Cav's Place

While not standing out in any way, the first five chapters are nice enough, catching my attention and keeping me reading and interested in the characters and events. But what truly matters is the last quarter or so of the book, when things change dramatically multiple times, the mess that I tend to call the typical human filth gives way to thrilling action, the fact that it’s hard to know who or what to believe can actually be a positive aspect as well, considering the valid points made by the various sides and the genuine intentions of the antagonists, and characters develop in ways that are largely positive. And, while it opens the way for the rest of the series, Eternal Knight also has an entirely serviceable conclusion on its own.
The problem, however, is pretty much everything between those first five chapters and that final quarter, which is dominated by that typical human filth, making for rather painful reading. And that’s not just because I’m all too aware of that filth in “reality” and would want to escape from it while reading fantasy, but because it’s also poor in concept. I learned that the book was edited down to less than half of the size of the original draft, forgetting that fantasy should carefully craft and present new worlds in detail, so it’s possible that there was more to it at first, but what’s left is a court, and a society, that’s little more than a caricature, roughly pushing something like the trope of the noble savage and savage nobles and some themes of privilege and discrimination without having any impact, without giving them meaning. And opportunities for action and explanations are either skipped entirely or so forced and amateurish that it’s hard to believe that they were written by the same person who wrote that last quarter of the book. And I’ll also note that, while I was initially surprised by the use of creatures from Romanian myths, I then realized that the author just liked to use the words for some creatures he imagined.

Rating: 3/5

I just noticed that the previous post was the 1000th filed under “Personal” and at first I found myself thinking that it’d have been better for this post to mark that milestone. But after a moment I realized that it’s probably better as it is, since both are quick posts, but that previous one was notable, marking such an achievement, completing a marathon with an official time below four hours, while this one is just something that I’ll throw here to mention that this ball of rock and metal that we keep trashing as if we and all other species that we share, or should be sharing, it with had plenty more to spare returned to pretty much the same spot on its orbit as it was when I was unfortunately thrown onto it through no choice of my own for the 40th time since then.
At least it won’t be quite as rushed of a post as it was last year, and the contrast between the results at the marathon makes my mood definitely different, but I now wonder just how much I’ll be paying for that, since my throat is really sore and I’ve also been feeling rather like I have a fever, or at least like I had one before crawling out of bed this afternoon. And some work that’s once again being done means that we don’t have hot water, and the site states that it won’t return until at least Thursday night, so it’s a very good thing that this happened after the marathon, and also after yesterday, when I went out again and then could take a bath at night, since after the marathon the water wasn’t warm enough for more than a shower.
To get back to turning 40, I glanced at the previous posts written to mark such milestones, and while at 35 I only mentioned it in passing in what was mainly a post about a run and at 30 it was just a regular, or in fact even hasty, personal update, at 25 I did write quite a post, about my close relationships until then, and if I’d be to make another “proper” milestone birthday post it’d probably update that one… Not that there’s much to say about it.

And what’s above is how far I got before midnight, so I initially posted just that and then kept writing, adding the rest almost an hour later and deciding to make that quick update to the situation listed in that post after all, starting with the obvious fact that the blog is no longer hosted by Jen, after she stopped talking to me and then the site vanished, so I ended up getting my own site. Otherwise, I did find Elena P., but what I saw definitely made it seem that nothing was real back then, and the fact that she never replied when I sent something likely confirms that. And things went sour with Andreea too, and at this point I wouldn’t say that she’s someone really worth mentioning if I’m to talk about people I was or at least hoped to be really close to. Alina, later Ami, was such a person, but that went really badly after a certain point. Then I probably should mention Susana, though that was always awkward and difficult and she kept being convinced that I hated her, or at least that’s what she said, and then she cut contact as well and even blocked me. And then there are Alma, Sonya and maybe, at a stretch, Alexandra, but after the initial period I can’t say that I talked that much to Alexandra, so she’d just be someone who didn’t actually cut contact. As for Alma and Sonya, we’ve been in contact for over a decade and did talk a lot at times, but those times ended years ago it’s been a long time since I’ve really talked to anyone. Then again, for quite a while I learned to stop expecting a reply if I send something to Sonya, but I can’t blame her for it when it can be several months between messages and when I send something it tends to be a quick comment or a link. And, while Alma will reply if I send something, the differences between us mean that she never was someone that I could actually be close to. And then there is the fact that I don’t really have a reliable and comfortable method of exchanging messages anymore.

I should probably write something about running as well, starting with the fact that I don’t intend to sign up for next year’s marathon, and at this point I wonder if this one wasn’t my last one. On the one hand, seeing those people in their 60s and 70s, and even one who was 80, get past me, easily pull ahead and finish well ahead of me was both humbling and inspiring, and did make me think that I want to be able to do that at their age, but on the other hand the dedication required for that is something that I have no interest in, the current general level being pretty much as far as I care to go, and when it comes to preparing for the major runs, I don’t exactly want to even put as much into it as I have for this one again, so if I’d try again, the results will almost certainly only be worse, possibly much worse, and it’s probably better to just keep this achievement and limit myself to half marathons, though I might more or less still stick to the schedule that I have in order to prepare for the marathon and “honor” the date either with that 35.2 km run or at least with a half marathon run through the park.
On the other hand, I do think of ultra marathons, and it seems only normal to advance to them as you get older, since I was reading that the best results at such distances are obtained by men in their late 40s, and it’s common for those in their 50s to also do well, since when it comes to such distances speed matters far less and experience and the mental strength to just force yourself to keep going are far more important. But, on top of the prospect being daunting in itself, the big problem is that I don’t want to travel and there are no longer runs organized in or around Bucharest, and in fact the few ultra marathons I’m aware of in Romania are not city runs, but trail and even mountain competitions, which is something that I definitely won’t do. So maybe I won’t move to that level at all… But, as an alternative, I was thinking of a long walk, at least once, crossing much of the country. But, of course, that will take a lot of preparation and, if I will go for it at all, it’s something that’s years down the line… And it will mean traveling, which is a major problem in itself.

