Starting to Prepare for the Marathon with a Good Half Marathon Run
On July 23, I always got right back to sleep after waking up, also going to pee the first three times, the last of those being just after 1 PM. And that remained the case during the last hour, even if I woke up a couple more times and was once again awake and just about to check the time again when the alarm rang, at 2 PM. So I got up and had the usual stuff, both the yogurt and the apple being bio (organic). The yogurt had just expired, the almonds had done so at the end of June, and the apple was imported and had started to spoil, so I had to remove a fair part of it and it was small to begin with. And those two nicer biscuits that I once again had as the sweet thing were, of course, expired since the end of 2025, just the honey added on them being fine, since that doesn’t expire. And, after cleaning the litter box, it was 4:15 PM when I left, wearing the full running gear and one armband. The reported temperature at that point was 22°C at the station inside the city and 25°C at the other two, converging to 23-24°C in all three by the time I finished.
The time was 1:18:30, with sector times of 4:27.11, 5:03.71, 5:58 (5:57.66), 4:32.16, 5:07 (5:06.47), 5:59.37, 4:33 (4:32.97), 5:08.31, 6:09 (6:08.75), 4:40 (4:39.69), 5:19 (5:18.81), 6:07, 4:29, 5:10 and 5:49, making for lap times of 15:28.48, 15:38.00, 15:50.03, 16:06 and 15:28. I once again checked the exact times for as long as they were displayed, but what matters is that I initially wondered whether I might get under 1:18, thinking that I needed 15:20 on the first lap if I was to have any chance of that. And I was far from it, so I switched straight to wanting to at least make sure that I’ll stay under 1:20, and after a lap two that was all right from that point of view, I wanted to stay under 16 minutes on lap three as well, to be sure that I’ll have enough of a buffer in case there will be any issues. And I managed that, but sector three of lap three showed that I was tiring, and the first two sectors of lap four made it even clearer. Yet that buffer which I had built meant that I could aim to get under 1:19 if there won’t be problems, so I did, pushing more on sector three of lap four and really going for it on lap five, initially just wanting to know that I tried but doubting that I could make it until the first sector gave me real hope. And after the second I was almost certain that I’ll make it, and after really giving everything I had left on the last sector, which ended up being the fastest sector three of the day, and the lap ending up matching the first lap, I was slightly disappointed that I had exactly 1:18:30 and hadn’t managed to squeeze under that time as well, especially after possibly losing a second at the end, when I didn’t quite get the steps right. Still, it’s the best time over this distance since April.
I slowed to wait for a way through a roadblock on sector one of lap two, while on sector one of lap four, under the bridge, I got startled and hesitated when a guy jumped just as I was about to pass by him. And there were two more moments when I hesitated on the following sector, while on sector three of lap four I slowed when a pigeon couldn’t decide what to do when it saw me coming and stayed right in my way. As for physical issues, at first it felt like the corners of a nail were jabbing into the toe, but that sensation went away pretty soon, and there was no blood, and the warnings from that knee only got more notable from sector one of lap four. When a certain pressing need also appeared and became quite concerning on the following sector, I was getting worried, but at least that feeling faded after that. The knee didn’t get better, on the other hand, in fact getting worse from sector two of lap five, and everything below it also started to give warnings from that point.
After grabbing the packaging of some snacks with a code that can be entered in a contest on the way back, I ate a lot of watermelon, went to drop a bag of trash down the chute, did the day’s squats, ate lunch, in the form of some slices brought by dad that made up almost an entire pizza, also ate some of the ice cream made by mother, eventually went to pay the maintenance bill, munched on a large bag of corn puffs, and otherwise had a pretty normal evening and night, the three matches making me not go out again.
After needing some time to fall asleep, the sound of mowing coming from behind the building woke me up at some point, probably around 8:30 AM, since I stayed in bed for a while longer before checking the time, seeing 8:41 AM, and going to pee. And the noise stopped a little after that, so I wondered if it’d be like the previous time and tried to get back to sleep, but eventually the noise started again and after waiting a while longer I got up just before 9:30 AM, changed, and got on the computer, though dad also got up after a few minutes, so I eventually cleaned the litter box again before he left, and also stuffed a large load of laundry in the machine and started it. And after managing to hang everything to dry, I changed back into my pajamas and got back in bed at 1:05 PM… But I didn’t get much more sleep. I must have gotten about an hour and a half before waking up the first time, I was fully awake for well over half an hour before getting up for good, at 5:25 PM, and in the almost two hours in between I’m not even absolutely sure that I got back to sleep at all. It seems very likely that I did a few times, but only very briefly, the storm and the noises from upstairs definitely not helping. Either way, after doing the day’s squats and eating lunch, I went out at 9 PM, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol and the cartons, picking up another carton on the way to that Mega Image that’s next to Tei, trying to put that recyclable that wasn’t being accepted in the regular machine from there as well, still without success, and then putting the cartons in that machine from there that accepts those, splitting them on two vouchers.
