2020 - Year in Running

My 2020 Reading list.

As the year comes to an end, it is time to make lists .I find these lists as a good reference on how I spent that year. Thanks to the lockdown, I was able to complete a decent number of books. Here is a recap onthe books and a gist .

Fiction:

All the Light we cannot see , Anthony Doerr -  Lived upto its expecation. Loved the writing . Must read for anyone who loves literary (historical) fiction. 

The Fifth Season - NK Jemisin - Loved the first part of Broken Earth trilogy. Interesting story line with good prose. 

The Obelisk Gate - NK Jemisin  - Not as good as the first one (story wise) but I liked parts of it , especially  the ones with Nassun and her father.

Men Without Woment --H Murakami - A collection of short stories from one my favorite authors. Very interesting characters as one could always expect with any book from Murakami.

There is gun powder in the air -- Manoranjan Byapari - A beautiful story from an tumultous period in WB.A good one time read.

Non Fiction:

Surprised myself reading a lot of non-fiction. Summary on the books .

Poor Economics: Rethinking Poverty & the Ways to End it  -- This book was a real eye opener for me. Learnt a lot about poor people in India , their priorities hardships and things that worked to get the out of poverty. It truly changed my attitude towards buying things from a poor shop vs a super market. Dont be intimidated by the authors .Its an easy read and a must try.

Faraday, Maxwell, and the Electromagnetic Field: How Two Men Revolutionized Physics -- Great account about  two men whose work has had profound impact on the world.

Think on these things, J Krishnamurthy -- An easy read. JK is known for his unique views about the purpose of education. A good read if you like philosophical texts.

The Ride of a Lifetime -- Bob Iger has been quite sucessful in moving Disney is the right path .In this book , he explains his working style and how he was able big names like (Pixar, LucasFilms) into the Disney family. A must read for anyone  who is interested in leading companies and teams.

Titan -Vinay Kamath -- A beautiful narration about an iconic brand from India. Read it for the nostalgia and also to get inspired how a small side project from a small team within TATA was able to carve out an iconic brand .

The Art of Learning -- Part self-help and part memoir.Loved it for the insights from Josh Waitzkin . Must read if you are  looking for enhancing your performance on any area (running/fitness, job, new skill etc).

The Pursuit of Endurance -- Ended the year with my first book focussed on fitness. A very fast read about trail hiking and running. A must have in your library for every endurance/ultra fitness freak! .

Ground contact Time.

Guruji, Suren, Veera  and I discuss many things during our longer runs. 

Recently the topic of Cadence vs Stride length popped up. Obviously all the 4 of us are different and its not apt to point exactly what is the best combination..  Although we all agreed that increasing the cadence is something every one should aim for.

Here is some interesting info my friend Veera had shared this weekend.

Here is a post explaining the device requirements to capture these metrics: https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=C8eynCstM95kcVf50iAmp6

ps: images copyright the owner. Sharing it here only for my reference.

Running Drills (for all runners)

 Good video from my coach . Saving it for my future reference ! .

🔅- What are they?

3 basic skipping drills — A skip, B skip, C skip

🔅- Who should do them?

anyone who wants to develop better form, strength, and running economy

🔅- How does it work?

repeatedly driving the knee up high in a skipping motion (and with the B skip - pawing back back on the foot strike) develops neuromuscular connections and

strength in the hip flexors, hamstrings, glutes, lower leg and foot

🔅When do you do them?

i recommend 2x week after workouts as a strength supplement to the speed session, building towards 3 sets of 15-30secs (can be more)

🔅

With anything, these take time to master. They should be done with focused purpose. In the beginning, emphasis should be placed on just learning the motions, not intensity or a great range of motion. Over time with consistency you’ll develop more speed, fatigue resistance, and better form

#RunningYogi

Lactate Threshold - LTHR

 Listened to a recent podcast where someone claimed that he always sticks below his Lactate Threshold and it has helped him sustain for long durationcs (50miler etc). And he was very careful not to exceed his HR above Lactate threshold mid -race.

