I have reached somewhat of a plateau with my running. The Saturday 90-minute run felt the same, or slightly worse, than the same run the week before. It feels good to run with a short haircut, though!

On Sunday, Steven called me to see if he could go on the run too. I accepted. It was just a 30 minute run that day. I wanted to run slowly, but probably ran a little faster because of the extra person being there. I think that's my competitive nature! It was Steven's first run for a while. He plays hockey, instead. So, a few times we stopped and walked. I ended the run with a sprint over the last 200 metres.

Monday night's run was not very good. I think this is because I hadn't had much to eat at work. My stomach was empty. My energy level was low by the time I had finished the first side of the Ringbaan, and I maintained a very slow pace for the rest of the run. I just wanted to keep running, and not stop to walk. My time was 1 hour 5 minutes - much slower than last week. I say "much", but it was only 5 minutes slower! I relished the chilled cordial when I got back inside.

I forgot to have anything to drink before last night's 1 hour run. So, I felt so hot and dehydrated by the time I got back. The weather is so hot these days! It was a good run, nevertheless. I ran past a group of kids who were having a water balloon fight. I was secretly hoping that I would be hit by a water balloon, but it didn't happen.

Last night, I went for my 45 minute run - from my house to university and back. I was well within 45 minutes. I might extend the run around the university ground, or maybe run a longer circuit in the park towards the halfway mark.

I played hacky after the run too. I was so warm and well stretched - it was great!

On Tuesday, I went out slowly, on purpose. I wanted to see if I had the discipline to run a slow 30-minute run. It went better than the Sunday night run, but it still didn't feel as good as the one on Monday. My time was under 30 minutes for the 3rd time in a row. Perhaps 30 minutes is not so hard for this run after all.

Saturday's run was great! It is the second time that I have done the 2-stage 90 minute run, and I almost knocked 5 minutes off the last time. OK, I'm not really supposed to be going out for speed, but it is nice to see some improvement.

On Sunday, I went out for the 30 minute run too fast. I felt terrible, but still managed to break 30 minutes. I need to maintain my discipline and not run too fast.

Monday's run was 60 minutes - the Ringbaan run. I had a headache from thinking too much at work, and this was the ideal remedy. I felt much better after the run. And, I was again very close to breaking 1 hour.

I am stretching for longer after each run. I think that is important to do.

I am finding that longer runs are more fun. I went for an hour long run last night, and it felt better than my 45-minute or 30-minute runs. I am definitely getting better - I need to run further before turning around in order to make up the full hour.

I had to extend my 45- minute run. Usually, I run from my place to the university, around the carpack and back to my place. But yesterday, when I had completed the run, it had only been 41 minutes. So, I ran to the next significant intersection, around the block and back. This pushed it up to 45 minutes.

My run last night was wicked! It was the 30-minute run, so naturally I ran at a faster pace than my longer runs. I always do that, even when deep down I know that I should be pacing myself. When I got to my street, I ran faster to try to break the 30 minute barrier. I was helped by a group of kids who decided to run alongside me. By the end of the run, I was sprinting, and I managed to smash the 30 minute barrier. My time was 28 minutes 48 seconds. That record may stay for a while.

I got home from work late, on Monday, so I didn't go for my run until about 8pm. It was my usual 60 minute run - around the Ringbaan. I was still fresh by the end of the run. My time was 1 hour and 54 seconds. I know that I am just going running for time, and not for speed, but I think I will break 1 hour for this run soon.

My Thursday night run was great! Usually I turn around after I reach a certain cafe, but when I got there, I had only been running for 28 minutes. It wasn't time to turn around yet! So, I ran for another 400 metres before I decided to come back.

Friday was a rest day.

Saturday's run was the longest of the week - 90 minutes. I placed a drink outside the garage, so I could refresh myself after the first hour. I did my 60 minute run coupled with my 30 minute run. Having the drink really made a difference - I felt much better after the drink stop and the last 30 minutes of the run were fairly easy.

I am pleased with how my training is going right now. I feel fit and my legs feel stronger.

I haven't made a post here for a while, so it is time to start again.

I am in the Netherlands on my traineeship, and I have commenced training for my first marathon! It will be on October 19 and it is the Amsterdam marathon. Dad has sent me a detailed running programme and I have started it. It requires me to run 6 times each week. The longest run is on Saturday, and Friday is a rest day.

Tonight, I am going on a 1 hour run. This is the typical Thursday night run - for the next 4 weeks, at least!

In line with my comments yesterday, I decided to go on a longer run today. I went out with the idea that speed didn't matter as much - I just needed to spend some time on the road. And, that I did. The run was 55 mins long and it was at a good pace. I probably don't have time to go for a run tomorrow, because all of the stuff that I'm doing. Perhaps on Wednesday.

If all things go smoothly with my traineeship in the Netherlands, then I am not going to be here for the half marathon that I just entered! I wonder if I can get a refund? I doubt it. So, maybe I could just let one of my running friends take the entry and run in the race for free.

I went for a short run today in the evening. It is nicer to run at this time when the effects of humid weather are not so apparent. My legs felt pretty heavy, though. I think this is because I am not going on any long runs at the moment. If I did, then I would be building up the stamina for running, and my legs wouldn't ache as much.

If I'm not going to be here for the half mara, then I need to look for some events in the Netherlands to enter! That can be one of my goals for the first few months.

I have entered the next Cathay Pacific half marathon. I wonder if I will still be here to compete in it! I could be on my traineeship by then. If I am here, then I am determined that it will be the event where I finally break the 100 minute barrier for a half marathon.

