First 50K of 2020 & this year's plan
Happy New Year 2020!
As usual, we spent our Christmas and New Year in Asia. We went to Sri Lanka during Christmas and came back to Bangkok, Thailand around New Year. Sri Lanka trip was really fun and it's a beautiful country to visit (especially if you are Buddhist). We spent 4 days in the mountain visiting different UNESCO World Heritage sites and 2 days surfing in the South. It was the first time that we'd been to South Asia and we totally fell in love with that part of the world. We will definitely go back. Maybe we will visit India next time.
Picture: We took a beginner surfing course at Weligama Beach in Sri Lanka. Great way to spend Christmas.
Then, we came back to Thailand 2 days before New Year and I went to a beach town with my family and spent the New Year with my family.
In November, I found an ultramarathon in Bangkok called "Ultra Park Run Thailand 100" on January 5. For some reason, I thought it was a good idea to run an ultramarathon in Bangkok in January after a long vacation (hence, no running or exercise of any kind) or maybe I was stressed out at that time that I needed to sign up for something to release the stress. Anyway, I signed up for the 52K (32 miles) distance.
Turned out that it was a BAD IDEA...very bad idea. I only ran twice before the race (the day before we went to Sri Lanka and two days before the race). I was super worried that I would not finish before the cutoff time (8 hours). The weather was supposed to be in the 90s during the day and I am not doing well in the heat (see Vermont 100 DNF blog for more information).
The race had 4 distances - 100K, 52K, 24K, and 12K plus a 100K relay. It's held in a park in Bangkok and each loop was 4 km (2.5 miles). The 52K had to run 13 loops. The 100K runners started at midnight (yes, you read it right. Midnight = 12AM when the rest of the world was still sleeping or going to bed). The 52K started at 4am. I had to wake up at 2:50am to get ready as it took 20 minutes to get to the start line.
On the race day, I arrived at the race 20 minutes before the start. The temperature was about 80F (no wind), which was already warm for me. Then we took off. The first 25K went just fine. I ran relaxed and tried to keep a consistent (slow) pace.
Then, sh*t hit the fan.
The temperature started to rise to a high 80F-low 90F. Half of the course had no shade. I did everything I could to stay cool but it did not help much. My right leg started to cramp up even though I closely monitored my hydration and electrolyte. I really really struggled. I ended up walking the last 10 miles.
The last 2 loops (5 miles) were really ugly. I wore the shoes that I left at home in Bangkok (blisters alert). I also forgot to bring toe socks & sunscreen from home. So, I just ran with what I had. I distracted myself from pain and suffering by talking to other runners on the course and we ended up being friends :) I told them I am not used to this kinda heat and they said other Thai runners who always train in this condition still suffer from the heat, which made me feel better.
I finally finished before the cutoff time. It's not my PW (personal worst) but considering that it's a road ultra, my time is pretty embarrassing.
As for the race support and organization, they had good food on the course but the aid station workers knew nothing about running. They were either students or employees of the race organization who were paid to be there. Because it was a road ultra, the event felt more like a road marathon to me (loud music, too much crowd, distractions, etc). There was no single moment that I felt "zen" or felt like I was in the "flow".
This year's plan:
As for the race plan this year, I decided not to sign up for any 100 miler because I will be very busy this year with traveling, work, and other commitments, which will interrupt the 100-mile training schedule. So, I will do shorter ultramarathons (most likely 50K) or marathons and only sign up for races that are close to home and fit my work schedule.
I'm excited for whatever 2020 will bring :)
Sydney
As usual, we spent our Christmas and New Year in Asia. We went to Sri Lanka during Christmas and came back to Bangkok, Thailand around New Year. Sri Lanka trip was really fun and it's a beautiful country to visit (especially if you are Buddhist). We spent 4 days in the mountain visiting different UNESCO World Heritage sites and 2 days surfing in the South. It was the first time that we'd been to South Asia and we totally fell in love with that part of the world. We will definitely go back. Maybe we will visit India next time.
Picture: We took a beginner surfing course at Weligama Beach in Sri Lanka. Great way to spend Christmas.
Then, we came back to Thailand 2 days before New Year and I went to a beach town with my family and spent the New Year with my family.
In November, I found an ultramarathon in Bangkok called "Ultra Park Run Thailand 100" on January 5. For some reason, I thought it was a good idea to run an ultramarathon in Bangkok in January after a long vacation (hence, no running or exercise of any kind) or maybe I was stressed out at that time that I needed to sign up for something to release the stress. Anyway, I signed up for the 52K (32 miles) distance.
Turned out that it was a BAD IDEA...very bad idea. I only ran twice before the race (the day before we went to Sri Lanka and two days before the race). I was super worried that I would not finish before the cutoff time (8 hours). The weather was supposed to be in the 90s during the day and I am not doing well in the heat (see Vermont 100 DNF blog for more information).
The race had 4 distances - 100K, 52K, 24K, and 12K plus a 100K relay. It's held in a park in Bangkok and each loop was 4 km (2.5 miles). The 52K had to run 13 loops. The 100K runners started at midnight (yes, you read it right. Midnight = 12AM when the rest of the world was still sleeping or going to bed). The 52K started at 4am. I had to wake up at 2:50am to get ready as it took 20 minutes to get to the start line.
On the race day, I arrived at the race 20 minutes before the start. The temperature was about 80F (no wind), which was already warm for me. Then we took off. The first 25K went just fine. I ran relaxed and tried to keep a consistent (slow) pace.
Then, sh*t hit the fan.
The temperature started to rise to a high 80F-low 90F. Half of the course had no shade. I did everything I could to stay cool but it did not help much. My right leg started to cramp up even though I closely monitored my hydration and electrolyte. I really really struggled. I ended up walking the last 10 miles.
The last 2 loops (5 miles) were really ugly. I wore the shoes that I left at home in Bangkok (blisters alert). I also forgot to bring toe socks & sunscreen from home. So, I just ran with what I had. I distracted myself from pain and suffering by talking to other runners on the course and we ended up being friends :) I told them I am not used to this kinda heat and they said other Thai runners who always train in this condition still suffer from the heat, which made me feel better.
I finally finished before the cutoff time. It's not my PW (personal worst) but considering that it's a road ultra, my time is pretty embarrassing.
As for the race support and organization, they had good food on the course but the aid station workers knew nothing about running. They were either students or employees of the race organization who were paid to be there. Because it was a road ultra, the event felt more like a road marathon to me (loud music, too much crowd, distractions, etc). There was no single moment that I felt "zen" or felt like I was in the "flow".
This year's plan:
As for the race plan this year, I decided not to sign up for any 100 miler because I will be very busy this year with traveling, work, and other commitments, which will interrupt the 100-mile training schedule. So, I will do shorter ultramarathons (most likely 50K) or marathons and only sign up for races that are close to home and fit my work schedule.
I'm excited for whatever 2020 will bring :)
Sydney
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