The Zen of Ultra Running

This will be a short blog because I had nothing much to update since the last Akron marathon post in terms of running/triathlon.  October was crazily busy (as always) and I tried my best to keep my head above water (barely). There were so many things going on at work that I could barely keep up. That said I was not running/biking/swimming much in October. Also, I was exhausted all the time and did not have much energy. The weekend before the race I went to run on Loop the Lake course with friends. Despite the slow pace (12 min/mile), my HR was up to 170-180 bpm and I started to wonder what was wrong with my body.  The week leading up to the race was packed with events, teaching, meetings, and other activities and I did not really have time to rest much. After talking to my coach, I decided to drop from the marathon to the half marathon at Run with Scissors because I wanted to give my body a break.  Race morning - It was raining when I woke up. I also slept through the alarm and did not

This year's Akron Marathon was special to me.  First, it's the 5th marathon that I ran at this race so I was invited to join the loyalty club and attend the pinning ceremony at the expo.  Second, I signed my husband (P.) up for the half marathon. This is the first year that he got to experience the Akron marathon vibe.  Third, I talked the Dean into sponsoring the College of Business relay team and I formed a 5-person relay team with other faculty and staff who I knew were runners. Our team name was #ExperienceBusiness Trailblazers.  The week leading up to the race was not ideal. I had a lot of things going on at work and did not really have the time or energy to do anything else. I went out for a short run for 2 days during the week but I guess it was a good taper? On Friday, I met up with other team members and we walked to the packet pick-up together. It was so much fun to see the race vibe and other folks I knew. At 5pm, I attended the pinning ceremony where they announced

The Portage Lake Triathlon was a result of my existential crisis race sign-up after the Ironman Mont Tremblant. Again, after the A race of the year, I fell into another big "what's next?" hole. After talking to my coach, I decided to do the Olympic tri at Portage Lake.  I did this race in 2018 after the Canal Corridor 100. It was already 5 years ago and I forgot how hilly the bike and run courses were (please blame it on my post-100-miler brain). You would think I would learn a lesson about signing up for another race after a big race while my body is still in recovery mode? Nope... Leading up to this race, it was pretty insane. The semester started one week after the IM Mont Tremblant (2 weeks before the race). Then, 1 week before the race, I came down with a cold, which seemed to be spreading around here while trying to write 2 research proposals and teach classes. The day before the race I volunteered at Youngstown Ultra Classic Trail 25k/50k and went to the Rubber Cit

I finished my 2nd Ironman race at Mont Tremblant (IMMT)!  Pre-race report: The training this year was up and down. Since the beginning of the year, I have been really busy with work as I started and led a study abroad trip to Thailand in May. After the study abroad trip ended, I stayed in Thailand for 2 months because I got a visiting professor appointment at a university in Thailand. While in Thailand, I tried to do as much as I could to keep up with the training. I brought my old bike to Thailand in order to keep training for the IM in August. The weather in Bangkok was really really hot (90F+) so I told myself it was good for heat training. The problem is I could not simulate the race terrain in Bangkok as it's very flat and riding on the road in Bangkok is very dangerous (many cyclists died from getting hit by motorcycles, trucks, or cars). There is a bike circuit around the airport in Bangkok and that's where I did all my bike training but it's still very flat. Luckily

My first outdoor triathlon this year happened to be the USA Triathlon Age Group National Championships event in Milwaukee, WI. In an ideal world, I should have done at least 1-2 races prior to this race but because I was traveling so much this year and was out of the country for 2 months from May to mid-July, it was impossible for me to do any race before this one.  I came back from Thailand about 3 weeks prior to this race and had been really busy with other #life and #work stuff that I did not really pay much attention to the training. I qualified for the nationals from my sprint tri at Tri Cle last year and my coach said it would be a good experience for me to go to the national championships event. I agreed with him. I signed up for the olympic distance, which was on Saturday, August 5th. We left for Milwaukee on Thursday. The event was so much fun and it was a 3-day event. What's so special about this year is that they also had the PTO US open race (for professional triathlete

This summer I get a chance to spend 2 months in Thailand for work and personal business. A friend from college reached out once she knew that I was in Thailand. She was organizing an 8-day, 1000-km charity ride from Phuket to Bangkok to raise funds to create exercise space for disabled athletes. After checking the schedule, I told her I could not join them for the whole distance but I could join for the last 2 days from Pranburi to Bangkok, which was about 270 km (167 miles).  Pan Pan Kun (ปั่นปันกัน) Project (Cycle to Share) was founded by a group of 4 sports enthusiasts to create a charity ride project to raise awareness and funds to support various causes. Each year the concept and objective of the charity campaign are adjusted to problems presented in the society. This year they rode from Phuket to Bangkok with a total distance of 1,000 kilometers.  I joined the team on their 7th day of riding in Pranburi. A couple of other cyclists and I left Bangkok around noon and arrived in Pra

 Another year has gone by. Another year of running Forget the PR at Mohican State Park.  I signed up for this race because it's a must LOL. This is a great race where I get to see my trail-running peeps. Because I switched to Ironman training, I don't get to run on trails or join a group run as much. Most training workouts are by myself because I have to follow a specific training plan given by my coach.  This race is another opportunity for me to play in the woods and get away from my desk and emails. I also volunteered my hubby (P.) to help prepare the post-race lunch. There are so many good things about this race. It's non-profit and the proceeds will be used to support Special Olympics.  Friday, I went to an award breakfast at the university and came back to work and pack for the trip. We left home around 4-ish and was planning on meeting our friends for dinner in downtown Loudonville. About 10 minutes before we got there, we learned that the power went out due to a sto

First race of 2023.  I signed up for this race after my coach said it's a good idea. Readiness level - Physical (7 out of 10). Mental (1 out of 10). Honestly, I don't know where January and February had gone. I remember coming back from the around-the-world winter trip and here we are at the end of February. I signed up for this race because it's on campus and I wanted to support the students. The race was put together by the UA triathlon club.  A couple of days before the race, I received an email about the race info and which wave I was in. Since there could be only 8 people starting at the same time, the participants were assigned to different waves and my wave did not start until 9:10am! (woo hoo. more time to sleep).  I showed up to the race, which was in the Student Recreation center at the U of Akron about 20 minutes before my wave started. After signing the waiver form, a volunteer walked me to the locker room in ONAT (Ocasek Natatorium) pool where I usually do my w