The running fool is dead

So, what have I been doing post Nakasendo? Not running a marathon, that's for sure. For a while I did run pretty seriously. This included taking part in a series of organized 5-km "fun runs" at Hagley Park in early 2008, over the course of which I steadily improved my time, finishing up with a not discreditable (for a newbie veteran, that is) 27 minutes 33 seconds. Here's me surging towards the finishing line just ahead of a woman and her dog.


I downloaded a training schedule for people preparing to run their first marathon and was running nearly every day. But as I increased my workload to the point where I was doing 10-km runs once or twice a week, my knees started getting sore, so sore that they kept me awake at night, and I reluctantly concluded that I wouldn't be able to run a marathon. I packed away my singlets and running shorts and bought some new walking shoes (waterproof Keens, similar to the ones Erik wore when we walked the Nakasendo together).

And so in the middle of last year I switched to Plan B and bought a walking map of the Tokaido. I plan to walk it in May-June this year, but as usual there are several obstacles in my way. Principal among these is yet another health issue. I recently found out that the "unsightly bright red scab-like thing on the side of my nose" I referred to in October 2007 is in fact a basal cell carcinoma. A dermatologist has reassured me that it's no threat to my health, but I need to have it excised. I don’t know when this will be. I'm not even sure how long the waiting list for this kind of surgery is at the moment. Hopefully I can get it done and recuperate before 18 May, which is my preferred departure date.