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[initforthelongrun2019]

I Got You Potatoes

I had been contemplating whether or not to do the Vietnam Mountain Marathon (the third race in the Vietnam Trail Series) for weeks. When I finally made the decision to run, I then deliberated long and hard about whether to sign up for 70km or 100km. I listened to my tight hips and continuously aching shoulder; I considered the work trip I had before and after the race, which meant that I would be exceptionally busy and would also require use of my feet for long periods throughout the day. I thought about the time I had to prepare for the 100km; was I able to take time off work to travel the day before, would I have time to prepare enough items for a second drop bag? I also thought carefully about the cut off times for the 100km; I wasn’t sure if I was strong enough to maintain a good pace for such a long distance, in order to meet those tight cut offs. In the end I made a ‘sensible’ decision and decided 70km would be the best option for this race.

In hindsight, this was most definitely the right choice, although perhaps an even shorter race would’ve been the better option this time round. For the first 20km I wasn’t in the right headspace, and for the remaining 50km, I felt sick and nauseous, unable to keep food inside me, with sickness and diarrhoea plaguing me throughout. For once, I wasn’t affected by injuries, but everything else was letting me down. Even my shoulder, which had been giving me sleepless nights in the run up to the race, was relatively pain free, thanks to two physio sessions that week; one with my regular physio, Flavia, in Hoi An, and another with Wade from ACC, at the race expo, just a few hours before flag off.

I’ve spent the last few weeks trying to understand why I had such a bad race, and have come to the conclusion that there were many contributing factors.

Firstly, I wasn’t able to eat or hydrate properly the day before the race. I am always careful not to drink too much water during bus journeys as I don’t want to be THAT person who keeps asking to stop. I also didn’t bring any food with me as we were leaving Hanoi early, around 7am, meaning that we would arrive in Sapa just in time for lunch. Or so I thought. Nine hours after getting on the bus; a journey which is only meant to take 5-6, I finally arrived. This was the first time I was truly happy about the decision I made, as the 100km started at 9pm, whereas the 70km began the following morning at 3am. Although it was still an early start, it meant that I had time to have dinner, which I desperately needed after missing lunch, as well as enough time to prepare my bag and attempt to sleep.

After a quick catch up with friends at the expo, a few needles in my painful shoulder and a lovely dinner with Em J and W, I headed back to my hotel, ready to prepare my things and get some sleep. I was staying in a very small guesthouse with an adorable elderly man who spoke very little English. I spotted the large padlock next to the main door and worried that I wouldn’t be able to get out at 1am the next morning, so using google translate, I tried to explain that I needed him to keep the door open so that I could leave on time for my race. I was still worried that the message hadn’t got through, so I called a friend who explained to him in Vietnamese, exactly why I had to make him set his alarm and get out of his warm cosy bed at 1am. When I got to my room (still worrying that I wouldn’t be able to get out and eyeing up windows which I might have to climb out of) I began the long process of packing my things. I knew that we had a drop bag at CP4, but since I’ve never had the opportunity for a drop bag on a 70km race, I decided that I wouldn’t make use of this opportunity now, mainly because I didn’t have any time to prepare any additional items, so I was desperately hoping I wouldn’t need them. I then contacted my parents, who earlier that week, told me that they were waiting for the results of their Covid test. During the call, they told me that they had been diagnosed with Covid, so after a very long conversation consisting of me worrying and both of them trying to reassure me, I climbed in to bed but got zero hours sleep. I rarely sleep well the night before a race anyway, but this was possibly one of the worst night’s sleep I have ever had.

I climbed out of bed the following morning feeling terrible; even worse when I realised I got my period. This didn’t come as a surprise, but still wasn’t particularly pleasant, especially as I was already feeling run down and exhausted. Normally I try to avoid having my period on races, but this time I didn’t plan so well. Another reason why I decided against 100km this time round. Anyway, there wasn’t a lot I could do, so I got dressed, used my head torch to find my way out of my room as the lights weren’t working, and left the hotel. There was no sign of the elderly man, but there was a key next to the locked door, so I let myself out.

