Six months of running

First six months of 2009 are over. Time flies.

My training:

Did two races so far: a 10K in Feb and a half-marathon in June.

Hoping for another good half. Life is short. Follow your dreams.

Easy day

My legs are a bit sore today, but it is nothing compared to last November, where I could barely walk. Yesterday, the distance felt just right. Not cruelly long. I was ready for it, physically and mentally.

When you want to do something you believe in, you should put in your best effort. It will bring you joy no matter what the outcome is. Whether you fail or succeed, you know you try your best. This feeling of self satisfaction is true happiness.

Went out for a light recovery run this evening. Just wanted to keep moving. The hard rain came down and cut the run short though.

Big day at Wimbledon. Round of 16. Watching it will be my way of relaxing tonight.

Twin Lotus Half

Today was race day. Twin Lotus (ดอกบัวคู่) half-marathon at Suan Luang Rama IX. 700 people ran the half, while 500 did the 10K.

I had a goal and managed to match it. It feels good.

Other than an issue with the coordination regarding the park opening time, it was a well organized race. Lots of runners. The crew did their job nicely.

The goal was to run it under 2 hours. I went out at a pace I knew I can handle. Managed to conserve energy and not be too eager to follow the fast starters. Patience was important. Was able to past quite a few runners in the later part of the race.

It was a good race. Went according to plan. Legs got heavy near the end, but there was no major pain.

Got my new Personal Best. I am happy.

Ate a lot afterwards to refuel. Legs probably are gonna hurt tomorrow. The pain would be well worth the experience.

MJ

RIP the musical genius, and my favorite artist of all time.

“If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself then make a change.”

Wanyoike

Read a story about Henry Wanyoike today. He’s blind, yet he runs blazingly fast. Incredibly inspiring. Life is about overcoming challenges.

Now, what’s your excuse for slacking off and not giving your best?

It hasn’t rained so far this week (Mon-Wed). So I’ve gotten in 2 runs a day, none being really long. Just base building and pacing practice.

Time to rest though. Though there is no rain, it’s been pretty darn hot. Got pretty tired today.

Another reason to rest is to prepare for a race. A couple days ago, I signed up for Twin Lotus half-marathon, which is this Sunday, 28 June. My first and only race at such distance was over 4 years ago.

Hopefully I can beat my younger self. Just going to run my own race and get a PB.

Comfort zone

The comfort zone can be a dangerous place. If you always stay inside it, you will never improve.

You must sometimes get out of that zone. Be brave and confident that you can get better, that you can push further. To expand the comfort zone, you must first deal with pain.

Push through the limits.

Monday run

This is the final week of the first half of 2009. What’s your plan? How has your year been?

Monday for me began with a morning run.

Pre-run food included a chocolate cookie, garlic bread, and some fruit juice.

I always run alone, but today I had some company on the track. A couple of veteran runners. They are older than I am but are still in great shape. Running does that to you. I had to pick up my pace in some stretches to go a little faster than I planned.

No problems with the NB800 shoes today. Light shoes with good cushioning. The shoes have a flat middle area, perfect for midfoot landing.

Cold shower + sticky rice/pork (ข้าวเหนียว หมูเค็ม) as recovery food. Good way to start off the day.

Preparing posters for next week’s conference. Deadline for file submission is Wednesday. Have another all-day meeting tomorrow, so I pretty much have to finish them by today. Fun. Okay, not really.

Have a great week. Be positive.

Peaceful day

Had a good day. Short morning run in my new shoes. They were light and soft. Definitely wider than Asics Gel-Nimbus 8. No pain. That’s a good thing. Today’s run was too short to say much about the shoes.

Spending time in and nearby the house. Went out for delicious beef noodle for lunch. Then I had chocolate cookies. They were good.

Just an easy Sunday. Nothing to complain about.

Wimbledon starts tomorrow. One of my favorite events of the year. Looking forward to it.

Morning runs

It’s the rainy season in Thailand. The rain usually comes in the afternoon-evening. So that means to get a run in, one needs to get up early and run in the morning. So that’s what I did a few times last week.

It’s not easy, because of the commute from my house to my office. Then a long walk from my office to the track. It’s just another challenge in this long journey.

Bought stuff

Went out for a morning run to start off the weekend. It was quite hot in the park today. Good there were trees to help provide some needed shades.

Today was shopping day. After a long work week it is always good to just go out and relax. Had to endure the traffic and Bangkok crowds though.

Got running shorts and singlets. Been needing them for a while. Running in cotton t-shirts just doesn’t go well with Bangkok weather.

Also bought a new pair of running shoes to replace my old Reebok. Tried a new brand. New Balance 800. Looking forward to trying them on soon.