48 in 48 (Osaka City, 2023)

Daily Pages

March 12th, 2023

#1 Friday, 7:15 am to 8:15 am 🕗 ❤️‍🔥 🌞

Total Push-ups: 250 Total Dips: 250 Showers: 1 Without Food: 13 hours

The anticipation of 48 in 48 chased me out of sleep and into a sunny morning. At 7:20 a.m., I took off to work only with what I needed and ran 7 miles Northbound over bridges, through parks, and past schoolchildren. What a way to start season 3. I moved faster than I imagined; it was the fastest and farthest Run I've recorded. My left hamstring behaved gingerly midway through, but good form and minimal complaints kept me light and smooth. 

Afterward, to my surprise, unlike the week before, the cold shower head began to spit warm water revitalization. My skin ate the warmth as my muscles soaked in relaxation. With only one class today, what a great start to the day and weekend of 48 miles in 48 hours. 

#2 Friday, 12:15 pm to 12:50 pm 🕛 🚿 🪑

Total Push-ups: 430 Total Dips: 500 Bathroom Breaks: 1 Showers: 2 Without Food: 17 hours

The feeling is far too familiar: slip out of the chair, slip into cold-wet gear, lip the count of more push-ups and dips, then ship yourself through another four miles. Halfway to halfway, my foot started to burn, and a familiar but distant relative of pain returned to both knees, pricking and pinging like pine needles in need of a cone. Nonetheless, I couldn't complain because my hammies were straight. On these streets, the OverMan in Black garners more eyeballs than an optometrist's gala.

A reminder for the next ten runs: when you start to struggle, remember to be Easy, feel Light, stay Smooth, and Speed will follow. A second shower was warm and as lovely as the mornings'. 

At this moment, sitting in this chair continues to lure my eyes to rest as my stomach pleads for some grub. I don't need food because I plan to indulge for supper without bloating around 10 pm. Though, some hydration would be amazing right now! The next Run will be on our way home. 

#3 Friday, 4:15 pm to 4:50 pm 🕓 💭

Total Push-ups: 700 Total Dips: 750 Bathroom Breaks: 3 Showers: 2 Meals: 0.5 Fasting: 21h30m 

During Season One, adversity came with freezing rain, slushy pavements, and finger-numbing, "How much farther do I have to go" weather. During the afternoon run, the burning sensation from the lunch run returned to the outer region of my right forefoot. I had to bear it. Additionally, waiting in the queue was more dagger-like pain in my knee. Whether it was the Stop' N' Go or Go' N' Stop, whenever I encountered a light or traffic, I had to bounce on my right leg to relieve pressure off my left. I slowed down and wondered if this would be a recurring theme for the next day and a half. The more I ran and stopped, the more painful it became. Until I decided that it wouldn't be. So, I accepted the pain and did my best to run without hindrance or mind-bickering. The daggers vanished about a mile from home like sword-swallowing magicians. 

No matter how good you feel or how great of a shape you are in, the body will produce injuries to overcome, while the mind will create problems to solve. 

As mentioned, I took off to work with only what I needed earlier that morning. About a mile from home and five away from school, I realized I had left my apartment key in my desk at school. Running back seemed unfeasible, and then I realized I wouldn't make it to kickboxing and sparring class. Sinking into problem-solving mode, I had to get into the building. There were no issues as I waited for someone to enter. Two, I realized I had no spare keys outside the apartment. I knew no one in the building well enough, and management (offsite) would be out of the office at 5 pm on a Friday evening. Searching for possibilities, I considered using the fire exit route above my place to enter the apartment. But, I was not going to ask people I had never met to walk through their apartment, hang from their balcony and drop into my mine—all without identification or proof of residence. Third, I did not have my wallet or money, so I used Japanlish (Japanese + English) to get onto a train back to the school. I sat on the Kintetsu, sweaty, tired and sore, patiently awaiting my stop. 

#4 Friday, 6:15 pm to 6:45 pm & 8:15 pm to 8:35 pm 🚇 🔑 🍽

Total Push-ups: 950 Total Dips: 1000 Bathroom Breaks: 4 Showers: 3 Meals: 1.5 Fasting: 24h30m Naps: 0 Total Sleep Time: 0h0m

With no money, I talked my way into the subway and ran over a mile to school. Amazingly, my colleagues were still working at 7 pm on Friday nights. I grabbed my keys, borrowed some train fare and ran to the station. Out of mild frustration for missing class and redundancy, I broke fast at 24+ hours with a protein bar, fried squid crackers, and cider. Though I was disappointed not being at the Friday night kickboxing session and experimenting further with fatigue, soreness, and mental exertion—I was glad that I maneuvered the situation and set up a backup plan for future mishaps. 

