Category Archives: personal
First Half Marathon Race
How long does a runner’s high last? It’s been two weeks since I ran the Georgina Spring Fling half marathon race — a busy, at times difficult two weeks — and yet I can still feel some of the euphoria … Continue reading
Adventures in Letterpress: Hölderlin
“Wo aber Gefahr ist, wächst / Das Rettende auch.” This quote from Friedrich Hölderlin’s “Patmos” translates roughly thus: “But where there is danger, the saving [thing] also grows.” It was shared with me by my longtime mentor a few years … Continue reading
First 10k Race
On 25 June 2023, I ran my first ever 10k race, the Run for the Diamond Uxbridge. Hanno also did the 10k run, and my mother (visiting from the US) did the 5k walk. My official time was 1:02:44. Given … Continue reading
Adventures in Letterpress: Up the Hill Backwards
“Quick,” I asked my sister, “without even thinking – what is your favourite David Bowie lyric?” Her answer was a surprising one, and yet it made perfect sense. It also sent me straight down to the basement, to my recently … Continue reading
21.0975
One of my biggest achievements this year was my first ever half-marathon, which I completed on 29 November 2022. It was not an official race; I just wanted to see if I could do it. I hit the official 21.0975km … Continue reading
The Twitch: Spring Migration 2021
At what point does a beloved pastime become an obsession? When it rains, it pours, and the same is true of birds during spring migration. Northerly winds kept migrant birds at bay for most of April, but when they finally … Continue reading
10k Half a Year Later
24 May 2021, and I am mightily pleased with myself. I have completed my third ever 10k run in 00:58:24; average pace of 5:50min/km. This is considerably better than my previous best from November 2020: 1m16s less, shaving off some … Continue reading
What Bird Makes a Spring?
They say that one swallow does not a summer make. But what bird makes, or does not make, a spring? And by what token? Does one bird’s arrival or another’s departure mark the transition? A change in plumage? A song? … Continue reading
A Year in Lifers 2020
Aside from running, another way I have been marking pandemic time is by the birds. Birding has helped me punctuate the monotony and register moments of rapt attention. I lose track of time in the moment, but when I return, … Continue reading
Zero to 10k in 2020
2020 has been a year of losses and lockdowns, of lost life, lost time, and lost sense of time. It is also the year in which I discovered I could run. Running has been one of the few activities that … Continue reading
Yulia Ryzhik 