Tag: running

Sunday Run

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"No Fire" Cedar Park, 2018
Photo info: Motorola Moto G (4), 3.64mm, f/2, 1/640 sec, ISO50
 “No Fire” Cedar Park, 2018

こんばんは。How’s it going?

This morning I decided to go running for the first time in a few months. I tend to go in cycles with my running, which is kind of odd because I enjoy it so much. I guess I just fill my day up with other stuff. But for some reason, I just decided I should go. So I laced up my running shoes (actually my On Cloud shoes don’t have laces) and headed out. I surprised myself because I had a lot of energy and my legs didn’t get tired when I expected they would, but I didn’t push it and walked about a third of the way. Maybe it’s because I do squats ever day? I don’t know, but I felt really good!

The Texas heat is coming on strong, though, and when I passed by the small park, I saw the barbeque grills were off-limits as you can see in the photo. It looks like it’s going to be a sweltering summer.

By the way, I use Strava to track my running. If you are on Strava too, let’s connect!

I hope you had a good Sunday!

またね～

Soreness

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"Running Shoes" Cedar Park, 2017
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/7 sec, ISO3200
 “Running Shoes” Cedar Park, 2017

こんばんは。How’s it going?

I started running again, and today I ran for the third time in a week and a half. I hadn’t run for a year or so, so my legs were so sore!

But it’s a good soreness… not painful, but the type of soreness that shows that you made a good effort.

Usually, when I start running again, I can begin increasing my distance after about 3 or 4 runs and recovery, so I anticipate getting back on track this week. But, since I am almost 50, it’s only natural that it could take longer. (I can’t believe I am getting close to 50!)

If you are on Strava, let’s connect so we can see each other’s exercise activity! My Strava is here: https://www.strava.com/athletes/2721791

I hope you had a nice day!

Coins to coffee

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"Coins to Coffee" Cedar Park, 2016
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/8, 1/20 sec, ISO3200
 “Coins to Coffee” Cedar Park, 2016

こんばんは！ Hello, how are you doing?

Sunday was a funday for us. We enjoyed relaxing, grocery shopping, making smoothies, and watching tv. Koa and I did something new, which is converting all of our collected coins into a Starbucks gift card at the supermarket. It was pretty fun! And exciting too, watching the screen as the machine sorted all the coins and translated that into a total amount. I was impressed that the machine actually weeded out some Japanese coins that snuck into the jar. Pretty smart! Check out the video below for some of the action.

Later in the day I put on my running shoes and went for an easy run/walk around the neighborhood. It’s been a long time since I went running so I took it extra-easy today. It was a lot of fun to get some sun and fresh air. My legs felt great, and after the run, I spend a while on the exercise bike. I guess the smoothie we made earlier gave me a lot of energy. 😄

Tomorrow is Memorial Day here in the States. We’ll be at home again, spending the day together as a family.

Take care!

おやすみなさい！

– B Barron Fujimoto

Thinking About Thinking

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On a Run
On a Run

I’ve always tried to keep my work life and my personal life separate, and I’ve been fairly successful in this. Even in my blog, I rarely mention my work life. I can’t remember if I ever mentioned work in my blog, actually. This separation of work and personal life applied to even simply thinking about work when I was off-the-clock. But lately, work has been on my mind a lot, and my efforts to not think about it have been a little bit draining. Maybe draining is a little too severe a word for it, but it’s in the back of my mind… nagging me. “I should NOT be thinking about work!” It was irritating and didn’t seem right.

But I’ve come to realize that it’s okay for me to think about work on my off-hours, and what was making it irritating was not the fact that I was thinking about work, but that I had a rule that I was NOT supposed to be thinking about work. I was spending time thinking about how I should not be thinking!

So I decided to suspend the rule and see what happened. And the time I spend running is the perfect time to test how it works out. I am happy to say that it’s been going great! When I start thinking about work-related things, I just go with the flow and see where my thoughts go. By not worrying about it, there is no more stress! More often than not, I find myself thinking about other stuff after only a few minutes. This is kind of a relief to me. And surprisingly entertaining as well. Part of my mind sits above the rest, and observes where my thoughts lead. It’s very interesting! The mind is incredible and mysterious, づすね！

Me Time

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I went on a chilly, misty run today. It was only 49° F out! For me, that is the coldest I have run in, I think. A PR! But it wasn’t so bad since I had a beanie on and the wind. But besides that, I was thinking that running this past year has become a lot more enjoyable for me. The main reason is that it is purely “Me Time”. Not in the sense that I am run alone, but rather that I don’t listen to music or podcasts any more on my runs. If I listened to the podcasts, it’s not “me time”, it’s “them time”. For this special hour of the day, I don’t want to give it up to someone else (and their opinions) no matter how much I might like them. On a run, I want to let my mind wander by itself, and think about things unguided by others. Is this “mindfulness” in a sense? I don’t know.

But I like the fact that I don’t need to be “entertained” or motivated by listening to music or podcasts on my run.

It’s simple, but I like SIMPLE!