Podcast - http://www.artsciencerun.com/episode-6-heart-rate-training-and-racing-training-zones-geoffrey-kamworor-runscribe-coaching-and-racing-at-same-event-etc/ 

So I got curious and read a bit about LT HR and how to find it out and training for a higher LT.

Excerpts here . Source: https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Triathlon/News/Blogs/Multisport-Lab/2011/February/15/Understanding-Lactate-Threshold-Heart-Rate-Training#:~:text=For%20most%20people%2C%20the%20lactate,points%20go%20a%20bit%20higher.

>>>>>>>> 

Lactate threshold is the point in exercise where your body produces more blood lactate than it can reabsorb (and manage other lactate by-products - look up "hydrogen & lactate & exercise" if you want some exciting reading) on a continuous basis. Well-trained athletes can usually continue exercise at just below lactate threshold for about an hour. Go over lactate threshold though, and that time drops to 5-6 minutes. 

For most people, the lactate threshold is about 20 heart beats per minute above the steady aerobic threshold. Any aerobic exercise, generally speaking, will help both points go a bit higher. But there is a point of diminishing returns. If you don't also include workouts that challenge your system by going just below to above your current lactate threshold, you will not maximize your ability in short distance to long distance events.

The secret or goal with lactate threshold training is to raise your threshold point to as close as possible to your maximum heart rate, and improve your ability to withstand that discomfort (if it was easy everyone would do it). If you never do harder workouts, then your lactate threshold will always remain below your possible maximum lactate threshold. 

Raising your lactate threshold point, for the most part, will bring your steady aerobic threshold point up with it (as the 20 bpm relationship is fairly constant).

So if you're training for an Ironman, from a specificity standpoint you want to train that steady aerobic threshold because that is more or less your race pace. But you should include some LT training as well to raise that point a bit higher.

If you're training for a sprint or Olympic distance race, from a specificity standpoint you want to work more on that 2nd threshold. You should include quite a bit of aerobic steady training as that provides your foundation. 

So you’re probably thinking: how do I find my threshold and what are some workouts ideas?

Finding it:
Warm up 15-20 minutes then 30 minutes "race effort" — as hard as you can go for 30 minutes. Take your heart rate average for the last 20 minutes. Bingo, you have your LTHR.

Biking:
2 x 20 minutes just below lactate threshold with 5 minutes easy between
5 x 5 minutes at lactate threshold with 3 minutes easy in between
5 x 3 minutes over lactate threshold with 3-5 minutes easy in between
8 x 1 minute well over lactate threshold with 2-3 minutes easy between

Running:
2 x 10 to 15 minutes (1 to 2 miles) just below threshold with 5 minutes easy between
4 or 5 x 4 minutes (800-1200m) at threshold with 2-3 minutes easy between
5 to 6 x 3 minutes (600-800m) over threshold with 3 minutes easy between
8 x 1 minute over threshold with 1 minute easy between

Generally speaking, running causes more breakdown so total "hard" training volume should not be more than 10-15 percent of weekly mileage.

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion -- excerpts.

 Notes from a book . I did not read this book but i loved this summary. Capturing it for my own reference.

This entire text is copyright of the Author. (Stiven Skyrah) .Check under - Amazon reviews of the book 

Influence:The Psychology of Persuasion;