Otherwise, I kept thinking that if I will manage to finish the marathon with an official time below four hours, I’ll buy myself a certain cake, and maybe also a bottle of white wine, just to see how it is. But I have no interest in alcohol, not even as a curiosity anymore, so there’s little point in wasting money on that. And the problem with the cake is that such cakes can’t be small, the smallest have about one kilogram, and eating it before it’ll go bad will be a problem, since I obviously don’t have anyone to share it with, and now there are serious reasons why I couldn’t possibly send any of it to my mother either, and dad likely won’t want any, or at least no more than a taste. But I may not even find that cake anymore, and I worry that if I’ll buy it I may find that I don’t like it, which would make it even more of a problem. At least before last night it didn’t matter because I didn’t have the money for it, and finances are pretty much impossibly tight at this point, but apparently my mother sent me some money and while I initially tried to refuse, pointing out that they’re in such a difficult spot and can’t afford anything right now, I was told that those money are available and they’re her gift to me since she knows that I don’t want anyone buying me things, so now I have enough to get myself quite a number of things, not just that cake, if I’d care to, while at the same time the amount will hardly make any difference when it comes to the plans for a new computer, so there’s little point in saving them for that. And those plans will almost certainly get delayed yet again anyway, considering how things stand. Not that I mind the excuse, since changing the computer is such a frightening prospect, but I was 30 when I got this one and, on top of the performance problems, there’s always the question of how long it’ll even continue to function.

This must have been my most tactical and calculated run ever, and changing my intake strategy made for two particularly difficult periods earlier, one starting as early as 12 km and which might be said to have lasted all the way to 23 km, though after 17-18 km I reached something of a plateau, and another being between 31 km and 37 km, though once again things got less bad later during that period, after 35 km. During that first period, I wondered whether I was even going to finish, while during the second it seemed highly unlikely that I’ll manage to stay under four hours, even a new personal best, beating the time from 2022, being in doubt. And then, until 41 km, I thought that it was going to be really tight, a matter of a few seconds either way. But in the end I made it with over one minute to spare, the official time being 3:58:47, with a net time of 3:57:49. So I achieved what I had set as my target probably after getting an official time below two hours for a half marathon, in 2017, getting under four hours as official time at a marathon before turning 40, at the last possible moment, a mere two days before that date. I know I’ll be paying for what I put my body through, but it’s worth it.
But now, after eating watermelon and a sweet pastry, taking a shower with water that started at a temperature that was barely all right for a shower and then got colder before eventually heating up to something much more comfortable but probably still not enough for a bath, then also eating a bag of peanuts, which meant some 950 calories on its own, and drinking the protein shake which had been in the race kit, I’ll be making a pizza and stuffing myself. And this post is not a placeholder, because I don’t see myself writing the detailed one about this day too soon, and definitely not before Tuesday, when I’ll probably just throw something here to mark turning 40, especially since I’m planning to go out again tomorrow evening. So this is pretty much all I’ll say now… And what makes this even more of a problem is that I don’t see myself writing many notes about the run right away either, so plenty of details about what’s definitely my most important run ever will slip my mind. But I’ll see what I’ll do, the one last thing that I’ll add now being a picture taken after I finished, once I finally convinced myself to ask someone to take it.

Later edit: Oh, I just noticed that this is post number 1000 filed under “Personal“. Maybe it’d have been more fitting for the next one to mark this milestone, but this is probably better, to mark it with an achievement.

After spending most of the evening of October 7 in the kitchen, washing some pots and eating some walnuts before starting to work on the salad, which included lettuce, I also made the tea for the morning and ate dinner, with peanut butter on all of the bread, between 12:45 AM and 1:30 AM, with the last several minutes spent gathering what was stuck on the plate. And I also used the aromatherapy lamp again. But then I spent too much time on-line before finally putting the cereals, raisins in dark chocolate and baked almonds with Himalayan salt into a bowl, so I’ll just have the yogurt to add in the morning, and going to the toilet, so I got in bed at 3:35 AM… And a little later I heard a noise that didn’t seem to have been caused by Liza and went to investigate, though when I didn’t immediately identify the cause I just got back in bed. But I slept poorly, needing some time to fall asleep and then getting up to pee just before 5:40 AM, at which point my right hip bothered me a fair bit, which was not surprising after standing for so long in the kitchen, especially while struggling to wash those pots. And I woke up again at 7:40 AM and went to pee one more time, managing to get back to sleep faster but waking up yet again when the computer did the daily backup, at 8 AM, and then getting another brief nap before the alarm rang, at 8:15 AM, and I got up.
After eating the Gala apple and adding the bio (organic) yogurt in that bowl and eating that as well, I realized that I hadn’t checked before going to bed and saw that no visits had been reported on October 7. Either way, I then took the supplements as well, obviously with the exception of the second pill of the iron and the one for joints, and then I heard the sound of mowing from behind the building again, so I took a few “before” pictures. The fact that I then just wasted some time on the toilet was less of a concern when I had gone before going to bed. And then, just because I was going to do so before the marathon, I decided to have another sweet thing after all, in the form of the last two of those nicer but expired biscuits, with added honey. And I left at 9:45 AM, wearing the full running gear, returning to the new shoes and deciding to take the t-shirt from last year’s marathon once again, but without the running belt or even anything in the pocket of my tights. The reported temperature was 14°C at 10 AM, when I started running, and 17°C at 11 AM, so it couldn’t have been less than 16°C when I finished running. And I’ll also mention that the right shoe bothered me a little at the back at first, so I stopped on a bench after entering the park to take it off and put it back on, which took a little longer than I thought it would, because the shoelace tied itself in a knot when I tried to untie it.
The time was 47:14.23, with sector times of 4:13.70, 5:09.22, 5:55.00, 4:22 (4:21.69), 4:56.09, 5:50.09, 4:28 (4:27.94), 4:55 (4:54.28), 5:39.38 and 1:47 (1:46.84), making for lap times of 15:17.92, 15:08 (15:07.87) and 15:02 (15:01.60). I hoped to at least get under 48 minutes and pushed to some extent from the start, and while I paid attention to avoid exhausting myself, I was a little disappointed by that time on the first sector… And then even more so by the one on the next sector, even if I knew that I had slowed down somewhat. So I pushed a little more on sector three, but when that resulted in a lap that was only a little under that 15:20 that’s the target lap time for 48 minutes, things didn’t look good and I once again thought of continuing to 16 km, which I had in fact considered to do for this run. But then I was surprised by that very good time on sector two of lap two, when my mind had been elsewhere as I covered that long straight and I thought that I was going to once again be quite slow. And sector three of lap two was faster than that of lap one as well, as was the lap as a whole, which didn’t just make me quite certain that I’ll stay under 48 minutes, but I even started thinking about squeezing under 47:30, even considering continuing to 16 km if I won’t. So I really pushed on lap three, still keeping something in reserve on the first sector, but going for it on sector two and really giving everything on sector three, hoping to at least give myself a chance… Only to be surprised when I was already safe at the end of the lap, at which point the goal became to squeeze under 47:20 as well, so I was once again pleasantly surprised when I saw that I had even squeezed under 47:15. Sure, seeing as I’ve been taking all of those supplements for so long, I’d have felt much better if I’d have gotten under 47 minutes, but I’m nevertheless content with this time.
My right thigh muscle gave warnings pretty much from the start, and they were pretty serious warnings, but things didn’t get worse, and on lap three I noticed them less, though that was probably just because I was so focused on pushing. And I did feel somewhat lightheaded on sector one of lap three and at the start of sector two of lap three, but then the feeling went away, and while towards the end of the lap, after having pushed so hard, my chest was starting to burn, that time on sector three of lap three pretty much justifies the feeling. And those were pretty much the only notable problems, otherwise the damaged and wet lane clearly remaining the main reason to weave or go the long way around. But I was noticing on the first lap that it was almost as if I was in a race, considering the number of runners, though that number dropped later.