I picked up a few more recyclables on the way to Kaufland and used two machines from there, struggling to get the first one, which kept saying that the recyclables weren’t empty, to accept a few before moving to another, which easily accepted the rest, except that one that I was still left with, so I got two vouchers from there as well. And then I put the bag with that remaining recyclable in a cabinet that didn’t lock but at least seemed to, the handle turning freely, washed my hands, entered the store just before 9:50 PM… And there’s no point in saying what I meant to buy, calculating the total in order to exceed the minimum required for the voucher received during their last campaign that doubled the deposit to apply, because it didn’t. So I was at the self-checkout when the closing announcement came and remained there for a while longer, asking for help and having an employee who was just passing by say that there had been problems with those vouchers all week and I should call their support line, which obviously wasn’t an option at that hour. And the one who tried to help asked to see my phone, but I could just show her that picture of the QR code and say that I had activated the voucher on-line. So I told her to just cancel everything and I moved over to another machine and only bought a lettuce and some beets, both having evening discounts, a pack of supposedly spoiling tomatoes that looked quite fine, and an oat bar that had a deep discount because it was crushed, not expiring, needing to enter the code for the store card, since it wouldn’t scan on that machine, and also using the vouchers received for the recyclables. And, after retrieving what I had in the cabinet, I made my way back, picking up a few more recyclables, quickly checking the Mega Image that closes at 11 PM, entering with everything, and wasting some time in the one that’s next to Tei, putting my things in a cabinet but eventually just retrieving them and walking out.
I got back at 11:45 PM and, after eating an orange and a sweet pastry, it was almost 12:55 AM when I went to wash, being done just under half an hour later. But then I spent some time on the computer and cut my toe nails, only going back to the kitchen at 1:55 AM. And then I also put the few purchases in their place and washed a few things… At which point my smaller opal plate slipped from my hands and crashed into the edge or side of the glass baking tray, which was in the sink, though neither seemed chipped or cracked. Either way, I somehow still managed to stick to the dinner schedule, even if by “cheating” in order to be able to say that I took a first bite in my room before 3 AM. And after dinner I sent a message about the problem to Kaufland.
After getting right back to sleep after waking up to pee at one point, the second time I woke up I ended up staying awake for a while before deciding to pee again, just in case, but that was just before 11 AM and it was almost 11:40 AM when I decided to stop wasting time and got on the computer, only getting back in bed at 1:15 PM. And it still took me a while before getting back to sleep, but I eventually did, waking up again I think at 3:35 PM, peeing once more, and then once again needing some time before I caught another brief nap, before dad called, at 4:13 PM, though I’m not quite certain that the call actually woke me, since I might have just woken up again on my own. Either way, I decided to get up after that.
On July 26, I heard dad coughing and think that he might have gone to the bathroom just before I got up to pee for the second time, a few minutes after 9:30 AM, so that might have actually woken me up, but he was back in the bedroom at that point… Only to get up and feed Liza just as I got back in bed, yet I think I actually managed to fall asleep again before Liza scraping around in the litter box woke me back up, just after 9:45 AM, and I changed and cleaned the litter box, getting on the computer right at 10 AM. And after dad left I took care of some things in the kitchen, changed back into the pajamas, scheduled the placeholder for the post about the Dream Trek to show up at 11:59 PM, peed again, and got back in bed at 11 AM, getting back to sleep after a little while and doing so again even faster after waking up at 12:55 PM and peeing again. But I was awake once again before the alarm rang, at 1:55 PM, and I got up to watch the Formula E race. And then I ate lunch, did the day’s squats, and went out a few minutes after 6:30 PM, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol.
After getting cat food from Penny, entering with the recyclables and not commenting when I received 0.10 RON less as change, I put that cat food in the backpack and continued to Kaufland, where I put the recyclables, including the few more picked up by then and one which had been left there, in the machine, splitting them on two vouchers and being left with that one that still wasn’t accepted and two others picked up from there which were also rejected. And I had also grabbed a label from a crushed recyclable on the way. Either way, I then put my things in a cabinet and washed my hands, and it was almost 7:40 PM when I entered the store, making use of good evening discounts for a couple of pastries, carrots, another handful of small beets, and two yellow tomatoes that I recovered from the stack of crates of products that were already taken away by the time I got back there. And I took a bag of bio (organic) lemons as well, those also having a discount. Then I also got cheese… And when I calculated the total, I found that it was exactly 50.00 RON. But I needed at least 1 RON more to be able to try to use that voucher again, so I added three of those cheap yogurts, which also allowed me to use one of the vouchers received for the recyclables, doing so after just starting to use the self-checkout when the closing announcement came and then needing to call over an employee in order to override the error when the machine didn’t accept those sweet pastries. And she really checked them, but eventually she did override it. And, most importantly, that 50 RON voucher did apply that time.