>>

* Expensive implies quality. Example: gems in a jewel case that weren’t selling were marked up and then sold at a “discount” to the markup (a price higher than the original price), and they sold like hotcakes.
* Power of contrast. Example: If you go into a men’s store they’ll try and sell you an expensive suit before the sell you the expensive jumper because the contrast makes the sweater appear more affordable.
* Reciprocity. Example: If someone buys you something (say, a Coke), you’re more likely to buy something from them (say, raffle tickets).
* Concession. Example: If someone tries to sell you something and you pass (say $5 of $1 raffle tickets), they’ll try and sell you something less, that you’ll end up buying because you feel bad (1 $1 raffle ticket). Another term used here is “reject then retreat.”
* Commitment leads to consistency leads to collaboration. Example: During the Korean war, the Chinese got American soldiers to make public commitments of various things. Then they made those commitments even more public, which the American soldiers had to stand by to be consistent. That consistency then led them down a path of minor forms of collaboration – without them really thinking about it as such.
* Writing something down, even privately, strengthens your commitment to something.
* People like and believe in commitment because their image and reputation are on the line (i.e. the Chinese concentration camp example above).
* People like more what they struggle to get, even if it’s not that good. Example: frats (hey, it’s in the book, don’t hate the messenger).
* People like to feel they have control over a decision – even if they really don’t.
* The power of social proof, or the idea that if others do it it’s good. Example: introverted pre-schoolers who saw introverted kids become social in a movie were more inclined to go play. Another example: cults. People follow the crowd because they believe in the “wisdom” of the crowd.
* Convince and you shall be convinced. Example: cults, where people who convince or convert others become more convinced (that’s why so many are evangelical).
* Assign responsibility if you want things done. Example: a stabbing that took place over many minutes had 38 witnesses…it happened cause everyone figured someone else would call the police.
* The power of copycats that’ll play on social proof. Example: if you find a wallet of someone like you and you’re more likely to return it (it’s true). Another (scary) example: more suicides when the press publicizes a suicide…more fatal “accidents” too.
* Liking is an important part of influence. Attractiveness, similarity (identity and context), compliments, contact & cooperation all can make someone more influential.
* The reason good cop/bad cop works is because the subject feels someone is on their side.
* Associations are powerful. Bearers of good news get treated well, and bad news get treated poorly. Examples: weathermen (or Roman messengers reporting lost battles!)
* People tend to defer to authority/experts. Examples: experiments involving shock therapy where people listened to a guy in a lab coat to inflict pain on another human being (incredible how strong this is).
* The power of connotations and context over content, and how it can imply authority. Titles and clothing do this.
* Gaining trust. Example: a waiter who advises against a more expensive item early in the meal will gain the trust of everyone at the table, and then he can suggest more expensive items and more items through the course of the meal.
* Scarcity is powerful. There’s a psychological reaction…people don’t want to lose their freedom and don’t want to lose. This plays to a second point: competition. Invite 3 used car buyers at the same time and you’ll sell the car faster. A cookie is more attractive if there are two of them than if there are 10 of them. (Always as yourself when something is scarce: will the cookie taste as good if there are 10 of them?). Plus, if you saw that the number went from 10 to 2, you want it even more. It can even lead to revolt…when something is given and then taken away, people get mad; if something is never given at all, they don’t know what they’re missing.
* “It appears that commitments are most effective in changing a person’s self-image and future behaviour when they are active, public, and effortful.”
* “The most influential leaders are those who know how to arrange group conditions to allow the principle of social proof to work maximally in their favour.”
* “Social proof is most powerful for those who feel unfamiliar or unsure of​ a specific situation and who, consequently, must look outside of themselves for evidence of how to best behave there.”

>>> 

The Art of Learning.

  

 Isn't learning something that comes naturally to us ?  Afterall humans are curious creatures and we try to learn either  imitating others , or by  consuming knowledge thorugh books, videos etc.

But I found good recommendations about this book from some of my favorite programers and thinkers in twitter land. So I decided to checkout more on this ..and I am happy to admit that my initial perception was incorrect ,and reading this book  was a really good decision . 

This book is part self-help and part memoir. Johsh Waitzkin was a professional chess player early on in his life..after progresing with his Chess life, he changes course , gets interested in TaiChi and goes  on to become a professional 'push -hands' player. 

In this book he shares his perspective on learning, having the right mindset to compete /perform at the highest level of your capability. While the book is about learning, I found it more apt for competing at the highest levels. It gave me some insights on mental aspects of professional sportsmen. it is about beint prepared for every challenge that may comeup in high stakes competitions. The ideas and techniques provided can be adapted by anyone who wants to get their best from a competition , high pressure meetings , or anything that pushes our minds to adversity. 