On the way back, I briefly poked my head in a small bakery that seems to have replaced a burger place and then also had a quick look in the nearby Mega Image. And when I entered the building an old woman asked me to check whether the elevator was stuck somewhere, since it apparently wasn’t coming, but when I called it to the first floor it came from below, so it had been at ground floor already, and I shouted to tell her that it was working and she called it again, but I didn’t wait to see whether she could open the door, since that seemed to have been the actual problem the first time around.
A slight reason for concern was that, after taking off the shoes and socks, I noticed that the right shoe had still rubbed the back of my foot a little, though I hadn’t felt it while running… But since then I’ve been occasionally feeling that the back of my left foot had been rubbed a little, though I don’t see any mark there. Either way, I then had a very early lunch, took the “after” pictures of the area behind the building, arranged the munchies that I have in my room, ate some watermelon as well, and cleaned my room a little, also changing the sheets and taking the blanket again. And cleaning less than two months after the previous time was quite an improvement… And when I put the backpacks back in their place that clove which had fallen three weeks earlier fell off, so it had almost certainly been in or on the torn backpack, even though I had turned it over and shaken it back then without anything falling. Either way, a few minutes after 7 PM I went out again, with the plastic and metal, the bottle caps, which I finally remembered to take again, and the recyclables with the deposit symbol.
I put the recyclables in the machine from the nearby Mega Image, being left with one that wasn’t accepted, and just cashed in the voucher and grabbed a few smaller coins off the floor, at which point I spotted what I’m pretty were two 0.50 RON coins there as well, but I didn’t take a closer look, so if they really were there, I left them. Then I dropped off the plastic and metal in a recycling bin on the way, went down to the lake when I cut through the park and washed my hands at a drinking fountain, then dropped off the bottle caps when I reached Penny Titan, and while that recyclable wasn’t accepted by that recycling machine either, one that I found next to it was, so I entered the store with that remaining one and got an expiring product for dad, also using the voucher received for that recyclable when paying.
Since I had dad’s metro card, I then took the metro to Carrefour Pantelimon, put my things in a cabinet and just got an expiring chocolate, even if it was imported, so the trip wouldn’t be a complete waste of time, since I had wanted to go to Carrefour for pumpkins, which were on sale, but a single one of that kind was left and it was cracked, so I didn’t take it. Either way, I still had to use a regular checkout, and then I retrieved my things, put the chocolate in the jacket’s inside pocket, and instead of walking to Kaufland Basarabia, I got back on the metro and went to what I guess I could call the usual one.
While the recycling machine from there also rejected that recyclable, I found three with the deposit symbol at the top of one of the garbage cans that are in front of the entrance, so I went back and put those in the machine, ending up with two vouchers because the machine timed out while I emptied the last one. Then I put my things in a cabinet, washed my hands, and entered the store at 9:30 PM, seeing that only some bakery products had labels listing the discounts of 50% and taking a cheap bun and a sweet pastry, after scanning the labels and finding that the 50% discount applied to both even though neither had a discount label. And then I saw that a huge evening discount had appeared for green onions and I was trying to pick a bundle that was less bad than the rest when a woman came and commented that they were from Germany, which I hadn’t noticed, so I walked away with one bundle but then went back and put it back. But I took a bundle of dill, which also had a huge evening discount, mainly just in order to get one more thing and be able to use the voucher received for two recyclables at the self-checkout, after which I cashed in the one for the third. I believe that I was still at the machine when the closing announcement came, but it’s also possible that it came just after I was done. Either way, I then retrieved my things and arranged everything, figuring out where to put that dill taking me a little while.
I then decided to take the metro again, one option being to go to Carrefour Unirii, but while I now see that it’s once again open non-stop, I hadn’t checked before leaving, since going there wasn’t part of the original plan, so I thought that it still closed at 11 PM, and it was past 10:15 PM when I got to the metro station and I didn’t jump into the train that went in that direction, which was just there at the time, so I thought that it was no longer an option and decided to go back to Titan, to check that Mega Image that I recalled also had discounts of 90% for expiring products just before closing time. But, after putting my things in a cabinet, I only saw discounts of 50% and nothing that was particularly interesting anyway, so I just retrieved my things, though that time around I did pick up a 0.50 RON that I spotted on the floor. So I wandered around a lot and had little to show for it, and on the way back I just grabbed a couple more recyclables with the deposit symbol.
I got back a few minutes after 11 PM, and after cleaning the litter box and going to drop a bag of trash down the chute I put the few purchases in their place, ate some koliva which had been brought by dad, washed what was in the kitchen, did the day’s squats, and at 12:15 AM I went to the bathroom, to use the toilet and wash. I was done a little before 1:20 AM, but then I talked to dad for a while, also took something again, and ate dinner between 3:25 AM and 4:10 AM, at which point I also noticed that at least one of the computer’s fans was making a worrying, uneven noise. And there were no visits recorded that day either. On the other hand, while I did recover some sleep, only waking up the last time when it was past 3 PM, during that last part of the sleep I had a particularly elaborate dream that included multiple fears but centered on my worst one, so I was just crushed when I got up, physically as well, but mentally even more so. And when dad got back I was in the kitchen and the door to my room was wide open, so when he went to the bathroom he could clearly see the picture that’s my desktop background. Since he doesn’t pay attention to anything, it’s quite likely that he didn’t notice, but it made me feel even worse.