I needed 2 more miles to meet the 8 pm run when I got home. So, I clocked another 2.5 miles to push past 4.5 miles for run number four. After a shower, I biked to a nearby Karaage restaurant, where I enjoyed a bowl of fried chicken, eggs on rice, miso soup and pickles. On the ride home, I picked up some snacks and fermented beverages from the Seven-Eleven before chilling out for the next Run. 

#5 Saturday, 12 am to 12:35 am 🌒 💤

Total Push-ups: 1200 Total Dips: 1250 Bathroom Breaks: 5 Showers: 4 Meals: 1.5 Longest Fast: 24h30m Naps: 0 Total Sleep Time: 0h0m

Sometimes, when the slowdown kicks in and I need help, the voices morph from "I" to "WE," I find consistency in one moment before the next. Then, the pace sustains itself, and my body acclimates. So far, to this point in the Runs, whatever injuries have surfaced have moved on. I am only as uncomfortable as my inability to focus on form and breathing. 

On the route, I saw micro flashes of white blobs as familiar specks of floaters danced in my field of vision. The nostalgia of the first year's Run flooded my eyes. I was plenty nourished; thus, sleeplessness was draining the tank quickly.  

After the Run, I had to choose between pushing farther into the darkness of 20+ hours of no sleep (like my first outing) or resting and pushing harder for sub-eight-minute splits as targeted. 

#6 Saturday, 4 am to 4:35 am 🌖 🛩

Total Push-ups: 1460 Total Dips: 1500 Bathroom Breaks: 6 Showers: 5 Naps: 1 Total Sleep Time: 2h20m

I cruised into heavenly dreams like an airplane into and out of nimbus clouds. At this point, I felt better than I did Friday morning. My body did not nag except for a wobbly left hammy that came and went within a few hundred metres. I glided down the canal engulfed in the fourth quarter of the night. The Run was smooth, so I veered off my initial course and reined in Number Six—halfway to the finish line. 

Within 20 hours, I had finished the first of two Stop' N' Go Marathons. Shortly after, under the soft seams of the shower head, I soon found the softness of the comforter, ready to grab some more sleep. 

#7 Saturday, 8 am to 8:35 am 🟣 🎶

Total Push-ups: 1680 Total Dips: 1750 Bathroom Breaks: 7 Showers: 5 Naps: 2 Total Sleep Time: 4h20m

I squeezed into a container with the capacity for two hours of rest; this sleep was as pleasant as the first. Outside and amongst the early risers of weekend goers, I quickened my feet with shorter strides when I felt like slowing down until the slickness of moving without motion returned. Though less severe, similar to the previous three, my ribs cramped early in the Run. About a half mile later, I breathed out the abdominal distress. Saturday mornings are brilliant because I always start these routes by running into the Sun while avoiding the shade, especially in winter. As I searched for the "OVERMAN ACTIVATE" Button, it was difficult to turn it on.

Nevertheless, I keep a sturdy pace with consistent form, visualization, and respiration. Sometimes, the message from the software of the mind to the hardware of the body takes time to transmit, translate, and transmute. It may not be on demand, but the Trinity (Mind, Body, Energy) works in mysterious ways. 

#8 Saturday, 12 pm to 12:35 pm 🍙 🔨 📈

Total Push-ups: 1930 Total Dips: 2000 Meals: 2 

Early Saturday morning after Run Seven, I had an orange, onigiri, cookies, and squid crips. My bag was stuffed with gloves, shin pads, shorts, shirts and running shoes. I got to the gym halfway through the beginner's kickboxing class and departed midway through the beginner's MMA class. 

Downtown running is tricky and dangerous—not because of the cars but because of in-a-hurry, non-law-abiding bikers. These people don't flinch and will ride right into you if you are not alert. Then, on schedule, my body hoarded my attention by returning lingering razor pain to my right knee. The kind of sharp pain where landing or cutting with that knee feels like an upward nail hammered into the outer regions of your kneecaps. I had to alter my stride by relying on the left side for balance and acceleration and the right for landing and support. When I got to a light, I had to jump on both legs or bounce on the left leg alone. 

Nonetheless, pushing forth and into the pain, I breathed through the discomfort, and just as it appeared, the pine needles in my knee disappeared. Relieved, I ran into a Lawsons for hydration, having capped off another sub-eight-minute run. Shortly after, I returned to the gym and into sparring.