5*s. I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes 'self-help' of 'professional improvement ' books. 

Here are some excerpts that I found very interesting from the book. 

"He had to teach me to be more disciplined without dampening my love for chess or supressing my natural voice. Many teaches have no feel for this balance and try to force their students into cookie-cutter moulds -pg 9 ( Josh W describing the mentoring philosophy of his first and favorite chess coach).

Some teachers rebel away so far away from being authoritarian that they praise all their players decision, good or bad. Their intention is to build confidence , but instead they discourage objectivity, encourage self indulgence and most importantly, create a dishonest relationship between the instructor and pupil that any bright child could sense. -pg 10.

they gave me some extra months of innocence , for which I am greatful - pg 11  (About his parents not forcing him to higher tournaments or media engagements after his initial wins).

Confidence is crucial for a great competitor. But overconfidence is brittle.We are too smart for ourselves in those moments - pg 17. (a problem that happens often with children who become quite sucessful ealy in their life/career).

Virtually all situations can be handled as long as presence of mind is maintained - pg 18

if ambitions spells probably disappointment, why pursue excellence - pg 29

De.Carol Dwek , a leading researcher in the field of developmental psychology makes the distinction between entity and incremental theories of intelligence.Children who are entiry theorists, that is , kids who have been influenced by their parents and their teachers to think in this maner are prone to use language like 'I am smart at this' and to attribute their success or failure to an ingrained and unalterable level of ability. They see their overall disciplice to be a fixed entity , a thing that cannot evolve. Incremental theorists , who have picked up a different modality of learning- lets call them 'learning theorists' are move prone to describe the results with sentances like 'I got it becuase I worked hard at it ' or 'I should have tried harder' . A child with a learning theory of intellgence tends to sense that with hard work, difficult material can be grasped - step by step, the novice can become the master. - pg 30

(A good explainer between different attitudes /approaches towards learning and outcome) .

Children who associate success with hard work tend to have a 'mastery oriented response to challenging situations , while children who see themselves as plain 'smart' , 'dumb' or 'good' at something have a learned helplessness orientation - pg 30.

Some of the brightest kids prove to be the most vulnerable to becoming helpless, becuase they feel the need to live upto and maintain a perfectionist image that is easily shattered - pg 31.

Parents and teachers have an enormous responsibility in forming the theories of intelligence in students and children - pg 32.

The key to pursuing excellence is to embrace an organic ,long term learning process and not to live in a shell of static , self mediocrity - pg 33.

I loved the struggle that is the heart of chess. These kids were crippled by the horizon imposed on them by their teachers - pg 38

One of the critical strengths of a superior competitor in any discipline is the ability to dictate the tune of the battle - pg 42.

Many people in various fields take the process first approach , as against the results first approach and transform it to avoid confronting results. - pg 44.

'the beauty of roses lie in its transience. It is drifting away even as we inhale ' - pg 46 

(a beautiful quote. Perhaps the best one from the book.Success or failure - it is all transient. And thats the beauty of it. Do not cling on to it).

glory had anything to do with happiness of long term success - pg 49,50

in performance training ,first we learn to flow with whatever comes. Then we learn to use whatever comes to our advantage .Finally , we become self sufficient,and create our own earth quakes; so our mental process feeds itself explosive inspirations, without the need for outside stimulus. - pg 54.

soft zone & hard zone -- gooe explanation and analogy . Read it . pg 54.

musicians , actors, athletes, philosophers, scientists , writers understand that brilliant creations are often born of small errors - pg 63.

I would occasionally leave the playing hall and sprint fifty yards outsid. This may have seemed strange to spectators, but it served as a psychological flush - pg 64.

'the only people for me are the mad ones , the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a common place thing but burn , burn burn like fabulous yellow roman candles - (- John Kerouac , On the Road).

a heart break can give the greatest insight into the value of love - pg 84

we have to release our current ideas to soak in new material , but not to so much that we lose touch with our unique natural talents - pg 88.