After retrieving what I had in the cabinet and arranging the purchases, I made my way to that Mega Image that closes at 10 PM, picking up another recyclable by the time I got there, a few minutes before 9 PM, putting the bags in a cabinet, entering with the backpack, and buying a product that ended up being discounted by 93%, since I had the pleasant surprise of an additional 30% discount applying at checkout, and two sweet pastries that had the 50% evening discount. And I also used that voucher which had been left in the recycling machine from the nearby Mega Image a week earlier. And then I retrieved what I had in the cabinet, added the new purchases, and on the way back I picked up a few more recyclables and quickly checked Profi, Carrefour Express and the nearby Mega Image, trying to put that recyclable in the machine from Carrefour Express as well, still without success, but holding on to the rest, and seeing that the bakery discounts weren’t just made in the nearby Mega Image, but made so early. And at some point I grabbed a carton as well, but that was probably earlier in the evening.
I got back just after 9:45 PM, and after cleaning the litter box and going to drop what I had gathered down the chute, I grabbed a bag with several recyclables from the garbage room and told dad that a whole lot of jars that seemed to mostly contain jams were in another bag, and he said that he’d take a look at them. And I wanted to just keep the recyclables and go back to throw away the bag they had been in anyway, so I went and took those jars as well, including two from another bag and the carton of vegan “milk” expired for a week that was also in the “main” bag. And the thing is that, with the exception of a jar of pickles which had obviously been opened and which I took back there, forgetting to take that carton as well when I did so, the rest really seemed sealed and looked just fine. And they appeared to be homemade jams and pickles that may be way better than anything purchased and nice to have, and a terrible waste to throw away, and they were quite nicely arranged in bags that looked particularly clean, so as if they were left there just so someone would take them and use them. But with only a couple having any labels, no way to figure out what most contained just by looking at them, and absolutely no way to know how they had been made and what was added in them, plus that they had been in the garbage room for a while, I said that I may eat all sorts of expired things, but I don’t want to touch those… Yet dad put them on the balcony and said that he’ll ask mother to look at them as well when he’ll bring her here again and then they’ll decide what to do. Either way, I then put the purchases in their place, ate a sweet pastry and watermelon, and went to wash at 11:45 PM, being done a little after 12:20 AM and then having a pretty normal night.
I got up to pee just before 8:55 AM, and soon after that Liza went to the litter box and dad got up, but I still managed to catch another nap, only deciding to change and get up a few minutes after 10 AM. And then I cleaned the litter box, talked to dad a little, and got on the computer… And later I decided to start Daughter of the Empire, only changing back into the pajamas and getting back in bed at 1 PM. And I did get back to sleep after a little while and slept until close to 3:30 PM, but I’m not sure how much I added after that, since after a first nap that might have been longer I started drifting in and out. Either way, I got up at 5:40 PM, ate lunch, did the day’s squats, and went out again, leaving a little after 8:20 PM, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol.
Even if the time was going to be tight, I wanted to go to Obor, taking that slightly shorter route that crosses through the park… Only to find the path completely removed as part of the work that’s being done there, and while I made my way to the gate anyway, I found it locked. A guard was still there, and I asked whether I could walk out anyway, but he said that I couldn’t and that the way out was to the right. Yet the only possible way to still go through seemed to be through a playground that had gates on both sides and was in use, but the gates were closed and I didn’t want to try and perhaps find that I could enter but still not exit through the other side. So I kept going, the path taking me to the route to Mega Mall, and the time lost had made it clear that I couldn’t even try to go to Obor anyway, so I went there instead, picking up some more recyclables, one of them being really crushed and twisted but also made of thin and soft plastic, so I could straighten it, albeit using a stick to do it properly. And, with Kaufland again doubling the deposit for the vouchers used between July 24 and 30, I initially just crossed through that mall and used the machine from Kaufland for most of what I had, though what wasn’t accepted before still wasn’t, one which I had picked up and which had most of the bar code apparently burned away also wasn’t, and other people being there meant that I held on to the one which I had grabbed because I thought I had a label for it, not staying there to try to place it on it. And just as I moved on to the two recyclables which I had thrown in another bag, the machines stopped, so I held on to those as well and went to put what I had been left with in a cabinet and wash my hands.
I then returned to Mega Mall and went to Carrefour, at first using a self-checkout to see whether the 30% discount for the brand of toothpaste that I use stacked in case of one product that also had a regular discount, asking the employee to cancel the transaction when I unsurprisingly saw that it didn’t. But then I bought some other things I had gone there for and rushed back to Kaufland… Only to need some time to connect a cart that had the coin in it to another, which proved quite difficult, that probably being the reason why it had been left there like that. But I eventually managed it and got the coing, and then I added the new stuff in that cabinet, washed my hands again, and entered the store at 9:55 PM. The bakery area was just about cleared, the employee cleaning the trays and only some pretzels being left, but I bought a few things, making sure that I’ll be able to at least use the voucher received that day for those recyclables, even if I was still left with one of those received the previous day. And I’m not sure if anyone noticed, but at least nobody said anything about the handful of green onion tops which I had seen left scattered in a crate and grabbed, no green onions actually being left otherwise, and the total being below 10 RON, so I couldn’t try to ask for another one of those vouchers.
