Rop's Reflections

Today turned out a hot one. The highs are hitting 37-38c. Hard to believe it’s mid-November.

Still got the cold. Late stage, hopefully.

Fought the heat and got a run in. Five runs in five days. After short sessions on Monday and Tuesday, the past three days have been pretty good. Sweated loads. All endurance, no speed though. But, at this point, I’m happy with that.

Managed to get in an evening run. Needed to move despite not anywhere near healthy. Feeling hot inside. Face is warm. Body temperature rose due to the cold and the workout. Not a good feeling. Hope the exercise won’t slow down the recovery.

In bed now, thankfully. The work was done. Time to rest. Tomorrow is another day.

Injuries, illnesses, and pains are just parts of the process.

Have had the cold since Monday. Throat was really sore yesterday. Today is Wednesday and I’m a little better. Have had good sleeps the past two nights. Runs have been kept really short and easy. It will be a big drop in mileage this week. It is the way it is.

I want to run this evening but now it’s raining. So it doesn’t look good. Why is it raining in November? Oh well, maybe a rest will be beneficial. Definitely don’t want to show up sick at the starting line. Besides, less time for running means more time for yoga and stretches.

random thought: reading and listening are good. but don’t forget to free yourself from others’ teachings. one truly learns by doing, not by being told. life is short. don’t be afraid to make mistakes.

So I got a cold. Ahh… Bad timing.
Don’t know how.
Perhaps being stuck in a crowded seminar room has something to do with it.
Already drank lots of water.
Gotta sleep and let the body heal.

Last week went well enough. No run was too long. Just general one-hour runs mostly. Managed to do two runs in Kanchanaburi. It was a nice change of scenery.

This is going to be another light training week. Gonna rest up the calves and knees. There are pains here and there. Nothing too serious.

Got a haircut yesterday. Then we had dinner last night with my relatives at Waterside restaurant. Nice atmosphere with live music and a large pond. Food was all right. I liked the fish dishes.

Not feeling so good today health-wise. Seems like I caught a cold. Runny nose and sore throat. That means I should get a lot of sleep tonight. Hope to recover soon.

Impressive stats from NYC Marathon 2009. It was the biggest marathon ever held in history. 43,475 finishers out of 43,741 starters. That’s 99.4%. Unreal.

In the past two days, the training has been tough. Tight, stiff calves and knees. Gotta stretch more. This weekend I’ll be attending a meeting in Kanchanaburi. Hoping to get in some runs there.

So I took it easy today. Just wanted to recover.

Did one run in the morning. Slow and easy. Barely sweated after the run. The weather has become a bit nicer, too. Legs were a bit tight during the day. But no serious pain. Ate two dishes (garlic roasted pork over rice + pad thai) at lunch, and sweet potatoes.

Rested in the evening. Hopefully the body will be fresher tomorrow.

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.

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.