Thursday morning, I got in bed at 5:20 AM, and after getting up, having lunch and doing 200 squats, since the previous day I kept putting them off until I forgot to do them at all, I went to pick up the race kit for the marathon, leaving at 6:40 PM, with the two recyclables with the deposit symbol that I came back with two days earlier and two fish cans, which I dropped off in a recycling bin on the way. And I was in a hurry, so I just picked up one more recyclable with the deposit symbol before Unirii Square, where I made a little detour to Carrefour in order to put those three recyclables in the machine, so I won’t have them with me when I’ll pick up the race kit. But I couldn’t lose time, so it was somewhat worrying when both recycling machines were in use when I got there, and when the first person was done and I tried to put the first plastic bottle in, the other person said that only the other machine accepted those, the one that I was trying to use being only for glass bottles, and I didn’t even check whether that was correct, since the other machine was quickly freed as well and I could use it. And then I had a look through the recyclables which were discarded around the machines, found two of those with small bar codes and managed to get the machine to accept those as well, after a few attempts, ending up with a second voucher. And then I continued on my way, also walking the last part of the route in the process, and washing my hands at a drinking fountain.
I reached Constitution Square just before 7:45 PM, had a quick look at the nutrition sponsor’s stand, then picked up the race kit and checked the bag after walking back out of the Sport Expo area, but I did that so quickly that I didn’t even realize that the usual magazine wasn’t included, so when I went back in and bought a jelly bar from that stand, I didn’t also check to see whether the magazines were somehow placed somewhere else, so those who wanted one could take it. But I had checked the number and noticed that it was 1038 while that of the timing chip was 10038, and while in previous years the two numbers had nothing in common, the fact that they were so close this time around made me wonder whether something might have been wrong, so I asked someone about it, being told that they’re unrelated and it’s fine. So I then went to a table and arranged everything somewhat better, though I didn’t also try on the t-shirt, as I usually do.
On the way back, I entered that Carrefour Express with everything and grabbed two expiring products, then wanted to put everything in a cabinet when I returned to Carrefour Unirii, but there were no free cabinets, and the guard confirmed it when I asked, so I asked her to put stickers on those two products, which were of one of their store brands and which I had carried in my hand, pointing out that everything else was obviously the race kit and then entering with everything, putting those two products in my regular backpack and taking the empty bags out of it once I was inside the store. And, after having a quick look at the expiring products, I went up to the bakery area and saw that some products were already discounted by 50% even though it was still well before 9 PM. But none of those products were interesting, and the large apple pie that also had that 50% discount wasn’t something that I wanted to buy that day, so I went to pee and wash my hands and then just got some beans, since I finally saw Romanian beans on sale again. And at the self-checkout I also used the vouchers received for those recyclables, and then I added the beans in the backpack.
Since I had seen on-line that Kaufland Popa Nan was supposed to close at 10:30 PM and it only meant a small detour on the way back, that was the next destination, so after grabbing a few more recyclables with the deposit symbol on the way, I got there when it was almost 9:45 PM… And saw that the listed closing time was 10 PM! But I still took a moment to put those recyclables in the recycling machine, along with one that I found there and which was accepted on first try even though I was quite sure that it won’t be, since I recalled having one of those among those that weren’t accepted before. Then I rushed to wash my hands and two bottle caps that are used in a contest and which I had remembered to keep that time around, but the men’s was closed, and after dashing to the women’s to wash those caps, I noticed that there was no soap there, so I went to the toilets for disabled people and was finally able to wash my hands as well.
That left me with very little time, so I entered with everything and hurried as much as possible, the good thing being that the bakery area is right next to the fruits and vegetables in that location, close to the entrance, so I quickly scanned the price labels for two kinds of bread that had no listed discount, finding that one did have one, but it was small, so I didn’t take any, just getting a sweet pastry that did have the 50% evening discount. And then I rushed to grab some vegetables and a quince, all of which had evening discounts, and during that time I also mentioned to the employee from that area that the site listed the closing time as 10:30 PM, but he said that it wasn’t the case anymore. But I just made it in time, the closing announcement coming just as I was also weighing a few onions, which only had the regular discount that they had those days. That meant that I had no more time to see whether they still had any of the olives that were on sale, but I’ll only need those if I’ll make pizza after the marathon, so I then went to the self-checkouts, also using the voucher received for those recyclables, and then took my time to arrange everything. And on the way back I checked a Mega Image, putting just the bag in a cabinet, entering with the backpacks, and then just retrieving the bag and walking out, picking up two more recyclables with the deposit symbol from there and a couple more on the way back. On the other hand, at some point I realized that, since I hadn’t checked the rest of that Kaufland, I had forgotten to get a small yogurt, and I’d have liked to have one the following day, before making pasta… But I made do without it.
To return to Thursday evening, I got back a little before 10:50 PM and within a quarter of an hour I was in the bathroom, to use the toilet and wash, being done a little before 11:55 PM. Then, after spending some time in my room, I eventually put the purchases in their place, showed dad what was in the race kit, ate that quince and a sweet pastry that I already had, took another pill, because my throat felt a little sore once again, and used some of the lettuce which I had bought from Kaufland for the salad, finally eating dinner between 4:10 AM and 4:55 AM and getting in bed at 6:10 AM.

Well, after waking up to pee at 10:45 AM, I couldn’t get back to sleep, one reason being that I started feeling the other pressing need as well, plus that my nose was a little stuffy. So I eventually went back to the toilet a little after 11:10 AM, but after the first piece the rest didn’t seem to want to come out even though my guts felt just stuffed. At least I eventually managed to get some more sleep, but the dreams were once again quite troubling and by the time I got up I had only slept for a total of about five and a half hours, and then I only added a short nap, about half an hour, late in the evening, and this morning I only got in bed at 5:30 AM, after dad got back. But at least I only got up when it was close to 4 PM, and while I woke up several times before then, including one time when I was woken up by the noise made by dad when he got something out of the freezer before leaving, I’m quite sure that I got a total of over eight hours of sleep. And now let’s see how I’ll manage to eat dinner earlier, get everything ready for the morning and maybe manage to get a little sleep tonight as well.

