Fast week

This week there were some busy days. Not much time to run. So, I ran faster. “Fast” to me means anything sub-9 minute/mile pace. I went sub-9 five times this week. Nice speed training.

I really don’t like it when time is limited and I have to rush through my workout though. It’s stressful. It’s better to take my time and enjoy the run.

The weekend made up for the low mileage weekdays though. Got in a couple of nice distance runs. This morning I did the longest run in two months in Suanpruek park.

So, 7 runs on 7 days this week. Hoping to do the same next week. Also eyeing a 10K race on Sunday: the Don Bosco minimarathon at Rama IX park. I ran this last year. It’d be good to go back and improve on my time.

Had nice relaxing afternoons on both Saturday and Sunday. Got time to play with the dogs. Took them to the vet this morning for tick repellant shots. Both dogs are having eyesight problems. The little one (Pygmy) has been blind for a long time now. Pepe is also having some problem seeing.

Been sleeping late 3 nights in a row. Have to get back to normal sleep schedule tonight. That’s one of the things I have to be able to do: rest well.

No shoes, no problem

Forgot my running shoes so I ran in these yesterday.

They didn’t fit too well. So just did an easy jog. Wasn’t gonna skip a run.

This week there is Kaset Fair going on, making running a bit more of a challenge. Lots more people on campus, shopping. Booths are set up so it takes more effort navigating. The traffic is bad, so I basically cannot drive in to run in the evening. Also, I have to pay to use the shower. It’s no big deal; just small annoyances.

In Bangkok, running trails are hard to find. The sidewalks are usually crowded, dangerous, and polluted. So it’s either 400m track or at a public park if one wants to run.

Nice January numbers: 0 rest day, 0 sick day. Quite happy about that. The goal this month is to build on the base. Nothing fancy.

January recap

First month of 2010 is done with. January has been very warm and humid. Like December, I found ways to sneak in a run everyday, while staying relatively injury free. I took the mileage down a notch from December to remain healthy.

Didn’t run a race this month but that’s okay. I consider it an extended recovery period after the November marathon. I’m happy to get out there everyday, training. Also I’m eating and sleeping well. So it’s a good month. There is not much more to ask for.

January 2010 runs

On the non running side, I went to three weddings (Oat, Oa, Kaolad) this month. A lot more to come this year. They are good opportunities to see old friends whom I wouldn’t get to see otherwise.

Talk about inspiration, Federer won today at the Australian Open. Congrats to him on his 16th grand slam–first as a father. After a heart wrenching loss to Nadal a year ago at this tournament, he has now won 3 of the last 4 grand slams. He reached 18 of the last 19 grand slam finals. His consistency is absolutely amazing.

Food

At dinner Monday night, I ate a shrimp. Was a bit concerned due to my recent allergic episodes with shrimps. Ran Tuesday morning without a problem. Good news. It was just one shrimp though, so couldn’t be too sure.

So I tried again. Wednesday night and Thursday morning, I ate shrimp fried rice. I turned out okay. No itch. No hives. So this has been a great development. It’s time to celebrate

My lunch has been spicy. My staple dish these days has been Thai basil, stir-fried with pork or beef, over rice. Fiery. Sometimes it makes me sweat more than the morning run. It’s really good though.

Been on a banana row lately. Eating at least one everyday. Love them.

20C

Been following the Haiti earthquake news. 200,000+ died. Situation is pretty grim there. Of course there are people suffering in this world everyday. But a big catastrophe serves as yet another reminder that life is short. Never know when it’s gonna end. Have to live each day to the fullest.

Went to a nice wedding of a friend (Oa) Saturday night at Windsor Hotel. Happy for the new couple. Food was yummy. MC’s were funny. Met some old friends. Good time.

Sunday destination was Suan Rot Fai. I woke up early and got there around 7am. Weather in the morning was nice and cool. So I sneaked in a very short run, wearing jeans and carrying a backpack. Nan and Noot joined me at the park and we took some pictures using a vintage film camera (very difficult to use!). Then we left the park at around 11am.

The sun made me exhausted so it was good to come home and rest. Played with my dogs for a little bit and took a short afternoon nap. The little one is in a poor shape these days. Very frail. Can’t walk very much.

Went out to get in an evening run around the neighborhood. Cars and street dogs were big troubles as usual. So I could only manage a half hour or so of a slow run. The dogs don’t like people running near them so I had to be really careful. Left foot is still hurting, so it was probably good to keep the run short.