While I had even retrieved my things from the cabinet before the closing announcement, it came as I was arranging everything, which took a while and was actually rather pointless, since I meant to check that Mega Image as well, and the time lost there might have cost me the chance of finding more expiring products. But I also spent time putting more recyclables in the machine, one of them working again, so I ended up with no less than four more vouchers, since after putting in those two which I hadn’t been able to put in before and another one which I found left there, I saw that placing that label on that bottle which I had grabbed for it wasn’t going to work, so I left that bottle there but stepped aside to place another label on that one with the mostly burned one, and that did work. And then I noticed two more recyclables left there which worked, ending up with a separate voucher for each. And all of that meant that it was past 10:45 PM when I finally entered that Mega Image, putting my things into two cabinets that I didn’t lock. But I still found two products that were discounted by 90% and bought them, though I didn’t wait for the receipt, just retrieving what I had in those cabinets and then stopping at a bench to arrange everything properly. And on the way back I grabbed some more recyclables, plus a label that I thought was going to be difficult to use… Only to then also find a bottle that didn’t have one and was just right for it. And over the course of the evening I had grabbed several cartons as well. And I also had a quick look in the nearby Mega Image, leaving the bags next to the door, entering with the backpack, and then just retrieving the bags on my way out.
I got back a little after 11:40 PM… And after blowing my nose in the sink after using that nose spray, I felt something that turned out to be blood on my nose, coming from that mole that I have there. And I did think that I had injured it a little a while back and felt a tiny scab on it, actually trying to make the mental effort to stop myself from picking at it, just because I didn’t want to tear it away, but I must have done it at that point… Or at least I hope it was then, after I had washed my face, maybe when I wiped it, since I later spotted a few faint traces of blood on the towel as well. But there were a few obvious drops of blood, one of them large, on the shirt, making me wonder whether it hadn’t started bleeding before I got back and I had walked around like that. But what’s more important is for it to just be a little issue and not a sign of something worse going on there. Either way, while it initially seemed like it wasn’t going to, the bleeding stopped after I used some medicinal alcohol and then pressed on that spot for a few seconds the bleeding stopped. And then I washed those spots from that shirt, put the purchases in their place, ate a sweet pastry that I already had and the coconut pieces bought from that Mega Image, and it was just before 1:15 PM when I went to wash. And, despite being done at 1:45 PM and then even spending some time on the computer, only getting back to the kitchen a few minutes after 2 AM, I still somehow managed to finish dinner at 3:40 AM, even if I only actually started eating at 3:25 AM, after “cheating” in order to be able to say that I took a first bite in my room before 3 AM.
I woke up a number of times, on one occasion also opening a new bag of dry food for Liza and on another changing and cleaning the litter box before changing back, so it took me a while to get back to bed, especially on that second occasion, but I could always get back to sleep quickly after I did, until my parents got here and I got up, a little before 1:55 PM. And in the evening I caught another nap, so the total was pretty decent, the problem being that it was once again split in so many parts.
When I checked the system logs before going to bed on the morning of July 29, I saw that explorer.exe had crashed, probably just when I had opened Edge to check Facebook, judging by the time, and that was after another application crash, for some AMD component, a day earlier, close to the same time, both for access violations. But that component had crashed in that manner before, so I shrugged it off. Yet in this case, while I hadn’t noticed anything at the time of the crash, there was a missing notification icon, so I decided to reboot and then had a look at things, ending up actually getting in bed at 5:30 AM. But I couldn’t sleep, thinking that something might actually be wrong, yet I refused to check anything again, trying to just force myself to ignore it until I finally did fall asleep. But I did check when I got up to pee, at 7:40 AM, being more relieved when there was nothing else in logs, so I quickly got back to sleep, which was also the case the next time I got up to pee. And then I only woke up again at 1:58 PM, and with the alarm being set to ring at 2 PM, I turned it off and got up, having the usual stuff, both the yogurt and the apple being bio (organic), though the apple was imported. And the sweet thing consisted of two more of those nicer biscuits that expired long ago, with more than the usual amount of added honey. And, after also drinking most of the tea, I left just before 4:25 PM, wearing the full running gear, but with the t-shirt from this year’s half marathon, since it’s a lighter color and may also allow better ventilation, and one armband. The reported temperature was 30-31°C, holding steady.
