Running has been relegated to a means to an end. Ever since I started bouldering in February 2024, “commuting runs” have comprised the vast majority of my running efforts.
My usual 6-mile run commute cycle consists of a 1.3-mile unladen run to the climbing gym, 1.3 miles back, 0.4 miles to work with a small backpack full of food and gear, a 0.9-mile urgent run from the hospital to New Haven’s Union Station for the 11:24 pm train, and then a 2.1 mile run from NYC’s Grand Central Terminal to home, usually from 1:30-1:47 am.
Thanks to studying for my Step 2 board exam in the middle of wedding season, I only scheduled myself 10 hours to explore London! 6 hours after landing the first day, and 4 hours the morning before the wedding ceremony.
I do seem to enjoy darting around excessively and unnecessarily before my friends’ weddings (I ran a quick half marathon before last September’s wedding), but the strangeness of this habit is not lost on me. How much can I really get to know a city if I’m mostly just moving around with my camera? And why did I choose to spend my valuable time abroad in such inauthentic fashion, working hard to misrepresent my trip through a few photos? Continue reading Dashing through London→
For three weeks, Sing For Hope has scattered 60 pianos painted by local artists all around the five boroughs of New York City. After today, they will be transported to their final homes: NYC public schools.
I don’t know why I decided to challenge myself to visit as many of them as possible — especially during a pretty busy stretch in med school — but that’s what I did! Continue reading Finding the SFH Pianos→
Petrichor: the smell of the forest in the rain. It’s almost indescribable. Earthy. A lovely odor summoned by heavenly water that seeps out of the soil itself. Contained in it are hints of the mighty trees, the forests’ animal dwellers, the decay of generations past. An ancient freshness, a novel oldness, a scent that conjures thoughts of the endless renewal of nature. Continue reading Trail Running Senses→
There are ghosts in Mario Kart. In Time Trial mode, where you race for personal best times on an empty track, a faint translucent ghost of your kart appears alongside you, echoing your previous best run. If you’re driving on pace with your ghost, the two of you, avatar and apparition, will weave down the track alongside each other. Navigate a tricky turn more smoothly than before and you dart ahead, but make a blunder and your ghost will glide off mercilessly into the distance. Compared to what Mario Kart is typically – a mass of 12 racers, bananas littered all over, and freaking blue shells – there’s a pure simplicity in driving alone on an empty track against your ghost. There’s no one to race but yourself.Continue reading On Half Marathons and Ghosts #2→
Well… in a manner of speaking. Running is liberating, but I am shackled by my attachment to technology, efficiency, sound, and — most of all — that pesky wire connecting my ears to my phone.Continue reading Wireless Headphones→