It has been cold these past few days (20C). Perfect for a run. Did an interval training Monday. It was pretty tough. Good way to start off another week. Did an easy recovery run on Tuesday. Felt pretty sore, which is great.

There is an interesting 10K coming up Sunday (Walk and Run for Social Care @ Ministry of Public Health). Will see how things go this week and then decide.

Weight and heart rate

Been a while since my last post. There’s not much new. Things are going quite well. I’m still running of course. Ran everyday so far in January. Same old routes, same old time (morning). One hour per session, more or less. Sometimes it’s nice to just follow the routine and not think about it too much.

Just looked at my medical checkup records. It’s kind of interesting to compare the results a year apart:

Sep 2008: blood pressure 120/70, weight 63 kg, resting heart rate 78 beats per minute.

Sep 2009: 110/70, 57 kg, 54 bpm.

Many people have told me I’ve become too thin lately, but I disagree. I think I’m at a good weight. Feeling healthy. A low heart rate at rest usually means a strong heart, one that pumps more blood per beat. So, not bad I think.

The weather has been unusual lately. It’s uncharacteristically warm here in Bangkok, whereas many people (my sister and my Dailymile friends) are experiencing extremely cold weather. Hope things get better in those places soon.

Good for plants

Did some runs at my typical, time-constrained duration (~ 1 hr) each day this week. Been a very warm and humid week. Humidity reaches 80+% in the morning. Ran in the rain yesterday. Good to be back to running after taking some rest over the weekend. Pain is still there in the left foot, but legs feel okay. Had a semi-twist of the right ankle yesterday. Hurt a bit but it’s fine now. Got to be more careful with my steps!

Rain is good for trees and flowers. Not so good for my shoes. It’s raining in December and January in Bangkok now. Very strange. Time has changed. Climate has changed. It has become rainy all year round. My current shoes are at end of life. Gonna need to find running shoes that dry quickly and grip wet pavement.

Stuffy air is also not very pleasant to run in as sweat doesn’t evaporate easily. So body gets very warm and it’s very exhausting.

Just some observations. Humidity and heat won’t keep me off the road.

Kanchanaburi

I went on a three-day trip in Kanchanaburi. Nine of us stayed in a nice house, ate nice meals, viewed a moonrise, and visited a beautiful waterfall. Very little running was done. But it’s okay. It was a nice rest, and a good way to start off the new year.

There’s nothing like this in Bangkok:

Did a bit of running on this trail, but had to beware of local dogs:

Big tree in the backyard:

Huai Mae Khamin waterfall. 2.5 hr of road+raft trip to get there. Roads were bumpy on the way back:

Two well-behaved dogs: Don and Dok:

Another year, another run

Started first day of 2010 with a run. I didn’t want to drive to KU, or anywhere for that matter, due to lack of time. So, after finishing first meal of the year–two pieces of toasted bread with peanut butter + milk, I just got out the door and ran around the neighborhood. Not many people on the streets. Most have left Bangkok for the holiday. I’ll be on the road soon as well.

Still, I had to avoid some street dogs and be mindful of cars. They are reasons I don’t often run in the neighborhood. Anyhow, it was all right. Not every run can be pleasant. The important thing is that I went out and did it.

And so it began my second year of running.

Last nine

Did my last run of the year this morning. 9+ miles for ‘09. Took it easy as I was pretty tired. Felt great after doing it though. That capped off another good month.

december 2009 runs

More importantly it concluded a good year of running for me.

Probably will start off tomorrow with another run, before heading off to Kanchanaburi.

2009 was the year I began running again. Started logging my runs for the first time on 1 Jan. Keeping a training log has been significant. I can look back and track my progress. Can see when I pushed too hard and got injured. I have also met cool, positive people on dailymile, who have been very encouraging and motivating.

Running has made me become more mindful of my body. Without a healthy body, I cannot run. Therefore I must sleep well and eat well. Maybe part of the reason I run is to stay healthy. But it’s equally true that I stay healthy so I can run.

There is something beautiful about beating your younger self. The only way to get better is to train. Improvement doesn’t come easily or quickly. Each day I go out and fight pains, tiredness, mental fatigue. There is rarely an easy day. But the body adapts to stress and becomes stronger. The mind gets tougher after overcoming the urge to quit.

It’s all about hard work. The reward is pure. No money can buy it and nobody can give it to you. Running has become my temple, my religion, my vacation, my passion. It has given me a whole new world. I hope to keep doing it, one day at a time. One run at a time.