The time was 1:44:53, with sector times of 4:27, 5:05, 5:57, 4:28, 5:03, 5:52, 4:34, 5:05, 5:54, 4:35, 5:15, 6:03, 4:40, 5:15, 6:12, 4:43, 5:21, 6:12, 1:57, 6:21 and 1:54, making for lap times of 15:29, 15:23, 15:33, 15:53, 16:07 and 16:16, plus 10:12 for the final portion. While getting under 1:48 seemed to be the realistic target, I did consider the possibility of getting under 1:45, started pretty strong, and after the first two sectors I thought that covering the first lap in less than 15:30 meant that I may just have a chance. And the exact time of 15:29.92 meant that less than a tenth made me hope, probably making all the difference. And then I aimed for the same time on lap two but was actually faster. Then the target became 15:40 for lap three, and the first sector was concerning, but I pushed enough on the next two to make up for it. I wasn’t going to be able to keep that up, however, so the ideal targets were 15:50 for lap four and 16:00 for lap five, to allow for up to 16:30 on lap six and 10:15 on the final portion, yet the first two sectors of lap four weren’t promising and I couldn’t quite make up for them on the third. And sector one of lap five made also going over that lap’s target very likely, which proved to be the case. So I had to keep the loss of time well in check from then on, needing no more than 16:20 on lap six to have any chance, and that was doubtful after the first two sectors. Yet that time I did manage to do enough on the third, and while it required pushing quite a lot, I had hope, and after the first sector of the final portion even some confidence… Which almost cost me, the following sector being slower than I thought. Yet it was just enough to even allow for two minutes on the last one, and in the end it was the first time I got under 1:45 since May of 2025, when I was a second faster.
I expected the heat to affect me far worse, yet what I made more of a note of were the couple of serious gusts that I had to fight against on sector three of lap two, otherwise the wind probably being just enough to generate a little cooling effect without becoming a problem in itself. I did feel out of it at the start of lap six, even my heart giving a couple of warnings, but the feeling went away after that, and the main cause was probably the sheer effort, my legs getting heavy by the end of the lap. And in fact my hands actually started tingling even before the end of lap three, the feeling gradually going up my arms after that, though it was faint. Otherwise, some pain radiated from my back early on, I think actually on lap one, maybe on sector two, but it faded after that. And the pressing need that occasionally appeared faded quickly away each time and seemed to be mostly caused by gas. As for that knee, it just gave some occasional faint warnings.
In terms of problems caused by people, the first three laps were quite fine, the first notable problem being on sector one of lap four, when I hesitated and then slowed and went very wide because a group of kids were playing at the fountain and fanning out to avoid getting splashed. And on sector one of lap five I hesitated again after hitting a girl’s watch with my hand as I squeezed through a roadblock. And I know that there was a moment when I hesitated on sector one of lap six as well, but by the end of the run I had already forgotten the reason. And then there was the moment when I put a foot off the path, albeit on the inside of a turn, and probably also slowed a little, when a group came from the opposite direction, on scooters. I’m pretty sure that it was on what’s normally sector three and I think it was on sector three of lap six, but since sector two of the final portion is that same area, there is a chance that it might have actually been then. On the other hand, it was definitely at the end of sector two of the final portion when I wondered whether the same group had turned around when I heard multiple scooters coming from behind and probably slowed a little and held direction so I won’t get in their way, which might have cost me a little bit of time at the start of the final sector as well. And at the end of the sector I finished around the center of the gate instead of on the right, as I usually do, because a family was just entering on that side, though I couldn’t really say whether that caused me to gain or lose a little bit, or if it had any effect at all.
After grabbing two recyclables and a carton, when I got back I noticed that the left shoelace was quite loose, so I guess that it held just long enough. Either way, I then cleaned the litter box, changed, and left again at 7:20 PM, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol and a bag of trash that I dropped down the chute. And I picked up a few more recyclables and a carton on the way to Kaufland, putting the recyclables in the machine from there and splitting them on two vouchers, though those which hadn’t been accepted before were still refused and I put the bag with what I was left with in a cabinet before washing my hands and entering the store when it was past 8:05 PM. That meant that there was no way to get back at 8:30 PM, to catch all of the match, so I took it easier, grabbing a lot of deeply discounted pieces of processed meat products for my parents, adding some packaged tomatoes that were also deeply discounted even though just a few of them were spoiling, and rewarding myself with a portokalopita, which was at half price. There were a lot of them, so they might have gotten even cheaper before closing, but I couldn’t wait that long and they expired on the 31st anyway, so I made my way to the self-checkouts… And while waiting in line I turned over the box with the portokalopita again, to have another look at the label, and some of the syrup dripped on me, so after using all of the vouchers received for recyclables that I had, including those I had been left with from before, retrieving what I had in the cabinet, and arranging things a little, I quickly washed those areas of my shirt and pants. And on the way back I grabbed two more recyclables.
It was almost 9:15 PM when I got back, just in time for the end of the first half of the match, so it may be said that I caught the good part. And I ate a whole lot of watermelon and the portokalopita, put the other purchases in their place, and after the match, at 10:40 PM, I went out again, mainly to look for more recyclables, since Kaufland’s campaign was ending the following day and I still needed quite a lot. But I decided to do so while making my way to the Mega Image that’s next to Tei… And I was close to getting there when I noticed a guy lying on the street, so I went to see whether he needed help, realizing that he was drunk even though he initially denied it and said that the treatment he was on had caused his legs to stop responding. Still, I asked where he lived and when he said that it was just in the building that was a few meters away and that he’ll manage to get there if he could just stand again, I tried to lift him. But there was no way to do that, and he did say that he weighed over 90 kg, so I was pretty much at a loss, and that was when he cursed the vodka that he had drank, therefore admitting what I already knew. Yet things did get sorted out after two women got there as well and between me and one of them, we did get him up and to the building. And those women apparently also lived in the area and he recognized one, calling her by name, and while she didn’t know him, when he told them that a guy had given him a beer, so that vodka had apparently transformed, and that the alcohol had interacted with his treatment, they quite clearly knew the guy he had named and said that they’ll have a word with him.
