Cav's Place

Since I had no green onions, I used one of the two better red onions that were left in the salad made in the early hours of March 14. Then, after having fallen asleep mere minutes earlier and actually not waking up when dad came back, he made some noise at the fridge and I did wake up, and also went to pee again, just in case. Just under three hours later I was woken up again, by noise from outside, but I also really needed to pee at that point, and just after I got back in bed I received an SMS from my provider, reminding me that it was the last day to recharge. I woke up again almost an hour and a half later, maybe just because another sleep cycle had ended, and I went to pee one more time, just in case. And when another hour and a half had almost passed, Liza woke me by going to the litter box, and I yet again went to pee, still just in case. Some two hours later I was awake one more time, and I looked after a couple of minutes and saw that it was 1:49 PM, so I decided to rest a little more and might have just fallen asleep again when the alarm rang, at 2 PM, and I got up. Then I had the usual stuff, but also mixed raisins in dark chocolate with the yogurt, cereals and almonds, and I had to search and dig those out, since they were behind most of the other things that I have in my room and I had forgotten exactly where, so I wasted plenty of time and the position that I had to be in was also bad for my legs. Either way, another sweet thing was a slice of panettone, with added honey, and I left a little after 4:25 PM, wearing the full running gear, with the slip of paper with the emergency information in the pocket of my tights. The reported temperature was 17°C, dropping by a few degrees by the time I finished.
The time was 1:47:15, with sector times of 4:22, 5:10, 5:57, 4:34, 5:08, 5:57, 4:39, 5:16, 6:07, 4:45, 5:18, 6:15, 4:51, 5:30, 6:17, 4:53, 5:34, 6:25, 1:58, 6:20 and 1:59, making for lap times of 15:29, 15:39, 16:02, 16:18, 16:38 and 16:52, plus 10:17 for the final portion. I was of course hoping to get under 1:45, but it was my first run of more than 16 km, and only the second of more than ten kilometers, since the marathon, so I was realistically aiming to stay under 1:47. But I wanted to cover the first lap in less than 15:30 and on sector three I found myself needing to push a little more than I’d have wanted at that point in order to just barely make it. Lap two made it clear that 1:45 was out of the question, going over 16 minutes on lap three, with poor times on every sector, made me realize that 1:47 was really in doubt as well, and lap four made it quite clear that it won’t be possible, so over the course of lap five I was thinking of 1:48, the bad time on sector two really disheartening me. At the start of lap six I knew that I had to push even in order to stay under 1:48, but on sector three I realized that I could think of 1:47:30, so I kept pushing and ended up halfway between the original target and that one… Which still means a poor time, and what’s more concerning is that it required more effort than such a time should.
There were some warnings from multiple spots on my left leg from the beginning, but they were never bad. A worse problem was the abdominal pain that also started almost right away and got worse for a while, but it was on the right side and too low to be from my liver, so it might have actually been reflected from my back, and over the first few laps I tried to snap my back and it eventually faded. Otherwise, on sector two of lap two I started feeling like I hadn’t left everything in the toilet, which feeling came and went after that, but it was never bad. And on sector three of lap two I again stepped with my right heel in that hole that’s under the lane, after which warnings from my right knee and right calf bone started appearing, those from the bone becoming reasons for concern as I continued, though it was all right in the end. Also, my hands started to go numb rather early on lap five, maybe even from sector one, eventually my arms were affected as well, and right at the end of lap six I also started to feel that my legs were burning.