In the early hours of September 27, I went to the kitchen a little later than usual and there was a lot to wash after dad had cooked, and he had also left the cutting board close to the fire while cooking and a part of it got burned, though at least it was on the side that’s already more damaged and which I don’t use. On the other hand, I also forgot that I had placed some of the bread that I wanted to use before these runs within reach and took out most of my bread from the freezer and then put it back. So I ended up starting to eat dinner at 3:25 AM, putting peanut butter on all of the bread, and it was past 3:50 AM when I finished, after also editing the previous week’s second post in order to finally add the rest of it. And then I quickly wrote the placeholder for that night’s post, adding the rest of it before starting to get ready for bed, and it was 5:30 AM when I finally did get in bed.
I set the alarm to ring at 2:30 PM, but as that hour approached I kept waking up, and while I had set my mind on staying in bed and waiting for the alarm, when dad got back I checked the time and when I saw that it was 2:18 PM I turned off the alarm and got up. My nose was rather stuffy, my left ear was quite clogged, I was definitely starting to feel something in my chest as well, and there was a slight feeling of weakness in general, so things definitely didn’t look good, but the plan was to run and I had to. And, even if it was September 27 and I had even said, or more exactly written, that I wasn’t going to, I did shave after all. Otherwise, I had the usual stuff, which these days includes those supplements, and the sweet thing consisted of two nicer biscuits of a different kind, which actually weren’t expired, with added honey. I left at 5:20 PM, wearing the full running gear, with some things in the pocket of my tights. The reported temperature was 32-33°C at that point, and while I couldn’t check after finishing and didn’t even check the forecast for 7 PM before leaving, I looked at a couple of sites that also show previous values and saw that it should have been 28°C at that hour.
The time was 1:17:43, with sector times of 4:17, 5:00, 5:50, 4:26, 4:52, 5:51, 4:28, 5:02, 6:29, 4:29, 5:10, 5:57, 4:36, 5:17 and 5:59, making for lap times of 15:07, 15:09, 15:59, 15:36 and 15:52. This makes this the first time I covered 16 km in less than 1:18 since a year ago, when I began this same series of three runs in five days with one that was six seconds faster, and the actual running time was better this time around, since I lost over 30 seconds because of a shoelace. And it’s also the first time since May when I managed to stay under 16 minutes on each of the five laps. Not that such a time isn’t still poor after two weeks of taking all of the supplements and almost a month of taking the one for joints, as I’d have normally expected to be around 1:16, if the heat wouldn’t have allowed me to get near my personal best. But the cold made me not know what to expect, and at first I even wondered if I won’t even risk a new slowest time over this distance, in which case I considered trying to continue to a half marathon distance, even if it was going to get dark, if that won’t also risk resulting in a new slowest time. So I wasn’t sure what to think of this time… But I knew that I was going to pay for running, and pushing, with a cold.
I expected a poor first sector despite pushing a fair bit, yet when I saw the time I was quite pleased and kept pushing, to see what I was capable of, and I was perhaps even more pleased with the next two sectors and the lap as a whole. Then, after being rather pleased with sector one of lap two as well, I really sprinted on the long straight of sector two of lap two, which resulted in that great time on that sector… But I was thinking that I had done that unwisely early. However, after the times on sector three of lap two and the lap as a whole were nice as well, I wondered whether I could stay under 1:18 after all, the targets becoming 15:30 for lap three and 16 minutes for lap four, to allow for a little more on lap five if necessary, though I’d have liked to stay under 16 minutes on each lap. And the first two sectors of lap three meant that I had a pretty good chance to meet that lap’s target, assuming that I was still able to stay under six minutes on sector three… Only to lose all of that time because of that shoelace. So I then pushed hard, trying to limit the damage, and when I saw that the lap’s time was just under 16 minutes even under those circumstances, I told myself that I was going to move what had been the target for lap three to lap four, though over the course of sector one of lap four I decided that 15:45 might be enough to give me a chance. Either way, I kept pushing, and while the time on sector two of lap four was a little worse than I’d have hoped, the lap as a whole was right on the target for 1:18, so I could still afford to go a little over 16 minutes on lap five. But I didn’t want to, so I kept pushing, and while the first two sectors were just over the targets for a 16-minute lap, I managed to make up for it on sector three.
The biggest loss of time was obviously on sector three of lap three, when I noticed that my right shoelace was untied and I lost over 30 seconds, probably more like 35 seconds, to tie it again. And the one notable problem caused by people was on sector two of lap five, when a woman moved to the side that I was about to pass her on just when I was catching her, and while I don’t think that I actually stopped, I slowed a lot as I went around her on the grass. But otherwise, considering all of the damage and the fact that some areas were wet as well, the lane probably remained the main reason why I had to weave or go the long way around, and on sector two of lap three I was probably even helped a little by a faster runner, who likely made me push a little harder until the distance between us increased. As for physical issues, I was only on sector two of lap one when I felt that my nose and throat were getting irritated, though the feeling faded later, which seemed strange. On the other hand, I know that my right knee started giving some warnings on sector two of what I believe was lap two and I’m quite sure that it was at the start of a sector three when I began to feel something of a pressing need, and while by the time I finished I wasn’t certain whether that was on lap two or lap three, lap three seems more likely, since I don’t recall struggling with it for a long time and I remember that resting a little while retying that shoelace made both of those problems seem to go away until sector two of lap four, when multiple parts of both of my legs started giving warnings, the right knee started bothering me quite noticeably, and the pressing need also returned to some extent. But everything held until the end, and the heat didn’t bother me nearly as much as I feared either.

While the post was mostly already written, with the exception of the paragraph with the comments about the third run’s times, going out again today meant that I couldn’t go through it in the evening, and I didn’t want to throw it here without doing that first, and since I only managed to go through what’s above before leaving, it was initially basically another placeholder, scheduled to be posted at 11:59 PM and which I edited Tuesday evening only to add the parts about the rest of September 27 and the following day, mainly to show that I haven’t forgotten about this post. And I edited it again in order to add everything else in the early hours of Thursday, before going to bed.