Some Book references : On the Road , The Dharma Bums, Tao Te Chung.

he was very mortal. No fancy words, no spiritual claims. He didnt expect the bowing and the scrapping usually associated with Chinese martial arts. 'if I can do it  , you can do it was his message - pg 99

(describing his TaiChi/Push-hands master William Chen).

The huge element of Tai Chi is releasing obstruction ,so the body and mind and flow smoothly together - pg 99.

The martial philosophy behind PushHands in the language of the 'Tai ChiClassics' is to defeat a thousand pounts with four onces. 

'Investment in loss' .Investment in loss is giving yourself to the learning process.In the Push Hands, it si letting yourself to be pushed without reverting back to old habits- training yourself to be soft and repetitive when your body doesnt have any idea how to do it and wants to tighten up - pg 107.

They were locked up by the need to be correct - pg 107 

(about some of his peers at the Push Hands competition and not wanted to play and fail ).

if in the beginning I had needed to look good ,to  satisfy my ego, then iI would have avoided that opportunity and all the pain that accompanied it - pg 112.

it is  much harder to maintain that humility and openness to learning when people are watching and expecting you to perform - pg 113.

it is essential to have a liberating incremantal approach that allows for times when you are not in a peak performance state - pg 113.

it is common knowledge that Jordan made more last minute shots to win the game for this team than any other player in the history of NBA..However, what made him the greatest was not perfection, but the willingness to put himself on the line as a way of life. Did he not suffer all those iights when he sent twenty thousand (Chicago) Bull fans home heartbroken? Ofcourse .But he was willing to look back on the road to basketball immortality - pg 113

(On Micheal Jordan's willingness to get burnt time and gain and put himself in a tough spot) 

The TaiChi system can be seen as a comprehensive laboratory for internalizing good fundamentals - pg 117.

the great performer can deliver a virtuoso performance without hearing a thing ,because she knows how  the notes should feel ,coming out even if her primary monitor - her ears are temporarily unavailable-  pg 122.

if you have watched  for some of the most explosive hitters in boxing world,for instance Mike Tyson or Muhammed Ali you've seen fights where knockouts look completely unrealistic ... they have condensed large circles (routines) into very small ones and made their skill virtually invisible to the untrained eye - pg 122.

it is rarely a mysterious technique that drives us to the top, but rather a profound master of what may well be a basic skill set - pg 123.

we have to learn to be at peace with imperfection - pg 127

One thing I have learned as a competitor is that there are clear distinctions between what it takes to be decent ,what it takes to be good and what it takes to be great and what it takes to be among the best.

if I want to be the best, I have to take risks that others would avoid,always optimizing the learning potential - pg 132.

Let setbacks deepen your resolve.You should always come out of an injury or a loss better than when you went down - pg 133.

chunking relates to the mind's ability to take lots of information, find a harmonizing logically consistent strain and put it together into one mental file that can be accessed as if it were a single piece of information - pg 139 

(about 'chunking' .A popular tactic for learning /memorizing complex items).

The stronger chess player is the one who is less attached to a dogmatic interpretation of principles- pg 141.

profoundly refined martial artisty can sometimes appear mystical to less skilled practitioners -- they have trained themselves to perceive and operate within segments of time that are too small to be percieved by untrained minds - pg 147.

Its amazing how much you can learn about someone when they get caught in the rain ..some will run with their hands over their heads, others will smile and take a deep breath while enjoying the wind. What does this say about their relationship with discomfort. - pg 153.

while refined mental competitors can have extended dialogues (with their own psychological states) most people are relatively unaware of their psychological subtelities.-

In every discipline , the ability to say clearheaded ,to be present ,cool, under fire is what seperates the best from the mediocre -pg 172.

we cannot expect to teach excellence  if 'going through the motions' is the norm of our lives - pg 172.

the secret is that everything is always on the line.The more present we are at practice, the more present we will be in competition ,in the boardroom, at the exampe, at the operating table, the big stage - pg 172.