My stomach felt funny before I even crossed the start line; at the time I thought it was a combination of period pain and nerves, so I wasn’t too concerned. What was worrying me most was the fact that I couldn’t seem to get myself in to a good headspace. Running through the night is something I always find quite challenging, but normally when I start in the dark it’s not too bad, as I know that daylight isn’t too far away. This time it seemed like it was very far away, and I hadn’t even started yet.

For the first 20km I struggled with a painful stomach and exhaustion; I passed two runners sleeping between two checkpoints, carefully being watched by one of the volunteers, and I thought about grabbing my emergency blanket out of my bag and joining them. Yet for some reason, I didn’t; I kept thinking about the 100km runners, especially my friends who were running this race, and the fact that they had been going all night. I knew they wouldn’t have given up, so I didn’t either. I wanted to keep going until at least checkpoint two, so that I could run at least a half marathon; my plan was to call it a day once I reached this checkpoint. Normally when I have thoughts about DNF’ing I’m absolutely devastated but this time I really didn’t care; usually I worry about having to tell people that I quit, and also the impact it might have on my confidence for future races, but all I wanted this time was to go back to bed and call my parents once they were awake. However, just before I reached the second checkpoint, I heard someone call my name. It was my friend Duy, who I finished VTM with back in January, and have been bumping in to at various different races ever since. I saw him running in his 100km bib, still looking so strong, and I realised at this moment it would be hypocritical of me to give up. So I carried on going.

After this, the race all kind of blurs in to one. Usually I would put this down to leaving it so long to write my post, but I normally have such a vivid memory and this time the race itself felt like a blur. Luckily, I was well enough to enjoy the devastatingly beautiful views that Sapa has to offer and, thanks to my brand new camelback from the Activ Store, I was able to keep my phone in a front pocket so that I could easily access it to capture those striking moments. I have completed all of my previous runs using a Salomon camelback and I have to say it’s honestly one of the most frustrating things; no front pockets, so no access to gels, snacks – anything – and one of the reasons why I have so few photographs from previous races. Anyway, I digress. But the new bag was probably one of the highlights of the entire race.

Unlike VJM in Pu Luong, this race was a little busier and so I met some fantastically interesting people and had some wonderful conversations. I remember running with a lovely lady named Ly; I was feeling silently terrible, but I tried to match her pace as I was finding it really motivational to run with her. The sun was finally rising as we ran and she told me to take it all in, and expressed how lucky she felt, knowing that she was able to enjoy this. She was so right, but at the same time I couldn’t shift those feelings of guilt; knowing that I was running while my parents were sick and so many people weren’t even allowed to be out and about. I suffer from anxiety which has been even worse this year (no surprises there) but normally when I’m running I can overcome these negative thoughts. This time I couldn’t, and I felt waves of anxiety and depression crashing over me throughout the entire race.  

I also had to battle with my iffy tummy which, as it turns out, wasn’t just due to period pain and nerves. I still have no idea why, but I wasn’t able to consume any food (I had just two lecka bars and a few oranges throughout the entire race), I threw up twice and I went to the toilet so many times I lost count. I also had a terrible ‘bathroom’ experience; if you’re squeamish I would recommend skipping to the next paragraph, but if you’re not, then here goes. After having way too many wild poos (hey, we’re in the mountains, it’s normal), I decided that I would treat myself to a proper bathroom break at the next checkpoint (checkpoint 4, I believe it was). The toilet turned out to be a squat which didn’t deter me as I’ve lived in Asia for long enough now, however, what was slightly off putting was the fact that the bathroom ‘wall’ consisted of a very thin piece of wood, which didn’t actually cover the entire area. So, as you squatted, your knees would be on show, and as you stood up, well, EVERYTHING would be on show. All of this while a man was stirring soup and making noodles in the kitchen RIGHT next to me.

You’ll be pleased to know that, after my bathroom experience, I don’t really have many other memories. I got to a point where I couldn’t even really contribute to discussions with runners and so I opted to run alone for the most part. I felt so weak and spaced out; I remember leaving one checkpoint and I honestly don’t know which one it was, but I didn’t really understand that I’d left it, until I was on my way. As I was running as I was looking at the map on my bib trying to decipher which checkpoint I had just left, which checkpoint I was running to, and how long I had left. I asked these questions to a runner who passed me, he sort of laughed as though I was joking; then when he realised I wasn’t he slowed down to give me a full overview of who I was, where I was and what I was doing there.

