Rop's Reflections

Did a short run this morning to wrap up the month. This has been a great month. 237 miles and 37+ hours of running. Took two days off to rest. The mileage was not as high as July. But July was too big of a jump. It broke me down during August and September. October has been solid, especially the last 3 weeks of it.

This thing isn’t easy. Great amount of patience and perseverance are required to succeed. Just taking one step at a time, through rain, heat, and pain.

Apple came out with the new iMac. Pretty nice. However, one can’t keep getting excited by these external stuff. New gadgets are always coming out, rendering current ones you just bought a few months ago “outdated.” One who is wowed by shiny new stuff will always be chasing after technology. That’s not really a way to happiness.

So it’s finally Friday. Been another good week despite the injury yesterday. Hard runs in a hot week.

Ankle was swollen a bit last night. Didn’t feel much pain during the run this morning though. Also tried to run in the evening but quickly find out that I was hungry. I ate one rice/fish dish, corn, and lots of sweet potatoes. Apparently that wasn’t enough. I can’t run on an empty stomach. No energy. Especially in this blazing hot weather. So I cut the run short. Probably will take it real easy tomorrow. Then will tackle a long run on Sunday.

What I’m looking forward to this weekend: NYC Marathon. Should be an exciting race.

So this morning I twisted my left ankle. One moment I was walking the usual route, enjoying the peace of the morning. The next moment I was kneeling down, holding my ankle. It was painful.

I went on to run anyway though, as I had my mind set on doing it. Risky I know. I just couldn’t turn back and let the twisted ankle ruin the day. The run was pretty good. No serious pain during the run. The pain could come later though. Afterward, I put the foot in cold water. Hopefully the ankle will not be too bad.

So now on my left foot, I have a bum ankle and a bunion. Not an ideal situation. Could have been worse though. A more serious twist could have easily made me miss training or even a race.

In a bigger picture, I was reminded that each moment is precious. One gotta be careful. One careless step can change things drastically. Today if you can do things you love, do them. Don’t let the opportunity pass you by.

Criticizing is the easiest thing to do in the world. Negative people always find bad things to say. Stop worrying about them. We all have different ways to find happiness. Some people just have poor attitudes and can’t stop criticizing others’ ways which don’t match their narrow-minded views.

Believe in your way. Encourage others. Focus. Work hard. Ignore critics.

Just want to say it’s been two really hot days. My face is burning after each run and I’m sweating more than usual. Why is it so friggin’ hot? It’s almost November. It should be getting cold. Well, actually in Bangkok, it’s never cold. Nevertheless, it really should be a bit cooler than this.

Another solid day today. Had good lunch. Rice with chicken basil and egg. Followed with sweet potatoes and corn. Gave good energy for the evening run. On some days that I had light lunch, I get hungry before the run. That’s not good. Got to have the fuel.

I’m tired. I’ve been running a lot. With this high load, I am very cautious about avoiding injury. Trying to stretch before and after every run.

Hope I can follow up last week with another solid week. One mile at a time, of course.

Started off with a double today: one in the morning and one in the evening. The morning run felt harder. Probably because the body hadn’t waken up yet. A bunion in my left foot is giving me pain. But it’s tolerable. Besides that, I’m feeling pretty good.

This should be another hard week. Then I will probably tone it down in the next few week.

Today I read this blog post on Brian Sell today and liked it. I always admire those who work hard towards their dreams. Nothing worthwhile comes easy.

Finished off a nice week with a run in the park this morning. After taking a day off yesterday, the body was ready for a long one today. Had to fight the sun a little bit near the end. Hip was tight and legs were a bit wobbly near the end. Also didn’t have much in the stomach after a light breakfast:

But it was all right.

Got the highest weekly mileage total this week. Things are going pretty well. It’s all about building the base. Slow and steady.

So I ended up taking a full day of rest. Spent all afternoon at home. Played with the dogs a little bit. Watched a movie and basically just relaxed. Who knows what tomorrow will bring. Hopefully there will be no rain and I can get a run in.

May take a day of rest. Hip still stiff from yesterday run. Originally planned a short jog in the morning. But then I got a stomach ache. Had wheat bran with milk. Not sure if the ache came from the milk or the bran. Probably both.

Maybe a rest will do me some good anyway.

Yesterday I went to FBT building and bought a new pair of shorts, to replace the old ones with a hole in them.

Holiday today. Woke up to a hard rain. So I had breakfast and waited till the rain eased up. Then, I went to the park and ran a long one. Pushed till I got tired and knee started hurting. Because I got there late, the sun got pretty hot near the end of the run also.

The mileage has been high these past couple weeks. It’s still not high enough though. It’s gonna be a tough race. But I’ve done the best I could without overtraining.

Just got to stay consistent. There will be more races in the future.