Baby panda

Sorry this is not a running-related post, but I am sure you will forgive me - it's a weekend after all!

I am a Mac user, and one of the Widgets on my desktop is pamda-cam from the San Diego Zoo. I used to enjoy watching a panda eat bamboo, eat more bamboo and fall asleep - sounds like an idea life to me! About a month ago, however, the panda began staying inside all the time, never going out. This lasted for several weeks, and I became very concerned about a wellness of this panda. So I went to the San Diego Zoo Web site, and discovered that this Panda, named Bai Yun, had a baby on 3 August. Having learned all this, I looked closely for a baby. It took quite a while but I finally spotted it, but it looked just like a mouse! (The black and white screen did not help). Slowly but surely, however, it began to resemble a panda (well it is a baby panda after all). Also fascinating is the way Bai Yun the mother holds the baby panda - it is just like our mother cuddles her baby. So I am having a very good time following the baby panda growing up, and since nobody seems to be talking about it (I am sure they do in San Diego, but for the rest of us) I just thought I would spread the word. It really is a great sight. The Web site is here:
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/zoo/ex_panda_station.html
but if you are a Mac user like me, you can have it on your Widget:
http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/webcams/pandacam.html
Good weekend to you all, and also to the mother and baby pandas!

Today: 8 miles
This week: 60 miles

With a little help from my friends

I was running along the canal this morning to get to the Victoria Park. To reach the entrance you have to clim up a little slope, so I stopped and started walking while drinking water. Suddenly I heard the shout "don't stop, keep going!" I did not realise at first it was meant for me, but then I looked over the other side of the canal and saw a few guys taking a time off from their work. They shouted at me again "come on, run!" So I happily obliged and trotted up into the park.

This incident reminded me of one day in April this year. I was running along the Thames River, when suddenly a truck stopped, the door opened and the driver got off. Then I saw him running towards me! Naturally I was very alarmed; I thought it was one of those nutters in London. But then he looked into my eyes and asked me; "Are you running the marathon tomorrow?" Yes it was the day before the London marathon, and he just wanted to wish me a good luck. I thanked him sincerely (I wasn't going to run the London marathon, but I couldn't possibly tell no to him) and he returned to his truck and drove away. It was incredible, especially to think it happened in the middle of megalopolis like London!

We marathoners can always hear what spectators are shouting to us. Although I cannot stop to say thank you to everyone, I really really appreciate your support. I am not exaggerating when I say it is only the cheering from the crowd that keeps me going in the last 5 miles of the Boston Marathon.

Today: 16 miles
This week: 52 miles

When going gets tough

There are now just over 5 weeks before the Big Day. At this point of training, I am usually in two minds. I feel I have to bring up my training run to the marathon pace. However my legs are heavy because of all the miles I put in so far, so my pace is nowhere near 7-minute per mile where I want to be. When I trained seriously for the first time, which was for the Boston Marathon in 2006, I was really panicking one month before the race. As if a miracle, however, my pace picked up as I approached the race.

My legs are very heavy at the moment, and as I have already written my marathon pace run last Saturday was a disaster. But I am just hoping it will all work out OK over the next few weeks.

Today: 8 miles
This week: 36 miles

Head start

I got up early this morning and managed to run 16 miles. One thing I discovered during this training is that, if you want to get up early and put in long runs, it is easiest to do at the start of the week. (Although this is Tuesday, we had a public holiday here yesterday so today is de facto the first day of the week) This is surprising given that my working life is as sedate as it can possible get - I just sit in front of the desk and computer all day long. However as the week goes on, it becomes increasingly difficult to get up in the morning. So I have now decided to cram the most difficult training at the beginning of the week, and gradually easing up towards the end. Then I beat myself up hard at the weekend by running long runs. This pattern seems to be working fine so far, and I just hope I will get through this for the next five weeks.

Today: 16 miles
This week: 28 miles

Nervousness of the Sprint Runner

I watched the men's 100m final in the World Athletic Championship. It was so intense! Imagine you have been preparing for this race for years, and it is over in less than 10 seconds. I cannot even begin to guess what goes through the athlete's mind at the starting line. Good thing it doesn't matter how you start in the marathon. Actually the worst thing you could possible do in a marathon is to start too fast. Moreover nowadays all the races adopt the "net time" (that is, the countdown doesn't start when the race starts, but they only start counting your time after you have crossed the starting line). Anyway the start is always jam-packed, so I always trot to the starting line. I am very grateful for this - I cannot imagine how nervous I would feel if I were a sprint runner (even though I had no chance; at school I was the slowest sprinter in the class in a bad year. In a good year I was the second from the last!)

Today: 12 miles
This week: 12 miles