A Sick Week

It has been 14 months since the last time I came down with flu. I caught the bug
on Sat Feb 27, ran up Mission Peak regardless the next day, and it remained mild
until Wed. I took Thu off from work and stopped training.

I sneezed in bouts but did not cough. The right adductors ached (but the rest of the body did not) which hurt in
squats and certain yoga positions. The gum above the upper-right second 
molar swelled up (probably from the waterless trail-run). The eyelids twitched
often, especially in the evening. My appetite suffered little and bodyweight
stayed 153.0 lbs. I had no fever and my head felt clear. Engery was low and I
sometimes had to take a nap late afternoon. Thanks to regular training and
stretching, I moved well and did not feel as weak as last year.

Aside from the flu, life has been quiet. I stayed faithful to the AHD, finished
listening again to Yuval Harari's "Sapiens" while hiking or roaming around
in the sunny neighborhood, and by the weekend, the 25th anniversary edition
of "Bird by Bird" by Anne Lamott arrived.

Bad news wouldn't leave me alone, however. Hate crimes against Asians, from
knocking down defenseless elders in Chinatown to a disgusting letter proclaiming
to kill all Chinese to an Australian city councilor made headlines on WXC. One
Mr. Zheng, confronting robbers, was stabbed to death. His last words urged his
compatriots to unite and fight the bullies. To top it off, Ms. Elaine Chao's alleged
corruption didn't help.

I had to act. Let's look at what I need to do.

I must continue reading and writing in English to be able to communicate well
and to hopefully persuade.

I must continue stretching and lifting weight. Short-term goals include a side-split,
a full Asian squat, 10 pullups, 48kg single-arm swings, and 24kg presses.

I need to resume training in martial arts and practice striking.

Work is a necessity and a privilege and builds a moat to keep my family away
from daily terror. OK. Let's keep working. Chasing money, however, curbs
neither hate nor crime. In fact, it hurts by taking time that should be spent
elsewhere. So let's limit this activity to a bare minimum.

Ultra-marathon training takes time and seems a luxury for an Asian immigrant
like me. My friend L's whole family could enjoy it but they are white. Not many
white guys walking around in SF get mugged. They voted Trump but I cannot--
Trump would call me a Chinese virus. They even called Jeremy Lin a Chinese
virus. Besides, the muscles for a 100-miler help little in a 100-yard dash or a
roundhouse kick. I need to practice more sprints than marathons.

[7grizzly]

回复 '暖冬cool夏' 的评论 : Thank you my friend for reading and your comments.

I could vote but didn't. I was no fan of either candidate to begin with but that
might be just an excuse for my ignorance and naivety about the race problem even
after "Chinese Virus."

Thank you for your kind advices on resting. As of today, the gum has recovered.
The gum swell did seem to have a pattern as it has always happened after a
poorly hydrated trail run.

Have a great week!

[暖冬cool夏]

Somehow I had an impression:))
I am glad that we are... Sorry!

[暖冬cool夏]

L's whole family is white? Somehow I thought they had an impression that they are from Hongkong:))
I am we are on the same side, even though I still cannot vote. I think he sowed the seed of hatred when he was president. The hate crimes are not random, but let's hope that they are short-lived, and won't spread far and wide.
Rest more if you are under the weather. If the same spot (gum) repeatedly swells, better see the doctor or at least have some blood tests. Find the patterns and correlations, if any. Take care, my friend!