When I am under strong stress, my body weight appears to surge. I found tight correlation between my stress level and body weight. When I am stressed out, I cannot run well. This is the major reason why the stress level affects my weight. I need to learn stress management more, because the skill seems to be important to survive. I know things will be much tougher if I continue this job.
Haruki Murakami is going to publish his new novel, called "1Q84", on May 29th. I am very lucky that I can read Japanese, so that I will be able to read the 1Q84 much earlier than most of you. The title "1Q84" comes after George Orwell's "1984", I believe. Pronunciation of "Q" is similar to that of "9" in Japanese.
You can find the latest information at Shinchosha web site.
I have been traveling a lot these days. I actually do not remember how many cities I visited last month (Detroit, Chicago, New York, Tokyo, Fargo, LA, and more). I now really do not have time to write this blog. But my traveling days will be over in two months, I hope. Once I settle down, I will write this blog again more frequently.
Haruki Murakami was awarded the Jerusalem Prize. I found the manuscript of his speech for the award. This speech was very sound and courageous. You can read the entire manuscript at this link. I really admire him that he spoke this sensitive issue about the Gaza district in front of Israeli. He was by himself and unarmed there.
haaretz.com: (by Haruki Murakami)
"Between a high, solid wall and an egg that breaks against it, I will always stand on the side of the egg."
Yes, no matter how right the wall may be and how wrong the egg, I will stand with the egg. Someone else will have to decide what is right and what is wrong; perhaps time or history will decide. If there were a novelist who, for whatever reason, wrote works standing with the wall, of what value would such works be?
This is not all, though. It carries a deeper meaning. Think of it this way. Each of us is, more or less, an egg. Each of us is a unique, irreplaceable soul enclosed in a fragile shell. This is true of me, and it is true of each of you. And each of us, to a greater or lesser degree, is confronting a high, solid wall. The wall has a name: It is The System. The System is supposed to protect us, but sometimes it takes on a life of its own, and then it begins to kill us and cause us to kill others - coldly, efficiently, systematically.
I start running again. I really surprised that I cannot run at all after one month of break. I cannot even finish 3 miles. My body changes quite rapidly adapting to an easy environment. Muscle is hard to acquire, but easy to loose. Tough world, it is.
This year, I want to run two full marathons. One in San Francisco in July, and the other one is in New York in November. This is my training plan for these two marathons. The running has become a very important part of my life.
February 70 miles
March 100 miles
April 120 miles
May 150 miles
June 100 miles
July 70 miles plus one full marathon
August 120 miles
September 150 miles
October 100 miles
November 70 miles plus one full marathon
A happy new year, everyone. I have been extremely busy last year, so I did not have a chance to meet many of you. But please remember that I am wishing all of you to have a good year.
-Takuya
I do not like cars. I do not like driving a car, neither. Although, I do have a car which I drive everyday (I've never had any car accident, so I am a good driver, though), and I am counting on it so heavily to live in this city.
As all of us know, driving a car consumes a lot of oil, which will eventually damage our environment. Amount of oil exist is limited, and I do not know it is fair that one or two generations consume all the oil on this planet. However, in the States, it is almost impossible to live without cars. I getting tired of this situation.
In Tokyo or New York city, you don't need a car for living at all. I like those environment. At least, we should develop a better public transportation system in big cities. Indeed, we should reform our road to bicycle friendly way (It is too dangerous yet to bike here).
This year, Honolulu marathon stated in a tropical storm. Heavy rain continued for 2 hours after the start time, and after sunrise, it became really hot and humid. Here are 3 tips I learned: What I should have done to prepare better for the Honolulu marathon.
1) Wear a disposable poncho when it rains.
When your body is completely wet while waiting for start, it will reduce your running ability. Try not to be completely wet if it is raining before start.
2) Bring an extra pair of running socks.
When you start running in the tropical storm, your shoes and socks will be mess. Carry on an extra pair of running socks with you. Look at my shoe after the run. So messy.
3) Carry on something to eat.
There will be bunch of water stations waiting for you. You don't have to worry about water. However, there is no place you can get something to eat. It is a long run, it is wise to carry on something to eat.
My right arm became numb after 20 miles. Then the left arm followed the same fate. It was very weird feeling that keep running without any feeling of the arms. Next target to become numb was the neck. Soon after, I lost control of my eye balls. My eye balls turned up against my will, so that I was not able see front. I could not see the road to run.
That was what happened to me after 20 miles during my first marathon. I did finished 26.1 miles (by walking after 20 miles), although all I got is the feeling that I need to revenge this. I need to fight back against this resentment. I need to repeat this, and next time I must do it better. That was all I was thinking when I was hardly walking after 20 miles (I could not even walk....).
I decide to run a full marathon again in coming July in San Francisco. Next time, I will really finish my first marathon.
I noticed that I have been a vegan for a year. I cannot believe that I did not eat any meat or fish for one year. To be honest, I do not miss meat at all, but do miss sushi bit. I sometimes make avocado rolls when I really want to eat sushi.
I think I cooked a lot during this one year. After being a vegan, I hardly had a choice to eat fast food outside, therefore, I always come back home and cook every single meal. I think this way of living is healthier but consumes much more time. In my opinion, it is not a too bad idea to invest my time for better health. Good health is number one issue, more important than money or success.