I felt so weak after the run, and rather like I had a fever. But I wasn’t coming back right away, so I went to a bench and meant to write down the times and a few notes about the issues, but a Kaufland catalog for the next period was there and when I started looking through it I noticed a lot of ants, so I moved away, browsing the catalog while walking, then leaving it on the next bench that I sat on, where I did write down what I meant to. And then, on the way to Carrefour, I noticed a fair in the park, so I had a look, the prices being as insane as you’d expect at such events. And when I actually did make my way to Carrefour I picked up a rather crushed and dirty plastic bottle with the deposit symbol, trying to straighten it with little success, but the recycling machine somehow accepted it… Yet it didn’t accept another one of the same brand which had been left there by someone, so I washed my hands and entered the store with that one, getting one sweet pastry that was among the expiring products, one large Gala apple that I mean to eat before the marathon, the last bag of some salty pretzels that I found, and some more of those cheap bagels, using the voucher received for that recyclable when I paid, once again needing to use a regular checkout, checking that the receipt included a voucher with 20% of the value of those pretzels and bagels, according to the deal that applied those days, and arranging the purchases.
I put that bottle in the recycling machine from Kaufland, then put my things in a cabinet, washed my hands, and entered the store at 9:10 PM, if I remember correctly. The bakery discounts were of 50% and they didn’t increase, so I grabbed two buns and one of the sweet pastries which had been much cheaper during the previous period, so the price, with the same 50% discount, was 80% higher than a few days earlier, when I hadn’t noticed that large regular discount and had also just bought one. And, after spotting one that was already in a bag, so it had probably been returned there or left somewhere by someone else, I scanned the label of the regular bread, seeing that the discount was actually slightly more than 50%, so I also took that bread for dad, and then went to a self-checkout and checked the price of a bread that I was interested in and which had no label whatsoever. But that bread had no evening discount, so I didn’t take any. And there were no evening discounts for fruits and vegetables either, except for some black radishes that looked really bad, so I didn’t get any, but I did get one bundle of green onions, since at least they still had plenty that evening, and there was a regular discount those days. And, after grabbing another small yogurt, waiting for 9:45 PM, and seeing that no other discounts appeared or increased, I made my way to the self-checkout, needing to call an employee when the machine didn’t accept the green onions as the correct product, and using the voucher received for that recyclable when I paid. And, after retrieving what I had in the cabinet and arranging everything, I spotted another plastic bottle with the deposit symbol, so I walked out a couple of minutes before 10 PM and then put that in the recycling machine as well, keeping the voucher for another time. And on the way back I grabbed a can with the deposit symbol.
I can’t quite recall whether I got back at 10:25 PM or 10:30 PM, though the latter seems more likely. Either way, after eating some watermelon I cleaned the litter box and went to drop a bag of trash down the chute, then put the purchases in their place and ate the sweet pastry from Carrefour, and by the time I washed all of the greasy things that were in the kitchen, I had gotten through another September 27… Not that I care to… Either way, I then also had lunch and took another pill, and it was 12:55 AM when I went to the bathroom, to use the toilet and wash. I was done a couple of minutes before 2 AM, then I sliced dad’s bread, took something else as well, and ate dinner between 3:30 AM and 4:15 AM, lighting the aromatherapy lamp again before starting to eat. My ears felt rather clogged after washing and the right one got worse after eating, when the right nostril suddenly got stuffy as well… And there were no visits recorded on September 27.

Well, sleeping was obviously a problem, as it always is after such an effort, even without the added complication of the cold, so I caught some brief naps until a little after 8 AM, eventually went to the bathroom around 8:15 AM, mainly to blow my nose, though I peed as well, just in case, then tossed and turned for a while longer before trying to blow and spit some more and getting back on the computer a little before 9:15 AM. But I did catch a little more sleep in the afternoon, and while Liza woke me after what was probably about one hour of sleep, if even that, by starting her “concert” after dad left for a while, and the symptoms were noticeably worse at that point, I eventually got back to sleep and things seemed better by the time I woke up again, at least as far as my nose and throat were concerned… But my energy levels weren’t good at all, and over the course of the day I was feeling that I wasn’t breathing properly.

Moving on to September 29, before eating dinner in that day’s early hours, once again with peanut butter on all of the bread, I put what I was going to take with me in the pocket of my tights, selected the apple that I was going to eat in the morning, made the tea and took another pill, and before going to bed I went to the toilet and took one more pill, all of those preparations being due to the fact that a bad storm was supposed to hit in the afternoon, so I set the alarm to ring at 10 AM, meaning that instead of catching up on some of that lost sleep, I added even more to the debt. And when I woke up a couple of minutes before 8 AM I once again had a runny nose and crap going down my throat and into my chest, so I went to blow and spit.
When the alarm rang and I got up, things seemed better once again, but when I went to blow and spit, there was a trace of blood as well, and it felt like something was bubbling around in the left side of my chest… And then I noticed that dad had taken some of the raisins in dark chocolate that I had selected to eat just before the marathon! I had noticed the previous evening that they seemed to have been moved, but I didn’t actually look inside the bag then, only doing so when I took the biscuits, at which point I saw that half of them were gone! So I was quite a mess… But I had to run, so I had the usual stuff, including the supplements, but the apple was a Gala one, and the sweet thing consisted of two of those nicer but expired biscuits, with added honey. And I did manage to leave some more in the toilet as well, and then I left at 12:10 PM, wearing the full running gear, with some things in the pocket of my tights. The reported temperature was about 21°C, holding steady or maybe increasing just marginally by the time I finished.
The time was 49:15.45, with sector times of 4:17.83, 5:13 (5:12.97), 6:05.18, 4:39 (4:38.91), 5:14 (5:13.78), 6:06.31, 4:37 (4:36.78), 5:16 (5:15.50), 5:55 (5:54.96) and 1:53.23, making for lap times of 15:35.98, 15:59.00 and 15:48 (15:47.24). Considering how I felt, I wondered if I could even stay under 50 minutes, yet the first sector was better than I thought it’d be, especially since I hadn’t pushed that hard on it… But then I felt myself getting slower, and the second sector’s time made it clear that my original assessment was correct and it was going to be hard to stay under 50 minutes, and after the end of the first lap I knew that I had to at least squeeze under 16 minutes on the second one if I was to have any chance. And I just barely managed that, recovering what I lost on the first sector on the next two, and I’m quite sure that I only did so thanks to another runner who became my target from sector two of lap two. But then I wondered whether I could stay under 16 minutes on lap three as well, and also get under 49:30, so I pushed harder, and even more so on sector three of lap three, with that other runner continuing to be my target until close to the end of the lap, when I overtook him, after having closed in over the course of that sector. And after the end of the lap I wondered whether I still had enough energy to squeeze under 49:15 as well, but I guess that I didn’t. So this was another bad time that was nevertheless less bad than I expected, under the circumstances…
On top of feeling tired from the beginning, my leg muscles hurt in a way that made it likely that the main cause was the way I stand when I blow and spit in the sink, but the bigger problem was that I was feeling like I wasn’t quite getting enough air, soon enough my chest started burning, and at least for the first half of the run I was occasionally getting lightheaded, so my lungs were obviously affected and I mainly felt something wrong with the right one. And towards the end of lap two I felt something different for a while, most likely heartburn. But over the course of lap three I was noticing that I was feeling better… Though on that lap I no longer noticed the wind either, and there had been some serious gusts on the first two laps, so I’m not sure whether it had actually died down, which may also explain feeling and breathing better to some extent, or I wasn’t noticing much of anything anymore. On the other hand, the lane was obviously still damaged in all sorts of ways, and there were even a couple of new spots that created a risk of tripping, and some areas were also wet, while on sector two of lap one, at the kayak dock, I hesitated when a roadblock formed ahead of me, though a guy stepped aside and let me through before I actually got there.
But I should say more about that runner that I mentioned above, who appeared ahead of me on sector two of lap two and initially seemed to just be another passing target, albeit a more relevant one, since he was only slightly slower and it took me a while to catch him. I don’t remember where I managed to pass him, whether it was on that same sector or the next, but I know that just a little later I almost stumbled when I stepped into a hole that was under the lane, and then I was more careful for a while, which allowed him to pass me again. And I also don’t know whether a pressing need made its presence known while I pushed to catch him the first time or when I tried to keep up after he passed me back, but it definitely appeared when he was just ahead of me and for a little while it seemed like it could become a problem, though it then lessened. Either way, being passed by me seemed to have also made him push harder and by the start of lap three I was wondering whether he’ll even still be in sight at the end of the lap, but then he stopped at the drinking fountain that’s just before the end of sector one and I passed him again… Only to immediately need to briefly stop when a little kid got in my way, and he passed me again after that. But I was pushing and he only managed to put a short distance between us over the course of sector two, and on sector three I pushed even harder, closed in and eventually passed him again before the end of the lap.