Looking back over my games, I saw that when I had been playing well, I had two to ten minute crisp thinks.When I was off my game, I would fall into deep calculation lasting over twenty minutes and this 'long think' often led to inaccuracy - pg 179.

On the power of routines : Players who are able to relax in brief moments of inactivty are almost alwyas the ones who end up coming through when the game is on the line.This is why , eminent tennis players of the day, like Ivan Lendl and Pete Sampras had those strangely predictive routines of serenly picking their racquets between the points weather they won or lost their last exchange - pg 179

He had the best recovery time of any athlete I've ever seen  . (About Micheal Jordan) - pg 179

The more he could let things go , the faster he was in the next drive - pg 179

regardless of the discipline , the better we are at recovering , the greater the potential we have to endure and perform under stress - pg 180.

physical flushing and mental clarity are very much intertwined - pg 182 

(about doing some physical activity to clear the mind).

the fighter who can recovery in the thirty seconds between the rounds and in the irregular intervals between matches will have a huge advantage over a guy who is still huffing and puffing , mentally or physically from the last battle - pg 182.

In long chess tournaments , that may last for over two weeks, one of the most decisive factors is the competitors ability to sleep at night. - pg 186.

Not only do we have to be good at waiting ,we have to love it. Because waiting is not watching , waiting is life - pg 187.

I believe an appreciation for simplicity , the everyday- the ability to dive deeply into the banal and discover lifes hidden richeness is where success lies ,let alone happiness emerges - pg 187.

if there is nothing in your life that feels serene, medidation is the perfect hobby to help you discover the launching point in your search for a personalized routine. - pg 189

good advise about building a routine that gets you 'in the zone' .Like a run every morning etc for peak performance - pg 189 to 191.

Tai Chi meditation is the practice of ebb and flow , soft and hard, yin and yang , change - 

to walk a thorny road , we may cover each and every inch with leather, or we can make sandals for your feet - pg 199.

righteous indignation will get me nowhere - pg 202.(About staying calm inspite of reacting).

its easy to talk about nonviolence when I am in a flower garden. The real internal challenge is to maintain that fundamental perspective when combined by hostility , aggresion and pain - pg 203.

I believe that at the highest levels, performers and artists must be true to themselvesThere can be no denial , no repression  of true personality or the creation will be false - pg 210 .

We are built to be sharpest hwen in danger, but protected lives have distanced us from our natural abilities to channel our energies.Instead of running from our emotions or being swept away by their initial gusts, we should learn to sit with them , become at peace with their unique flavors ,and ultimately discover the deep pools of inspiration .

Once we build our tolerence for turbulence, and are no longer upended by the swells of our emotional life, we can ride them and even pull up speed with the slopes - pg 211.

Truly superb competitive psychologists are finely attuned to their diverse moods and to the creative potential born of them - pg 212.

Learners and performers come in all shapes and sizes.Some people are aggressive, others are cautious. Some of us like questions, others prefer answers - pg 217.

the greates artists and competitors are masters at navigating their own psychologies, playeing on their strengths, controlling the tone of the battle so that it fits their personalities. - pg 217.

'The real art of learning takes place as we move beyond proficiency , when out work becomes an expresion of our essence' - pg 218.

An exploration on Peter Thiel's philosophy.

 A good one - 

https://www.perell.com/blog/peter-thiel

Interesting links

First principles thinking - what it is .A thread: 

https://twitter.com/SahilBloom/status/1329458583537397765

Another good one about 'first principles' - https://shuvi.medium.com/practising-first-principles-b2546d83b5e0

Some interesting topics that I read this week.

Interesting podcast with Sudhir Venkat ,author of  'Gang Leader for a Day'

https://freakonomics.com/podcast/bonus-sudhir-mcgowan/ 

Freakanomics podcast - https://freakonomics.com/archive/

Insights on capitalism etc: 

Slatestarcodex - https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/07/30/meditations-on-moloch/ 

"

Financial Matters reference.