I slowed to wait for an opening in a roadblock on the first sector and once again on the second, on sector two of lap two I briefly stepped off the path twice in order to get around people, on sector three of lap three I had to quickly avoid a kid who was riding something that I don’t quite know the name of, on sector one of lap four I slowed a lot or maybe even stopped for an instant because of a roadblock, and right after that, on the long straight, came the one moment when I felt that I fought against the wind. Also, on sector two of the final portion, I hesitated because of a misunderstanding with a guy on an electric scooter, and right before the end of that sector I briefly stepped off the path, albeit on the inside of a turn. And six people were on the stairs when I started the last sector, so I was a little slower than I’d have wanted, since I had to wait for a way through. And there were quite a number of people in general, so I had to weave and go the long way around a fair number of times, and it’s also possible that I forgot one or two other notable problems, maybe on laps five and six. In addition, I think on sector three of lap six, I felt like I had stepped in something hard but brittle, which made me worry about my right shoe, thinking that it might have been a shard of glass or something of that sort. But the real problem was that I just couldn’t go any faster…

After having lunch, finishing the tea and making another, I changed and eventually left again. That was a little after 8:20 PM, but after a few minutes I realized that I hadn’t disconnected the computer, so I jogged back and did that, actually leaving at 8:30 PM. And my nose, which was really irritated after the run, got better quite quickly after I went back out, though that right nostril was once again quite a problem over the following days, and my upper lip was also rather chapped. Either way, I first went to Carrefour and got a few things, and while I was getting garlic a woman was telling two men that those who hadn’t served in the military will get called up for service, which caused one of them to laugh like crazy and shout, making fun of the other one, who was supposedly going to get called up in that case. But that’s a known piece of fake news and I found myself saying so, but only the guy who was being made fun of seemed to pay a little attention, so I gave up and just shook my head, letting them continue in that manner. Otherwise, I meant to use the two vouchers that I still had at the self-checkout and as soon as I tried to scan one the machine told me to wait for an assistant, so I raised my hand, one came over, and for her it just worked right away, without logging on or doing anything else.
I then rushed to Kaufland, put the purchases in a cabinet, washed my hands, and it was past 9:15 PM when I walked in… And that bread seemed to be the one product from the bakery area with no discount… And when I took the label and scanned it, I actually saw that the price was even higher than the listed one, so it had increased but the label hadn’t been changed. But I got a few other things, plus some beets that also had an evening discount, on top of the regular one that they had those days, and I was still looking through the expiring products when it was announced that the store had closed, so I rushed to the self-checkout… Which said that the bakery products weren’t the correct item, probably because one bun seemed to actually be two of them stuck together. But it was one piece, and probably not quite as large as two separate ones would have been, so I wasn’t going to enter it as two, and the employee who came after I called one over had a quick look and logged on in order to override the error without commenting about it. Then I washed my hands again, since they were dirty because of the beets, and arranged the purchases, walking away when it was past 10:10 PM and also checking that Mega Image. I initially meant to put the bag that hangs from my neck in a cabinet, but I realized that I had no 0.50 RON coin, so I took it back and entered with everything, seeing plenty of discounted bakery products and getting some more, including a bread that I could use. I also looked through other expiring products, searching for some on the shelves, in order to find the prices, and eventually just got two packs of gum for dad… Which actually had an additional discount as well, which hadn’t been marked on the shelf, so I ended up paying a little less than I thought I would. Either way, I thought about arranging my purchases better when I left, but I quickly gave up.
I got back a little after 11:20 PM, talked a bit to dad, took out the purchases… And I accidentally dropped my headphones when I took them off, and when I tested them after that I thought that the left one sounded a little off, though they seemed fine since then. Either way, I ate some citrus fruit, maybe a mandarin orange, a sweet pastry and a large bag of corn puffs, washed some of what I had to wash in the kitchen, put the garlic in its place and finally went to the bathroom when it was past 12:50 AM. I initially meant to just wash, but once I was there I decided to very quickly go to the toilet as well, and I was done around 1:35 AM. However, after gathering my clothes from the balcony, dressing, taking something that I had purchased to the balcony and doing a few other things, it was close to 1:55 AM when I actually got back in the kitchen. And I had more to wash and the remaining purchases to put in their place, and I sliced a bread for dad as well, so I “cheated” in order to even be able to say that I started eating dinner at 4 AM, since in fact it was almost 4:05 AM when I really did. Either way, I finished eating at 4:45 AM and got in bed at 5:50 AM.