After the run, the plan was to go to Penny, and while just making a detour to the nearest one was the main idea, I had considered going to the one from Titan, which tends to be much better stocked, if the weather would still be all right, which it was. In fact, the storm still seemed far enough that for a moment I considered going to Carrefour first, and then to Penny Titan, but then I decided that I shouldn’t risk it and stuck to the original plan, even jogging to that Penny. And, while I considered turning around and going to the one from Titan after all when I saw that they were out of the pumpkins that were supposed to be on sale, when I checked and saw that at least they had what dad wanted, I decided to stay and get those things, and I’d have needed just a little more in order to get the total above 30 RON and be able to use the second voucher received from their coins campaign, so I added a bag of corn puffs of the kind that were also on sale, and which I actually prefer, as a small “reward”. And phones started giving the alert sound while I was in line, but there were no problems with that voucher and the weather was still fine for quite a while, the rain only starting some two hours later, and rain was in fact all we got in this part of the city. And I also had a very quick look in the nearby Mega Image, entering with everything, before getting back here.
When I got back, I asked dad what had gotten into him to take those raisins in dark chocolate, since they were clearly placed where I put what I keep specifically for running, and when had he done that, and he said that he had done it the previous night and admitted knowing that they were mine, but said that he just wanted something sweet, decided that he wanted those, not any of the other things from the fridge, and assumed that it’ll all be fine if he’ll get me another bag right away despite only eating a few, and while I ran he had actually gone out and bought two bags, at full price, which had actually just increased a fair bit.
Well, it was definitely not all right! I’ve been eating raisins in dark chocolate before the important runs all these years and they’re the one thing that I can carefully select, so I just “have” to pick the bag carefully, which I obviously didn’t do for those he bought, and then I look through them after I open the bag and select those that I somehow like more and save them for a major run, so I’ll use the rest while practicing and leave the “best” ones to eat before said major run, and with no more long runs left before the marathon, I couldn’t “properly” go through that selection process again even if would open a new bag. And I just “have” to eat some from that specific bag before practice runs, to “know” that they’re fine, and in case of the marathon in particular, it’s basically a given that those eaten before the long practice run and the marathon “must” be from the same bag, which was no longer possible because dad just randomly felt like eating a few without even asking! And when he said that he didn’t think that I’d be that set on such things and I asked if he didn’t find himself set on doing something in a certain way, especially before a major event, he admitted that he did, but again said that it’s not that specific. And then he once again said that after a certain age one needs to be told things more often, but when I reminded him that he had even admitted knowing that they were mine, and also how I had reacted when I was in the kitchen at one point and saw him poking through those things that I keep specifically for running, he said that if I get angry it all goes right past him, he never pays any attention to anything anyone tells him in anger. So, once again, he does whatever the fuck he pleases and I have to deal with it, and it’s my fault, one way or another!
Either way, after the argument I ate a banana and a sweet pastry, then had to rush to the toilet before washing, and after that I ate dinner and wrote the week’s second post, which I ended and posted as it was when dad wanted to get on-line again, even though I’d have wanted to add a little more. And at least I did get some sleep in the evening, after once again taking something, and after getting up I even did the day’s squats. On the other hand, while my nose seemed better, maybe even close to normal, considering the weather and the time of year, there was quite clearly something in my chest. And before going to bed I took one more pill. But another problem was that something started hurting in the left side of my abdomen while eating dinner, and while I definitely had gas and that might have been the reason, the fact that I continued to feel a little pain in that spot the following day was definitely concerning… But what was more of a concern was that something continued to feel wrong in my chest, possibly even more than before. Yet the other symptoms just about went away, so I just took one thing at night instead of two, and then I once again put peanut butter on all of the bread.