Good tweet thread on Index funds vs ETFs.

Index funds vs ETFs.  - https://twitter.com/kirtan0810/status/1328565065625128965

Bottomline - Stick to Index funds if you are not sure. https://fpa.edu.in/blog/index-funds-vs-etfs 

A thread of threads about Insurance policies:

https://twitter.com/FincademyIn/status/1328927554141646849 

Schitt's Creek

 

It is all but impossible to explain

why things happen the way they do.

Our lives are like little bébé crows,

carried upon a curious wind.

And all we can wish, for our families,

for those we love,

is that that wind

will eventually places
us on solid ground.

   - Moira Rose (S06-E14) .

Loved this series.. Very unique characters and excellent performace. Initial season sounded more like slapstick comedy but as the seasons progressed, the show become something else and by the last season I started to love the characters and their personalities more.

Must watch for many reasons !! 

Some interesting links about Trumpism.

 I was surprised to see that the US2020 election was a cliff hanger .

 I was expecting it to be a 'wave' against the incumbent president. 

Here are some articles I read recently which tried to explain why certain things may happen.

I am not sure if this is actually what is happening here. But some interesting observations that made me think. 

https://glineq.blogspot.com/2020/11/what-we-owe-to-donald-j-trump.html 

https://glineq.blogspot.com/2020/04/trump-as-ultimate-triumph-of.html 

https://alexdanco.com/2019/04/28/secrets-about-people-a-short-and-dangerous-introduction-to-rene-girard/ 

Lost - by Charles Bukowski

 

Liked this .

those who escape hell, however,
never talk about it
& nothing much bothers them after that.
I mean, things like missing a meal,
going to jail, wrecking your car,
or even the idea of death itself.

when you ask them,
“how are things?”
they’ll always answer, “fine, just fine…”

once you’ve been to hell and back,
that’s enough
it’s the greatest satisfaction known to man.

>> Full poem.

they say that hell is crowded, yet,

when you’re in hell,
you always seem to be alone.
& you can’t tell anyone when you’re in hell
or they’ll think you’re crazy
& being crazy is being in hell
& being sane is hellish too.

those who escape hell, however,
never talk about it
& nothing much bothers them after that.
I mean, things like missing a meal,
going to jail, wrecking your car,
or even the idea of death itself.

when you ask them,
“how are things?”
they’ll always answer, “fine, just fine…”

once you’ve been to hell and back,
that’s enough
it’s the greatest satisfaction known to man.

once you’ve been to hell and back,
you don’t look behind you when the floor creaks
and the sun is always up at midnight
and things like the eyes of mice
or an abandoned tire in a vacant lot
can make you smile
once you’ve been to hell and back.”

Is your life like a CV

A nice pasage :  

"Orderly  and boring lives are a privilege of rich and orderly societies.  We all (perhaps except when we are 25) wish to lead such lives. But they are also very limited lives: the range of emotions and choices that we experience is narrow. We may want to have as our teachers in social science people who had to drink poison to make a point (Socrates), or were jailed and tortured (Machiavelli), or were executed on the orders of a national assembly (Condorcet), or banished and killed by a totalitarian regime (Kondratieff); or those who had to flee their governments and reinvent themselves (Marx), or move into incendiary politics (Weber), or migrate to another language and continent (Schumpeter, Hayek, Kuznets, Leontieff), or experience the thrill of forbidden pleasures (Keynes)" 

full text and source - http://glineq.blogspot.com/2019/06/non-exemplary-lives.html 

Over and Underpronation.

 Never used to think about these things. But recently , a friend checked my worn out shoes and said I may be 'overpronating' . Which in itself is not bad , but may need special care (in terms of better shoes).

i did some research and here is how the wear pattern of an over and under pronator woud look like.

If you are facing shin-splints or other pains, and not sure why, this may be a good thing to check for.