In the first moments of March 23, dad once again turned his computer on without letting me know. I got on-line while he took a bath, and he turned it back on without a word after coming out. I heard something, checked and saw that it was on-line, so I disconnected quickly and went to him, saying that he had told me just days earlier that he doesn’t connect without asking first, but he said that he had taken a particularly long bath and I should have known that he’ll come out of the bathroom at some point, plus that sometimes I even say that I don’t get on-line while he takes a bath. I pointed out that I hadn’t said that then, and knowing that he’ll come out at some point doesn’t mean that I also know exactly when… Only for him to just say that he’ll know that next time… As if… And, of course, he won’t accept the blame for anything. And I also asked how long had it been since he had turned on the computer and he said five minutes, but I the checked the next evening and saw that it had been over ten minutes.
Either way, I then took it a little too easy and started eating dinner at 3:05 AM, but it wasn’t even 3:35 AM when I finished. I once again had no green onions, however, and my sleep was also rather agitated, though I guess it wasn’t that bad overall, and I got up after happening to wake up, thinking that the alarm, which was set to ring at 2 PM, was about to do so, checking the time after a few minutes and seeing 1:56 PM. Then I had the usual stuff, with two of those expired nicer biscuits, with added honey, as the sweet thing, and left at 4:20 PM, wearing the full running gear. The reported temperature was 18°C, and it was about 17°C when I finished.
The time was 46:39.69, with sector times of 4:10.95, 5:03.00, 5:48.00, 4:23 (4:22.27), 4:50.57, 5:41.00, 4:23 (4:22.50), 4:54.28, 5:37.25 and 1:50 (1:49.87), making for lap times of 15:01.95, 14:54 (14:53.84) and 14:54.03. I pushed from the start and on the long straight of sector one I already felt that I couldn’t keep up that pace, but that sector’s time was a little better than I thought it’d be, I managed to not slow more than I meant to on sector two, and sector three was once again better than expected, and so was the lap. I was still just aiming to stay under 48 minutes, however, even being worried that I’ll slow too much from then on, but I found myself pretty much in runner’s high and continued to be pleasantly surprised by the sector times on lap two as well. Sector two was particularly surprising, but sector three and the lap were also nice. As such, after the end of lap two I was pretty sure that I’ll stay under 47:30, but I wondered whether I could also get under 47 minutes and the first sector of lap three seemed to just give me a slight chance, which chance seemed to improve after sector two. At that point, I thought that I’ll be too tired for anything better than 1:53 or so on the final sector, so I was wondering whether I’ll be fast enough on sector three of lap three to afford 1:55, but that sector was much better than expected, and in fact that final sector was also a little better, and the overall time was just great.
There was some pain around my left ankle from the start and I was getting worried on sector two of lap one, but on sector three of lap one I had a moment when I seemed about to get dizzy and after recovering I felt that I was pretty much in runner’s high, so over the course of lap two I didn’t feel much of anything else, only starting to notice things again towards the end of sector one of lap three, after realizing that I was getting a little thirsty. After that, I noticed warnings from the muscles from both of my legs, but that ankle seemed fine, and while I felt like I was starting to run out of breath as I continued on lap three, I kept pushing. Otherwise, while there was a fair amount of weaving and going the long way around, there were no notable problems caused by people. And, while it had rained the previous day, the lane had mostly dried, so I just avoided the areas where it’s too uneven or there are holes underneath. But the wind was a problem, including on long straights. I noticed it most of all on both of the long straights of lap two, but there were plenty of places where I fought it.

I had a quick look in Mega Image on the way back, despite not having a mask, and then I showered right away. Later, I ate an apple and a part of a sweet thing, did laundry and cooked something, and while cooking I also had a little over half of a bag of bagels, eating the rest of it instead of bread when I had lunch. But that was after it was done, so it was close to midnight when I started eating lunch and almost 12:30 AM when I finished, and I soon went back to the kitchen, to make the salad for dinner, though I first decided to also do the day’s squats after all. On the other hand, I put a few slices with something on them in the microwave while I finished slicing the rest of the bread and I guess that I sprinkled too little water on them, or left them a little too long for that amount of water, and on top of the bread getting rather burned, the small plate that I used didn’t take it and cracked, though what was strange was that I heard the noise that indicated that it had cracked just after the microwave had stopped. It’s still usable for the time being, probably as long as I won’t use it for anything like that again, but it remains to be seen for how long even so.

