6.5 KM

Tonight was the night of my big run. It was supposed to be last night, but I didn’t feel it. I also had a bit of work to finish. I started late, so I ended at about 10PM. Anyways, I felt that I needed the rest. However, tonight, there was no way that I would have been able to get out of it, even though I was looking forward to it. I have a love hate relationship with running.

Today, I ate a few Chinese sausages with brocoli. It’s not the healthiest meal, but I was curious how they tasted. I want to get a sprayer so that I can lightly spray oil on foods while I’m cooking them. It reduces the fats. I had originally bought them for my dog, since dog treats cost so much, it’s just easier buying human food for him. Contrary to my expectations, it tasted pretty good. Having eaten the green chicken curry the night before, which I cooked on Sunday night, I didn’t want to eat too much chicken. Instead of making a gigantic pot of green chicken curry, I also stir fried some chicken breast strips. They are great to eat with a variety of things.

I had another mango smoothie that I made myself. I must remember to get a bigger ice cube tray. Ours has these teeny little ice cubes that aren’t worth a damn. I usually put three to four of the big ice cubes in my smoothies.

I had some grapes as well. They tasted great. They weren’t seedless, but I managed. I think I also ate a few apple pears in between. They were nice and juicy.

The run.

I was surprised by my time. I ran 6.5 km in 46 minutes. I kept a steady pace. I started quick, but slowed down. The last lap and a half was done at my top jogging speed. My average speed was 8.5 kph, that’s actually faster than I used to run in 2006. I also have a lot less weight. That means that my last lap and a half was done at close to 10 kph. At that pace, it would take five hours to run a marathon.

I realized during my run why my left heel and ankle were hurting. I remembered that last week, I twisted my ankle a bit while running. I actually was trying to avoid the crowd. Luckily, it wasn’t too bad and since I know that I twisted it, I’m currently icing it down. It feels nice.

I’ve been using a liquid form of Vicks Vaporub. It’s really nifty and makes aching muscles, backs and joints feel a lot better. It’s some Taiwanese brand and is called Indopass. It saves you from being all slimy.

The first four laps (~2.6 km) passed by is a breeze. I barely felt them. I was also going pretty fast. There were a few other young runners doing laps. One was doing them in the other way. I gathered that he wasn’t following the same track as I was, but he was running like the wind. He started midway in my run and continued afterwards. Another runner was running at my pace, but was running shorter laps. I lapped him a few times towards the end. I like running behind somebody else. It’s nice to follow their pace, but after a while, I get tired and want to move on. That’s what happened during the final lap and a half.

I used to do this for two minutes before, back in 2006 when I was training in 18 C weather on a treadmill. Now I do it for a whole lap, which must be double that time. After this week, I hope to integrate some more interval training in my runs. Speed training would be cool as well.

I always tell myself that any run is better than no run at all.

My wife wonders what motivated me. I don’t really know. I was terribly unhealthy last year, and it had taken its toll on my body. My blood pressure was pretty high, for no apparent reason. I had also gained quite a few pounds in the paunch. Now, I want to get rid of my belly. I want to see my abs again. I’ve actually already gotten rid of my belly. With forty pounds less to lug around, running is pretty easy compared to before.

Now that I can wear S and M sized clothes again, I am looking pretty thin in my baggy clothes, which weren’t so baggy before.

I am also thinking about running a half marathon or a full marathon in the fall. I don’t think that a full marathon is feasible, but you never know. I’m pretty sure that a half marathon is within my grasp. But I might be able to push myself enough to complete a full marathan. I don’t really know. It’s a goal.

I don’t mind running laps. Sure it’s repetitive, but if you feel it, you can easily run more without having to run back. It’s never happened that I ran less, but that’s always a possibility when you haven’t rested enough. Also, the air is cleaner. There aren’t any cars, scooter or motorcycles in the park screwing with the air. That’s an important factor. I always run at around 9PM. I don’t see myself as a morning runner, but I might try it at some point. The thing is that you have to get up pretty early to run before the sun gets too hot in Taipei.

I was reading Pavlina’s update on his raw food diet, and I was puzzled by his obsession with juicers. I mean, I just blend the stuff and chug it. I don’t mind if it’s not a liquid. This week, I want to try some strange green blends. I’ve discovered that ananas/kiwi is a great smoothie combination. The thing is that blended fruits taste so much better though.

I’m feeling a bit hungry right now, I’m going to have some chicken, hot sauce and an apple pear.