For the last run in the series, the alarm was set to ring at 2:30 PM, but I woke up when dad left, a little before 2:15 PM, and initially thought that what I heard was when he unlocked the door, so after a moment I went out of my room to ask him something, and when I saw that he had already left I initially got back in bed… But I quickly realized that it was pointless, so I turned off the alarm and got up, though I took it easy and it was past 2:30 PM when I got out of my room again. And I still felt something in the left side of my abdomen, albeit in a lower spot than before, and what I felt when I pressed around that area seemed more like fluid than gas. But I had to run, and after eating another Gala apple I opened one of those bags of raisins in dark chocolate bought by dad, selected them to some extent and put some of the “worse” ones in the yogurt, before adding the cereals and the baked almonds with Himalayan salt, and I didn’t have another sweet thing after that. And I left at 5:15 PM, wearing the full running gear. The reported temperature was 20-21°C, and 17-18°C when I finished.
The time was 1:16:47, with sector times of 4:21, 5:07, 5:54, 4:26, 4:58, 5:51, 4:28, 5:01, 5:58, 4:28, 5:05, 5:53, 4:30, 5:02 and 5:45, making for lap times of 15:22, 15:15, 15:27, 15:26 and 15:17. After the previous run, I had very low expectations, thinking that I might hope to stay under 1:22, or maybe 1:21 at best, but having target times that added up to 1:24 as well, if necessary. Yet the first sector’s time was better than expected, especially since I couldn’t quite decide how much I wanted to push from the beginning, and when the next two sectors and the lap as a whole were quite good as well, I started wondering whether I could manage a better time after all, deciding to go for it and push as long as I’ll be able to, and I once again sprinted on the long straight of sector two of lap two, which resulted in a very good time on that sector. The question was how much had that exhausted me, but when sector three of lap two was faster than that of lap one, and the lap was also faster than the first one, it seemed like I would at least stay under 1:20. And over the course of lap three I started thinking about getting under 1:18, if I could stay under that 15:36 that’s the target lap time for that on that lap as well. And I did, so at the start of lap four I calculated that I needed to gain three more seconds over just staying under 16 minutes on the last two laps, yet when I saw, at the start of lap five, that just staying under 16 minutes would get me under 1:17:30 but that I had stayed under 15:30 on all of the previous laps, I wondered about squeezing under 1:17 as well, and after the first sector it seemed that I might just have a chance, so I really pushed, and even more so on the last sector, which ended up being the fastest sector three of the day. And this was finally a time that I could work with.
My right knee started giving warnings again after that sprint on the long straight of sector two of lap two, I felt them clearly right from the start of the following sector, and on the last two laps they got worse, probably at least occasionally going past the level of mere warnings. But that was pretty much the only physical issue that I noticed during the run, the most notable difference compared to two days earlier being my breathing, which wasn’t a problem anymore, as the times obviously show. On the other hand, that toenail did jab that toe again, but I only really noticed when I got back and saw the blood, only briefly thinking that something might be happening during the run, without being bothered by it in any way. And, with the exception of the damaged and wet areas of the lane, there weren’t more than a few other problems either, the one somewhat scary moment being at the start of lap four and also having to do with the lane, since I slipped on mud and some of it was left on my shoe, which also made the next few steps a little tricky. And later on that same sector I slowed in order to squeeze through a roadblock, but the only other somewhat notable problem caused by people was on sector three of either lap two or lap three, I couldn’t quite remember even at the end of the run, when I hesitated a little, but more to make a point than because I was actually startled, since a woman was about to get in my way because a little kid, probably hers, ran past me and she suddenly decided to go after it.

After getting back, I ate watermelon and a sweet pastry, changed, though I left the running t-shirt on, and left again at 8:20 PM, taking the paper, which I dropped off in a recycling bin on the way, and the recyclables with the deposit symbol, including one which hadn’t been accepted before, and I picked up one more on the way to Auchan and two more which were left in front of the recycling machine from there, which I used before entering the store with that bottle, which wasn’t accepted there either. I was mainly going there to get water for dad, and I had seen on the site that their anniversary sales were supposed to start the next day, so I didn’t initially mean to look for anything else, except perhaps a bag of corn puffs with powdered milk, as a small “reward”, but when I entered I saw that at least some of those sales had already started, and I quickly noticed that they included something else that dad wanted, so even though I had to hurry I did look around a little, though I didn’t get anything except a pack of water, a bag of those corn puffs and just one of those other things, using both the voucher received for the recyclables and the small amount that was on the store card at the self-checkout. And I initially tried to walk away with the purchases in a bag, hoping to save a little time, but that water was too heavy to hold in one hand, so after crossing the road I stopped on a bench and put everything in the large backpack.
When I got to Kaufland I once again saw that the large cabinets didn’t lock, but I could squeeze everything into one of the small ones, even if that meant taking the corn puffs and that other thing out of the backpack first. Then, after meaning to save a few seconds by using the toilets for disabled people but finding that there was no soap, I did go to the men’s room and washed my hands and face, since on the way to Auchan I had caught another spiderweb, and it was just after 9:45 PM when I entered the store, rushing to the bakery area and initially just grabbing two buns, since the price labels that were placed listed discounts of 50%… But then I saw the sheets of paper that listed discounts of 75% and took some more buns, including some that I meant to use instead of bread, and one of those breads with walnuts, initially thinking that someone else had taken the ones that I had seen and taking one that looked similar but was probably something else, then putting it back and grabbing one of those when I realized that I had been looking in the wrong place and spotted them again. But I scanned the label for a sweet pastry that didn’t have any evening discount listed and confirmed that it wasn’t discounted. And there were no evening discounts for fruits and vegetables either, but I did take some deeply discounted mushrooms that were among the spoiling products, then jogged to grab a small yogurt for myself and a bucket of “Greek” yogurt for my mother, since it had already been announced that the store had closed. And at the self-checkout I used the voucher which I had been left with after putting that last recyclable in the machine four days earlier, then took my time to arrange everything, walking away when it was past 10:10 PM and trying to put that bottle in the recycling machine from there as well. But it still wasn’t accepted, so I came back with it, and with one more which I picked up on the way.
I got back just after 10:45 PM, with 18 kg, and I only weighed 45 kg. Then I cleaned the litter box and went to drop a bag of trash down the chute, left the bread and the buns on the table but put the other purchases in their place, ate lunch, with an entire large bag of corn puffs instead of bread, even did the day’s squats, took another pill, and it was almost 12:55 AM when I went to the bathroom, mostly wasting time on the toilet before washing. I was done just before 1:50 AM, but then I also gathered my clothes from the balcony and did a few more things, and when I put what I meant to cook the following evening to soak, I saw weevils in that bag as well, albeit far fewer and having done less damage, so they were probably the ones that had found that other source of food, which likely means that they’re in pretty much everything, since that was on the other side of the kitchen from the popcorn. Either way, I also dealt with the bread and those buns, having some of that bread at dinner, which I ate between 4:05 AM and 4:40 AM, with the last several minutes spent gathering what was stuck on the plate. I got in bed at 5:45 AM.