On March 30, I got up when the alarm rang, at 2 PM, but I was once again awake for a few moments at that point, after having woken up a little earlier, seeing that it was 1:41 PM, deciding to crawl back in bed, and probably napping just a little more before waking up again. And earlier that morning I had been woken up by a call from the NGO organizing yesterday’s tree planting event, asking me to confirm that I’ll take part, but I managed to get back to sleep well enough after that. Either way, I then had the usual stuff, with a large doughnut, with added honey, as the sweet thing, and left a little after 4:20 PM, wearing the full running gear. The reported temperature was 12-13°C, holding steady.
The time was 1:17:13, with sector times of 4:18.04, 5:02.16, 5:50.19, 4:22.50, 4:59 (4:28.22), 5:43.18, 4:26.28, 5:00 (4:59.44), 5:52.91, 4:38 (4:37.44), 5:14 (5:13.96), 6:02, 4:39, 5:15 and 5:53, making for lap times of 15:10.39, 15:04 (15:03.90), 15:18.63, 15:54 and 15:47. I checked and memorized the exact times as long as the stopwatch displayed them, so until an hour had passed. The goal was to get back under 1:18, but the initial target times added up to 1:18:20, so it was nice when the first lap was ten seconds faster than the target for it. However, I doubted that I’ll keep that up… Until I saw that I was even faster on lap two, putting me safely ahead of the target for that point. And I continued to be significantly faster than planned on lap three as well, so 1:17:30 seemed likely and I even started wondering about getting under 1:17. Lap four showed that I was going past the usual distance, however, getting much slower even from the first sector, so I pretty much put aside those thoughts of getting under 1:17, but still pushed hard on lap five, initially to make sure that I’ll stay under 1:17:30, and on the last sector in order to stay under 1:17:15, which I just managed.
There were warnings from the back of my right hip at the start, but they went away quickly, though from lap two they were replaced by some from the back of my left thigh, which continued for a while, though they weren’t bad and eventually they also died down. A faint pressing need first appeared on lap two, but it became more notable from the end of lap three and, while the intensity varied, it didn’t go away after that. And there was abdominal pain, I think on lap five, as I was pushing, maybe from the start of sector two, if not from the end of sector one, but I realized that it was mainly reflected from my back and it got better after a little while, after I managed to snap my back. Otherwise, I again stepped in that hole that’s under the lane, on sector three, maybe on lap three, though I’m not quite certain, and I did so almost fully, just slightly more with the back of the foot, so I just avoided tripping, but it was definitely jarring. And it was quite windy and on each lap I was fighting against it pretty badly after the bridge, on sector one, just where the slope goes down a little and in that turn, and it remained notable on that long straight as well. I also tended to feel it on the long straight of sector two, with the possible exception of lap one, and in some other places as well, albeit not as badly.
As for people, there was some weaving and going the long way around, but the one real problem, on sector two of lap four, cost me at least a couple of seconds, though at least it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. A little kid didn’t seem to know which way he wanted to go, twisting his body to look and stretch his arms in one direction but walk in the opposite one, across the lane, and the two adults who were with him kept their eyes on him and took up much of the path, asking him where were they going, and I had my attention focused on them and wasn’t sure which side to pick, eventually deciding to go around them on the side where the older woman was… And suddenly finding myself facing a guy on an electric scooter who had obviously done the same thing… At that point, we both had to keep going in the same direction, since the other would have meant slamming into those people, and then we only had time for one move of the silly dance, both of us choosing to turn hard towards the edge of the path and fortunately managing to stop right in front of each other. Some of those small bushes were also there, so I couldn’t go off the path right away either. Otherwise, there was a moment when I hesitated a little, because of a dog with a long leash, on sector three of what I think was lap five. It might have been lap four, but I’m quite sure that it was lap five.