Some point after that I threw up, for the second time, and I left voice notes with Gareth and Em J, telling them I would call it a day at the next checkpoint. Injuries are one thing, but sickness and dehydration were causing me a lot of worries, and I really felt like I might pass out on the trail. However, after hearing that Em J had a very similar experience, but still finished, I powered through, knowing that she would have been running at her absolute maximum intensity, and still managed to complete. Her voice notes got me through the last few km’s, especially the long and winding tarmac road (which we created our own song about - Tarmac is a WANKER) which eventually led to the finish line. Somehow, I managed to find my legs (and a tiny bit of energy) to power walk the last few km’s and even run the last two. As I crossed the finish line I apologised for making them wait (ever so British, I know) and thanked them for the potatoes they had waiting for me. I was sad that I didn’t have my post-race food cravings, and I was also slightly disappointed that I couldn’t enjoy a post-race beer, but honestly, potatoes dipped in soup were an absolute game-changer. I felt absolutely fine once I’d finished; no aches, no pains; the next day I was walking fine and even went for a recovery swim. But I couldn’t shift the sickness, and felt ill for the next few days. As I still haven’t gotten to the bottom of this, I’m a little concerned about future races, but I have many to look forward to next year so I’ll just try and power through as normal.

[initforthelongrun2019]

Pu Luong Part 2

Three weeks have passed since I completed the Vietnam Jungle Marathon; an extremely challenging trail run in Pu Luong, northern Vietnam. Some of you may remember that I took part in this race last year, and I didn’t have the best experience. I had a terrible sleep thanks to karaoke which kept me up all night at the homestay, I wasn’t race fit, my injury was reaching its peak and yet, despite all of this, I was still over-confident; having completed 122km just a few months before I thought this would be easy. The extreme heat made the entire race unbearable and, unlike most races I’d done in the past, there was very little shade, with large stretches of the race which were under direct sunlight. 70km felt like 700km and there were multiple points in the race where I thought about dropping out. However, it was - and still is - one of the most beautiful races I’ve ever done, and I knew I would go back someday. This year, the race was postponed to October due to Covid19. I hadn’t actually signed up to the original race in May, and only decided to register a few weeks before when I realised it coincided with my week of annual leave. I had taken some time off to celebrate my 30th birthday and I knew it would mean that birthday celebrations would have to be tamer than usual; but I was actually quite happy about that (maybe a sign that I am getting sensible in my old-ish age)?! I didn’t want to make the same mistake as last year; going wild at a festival the weekend before the race wasn’t the best decision I’ve ever made. Despite having a much better lead up to the race, preparation still didn’t go quite as planned. Actually, there wasn’t really a plan at all, but I hit a bit of a wall over summer where running was the last thing I wanted to do. I struggled with the heat and my confidence in my running abilities diminished, day by day. As the cooler weather approached, so did the storms, and as soon as I found my running mojo, I was prevented from running due to the numerous tropical storms and typhoons that have hit us in Central Vietnam over the last few weeks and months. I managed a good running streak on a recent work trip to Hanoi and HCMC, with two consecutive half marathons and a few other runs, all at a much better pace than I’ve done in a while, so this helped my confidence and made me feel somewhat ready for the race. Once again, I booked the VJM race package and travelled to Pu Luong on Friday morning, taking in the beautiful sights along the way. I remember last year when I was living in Thailand and travelled to Vietnam for this race, and how excited I felt about moving to a new country, as I passed the countryside in all its glory. The bus took longer than necessary due to a very cautious driver and a couple of wrong turns, but eventually we arrived at the wonderful Pu Luong Retreat, and I immediately fell in love. The bungalow I was sharing with my friend Stephan was adorable and had the most amazing view of the swimming pool (which I knew I wouldn’t have time to go in) and the never ending rice paddies. Once again, I wished that I had signed up for a shorter race so I would finish at a reasonable hour and get back in time to enjoy my wonderful accommodation. After a late lunch and early dinner, I got into bed around 8pm, hoping I would have a good sleep, especially as I’d been so tired all day. I am taking medication at the moment and it’s making me feel exceptionally sleepy; I was worried this might impact on the race so stopped taking it for a couple of days, but I still felt exhausted. Yet the moment my head hit the pillow, my eyes opened and I was wide awake. I had a very broken sleep; I couldn’t relax properly and I felt exhausted when my alarm went at 1:50am. But I jumped straight out of bed, knowing snoozing wouldn’t do me any good, and packed my bag, with all of the items I’d laid out next to it the previous day. It was very cold at that time in the morning and when I left the bungalow, I couldn’t stop shivering, even though I was wearing long sleeves. I desperately wanted a hot coffee but I didn’t have time; I had to leave the room with time to pick up breakfast and catch the bus at 2.30am. We arrived at the start line way too early and spent the remaining time fuelling and desperately trying to keep warm. I forced myself to eat a breakfast of rice, which was way too salty, and a couple of small energy bars. I never eat in the morning, never mind in the middle of the night, but last year I didn’t eat anything and I soon regretted that, so I wasn’t ready to make the same mistake. As I crossed the start line at 4am, the nerves I’d been struggling with since the day before hit me hard. I started my brand new Garmin (a birthday present to myself) and ran with about 200 other runners along the 5km route, which would take us to our very first climb. It was strange starting a race with so few runners; although the 70km and the 55km groups started at the same time, it still felt so much quieter than normal. Once I reached the bottom of the climb, I had a flashback to the previous year; the crazy amounts of people trying to trek up the narrow path and the one guy behind me who kept stabbing my with his hiking poles. I was soon thankful that the trail wasn’t so crowded and enjoyed having space to breathe; there were some points where I didn’t have anyone behind or in front of me which was surprising, but enjoyable.

