Back on treadmill

Been rainy in Bangkok. Nothing quite as bad as Manila though. Pretty tough situation over there.

Got two all-day workshops on fire emergency drills to begin the week. It was a good one though. Learned new things. The lecturers were good. Lots of action on the second day (operating fire hoses and pump; and using fire extinguishers to stop burning LPG and benzene oil). Beat most of the seminars/workshops I’ve had recently.

Was able to sneak in short morning treadmill runs in the fitness room. Not much time at all. Short runs don’t cause pain though. Still recovering.

Little jogs

Not much running again this week. My log looks like a 5K training.

After 3 days off, I really wanted a run on Tuesday. So I went for a short jog in the evening. It felt good to move and sweat. I exchanged a little of physical pain for my mental well-being.

Took a day off on Wednesday. Then yesterday I ran again–this one a bit longer than one on Tuesday, but still way shorter than what I should be doing.

It all comes back to finding the balance. My heart wants to train, but my body is pleading for a rest. Pain has subsided but not completely gone. It’s still mostly in the left hip area.

Less than 2 months remain till the race. I think I will recover in time. My fitness will probably be far from ideal due to all the missed training, but hopefully I will still be more ready than last year.

Hopefully.

Health exam

Got an annual physical exam this morning. Blood pressure seems normal: 114/71 mmHg. Heart rate: 54 bpm. Height 170cm/weight 57.5 kg.

Eyesights got worse so I need new glasses.

	sph	cyl	axis	p.d.
R	-350	-50	x90	30
L	-300	-125	x85	30

Blood test/chest x-ray results will come out later.

Weekend sports

Barca and Real won again in dominant fashion. Real are living up to the expectations so far. In England, although the score was close (4:3), Man City, especially on defense and midfield, were no match for Man United. They still have to improve a lot.

In Davis Cup tennis, Federer won and took Switzerland into the World Group. Meanwhile, Thailand lost to a two-man team from China 1-4. Bummer.

On the roads, Haile Gebrselassie won Berlin Marathon (2:06:08) and Ryan Hall won Philadelphia Half (61:52). Great races. Geb was asked whether he would give up trying to break the world record. His reply: “Come on, this is not a serious question. I will not stay home and sleep!” (pic below from letsrun)

Haile Gebrselassie and Atsede Besuye of Ethiopia

I’m still sidelined. Took the entire weekend off. Did some yoga yesterday. Felt good.

Just saying thanks

I’m grateful to Nokia for repairing my phone for free. (Warranty runs out soon though)

Grateful to Google/RtM for helping me organize my tasks.

Grateful to Kasetsart U for providing me a place to run.

Grateful to my body for trying to heal itself through injuries and illnesses despite my stubborn refusal to take a long rest.

Tough days

Still resting and letting my body heal. The weather has been nice. Raining on most days. Temperature has been cool (by Bangkok’s standards). Too bad I can’t run. Well, I actually can (slowly + short distances), but it’s better to not prolong the pain by pounding on the muscles. My goal now is to become completely healthy again.

These are tough times. I miss the peace of running.

Must be patient and focus on doing other things I can do: stretching and strength exercises. Things will get better. Believe in comebacks.

On a brighter note, I want to congratulate my sister, who just finished her first 5K a couple weeks ago in London. The first race is always special. She did a great job.

Random thoughts Monday

Leg still hurting. No training of substance. Ran some measly miles here and there. Feeling pretty down about that.

Here are just some random thoughts I have had today.

Congrats to Kim Clijsters on winning US Open 2009. What a comeback. Her young daughter was there too.

Kim Clijsters US Open 2009

NFL season has started. I’m excited about that, mostly due to fantasy football.

Still without my phone. I miss playing sudoku.

In EPL, Man City beat Arsenal 4-2 and looked like a real deal. Should be a good match against Man United next week.

Barcelona and Real Madrid are both looking good in La Liga this season. Barca has a big match coming up against Eto’o and Inter Milan.

Also from US Open last night, in Mens semifinal, an amazing shot by Federer:

Suan Rot Fai

Today we went to Suan Rot Fai (Train Park) on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road in the morning. Its official name is Suan Wachirabentas (สวนวชิรเบญทัศ). It was our first visit there. We rented bicycles, 30 Baht each, and rode them around the park.

The area was very large, consisting many quiet spots. Many people were out running and bicycling. There were lots of trees which provided good shades. It was a good way to start off the morning. We’ll bring the camera next time.

Although I took a rest from running today, my left thigh was still sore from the cycling. So it’s not just the impact of running that caused the pain.

Pushing the pace

Forgot my shorts today so I wore my dress pants to the track. The weather was overcast and very humid. By the time I finished, the shirt and pants were soaked with sweat.

Leg still hurt but I wanted to go fast. Today’s run was broken into five simple parts: Warmup. Fast. Jog. Fast. Cooldown. The cooldown part was cut short because of the leg pain.

During an injury, one perhaps should take it easy. But is that true? Too many slow runs may not be the best way to recover. When one runs the same way over and over, muscles may get overused. I don’t know if a fast run uses different muscles from those in a slow run; but hopefully it does. Anyway, going fast once in a while feels good and that’s all that matters.

Heavy rain came down about an hour after I finished. Lucky it didn’t come sooner.

Slow run Monday

Late start this evening. Got to the track anyway. Stinging pain is still there in the left IT band. Rather put up some short, slow miles rather than a zero to start off a new week. Had been sitting all day in meetings and gotten a headache. Needed to shake it off.

So I ran those short, slow miles before going home. Hoping tomorrow the leg will feel just a little better.