I was feeling quite awkward about the whole thing when I reached that Mega Image and put the few recyclables and a carton picked up by then in a cabinet, but I got some supposedly spoiling Bianca peppers, plus a bread and a sweet pastry, all being at half price, without being charged for the bag that the peppers were in and using the vouchers received for cartons that I had. I wasn’t given a receipt, but I just retrieved what I had in the cabinet and went the long way around on the way back, still looking for recyclables and grabbing what I think were ten more. And I entered the building through the back, learning that it was now possible to do so, and then took the elevator to the fifth floor and checked the garbage rooms on the way down, not daring to go higher and just glancing at the one on the fourth floor as I passed by it, since that door is mostly glass and the light on the hallway was on. But I didn’t spot any more recyclables while I did so.
I got back for good a couple of minutes before 12:30 AM. And Liza used the litter box after I had taken my shoes off and locked the door, so I cleaned it but didn’t take out what I had gathered, especially since stepping out again would have made me feel compelled to also check the higher floors for recyclables. So I then did the day’s squats, between 1:20 AM and 1:35 AM I ate a “lunch” consisting of two greasy cheese pastries that I already had, and after putting the few purchases in their place, it was close to 1:55 AM when I went to the bathroom, to use the toilet and wash… And the amount of red in the toilet seemed to greatly exceed what could be explained by the two small beets from the salad eaten the previous night, yet I didn’t actually see blood on what was at the top or on the toilet paper. Either way, I was done just before 2:50 AM, but then I got on the computer, only getting back to the kitchen at 3:20 AM. And I ate dinner between 5:05 AM and 5:35 AM and got in bed at 6:45 AM, after rather struggling to at least pee a little bit more, though at least what eventually came out looked normal.
Unsurprisingly, it was hard to fall asleep, and something that might have sounded like an alarm siren outside didn’t help, so I tried to ignore it for a long time, but just after 7:20 AM I got up to have a look and then quickly checked a couple of news sites to see whether some alert exercise, if not something more serious, was going on. But when I didn’t see anything I got back in bed, the sound stopped a little later, and eventually I managed to fall asleep, though it still took a while. And then I woke up a number of times, and while I could get back to sleep relatively quickly, I wouldn’t estimate a total of more than four and a half hours or so by 2 PM, when I got up, because it was the last day when I had to obtain and use the vouchers for Kaufland’s campaign that doubled the deposit again, and I still had to find some recyclables to get to the maximum of 50 RON. So, after cleaning the litter box, going to drop some trash down the chute, and returning to wash my hands, I left a few minutes before 4:30 PM, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol, not including those three that weren’t being accepted, and those other things that I take to Kaufland.
Since I still needed to find recyclables, I made a point of looking and also occasionally went off main roads on my way to Obor, until I had enough to be absolutely certain, meaning that I also had replacements for those that I wasn’t sure would be accepted. And I happened to grab two more after that point as well, and then I went straight to Kaufland and put everything that had the symbol in the machine, all of those that I was uncertain about being accepted, though I found that I had somehow grabbed two that didn’t have the symbol, so I put them in the bin as I walked away, with two vouchers, since I wanted one that was just enough to get to the total of 50 RON during this period, in case I’ll struggle to find things to buy to reach that amount. But that wasn’t an issue, so after putting the bag where I had the couple of cartons which I had also grabbed on the way in a cabinet and washing my hands, I looked for deeply discounted expired or spoiling products and grabbed quite a number, and then I also added two of those cheap yogurts and used both vouchers received for the recyclables as well as the 10 RON one that I still had.
After taking the time to arrange the purchases, I retrieved that bag from the cabinet and put it in one that didn’t lock when I reached that Penny, entering with the purchases, which were in the backpack, and getting some zacusca before retrieving that bag and going to Carrefour, grabbing another recyclable from there just before adding it along with everything else in a cabinet and buying quite a number of expiring products from there as well, all being at half price. I obviously didn’t charge myself for what two of the products were placed in, and what was interesting was that the deposit wasn’t added for one that should have had one, so I guess that the system didn’t register it as having a deposit when it was at half price. And then I retrieved what I had in the cabinet and took some time to arrange everything, but it didn’t feel right, so after walking out of that mall I spread everything on a bench and arranged properly. And on the way back I grabbed just a couple more recyclables and a label and checked a Profi, entering with everything and buying an expiring product from there as well, though the cashier was busy with what seemed to be an order and when she didn’t seem to bother to give me a receipt I just walked away.