Enjoyment soon turned to pain, as the never ending climb started to take its toll. But because I had done the race before, I knew that the most incredible view would be waiting for me at the top, and I kept this in my mind the entire time. I refuelled with gels and energy bars a couple of times, to give me the strength to reach the top, but I soon found that I was struggling. Hoi An, where I live now, is extremely flat, and there aren’t many hills to climb, unless you go looking for them. I also don’t do much hiking anymore (which breaks my heart) and I could feel the impact of that. Hills used to be my strong point, but I could feel myself flagging, whereas normally I would be pushing myself to reach the top. It was a struggle, but once which was totally worth it, as I had expected. I saw a couple of runners from previous races and celebrated with them when we saw the sun rising over the rolling hills. After this, I knew there was a very steep decline; something I hated last year, as I didn’t have my hiking poles. I only started running with poles after my fourth or fifth race, and this year I was delighted to have them, as they meant the downhill was nowhere near as painful. Downhills used to be my weak spot, but since I’ve started running with poles I don’t fear them nearly as much as I used to. I do struggle with confidence a little, so as I was running I was muttering a little mantra to myself; ‘be brave, be brave’. And then I fell, twice. My legs were feeling sore already from the climb, but I peeled myself back off the floor and carried on running down. My confidence soared when only a few other runners passed me; normally I am constantly having to move out of the way for the stronger ones on the declines, and I hate it. Maybe it was due to not many runners being on the trail in the first place, or maybe I’m getting a little bit better. Who knows, but it definitely helped!

After I reached the first checkpoint, I filled up my water, had a couple of pieces of fruit, and set off on my way to the next checkpoint. This one was much further, but I knew that it was relatively flat – and therefore relatively runnable. Last year I was so exhausted that I struggled with this part, but this year I found my legs and started to run, at a fairly decent pace. Again, I was surprised that no one passed me, and found it a little unnerving that I couldn’t see anyone in front of me, or behind me for that matter. I knew that I wasn’t way ahead, so I worried that I was at the back, but again I think it was more because there just weren’t as many runners on the trail compared to what I’m used to.

This is the only time I have ever run the same race twice and I was a little apprehensive knowing the route would be familiar. Normally I don’t even look at the course route when I sign up for a race; I have no idea about elevation or checkpoints, as I like to take each part of the trail as it comes. I find that if I break it down and attack it bit by bit, checkpoint to checkpoint, then it seems much more manageable. I was also a little conscious about running with a watch; again I quite like to be in blissful ignorance, so I wasn’t too sure about how I would feel about being able to constantly track my distance. However, I found that knowing the route and checking my distance helped rather than hindered, as I was able to talk myself through the difficult bits, knowing that there were some positives to come. I also loved how the memories of last year came flooding back, especially taking into consideration how much I struggled; it was a relief knowing that I didn’t feel half as bad.