#9 Saturday, 3:30 pm to 4:10 pm 🥊🗡🏵

Total Push-ups: 2150 Total Dips: 2250 Bathroom Breaks: 8 Showers: 6 Meals: 3

I feed off the energy of others. When running without a soul in sight, I tap into interior reserves. But in the clear blue Saturday sun-filled sidewalks of Osaka City, I feed off the eyes and energy of the people. You would think that swerving in and out of the crowds would slow you down, but my splits stayed consistent. A general heuristic for runners is to make it fun when it starts to suck. In the Sun, the Run is won with a ton of ones. At the end of mile four, back-to-back sub-8-minute miles. It was the first and most impressive entry, entering Run number ten.  

Mulling over plans for the sauna and a dip in the pool before finding a route downtown for the 8 p.m. Run—I decided to postpone to another weekend. The timing was off, and the evening started to cool. I grabbed some food, headed home, settled in, watched an episode of House of Dragons, made a call, and patiently waited for Run #10. 

#10 Saturday, 8:10 pm to 8:45 pm 🧿 🧬 🪫

Total Push-ups: 2400 Total Dips: 2500 Showers: 7

Some exceptions were allowed this year; a little alcohol never hurts. With a satisfied stomach, your feet roam the city's streets under the watchful crescent gaze of El Madre Lunar, pedestrians, and night riders. You start heavy as your meal washes around your belly. Even though you plan a particular route, your feet vibrate on the beat and off the beaten path. You will find new streets following the most prominent building in the distance, Tennoji. 

A few Fast Forwards later, your gear piles up on the bathroom floor, and your body hangs as the shower pelts droplets onto tired muscles. Soon after, you hope a planned two hours of sleep will comfort your quivering muscles and shrinking strides. 

Nonetheless, you sense the end is near, and instinct sinks in. In six hours, 48 in 48 will conclude. You sleep like water slipping down the sink, down the drain into a faucet of dreams. 

#11 Sunday, 12:45 am to 1:30 am 🪬 💬 ☑️

Total Push-ups: 2650 Total Dips: 2750 Bathroom Breaks: 9 Showers: 8 Naps: 3 Total Sleep Time: 7h20m

Your alarm goes off, but you sleep a much-needed hour past the Inaudible Disruptor of Peace, the Momentary Bringer of Let's GOOO🔥. Half-eyed, you get up and out the door in half the time, which usually gets you to complete your push-ups and dips. On this Run, you tour a familiar area on an unfamiliar route, settling in as you push a little farther. Your legs are a little wobbly as your hammies feel like overcooked noodles. But in the end, considering a day and a half past, you feel all right with much soreness, some tightness, and brightness with four more splits to go. 

Within two hours of your final leg, you chill, check your feed, and make a phone call. It is always challenging to turn the ignition, but once you get going, you get it on!

#12 Sunday, 4 am to 4:35 am 🎊🩸🥇

Total Push-ups: 3000 Total Dips: 3000 Bathroom Breaks: 9 Showers: 8 Meals: 3 Longest Fast: 24h30m Naps: 3 Total Sleep Time: 7h20m

The moment it is over is like a traumatic yet triumphant occasion. As the flashbacks loop, you wonder:

"How did I do all that?" 

You temporarily forget that you did it through Willpower and Present-Moment Orientation. Undeniably, one step at a time, right in front of Left, repeatedly. During the long days and dark nights, all you have are your mind, breathing, and synchronicity of your limbs. 

In the end, after 58.6 miles in total, your feet don't stop moving, breaking into a dance of delirious, elated persistence and pride in your ability to set goals and acquire targets. Then, after a few moments of celebration, you look ahead 365 days into the future, thinking, “I have to do it again.” Knowing you can do better, you will do your best to best yourself!

Thoughts & The Aftermath

1. I had 0 preparatory runs except for a run to school to gauge effort and route conditions, prepare logistics and steal an extra hour of sleep.

2. Around 2,000 push-ups, I felt some fatigue, part physical and the rest mental.

3. I was less militant about starting Runs immediately on the o'clock mark, which allowed me to manipulate the miles and hack this season.

4. I seldom felt bored or restless between Runs because I carried on like a regular weekend.

5. No one cares what you do—I was acknowledged online with a few likes here and there, a punch to the face and a kick to the head. People appreciate the glamorous and sexy, so do what you do for yourself.

6. I ate enough calories and stayed hydrated so much that I barely lost weight. Yet, I did not feel bloated on any Runs.

7. On Sunday, I overate and overdrank. On Monday, I felt sick and was drained of energy.

8. Following 48 hours of running were 12 hours of sleep and 41 hours of fasting. 

9. I posted personal bests across the board:

   Total Miles, Average Distance, Longest Run, Average Pace, Fastest Split, Total Push-ups, Total Dips

10. My approach improved, and my effort in 2024 will exceed this year's. 

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