Apologies for not posting: It's a been a busy few weeks

So it's been a busy couple of weeks and I've not been able to work out much at all. However, I did do a 20 min workout today and also ran a 10km run on Wednesday. The run was very good because I beat my best time for a 10km run from 53min 50 secs by 4 mins to complete it in 49 mins 56 secs.

Wow...super improvement

Today was great! I ran 10km in 53 mins 50 seconds. With is more than 1 min off my previous best. Anyone who runs long distances will tell you that shaving off even 30 seconds from your previous best when running long distances is a HUGE thing. My previous best was 55mins 12 seconds and I managed to beat that by 1 min 22 seconds. It seems that my training is truly paying off and I think I'm now ready for a half marathon. I'll probably try to run it within the next few months. I hope that I can maintain this stamina and speed until then. Anyway today was good. Here's hoping for more good runs in the future.

10km in 55mins 17sec

Wow...I didn't think I would run another 10k so soon. This time I ran it in 55mins 17 seconds. Which is 5 seconds more than my last 10k one week ago. I'm glad I ran 10km again. This means that I've got a good chance to run the 21km half marathon this year. The 10km is getting easier and I think the half marathon should be within my endurance capability.

In the meantime, I found this great article about how to overcome the excuses to skip running. The article by www.besthealthmag.ca is very good for people who are constantly battling excuses to run. Everyone falls into this category, including myself. I am constantly battling my excuses and this article helps overcome some of them.

33 mins workout

Today I did a 33 mins workout with stretches, pushups, crunches, squats, supermans and leg-lifts. It was much easier than I expected as I had taken a 2 day break to recover from my 10km run. Maybe my body had rebuilt itself during those 2 days and I had more energy to do the workout. However, 2 day breaks are not going to happen again if I can help it; even if I do a 10km run. Hopefully the next run will be longer and I will get more prepared for my 21km run that I wan to do this year.

10km in 55mins 21sec

I finally managed to do a 10km. Unfortunately it wasn't at an official race. I just measured the distance around my campus using google maps and ran the route. Unlike in official events, there were no cheerleaders or water stations along the route. This made it tough to complete the course. However, I guess my workouts have been making me really fit and I completed it in 55mins 21 secs. This is my best time for a 10km ever. I'm still recovering from it as I just completed the run an hour ago. I don't feel very tired though and I think that I can run farther for an official event in the near future.

6.8km in 40 mins + 20 mins workout

Today I decided to do cardio + a workout. The run was much faster than my previous one and I managed to do 6.8km in 40 mins which make my rate 5.88mins/km. I'm sure that I can reduce that to 5.55 for my 10km run in 1 month's time. I also did a 20 min workout with pushups, crunches, leg-lifts, lunges and stretches. I'm not doing enough cardio for my own good. I suppose its because I need to get new shoes. I have been using New Balance so far and am very happy with it. I wonder if I should stick to it or buy a new brand. I heard that mizuno and asics are the best for running. But I've not tried them and I'm not sure if I should go for a new brand.

6.6km in 38mins 41sec

Yesterday I ran 6.6km in 38mins 41sec. This equates to about 5.87 mins/km which is ok. However, I believe that if I run a full 10km, that time will drop to around 5.5 mins/km. I will sign up for a proper 10km race soon. It's been a while since I've done a 10k and I think it's time that I find a race to try it again. On the whole I ran more than expected today and I think I will increase the distance for the next run as well. I also may need to get new running shoes as the mileage on my current shoes seem to have run out. In the meantime, please read this article by scooby on why cardio is important.