On the flip side, I also knew that I had to tackle the beast; this was on my mind for the entire time as I knew for sure that this would be the worst bit. I was starting to feel quite sick and nauseous as I reached checkpoint four, and almost passed out at one point! I have no idea why; I felt like I had enough nutrition, it wasn’t too hot (although still a little hotter than I had bargained for) and I was constantly taking in enough water. However, I still continued to feel dehydrated, something I struggled with even during my flat runs in Hoi An in the summer months, so perhaps I will need to think about taking salts in the future. Anyway, I still carried on, and powered up the huge hill to checkpoint five feeling much stronger and way more positive about finishing, compared to last year. This was the part where the 55km and 70km runners split, so I saw even less people on the trail, but by this point I was actually getting in to the rhythm and quite enjoying being by myself. I reached checkpoint five, happy to see some other runners – including some familiar faces – and then battled on to checkpoint six; the final one before the beast.

The beast was brutal. The nauseous feeling wasn’t going away and I knew it would be made so much worse by the climb I had ahead of me. There were sweepers on the route; wonderful, energetic, smiley sweepers, who encouraged us all to keep going. One of them saw that I was feeling a little faint and told me he would stay right behind me, and he patiently followed me until I reached the top and was at a safe point. Once I reached the top, there was a lady selling cans of coke and all the joy of the Moc Chau race came flooding back to me, when another lady was strategically placed with a box of cold drinks on a very steep hill. Not only did this lady make me exceptionally happy, I was also impressed by her strength and the fact she had managed to carry such a huge amount of weight up that hill. Not for the first time did I start to feel a combination of admiration and embarrassment; throughout the race I constantly passed local people; many of them quite elderly, who were carrying large items up insane hills. As I struggled past them, with my fancy camelbak, hiking poles, and trail running shoes, I couldn’t help thinking what on earth they thought of us? It’s something they do every single day and, given the chance to enter the race, I’m sure they would probably smash it! The descent down the beast was nowhere near as painful as last year, thanks to my hiking poles, and I was happy to see checkpoint 7; the final cut off checkpoint! After this point, it meant that I could take my sweet time.

However, I still wanted to finish as quickly as possible; I take zero enjoyment from running in the dark and I knew that the hotel was selling mulled wine and mango daiquiris which I had been craving since around 5am that morning. I powered my way through to checkpoint 8 which arrived much sooner than I anticipated, and then made my way through the cold, muddy river crossings - of which there were many – to the finish line.

I was so desperate to get back to my hotel - my wonderful friend Jasmine had ordered food and alcohol which was already waiting for me - that as I crossed the finish line I took my medal and quickly demanded to know where I could collect my drop bag and where the bus would depart from. I completely forgot to shake the person’s hand who awarded me with my medal, and I felt slightly rude, but I had daiquiris and fries on the mind and I wanted them as quickly as possible. I had just missed the 8pm bus, so I had to wait until 9pm, or until the bus filled up. Knowing there weren’t many people close by me on the trail, I thought I had a very long wait on my hands, but luckily it filled up pretty quickly and we set off, on a journey which was much longer than the one it took to get to the start line! All I could think of was how badly I needed a hot shower – I couldn’t face a cold shower at the finish line so I was extremely muddy, not to mention very stinky – AND A HOT MULLED WINE.

I crossed the finish line in 16 hours 10 mins; 35 minutes quicker than last year. I also placed in the top 10 females (doesn’t matter that there were only nine females) and I was the top British female (of which there was only one, but again, it doesn’t matter). It still counts!

[initforthelongrun2019]

Another Lockdown, Another Challenge

During Lockdown V1, I decided I would set myself a challenge; to run 30km on my teeny tiny rooftop. I didn’t write about this, because it was extremely uneventful and I don’t want to relive those painful memories.

For Lockdown V2 I wanted to set myself another running challenge, one which was a little more exciting this time, so I took it upon myself to complete the David Goggins 4/4/48 challenge. For those of you who don’t know, David Goggins is an ultramarathon runner, ultra-distance cyclist and triathlete. He was also a United States Navy SEAL; his list of achievements and accolades goes on.

