My next race is exactly one month from today. The hope is that the field will be uncompetitive, and HV and I will qualify for next year’s WC. And it should be feasible, unless the fast Indon girls turn up and race pro doubles.

But I haven’t been feeling fit recently. Between injuries, F’s half term, and work being busy… 23 May was the last time I did strength training before resuming again this week (16 June). More than 3 weeks break from strength training!

I’ve also been doing less intense, and shorter runs, partly because of Runna’s half marathon run programme, partly because of my injuries and the guidance to cut back to shorter, slower runs. My percentage body fat was been elevated for weeks now, probably in conjunction with decrease in training volume and my continued voracious appetite.

I can see why HV says she hates running in the heat. I ran at 08:00 today (~23°C in the sun), and I was REALLY struggling. It was meant to be a time trial targeting 5:20 min / km for 5km, but I ran the 5K closer to 6:00 min / km. And ironically, since I started the Runna half-marathon programme, my predicted HM pace has been dropping like a stone, because the programme has more frequent, but shorter runs, which has maxed out at 10K so far (partly due to my choice of 4 runs a week), whereas my Garmin Coach 10K programme by Jeff Galloway, had programmed long runs well in excess of 15K every other week.

I’m getting antsy and nervous… but it worked so well for KG, and AP’s running coach had a similar sounding programme, and AP achieved a 10 minute improvement in his time in just over a month or so. So I am trying to “keep calm, and carry on”, so to speak. I’ve recently started doing 100 body weight squats after most runs. And I can’t even do 100 ‘unbroken’ body weight squats, much less wall balls!

On the other hand, I suppose it’s good that my hips (gluteus minimus / medius) have strengthened over time.

I really do hope we qualify this time. Next year’s WC is in Stockholm, which is nearer, and a lot more affordable than Chicago. And there would be no hesitation over Trump. And Stockholm will be lovely in late spring. I remember the Swedish crayfish party and ‘aquavit’ shots in the Stockholm archipelago in our 20s, when HV had invite me along to her friends’ / colleagues’ mid summer party.

In any case, it will be a fun birthday celebration trip, even if I don’t qualify I guess. And HV and AP should almost definitely qualify for mixed doubles in their Age Group, so hopefully there will be some wins, even if it doesn’t turn out to be the win I would like.

There is a girl in my run club who is *just* as unempathetic as Beefcake over the sleds, except that she’s not even a friend, so I have noted the kind of person she is, and I will try to avoid her.

She said, “I don’t buy the complaints about the sled. As James Kelly said, in one race the race might feel easier and in another it might feel harder. You just need to train harder, the weight is the same.”

Never mind that that there has been video of footage of very clear differential in surface friction / resistance, and Hyrox has even issued a public statement, which they wouldn’t do otherwise.

And this was her response to me, when I just tried to make her see an alternate point of view.

I really hope that arrogant, unempathetic Latvian b*tch gets a really shitty sled lane, and a bunch of uncalled for penalties when she races next WC. Her example is not even relevant because on a flat course, or a hilly one, all competitors have the same course – flat or hilly.

I don’t see why people don’t understand the very basic premise that if we want to have a competition, we should provide a level playing field for the competitors, so that the outcomes are just based on the competitors’ level of fitness, not random factors.

No one is saying is we won’t train. I have been over-training to the point of injury!! And in this case, I’m not even complaining for myself. But fair is fair. I mean, otherwise, it is like a Mickey Mouse, Banana Republic-rigged game. Like in Malaysia, where if you are Malay, you get free points to make it easier to enter university, you get cheaper house, guaranteed quota of jobs…. And Chinese and Indians are just chopped liver. We don’t count, and have to work extra hard for everything in life. Which is… you know… character building. But still… if i wanted BLATANT unfairness, as opposed to more subtle discrimination, I would have stayed in Malaysia. In “the West”, in recent history, there is the notion, or pretense of equality, even if it doesn’t really exist. But I think the notion or pretense is important… because, even if the playing field is NOT level, at least it is not TOO biased, because they are trying not to be overt about it. So trying to be fair is important to me, and I think is very fucking fundamental. It’s frustrating that people don’t see something SO basic and fundamental.

I dropped it, because I don’t care about the girl at all, she is nothing to me, so I don’t care about helping her see an alternate point of view, or have some level of human empathy and decency. I will be sure to maintain a “respectful distance” (敬而远之) from her.