I pretty much ran back as well, ate lunch, changed, and left again at 8:05 PM, with those things that I take to Kaufland… Only to realize right after walking out and locking that I had forgotten a bag of trash, so I dashed back in to get it, and then I threw it down the chute. Either way, I first went to Carrefour, with those things in the backpack, and just grabbed some spoiling black radishes, the self-checkout machine refusing all 0.01 RON coins but otherwise working. Then I dropped those things in the bin at Kaufland, washed my hands, entered the store, with the radishes in my backpack, just before 9:25 PM… And when I scanned the label for that bread, the scanner said that it couldn’t find the product, and since it had no discount label I didn’t try to check at a self-checkout as well, just getting a number of bakery products that were discounted, some expiring bread for dad, and what I had gone there for. I rushed to the self-checkout after the closing announcement and I ended up being a little confused by the total, so I took a little time to check, then checked more thoroughly after leaving the checkout area and confirmed that it was correct. Then, after going through the first set of doors, I placed my things on those cabinets and arranged them, and I think that it was almost 10:15 PM when I walked out.
I then went to that Mega Image, put the bag that hangs from my neck in a cabinet, and checked the discounted bakery products, finding and grabbing one of those apple pastries and some sweet pastries for my mother. Then I saw expiring glucose as well and got two more, after having bought two others for a slightly higher price a few days earlier, though at least those had a deep regular discount and weren’t expiring. Either way, I also wanted to check the price of an expiring bar… And saw deep discounts for many products of their own brands, so I ended up buying some, for dad, mother, and one even for myself, even though they’re imported. And I eventually decided to grab one of those expiring bars as well. Then, since they split those expiring or spoiling products from the rest, when I told the cashier that I also had 0.30 RON, so she’ll just have to give me bills as change, she said that we’ll sort it out at the end… And didn’t notice that I actually did place those coins on the counter while she scanned the other products, adding what was actually 0.40 RON to what she asked for those other products of their brands. I was a little confused at that point, seeing that I was ending up paying more than I had calculated, but then she saw those coins and handed me a 0.50 RON coin, telling me to take it because she had charged me as if I hadn’t given those to her, so she ended up giving a little extra change. But at that point I said that I’ll check the receipts and took a moment to do so before stepping away, then I did it again, more carefully, in front of the cabinets, before retrieving that bag. I took my time to arrange everything after walking out, and it was a couple of minutes after 11 PM when I walked away.
I got back at 11:30 PM… And found that dad had burned his sandwiches in the microwave, after I had told him to not microwave them. He had made two in the sandwich maker after coming back from work and then left them there while he slept, and after getting up he said that he’ll eat them as the second course, before leaving, but then I saw that he had placed them in the fridge, and when I asked him about them he said that they were too hard and he’ll microwave them, supposedly in order to soften them. I was rushing to finish getting ready for the run at the time, so I told him that microwaving will make them worse, but when he said that they’ll first get better, if he’ll eat them quickly, I didn’t insist, assuming that he had a method to make that happen… Only to learn that he had apparently just contradicted me for no reason, not even knowing that he should moisten them, and he had set the microwave for a long time as well, saying that some four minutes must have passed until he noticed that there was smoke everywhere and they were pretty much burning. I was worried about that glass thing that he had placed them in as well, but it seems to have been strong enough and didn’t crack. But there was still plenty of smoke, and he obviously threw away those charred remains, and when I said that I’ll charge him for throwing away food, he said that it wasn’t his fault and, of course, blamed me for not telling him that they’ll burn. Even after I pointed out that I had warned him and he had told me that they’ll get softer at first, he blamed me for not insisting, and when I said that I had assumed that he knew better, he said that I should have known that he didn’t. As if that makes any sense… Plus that, as I already mentioned, I was in a hurry to leave.
Either way, I eventually spread out the purchases, put a few in their place, talked to dad about those that were for my mother, ate a banana and that apple pastry, and finally went to shower when it was almost 12:55 AM. Then, after talking to dad some more, it was past 1:40 AM when I actually got back in the kitchen… And I had a big mess to clean up and things to put in their place, putting the sugar in the cabinet and pouring some in what we keep the one we use in took a long time, and I also moved something from mother into a smaller jar, so it was 3:10 AM when I started working on the salad and 4:40 AM when I finally started eating dinner, finishing at 5:30 AM and getting in bed at 6:10 AM.