In order to complete the 4/4/48 challenge, you must run four miles every four hours, for 48 hours. In theory, this sounds pretty simple; each run is a mere 4 miles (or 6.5km); nothing compared to the distances I was running last year. But like with most races or challenges I do, I knew that I shouldn’t underestimate quite how difficult this could be.

I started the challenge at 2pm on Thursday. Prior to this, I woke up at my normal time and swam for 30 minutes, followed by one hour of Pilates later in the day. This is not too different to my usual routine, other than the fact I would normally do a more active workout first thing in the morning. I had lunch at my normal time of 1pm, and set out to do the challenge just one hour later. A summary of each of the 12 runs can be found below, but note that as I got more tired, my memory started to fade. Initially I wrote notes after every run, but at around run number 7, I kind of gave up on everything!

Run #1 Thursday 13 August, 14:00 Distance: 6.52km Pace 5:46/km Time: 37m 40s

I felt a lot of pressure with this run, not because I was worried about the challenge, or the distance, but because I had to get back in time for a virtual event I was doing at work at 3pm that day! So I set off at a quick pace, knowing I needed to leave enough time to shower when I got home. I felt strong, although my stomach felt a little off; eating at 1pm was far too late and, on reflection, I should have had my lunch much earlier. All was well, and I was even happier when I saw my boyfriend Gareth, ride up on his motorbike. I thought he was coming to cheer me on; turns out our dog had run away – possibly running after me – and he couldn’t find her. All thoughts of the challenge went out of my head and I ran off down one of the side roads in an attempt to try and find her. Luckily, all was well and he managed to locate her before I did, and so I carried on with my challenge. But this threw me off a little, as I had planned to run 3.2km in one direction and come back the same way so that I didn’t have to keep checking distance; after this I just ended up running around in circles and everything felt a little chaotic. Not the best start. After the run I came home, had a smoothie and a protein bar, and carried on with work, before my next run in just over three hours’ time.

Run #2 Thursday 13 August, 18:00 Distance: 6.57km Pace: 5.51/km Time: 38m 24s

This run was relatively easy, and relatively uneventful. I did a different route to the first one; I hadn’t actually mapped out any routes prior to this which was probably a mistake, as I had to keep checking my distance on my phone. Looking back, if I were to do this challenge again, I would set out some clear 6.5km routes beforehand; enough to keep me interested by having the option to do different routes, but which would allow me to be able to concentrate on the run itself, rather than always looking at the distance. Those of you who know me will know that I don’t run with a watch (I tried for a brief period of time but soon sacked it off), so I constantly have to pull my phone out of my pocket to check my Strava, which gets a little tedious. As soon as I came home I jumped in the pool (which proved to be a life saver throughout this challenge), and had a sandwich with another protein bar – and some peanuts for extra energy. My legs were feeling stiff already; I was surprised they were feeling so achey so soon, but I hadn’t really rested prior to the challenge, and I didn’t have much time to stretch after the first run. Luckily after the second run I had a little more time so I prepared my clothes for the 10pm and 2am runs, in an attempt to make those late night and early morning runs as smooth as possible. I also rinsed off my clothes so that I could wear them again at some point during the challenge, but I’ll be honest; this didn’t last very long and more often than not I was running in very sweaty clothes. Nice.

Run #3 Thursday 13 August, 22:00 Distance: 6.51km Pace: 6.06/km Time: 39m 40s

Gareth joined me for my 10pm run, as I was a little worried about running in the dark alone. We ran straight up and down the highway (the same route I intended to take during the first run), which was a little boring, but it meant that we could easily keep track of the distance and, more importantly, it was one of the few places which was well lit at that time of night. I’ve always been a morning runner and I don’t really enjoy running at night, but it was nice to have the company and, it was also nice to be able to run with my mask under my chin and to not get any disapproving stares from passers-by. As all of my trail gear is still stuck in Hanoi, so I had to improvise and purchase a torch; the only one I could find was some large industrial sized one, but it helped, as there were a few places along the way where it would have been too dark to run without one. I came home, jumped in the pool, dried off and climbed straight into bed.