I got back at 9:10 PM, but after putting the purchases in their place, cleaning the litter box again, and eating watermelon, at half time of the last match of the day I went back out to check the nearby Mega Image as well, yet there were no bakery discounts and I didn’t see anything else interesting either, so I just got back, albeit after grabbing two more recyclables. And then I went to drop some trash down the chute, ate something sweet and lunch, with some expired bagels instead of bread, did the day’s squats, and it was close to 12:15 AM when I went to the bathroom, to use the toilet and wash. I was done at 1:05 AM, and then I also dealt with the bread bought the previous evening, “cheated” in order to be able to say that I took a first bite of dinner in my room before 3 AM, but it was past 3:15 AM when I actually started eating and by the time I started wolfing it down it was too late, so I finished at 3:45 AM. And I had forgotten to set a TV show to be recorded while I was out, so I stayed to watch the recorded broadcast in the morning, going to bed at 6:25 AM, after cleaning up what seemed like hair mixed with fluid instead of an actual hairball, thrown up by Liza, and rubbing cream on my hands and feet.
I think I slept for up to five of the first six hours after getting in bed, even though that was the second time I got up to pee, and I had also been woken up by an SMS by my provider in between. But then I started waking up more often, so I’m not sure that I even slept for half of the next three hours, until I checked the time and went to pee again, and while it was almost 5:20 PM, so almost two hours later, when I actually got up, I only added a few more brief naps during that time. So let’s say that I did get at least seven hours, but seven and a half is unlikely and I really don’t see how it could have been more than that, and after the first five, or maybe six at best, the quality of that sleep was poor.
After making and eating mamaliga at night, the following morning I had to keep getting up to pee, but after the first three times I got right back to sleep. However, a few minutes after 11 AM I woke up for the fourth time and it wasn’t because I really had to pee again, and while I went anyway, just in case, and then could once again get right back to sleep, staying asleep proved more of a problem, so I woke up a few more times before deciding to pee once more and have a quick look on the computer, at 1:20 PM. And after that I was mostly awake, though I still caught a few brief naps by the time I actually got up, several minutes past 3:30 PM.
Dad being back again meant that on the morning of August 2 I only slept until I got up to pee, a couple of minutes before 9:30 AM, since he got up soon after that and, despite staying in bed until 10:35 AM, I didn’t get back to sleep, so I got up at that point, and after he left I got on the computer, only returning to bed at 12:40 PM… But the fact that Liza had just had another “concert”, so long after dad had left, was a sign of things to come, so I did get back to sleep right away, but she woke me with yet another one at 2:20 PM and then again just after 4 PM, and this last time it seemed too late to try to get back to sleep once more, so I eventually got up for good, just after 4:20 PM. And then I installed and started Heartlight, while later in the evening I shaved my head… But then explorer.exe crashed again, and that time I knew it was when I had opened Edge, and it had updated. But it hadn’t updated the previous time, so I decided to run memory diagnostics, even if the issue is clearly a software one, just to confirm that there was nothing there, which I did. And then I also ran chkdsk on the system partition, albeit in read-only mode, and a sfc /verifyonly that reported a bunch of warnings that state that some folders are owned twice or have their security set twice, which I see is common and harmless, and supposedly that it repaired the shortcut to OneDrive, which I shouldn’t have had in the first place, and which it shouldn’t have done when I told it to only verify. But at least it didn’t seem to find anything else, so I was still left wondering what was going on, and why had it suddenly started happening a few days earlier.
Dad woke up even earlier on August 3, so I got woken up at 8:25 AM and decided to at least make some use of the time, making the tea at that point. And after he left I had a quick look on the computer and then read for an hour, only getting back under the sheet at 10:45 AM. But, despite managing to get to sleep quickly at that point, at 11:45 AM I was roughly woken up by loud drilling, so I peed again and, even if the drilling ended quickly, I got back on the computer for a while, since I still heard occasional small noises that indicated that some work was continuing, so I worried that it’ll return… Which, of course, happened as soon as I did get back in bed, a little after 12:05 PM. But it only lasted for a few seconds, and that seemed to be the end of it, so I could get back to sleep, and when I woke up again at 1:50 PM I decided that every minute mattered and got right back to bed after checking the time, even managing to get back to sleep for a moment before the alarm rang, at 2 PM, and I got up. And then I had the usual stuff, the yogurt and apple once again being bio (organic), albeit imported in case of the apple, and the sweet thing still consisting of two of those nicer but expired biscuits. And, after also drinking most of the tea, I left just before 4:10 PM, wearing the full running gear and one armband, still with the t-shirt from this year’s half marathon and with the slip of paper with the emergency information in the pocket of my tights, just in case. The reported temperature was 33°C, holding steady.
