Angry like a wallaby

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Brainstorming (Pt. 8)

I'm back!

I mean, I wasn't away or something.

Actually my ass was glued to my desktop.

I was worrying on my paper, and finally yesterday I've sent it out. I've done my job. Now is in the hands of something/someone that doesn't have nothing in common with science. I delivered honest and solid science. Now it's up to luck/connections/politic/magic/fate to decide.

If you're outside this world, this big family of hate called "science" you can't understand (one day I will explain). If you belong to the family, you know what I mean.

Anyway, I was so busy that I haven't time to write anything interesting, and honestly, after a day spent staring at a screen, juggling with Photoshop, Illustrator, Words and company, my desire to spend more time writing thing in the blog was under my feet.

Ok, done with the intro. Here the trash bin of my brain...

- It's hug-a-tree week/month/whatever, so now more than ever, hug a tree like there is no tomorrow.

- "Shine on you crazy diamond" early in the morning it's an experience, not a song.

- It's again that time of the year, when squirrels feel the heat, when flowers and trees are blossoming, when temperature are lovely and when douchebags are running almost naked. Ah, spring!

- Look at this huge salamander! it's huge!

- Ghost. I have a ghost in my bedroom. And it's fine, I'm not complaining. It doesn't bother me... It's like the feeling of this presence in my bedroom, kind of scary kind of who-cares... It usually happens when I'm not sleeping yet, but also I'm not completely awake... Usually it tickles my feet or whispers thing that I cannot understand, but the other night it woke me up yelling "It's me, it's god!!". So, here's my request: dear ghost, if you have something to say, say it, but please, let me sleep. Now, if instead you're god for real, please choose another one because I'm definitively not in your team (as you can see, I write your name without capital letter).

- Ok, I don't believe in any ghosts or god, but it would be nice if it was real (the ghost part, I mean, not the god one. The god-one who cares...)...

- ...and speaking of that, I've always been attracted by the classic ghost stories, since I was a kid. I like the atmosphere and the mood of those stories...

- If you want to read a really good graphic novel from Italian authors (do not worry, it's in English), please help the campaign here: Rim City.

- I'm in deep crisis with my music: I don't know what to listen.

- The other day I saw a squirrel doing the imitation of Phil Anselmo (I swear, it was exactly in this pose, looking with disgust another squirrel), and it was great! Actually I laughed a lot. I was thinking about the story of this tough squirrel (I will call it Philip the Squirrel), and all the consequences of this, like he has an album titled "Vulgar display of squirrels", and then he become addicted to drugs and he OD with nuts, etc, etc...

- Once again: I want to climb!! But the idea of that crowded/annoying/stinky gym makes me sick.

- Stupid dream I had last week: I was one the character from Master of the Universe, and I was fighting my enemy inside a CVS...

- I'm tired... My legs are tired. I didn't recover properly from my last race, and now I'm paying it...

- ...and speaking of races, I need to find a couple of 50 miles to run (plus other ultras). I'm already in for the El Scorcho (let's see if I can do better than last year [9th overall]), I want to run the insane 9 hours/2 miles loop/night-to-morning at the new Fossil Trail (I'm just guessing the name, I'm lazy and I don't want to search), I want to run some Capt'n Karl's (it would be nice run all the races, but unfortunately I don't have time) and definitively I want to have my revenge on Cactus Rose and trying to do better. Also, I want to run a (couple of) 100 km, just to get myself in the condition to run a 100 miles.

Hey, I wrote a lot this time...
This one is for Philip the Squirrel.

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

A-OK race report: when random things work well...

A short report of what I did Sunday.

Basically: I signed up for this 50 km in Oklahoma. It wasn't in program, I signed the very last minute, and the plan was to run it just for training (even though I now myself, and I know that I can't just do it for training: if I'm there I have the rush of being competitive and do my best), with no intention at all of being epic...

Well, it turned out it went better than I thought.

I did first over all, with a nice time of 4 hours, 21 minutes and 6 seconds, that is actually my PR on the 50 km trail (and only 3 minutes slower to my road-PR). Meh, who cares, boring numbers...

It was a nice course and a fun race: a lot of mud, a lot of water to cross, and I also got lost...

Special thanks to: Mother Nature for Epsom Salt and the DDR for the support.

Ok, that's it, I'm busy, the end.

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Reprieve.

Set yourself a goal so difficult that death will seem like a welcome reprieve...

(From "Doomed", Chuck Palahniuk)

Friday, March 6, 2015

7.5 years and 4,900,000,000 km after.

Dawn, a cool probe from NASA, has reached the dwarf planet Ceres.

Read the full story and watch the video here.

Neat!

Hurray for Science!

Monday, March 2, 2015

365 days and 5339.67 km after.

I's my ultra-birthday.

One year from my first ultra (the 50 km Cowtown in Fort Worth).

Yeeeiii, congratulation!!!

Actually, I was supposed to celebrate it on February 23, but I missed the date (I thought it was this weekend)...

Anyway, that was the first one, I ran a bunch of others during the year, and I'm kind of happy of my results (I'm not bagging, I'm just saying it)...

During this year I've learned a lot of things, and I still have to learn a lot...

(One of) The biggest satisfaction was (and still is), rubbing it on the face of those haters that never believed in me and were saying "You are not able to do that...", "What do you think you are..." etc. etc... Ah, priceless...

Anyway, I keep rolling and it's not time to rest yet... As I was saying, right now I'm not feeling (mentally) ready for the 100 miles... I'm planning a lot of 50 miles and a (less) 100 km before step up to 100 miles. But I'll do it, don't worry...

Ok, done, happy birthday to me.

Here: totally unrelated music (but great song):

(note: there are a lot of parenthesis in this post.)

Monday, February 23, 2015

Cross Timbers 50 miles report: a story about fruits and coke.

...so Saturday February 21 I ran the first ultra of 2015.

...so i should write a long and analytic report on how I finished in 9 hour 37 minutes and some seconds in the 5th place overall.

...but it will boring.

So, I'm gonna write random things about the race: connect the dots and enjoy the journey.

- The place and the course is really wonderful. Pretty hard the first part, easy and fast the second half.

- The first 10 km I was out. I was feeling weak and tired... I was in the mood of "I will barely finish it..."... Then something happened, I changed gear and I was in an altered-state of grace and everything was fine...

- ...it was SO fine, that for almost all the time I was thinking "It can't be possible, there is something wrong..." and the more cheerful "Something bad is gonna happen soon..."...

- This time I was prepared: I have plenty of food and fuel. I didn't use any. I was fueling with grapes and orange and coke: one bit of orange, some grape, a sip of coke and go. I've never stopped more then five minutes in the aid stations. I think I've found my best fueling-rule and my "winning" strategy.

- The last couple of miles I was thinking that I'm probably not ready yet for a 100 miles. I could be physically prepared, but not mentally. No rush anyway, I'm working on it.

- In general, I think I ran smart: I dosed my energy really well and I've been able to run all the time without any dramatic change in the pace. Honestly speaking, I was amazed by myself.

- In the last two weeks I was so nervous about the race. I don't know why. I wasn't feeling good. I was afraid to fail and I was feeling this burden on my shoulders. I was scare of disappoint myself.

...I think it's pretty much it.

If something else will pop in my mind about the race I will upgrade the post.

...or I won't.

I don't care.