Run #4 Friday 14th August, 02:00 Distance: 6.5km Pace: 7.24/km Time: 48m 11s

This was the run I was dreading the most. I’m not sure if I managed to sleep, my legs felt achey and I was worried I wouldn’t wake up to my alarm; I had a similar feeling to when you have to leave early to catch a flight at the airport! I had decided to run within the grounds of my apartment block, as I didn’t really want to run alone in the dark at that time of the morning. Also, as we are on lockdown, I thought I might look a little suspicious heading out at that time in the morning, so I took myself and my massive torch over to a small road just opposite my apartment, and set off running up, and down… and up…. and down… The only good thing about this run was the fact that I didn’t have to wear a mask. I came home, showered, drank lots of water and soy milk, and climbed straight back into bed.

Run #5 Friday 14th August, 06:00 Distance: 6.5km Pace: 7.42/km Time: 50m 30s

Surprisingly, this was the most difficult run so far. I thought that after getting the 10pm and 2am ones out of the way, I would be feeling positive about the day ahead. I thought wrong; I felt exhausted when I dragged myself out of bed at 5.30am, as once again I didn’t really sleep properly; a combination of achey legs and worries that I’d sleep through my alarm. I peeled on my running clothes and headed out but my legs didn’t seem to want to work, and shortly after starting my run, I had to stop to walk. The entire run consisted of run-walk-run-walk, but I figured it was better to keep moving rather than stop to rest. I also wasn’t so worried about my times here; during the previous two runs I wanted to finish quickly so I would have time to sleep, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep much during the day so it didn’t really matter. I did, however, want to complete all of my runs in under 60 mins, so I did always have this at the back of my mind. I was very happy when this run was over; again I jumped straight in the pool, and then treated myself to a coffee, a protein bar and a banana. I don’t normally eat breakfast and I wanted to try and continue with my fasting during the run, eating only between the hours of 1-9pm, but I soon realised this was a silly idea, and making sure I was fuelled and energised would help to get me through. I stretched in the pool and when I got out I foam rolled, which was exceptionally painful, but I knew it would be worth it. I did actually manage to sleep a little, just under an hour, but it was very on-and-off; not good quality sleep at all.

Run #6 Friday 14th August, 10:00 Distance: 6.5km Pace: 6.49/km Time: 44m 23s

After the disaster that was run number 5, I thought all of my runs would consist of running and walking, but again, I was proved wrong. Somehow I managed to find my legs again for this one and I ran the whole route. As I was running, I mentally split my runs up making them more manageable; the next two would be the afternoon ones which should be reasonable, then I had the dreaded night time ones, then, finally, the last two which should be relatively easy as the end would be in sight. I came home, jumped in the pool again, and then had a very early lunch of a vegan cheese sandwich, a protein bar and some soy milk. By this time I was feeling very hungry, but I knew that I shouldn’t snack too much as it would impact on my ability to run. Instead, I stretched, and went to bed again to try and catch up on sleep; I managed around 30 mins on and off. I was very happy that I’d reached the half way point and feeling very optimistic about the second half.

Run #7 Friday 14th August, 14:00 Distance: 6.54km Pace: 8.44/km Time: 57m 7s

I don’t remember much about this run, to be honest. Looking at the pace, I expect it was another one which consisted of lots of walking, as this was my longest one so far. I found it fascinating how the runs could affect you differently at various points throughout the day; I always expected my 2am one to be the slowest, but in fact, I had many more which took much longer to complete than that. I was definitely also very worried about the 2pm runs because of the weather; but for once, it was on my side, and Thursday’s cool weather followed through in to Friday. At this point in the challenge I realised that it was definitely reflective of what you experience when you are out on the trails; you find your energy at different points and sometimes, when you feel like you have no energy at all, you somehow find your legs and off you go.

Run #8 Friday 14th August, 18:00 Distance: 6.51km Pace: 7.00/km Time: 45m 36s

Gareth planned to run this one with me but then we had another pet related mishap; this time in the shape of a cat. We set off running together, and I warned him that I might not be able to run the entire thing, but we were stopped sooner than expected by a group of ladies who clearly didn’t understand the social distancing rules, and wanted us to take photos of them on their bicycles. I carried on running and let Gareth catch up; until we came across a lady who was trying to rescue some orphaned kittens nearby the river. Gareth stopped to help but I kept on running; I felt terrible but I hoped that Gareth would explain my reasons why. I managed to run the entire route; the same as my 6pm run the previous day; albeit at a much slower pace. When I got home, it was time for dinner. Another cheese sandwich, with a protein bar. Again, I was tempted to overeat due to a combination of boredom and lack of energy, but I resisted and instead, went to bed, where I didn’t sleep, but at least I was out of the vicinity of the fridge.