I had a break from running yesterday so I could recover from those 2 runs in 2 days. I went for the Orakei Rd run today, slightly longer than the last 2, but still below an hour's run. It was gently raining, but still very humid! The time was just under 47 mins which is average for this run. On some parts of this run, you can get into a really good rhythm. These are the long, straight stretches of footpath, where you can look into the distance and feel like you are running in a straight line for ages. You can focus on the spot on the horizon and keep the same pace as you get closer to the end of the stretch.

This run is shorter than the One Tree Hill run, but for some reason I find it more difficult. It's strange. Perhaps the One Tree Hill run has nicer scenary, so it feels more rewarding to run?

On the trip to my uncle's place up North with my family, I went for a few runs. The distance from the house to the road was 3 kms! Whoa! For two of the runs, I just ran to the road and back. On the middle run, I ran for 30 mins before turning around and running back to the house. I also established that I need some new running shoes! A runner typically gets new shoes once every year. I have had the same running shoes for at least 4 years - and they have lots of holes in them that weren't there before!

During my road-trip holiday over New Years, I didn't go on any runs. And, to make matters worse, I injured my back on the last day - which made any running-type movement painful. When I got back to Auckland, I just rested for the next few days.

I have been for 2 runs over the past 2 days. Just short runs - I want to ease myself back into running after the break and me hurting my back. It has been an effort because it has been so humid! Just doing stretches in my room and warming up is enough to cause me to sweat liberally! I am getting pretty good at hackey as a warm up activity. I have really improved on the left foot shot - almost to the point of being able to aim it properly.

Today, I did the Seaview Rd run. When I got to Seaview Rd, I only wanted to maintain a good rhythm. I didn't really care about how slow I was, so long as I got to the top without walking. My time was just under 27 minutes - pretty slow overall, but good if the stifling heat is taken into account.

Since handing in my research essay, I have been on 3 runs. Each run has been better than the last, so that is a good sign. Again, I am just going out for time.

Today's run was the one through and to the top of One Tree Hill. As I was rounding the corner after Twin Oaks Drive, I noticed a runner who was about my age on the left. I basically kept pace with him as he ran the same course as me - up to the top of the hill. I may have overdone myself because I almost stopped once I got to the top. But, I persisted. The downhill stretch was a good time for me to catch my breath. I just let gravity do the work.

My time was 54 minutes and 27 seconds. This is about 5 minutes slower than the record for this run, but I am not concerned.

I am going to enter the next Cathay Pacific half marathon. It is on February 23. I am determined to get a time under 100 mins. The training starts now.

On Sunday, November 3, I ran in the Auckland half-marathon. It was the second time that I have completed this event, and I am very pleased with my time.

The course was the same as last year's. It starts on the waterfront at Devonport, then snakes along the streets around the harbour, before reaching the Harbour Bridge. This is the highlight of the run. It is one of the few times that people are allowed to walk or run along the bridge. The official photographers are there too. I did a huge leap in the air for the camera, but I think the photo was mistimed. After the Harbour Bridge, the run continues along to the Viaduct and finishes with a lap around Victoria Park.

Vanessa was waiting for me at Victoria Park, but she was too slow with her camera. Perhaps she thought that I would be slower than what I was on the day! (To tell the truth, I thought that I would be slower too!)

My pace throughout the whole run was comfortable. I maintained a 5 minute km pace. This was easier this year because they posted markers signalling each km. Towards the end, I realised that I had the energy to increase my pace, so I did. At the 17km mark, my time was 1 hour 22 minutes. That would give me another 21 minutes with which to beat my best time - I knew that it was attainable, so I went for it. When I reached Vanessa and Victoria Park, my time was just over 1 hour 38 minutes. I sprinted around the rest of the course, being careful not to run into other people or twist my ankle on the uneven ground. At the end, my time was 1 hour 40 minutes and 23 seconds. A new personal best! But, so close to achieving my goal of breaking 100 minutes.

Who knows what sort of time I would have got if I had trained properly? I am really looking forward to the next half-marathon!

It was the latest in the day that I had been running for a while. Summer is great! It means that you can go for a run at 7:45pm and it is still light for most of the run. Especially, when you are only going for a 25-minute run.

I did my Greenlane 6 k'er tonight. I purposefully set off at a fast pace and tried to maintain it for the whole run. It is good to go for that sort of run, once in a while. It blows the cobwebs out of your system - a great study break! The time was 26 minutes and 23 seconds. An average time.

I went for two decent runs this weekend. And, on each run, I bumped into people that I know!

On Saturday, I set out for the usual run around One Tree Hill. I was making my way down Twin Oaks Drive, when I heard a familiar voice on the other side of the road. It was John! And, he was running with Michael. I cut across to their side of the road and surprised them. They were just doing circuits of the road around the mountain.

I kept going. It was a change running around the mountain counter-clockwise. And, it made me realise how steep a certain piece of road was (when I had assumed that it was flat - when running from the other direction).

I also saw Wee Yeong, but I didn't have time to have a proper conversation.

On Sunday, I did my run which goes down Ayr St. But, this time I decided to start and finish at Vanessa's flat. It was more convenient that way, as we went to Newmarket Pools right afterwards. The run was shorter, because I didn't want to risk running past my house - I wasn't sure if I would have the discipline to continue!

About halfway through, heading into Meadowbank Rd, I heard someone shout out to me "Run faster!" It was Mr. Anderson - my Japanese teacher from college. It had been a long time since we met last (I guess, 6 years), so it was good to catch up. Too bad it was only for a minute.

My legs are still a little saw from the weekend double.