in warm up so I run. Not even 1km in I feel it and once I stop I know it's done. I curse my lack of patience. I really start to believe I won't be well by 20 October for the Auckland Marathon.
5 October - It's a weekend two weeks from the event. In my heart, I want to have some miles on the weekend. It's when I have the freedom to pace myself, go long at will. I have a party that day but I really just want to run. I do a comprehensive warm-up. I feel stupid because I know there is huge risk. I could just wait till tomorrow but I can't. I run 1km up the side of Mt Eden and with some premonitions I stop. I walk home and feel the sore tension along the front. I'm a fool. I know if I it happens again or doesn't completely clear up I would have to pull out of the marathon.
6-7 October - I don't run. It's now less than two weeks till the event and almost 8 days with only one run over 3km.
8 October - I take the gamble. I've had just two days rest. I initially want to be greedy and try 10km but some sensations during warm-up chasten me. I don't want to have to walk back from far away. I run anyway but loop around home twice. No sensations arise on the run. I make 6.8km and feel fine.
9 October - Putting more chips onto red, I take the chance to run longer. I aim for a loop that won't take me far from home. I feel good after a mile so decide to try 3x2mile repeats. Despite what I felt like an interminable lay-off, I can pump up the speed fairly easily and completed 14.8km without any sensations.
10 October - Now with confidence I bet all the chips by running my Orakei Loop. This one is one I fear during niggly periods because any serious niggle at the 7km mark will almost certainly leave me late getting home and definitely late for work. It's also hilly which is what I believe may have caused this thing in the first place. No sensations arise again and I'm feeling confident.
11 October - And then I rest. Hopefully this means I get to claim my winnings. The injury is over.
Such is the drama of training.
22 September - After two weeks of light running, I push myself for the first time smashing my personal record (PR) on my regular half marathon route, TwinPeaks, by 2 minutes.
23-29 September - I break 100km for the week, including a 32 km run, which I really had to push myself on. The week contains some good runs, including a smashing hill 15km run.
30 September - I choose not to run in the morning considering a rest day, but upon getting home from work, and realising my wife had already eaten dinner, I elect to go for an evening run rather than a rest. Wanting to get some hills in at the start of the week, I head straight to Mt Eden. Going up, I feel some discomfort in my front left shin. It's an occasional thing that I've had before so I continue and summit but as I go down it becomes pain and I stop after just 3km. I walk down and the sensation is not pleasant. I limp home.
1 October - My 40th birthday! I have a rest from running and have a pretty awesome day albeit a working day. Physically though, I can still feel it.
2 October - I don't feel anything too wrong with my shin and when asked, I say I'll run in the evening. I briefly jog across the road on my way to my car and realise I won't be running in the evening.
3 October - I wake early and do my warm up. There is some sensation in my shin but not enough to deter me. I run 10km. 9km the sensations are evident but never pain. In the last 1km, it feels a little less comfortable but I complete the run. But when walking, I know my shin doesn't like me. When walking up the stairs, I have a bolt of pain. It's really peeved. But I think it's on the up because I did do 10km after all.
4 October - I wake up early. I can't feel it in warm up so I run. Not even 1km in I feel it and once I stop I know it's done. I curse my lack of patience. I really start to believe I won't be well by 20 October for the Auckland Marathon.
5 October - It's a weekend two weeks from the event. In my heart, I want to have some miles on the weekend. It's when I have the freedom to pace myself, go long at will. I have a party that day but I really just want to run. I do a comprehensive warm-up. I feel stupid because I know there is huge risk. I could just wait till tomorrow but I can't. I run 1km up the side of Mt Eden and with some premonitions I stop. I walk home and feel the sore tension along the front. I'm a fool. I know if I it happens again or doesn't completely clear up I would have to pull out of the marathon.
6-7 October - I don't run. It's now less than two weeks till the event and almost 8 days with only one run over 3km.
8 October - I take the gamble. I've had just two days rest. I initially want to be greedy and try 10km but some sensations during warm-up chasten me. I don't want to have to walk back from far away. I run anyway but loop around home twice. No sensations arise on the run. I make 6.8km and feel fine.
9 October - Putting more chips onto red, I take the chance to run longer. I aim for a loop that won't take me far from home. I feel good after a mile so decide to try 3x2mile repeats. Despite what I felt like an interminable lay-off, I can pump up the speed fairly easily and completed 14.8km without any sensations.
10 October - Now with confidence I bet all the chips by running my Orakei Loop. This one is one I fear during niggly periods because any serious niggle at the 7km mark will almost certainly leave me late getting home and definitely late for work. It's also hilly which is what I believe may have caused this thing in the first place. No sensations arise again and I'm feeling confident.
11 October - And then I rest. Hopefully this means I get to claim my winnings. The injury is over.
Such is the drama of training.
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