tasuki’s blog

It used to be that I could barely run few hundred meters. The two main problems were that I couldn’t catch my breath and that the side of my stomach started hurting.

I started running regularly few months ago in connection with my extra hour a day program. I abandoned early rising — nowadays I just get up at 9 during the weekend feeling completely drained, not to mention Mondays. Changing this to rising early again is definitely on my to-do list. It rocked, and it sucks now.

When I was starting, I ran a little over 3.5km at a very slow pace (almost half an hour). After reading few articles about running, I started paying more attention to proper breathing and few other things. I added a longer 6.5km route along the river to add variety to the routine. I found it surprisingly easy to run almost twice as far.

And now, feeling pretty comfortable with 6.5km, I connected the two routes to make it over 10 kilometers (I am not sure how far it actually is, but according to google maps it’s something between 10km and a quartermarathon (10.5km)). I ran it in 57 minutes on my first (and so far the only) try. I’ll try again the next weekend, if the weather is any good.

Running is good because:

• it is rather demanding and makes you tired quickly (so that you can get back to your beloved computer as soon as possible )
• you need no special equipment and you can run anywhere
• runner’s high is not a rumour
• it helps your health in various ways (I used to have half-asthma and after running few hundred meters I couldn’t breathe for another two hours (really), but now I trained my lungs and improved my breathing technique)
• you have plenty of time to think when running, so you are bound to get various good ideas while running

Also, running is simply fun.

As any economist would tell you, time is money. What people sometimes fail to realise is that it works the other way around just as well: money is time.

That is, when you have time, you can work and get money. There are many things you can do with money. Most people just buy things they neither need nor want.

Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don’t need.
– Tyler Durden from Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

Now, I mostly like my job. But this quote is still worth thinking about.

Advertising is the art of convincing people to spend money they don’t have for something they don’t need.
– Will Rogers

On a less serious but still related note…

By the way, if anyone here is in advertising or marketing… kill yourself…you’re the ruiner of all things good… you are Satan’s spawn, filling the world with bile and garbage… kill yourself.
– Bill Hicks

So much for quotes. Back to the topic.

I live in an abundance of luxury. I have food to eat, a warm and dry place to sleep, and clothes to wear. I’m not willing to submit to pointless consumerism.

That said, I am left with some money. I can leave it in the bank waiting for the economical crisis to eat it up. Or I can use it to buy some free time to do what I really want to do…

Happy New Year, by the way.