Motion control shoes - these are very rigid and provide extra stability. Ideal for flat-foot and for overpronation.  Very sturdy .

Stabilizer shoes: very less sturdy. For high-arch. lighter and good for races. When you bend the shoe it easily bends.

Source and copy rights belog to the following short and informative video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzM0-9vILcA 

More references: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcIx7ykJY6U

Shoe selection guide: https://www.rogansshoes.com/rogans-best-fit-guide 

Flat foot and motion control shoes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7y1tU8UhTA

Overpronation - Biomechanics and Wear pattern: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T37Z9GnsaoY

Exercises for overpronation: 

For legs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ompYPEHbyM

For hips (Gluteus Medius) : https://www.sports-injury-physio.com/post/gluteus-medius-exercises  

Exercises for Shin splits:

https://youtu.be/-nGgxe_uoF4?t=372 

Clam 

single leg hip thrusters- 

single leg calf raises.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZxnb1eqLfo

Stress fracture: 

Stress facture explained and what to look in x-ray: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHExdzlbR9U

Another video : 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9l0m00qAGUc

Good stress fracture explanation: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9l0m00qAGUc

Stress fracture Rehab: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHSIJ997Ap4

Old shoes.

Wear pattern on my shoes. A perfect example of overpronation :) 

 

I am only a momentary poet

 

Kal nai komple footengi, kal naye phool muskurayenge,
Aur nai ghaas ke naye fars par naye paav ithlayenge,

Wo mere beech nahi aaye, wo mere beech nahi aaye,
Mai unke beech me kyu aau,
Mai unki subho aur shamo ka ek lamha kyu pau ,

Mai pal do pal ka sayar hu,
Pal do pal mere khani hai,
Pal do pal mere hasti hai,
Pal do pal mere jawani hai ……………..

/Badnaam Shayar/

I am only a momentary poet. 

These few moments define who I am, they tell my whole story. 

That just like there was a poet before me, there will be many more after me, better than me

Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/CD6ZQn1lGBi/

Men without women - H Murakami.

A collection of short stories from my favorite author. Loved the various unique scenarios. Especially the story 'Men Without Women'.

Some beautiful lines - 

I wish there was a machine there was a machine that could accurately measure sadness , and display it in numbers that you could record. -- pg 219.

In the end,she died. The phone call in the middle of the night made that clear. ..When she died I lost my fourteen - year old self.Like a baseball player's number that is permanently retired, the fourteen -year-old inside me left for good. .. was not locked away in a thick safe,intricately locked, buried on the bottom of the sea. - pg 219. 

"Its quite easy to become Men without Women. You love a woman deeply,and then she goes off somewhere 

2001 college trip.

 

Prayer of St. Teresa of Calcutta.

 

I asked God to take away my pride, and God said no. He said that pride is not taken away - it is denied. 

I asked God to heal my bedridden daughter. God told me no. Her soul is safe, but her body will still die. 

I asked God to give me patience, and God said no. He said that patience comes as a result of trials - it is not given, but deserved. 

I asked God to give me happiness, and God said no. He said that he gives a blessing, and whether I am happy or not is up to me. 

I asked God to protect me from the pain, and God said no. He said that suffering distracts a person from worldly worries and leads to Him. 

I asked God for my spirit to grow, and God said no. He said that the spirit must grow on its own. 

I asked God to teach me to love all people as He loves me. Finally, the Lord said, you understood that you had to ask.  

I asked for patience, and God sent me trials to harden me.  I asked for wisdom, and God sent me problems to think about.

I asked for courage - and God sent me dangers.  I asked for love - and God sent the unfortunate who needed my help.  

I asked for blessings - and God gave me opportunities. 

I didn't get anything I wanted -  I got everything I needed!  God heard my prayers.

Training zones based on HRR (Heart Rate Reserve)

source: Marathon Training webinar by - Pete Pfitzinger 

https://www.slideshare.net/How2RunFast/marathon-training-webinar 

Tempo run