Slowly getting better at running

After about 9 months of being a bit lazy due to a hip injury, I am slowly building up that stamina and confidence in distance running again.  It is amazing how similar it is to any other sport, where there is a lot of conditioning that is needed, but you also need to rebuild the mental aspect as well.

I am quite lucky because I have done distance running before, so I know what my body can be capable of, but I also live in an area that is very supportive of a running habit.

Living near Mahidol University and in the Bangkok area, there are a lot of runners and different running events.  There is also the added benefit that almost all of the running events cost between 300-500 Baht, which is about $8-$14.  Compare this of course to the usual fee of about $50 in the US for a similar experience, and you can see why so many people can and do join these races.

Plus, there are the great t-shirts and medals.  I mean, who does not like medals?

Plus, look at how awesome this shirt is!

So, glad to say that my times are slowly getting back to the level that I would want them to be... (last night I ran a 5k in 25:30).  Granted, that is not the best time in the world, but that is a full 7 minutes down from where it was about 4 months ago, and about 2 minutes behind my all-time personal record.
I have my first 10k in about a year taking place this weekend, and did my last "distance" run in preparation for it two days ago.

Looking at that route, it sure looks like I was on some for on some form of drugs with the course I chose for that run, but a lot of it was just avoiding traffic and Thai college students on bikes.  If you have never run around Thai traffic or Thai college kids on bikes, it is quite the experience.  

Every single time I go for a run I think that I am taking my life into my own hands.  Just... wow...

At least the sunsets are very pretty though.