The time was 1:19:22, with sector times of 4:25.01, 5:07.22, 5:52.16, 4:29.00, 5:05 (5:04.87), 5:59 (5:58.79), 4:35 (4:34.96), 5:12.44, 6:06.34, 4:41 (4:40.29), 5:18.71, 6:23, 4:47, 5:23 and 6:00, making for lap times of 15:24.39, 15:33 (15:32.66), 15:53.74, 16:22 and 16:10. So I once again checked the exact times for as long as they were displayed, but the realistic target seemed to just be to stay under 1:20 and I didn’t read much into the first lap, or in fact even the second, thinking that the heat will make me much slower later. So the target for lap three was just to stay under 16 minutes, which I managed, while for lap four it was 16:20, which I didn’t, the time on sector three being particularly concerning, and making getting under 1:19, which I had started wondering about after the previous sector, all but impossible. And sector one of lap five made it absolutely certain that it couldn’t happen, so I settled for staying under 1:19:30 and even that required pushing, and really giving everything I had left on the last sector.
>>Slowed and stepped off the path to get around a group of kids on scooters who had stopped because one of them had fallen on sector two of lap one. On sector two of lap two I started feeling out of it and a faint pressing need started appearing the next sector, being on and off after that but always faint. On sector two of lap four I briefly stopped and then just squeezed around some kids who had stopped their bicycles across the path and on that sector’s long straight I hesitated because a dog cut across in front of me, at least being off the leash meaning I didn’t have to go all around. And by the end of the lap the warnings from that knee which had been barely noticeable made themselves known and radiated down the leg as well, but not an issue. On the long straight of sector one of lap five I hesitated and maybe broke the attempted sprint when a kid on a bicycle edged towards me as we approached each other. And by the end of the next sector my hands started tingling and after that long turn on the last sector I suddenly felt my legs starting to burn.
After grabbing a recyclable on the way back, I ate something sweet and drank a lemonade which I had purchased and kept for this day, even if it had expired, did the day’s squats, ate lunch as well, changed, and left again a few minutes after 9 PM, with the recyclables with the deposit symbol and the cartons. And that machine from that Mega Image stopped when I had two left and nobody seemed about to look into it right away, so I held on to those, but I could put in the rest, splitting them on two vouchers. And then I also tried those three recyclables that aren’t being accepted at both regular machines from there, which rejected them as well, but at least I found a couple of recyclables left there which were rather crushed but which I thought I could straighten well enough, and one more that had no label but which was of the right size for a label that I had, so I put it on it. And all of those were accepted by the machine from Kaufland, which also accepted all of the other recyclables with the exception of those three, which I still held on to. And since I spotted another recyclable before entering, I went back to put that in as well, getting a second voucher.
After putting the remaining recyclables and cartons in a cabinet and washing my hands, at the men’s and in the room for disabled people but just with water, since there was no soap in either place, I entered the store at 9:55 PM and made use of good evening discounts for a few buns that I mean to use as bread before some runs and one other bakery product. But there didn’t seem to be evening discounts for fruits and vegetables, or at least none for anything I cared to look at, though there were a few crates of spoiling that were deeply discounted, so I grabbed two of those large cucumbers from there. And before going to the self-checkout I returned to the bakery area and took another bun as well, even if my hands were no longer clean. And then, after having to call over an employee to override the error when the machine didn’t accept the bag with the bakery products, I used that voucher received for a single recyclable when I paid, cashed in the other one, and had just retrieved what I had in the cabinet and was putting those few purchases in the backpack when the closing announcement came.
On the way back, I checked three Mega Image locations, always entering with everything and just getting some spoiling squashes for mother from that one that’s next to Tei, without being charged for the bag that they were in and using one of the vouchers received for cartons when I paid. But a strange thing was that, while that one that accepts more recyclables and the one for cartons were off, as machines from Mega Image are after 10 PM, the regular machine from there was still on at that hour, and I made another attempt with those recyclables that aren’t being accepted, though they obviously weren’t accepted then either. Either way, I grabbed a few more recyclables after walking away from there.
I got back a little after 11:40 PM, and after cleaning the litter box and going to drop what I had gathered down the chute, I ate watermelon, put the few purchases in their place, and talked to dad a little. It was just after 1:20 AM when I went to the bathroom, to use the toilet and wash, being done just over an hour later. And then I spent a little time on the computer, ate a nicer, albeit small and expired, snack, dealt with those buns that I could use as bread before some runs, washed what was in the kitchen, made a big salad, and finally ate dinner between 5:15 AM and 6:05 AM. I got in bed at 7:05 AM, after using cream on my feet.
I got woken up a little after 9:30 AM, when dad got up and fed Liza, and then I got on the computer, staying there for quite some time even after dad left and only getting back in bed at 11:55 AM. And I slept until 3:10 PM, when dad got back and I got up for good, feeling so utterly exhausted that I could barely stand. I did take a little nap late in the evening, but it only lasted half an hour or so. And then, after “cheating” to take a first bite of dinner in my room just before 3 AM, it was past 3:15 AM when I really started eating but I initially kept checking things on-line, so I ended up finishing at 3:45 AM. And before going to bed I used cream on my feet again.