Run #9 Friday 14th August, 22:00 Distance: 6.51km Pace: 8.51/km Time: 57m 39s

I was DREADING this run; I was sore, I was tired and I was irritable. Gareth joined me again and we ran the same route as the night before, albeit at a much slower pace. We began with power walking and I set myself goals along the way; for example, I told myself I would start running when I got to the next lamppost and then start walking again at the next visible landmark. It gave me something to focus on; something to aim for, and it definitely helped. All the way through the run I was craving things I couldn’t have; particularly a can of full fat coke. I never ever drink full fat beverages, only when I’m running do I crave this type of sugary goodness. But unfortunately, Hoi An is a sleepy little town and things don’t stay open very late, especially during lockdown. So I had to make do with a blended watermelon juice when I got home, which was great, but not what I was looking for. I wasn’t even tempted by the pool this time; I peeled my clothes off, jumped in the shower and climbed straight in to bed.

Run #10 Saturday 15th August, 02:00 Distance: 6.5km Pace: 8.47/km Time: 57m 7s

I have nothing much to say about this one, other than it was horrible. It began by setting my alarm for 2.30am, rather than 1.30am, which shows just how tired I was. Luckily I’d asked Gareth to set his alarm too, and was startled when I heard it ringing out at 1.45am. I woke up feeling panicked and exhausted, but I still managed to peel myself out of bed. It took just under an hour but it felt like it lasted for a day.

Run #11 Saturday 15th August, 06:00 Distance: 6.5km Pace: 8.25/km Time: 54m 49s

The end was in sight, but this still didn’t give me much motivation to carry on. By this point I was feeling both mentally and physically drained, but I started to put myself back into a positive headspace and reminded myself that I had a coffee, a protein bar, and a dip in the pool to look forward to at the end of it. I did that throughout every run, I made sure I had something to look forward to at the end of it, so that it would motivate me to push through at a quicker pace. It worked, a little, but I was still glad when this one was over.

Run #12 Saturday 15th August, 10:00 Distance: 6.5km Pace: 8.50/km Time: 57m 27s

Run number 12! The final one! I did kind of want to end on a positive note, with a super-fast, strong run, but I knew the moment I set off my legs – and even my mind – weren’t having any of it. Gareth joined me and we mostly power-walked, but I was determined to run at least some of it, so I applied the same mentality as I did to the previous 10pm run, and set myself milestones for running. It seemed to take forever and I could’ve easily let it go on much longer, but I was determined that my final run of the challenge wouldn’t take me past the 60 minute mark, and it didn’t. The past two days of cool weather had subsided and by this time, the heat of the sun was brutal. I was extremely burnt after this race, and the pool was even more welcoming than it had been previously. I was so happy to finish; I was looking forward to a cocktail, I was looking forward to not having to wear a sports bra – or any bra for that matter – for the rest of the day, and in particular, I was looking forward to the fact that I didn’t have to run for the rest of the day!

[initforthelongrun2019]

The First Race of the Year

In January this year I took part in the Vietnam Trail Marathon in Moc Chau; the third race in the Vietnam Trail Series organised by the Topas Explorer Group.

Although this race was months ago and some of the memories are a little vague, I still remember the feelings of excitement I had in the lead up to it, mainly because I knew that I was rested, and I didn’t have the pressure of a running challenge looming down on me. For the first time in a long time, I was ready to take part in a race which I felt like I could really enjoy. In addition to the excitement, I was also battling with nerves; this would be my first race since the disaster that was Chiang Mai just four months earlier, but this time my body – and in particular my foot – was in a much better place.

I was joined by Ajay and James, my friends from Bangkok, and met them at Turtle Lake Brewery in Hanoi; the departure point for the buses which would take us to Moc Chau. As well as excitement about the race, I was also looking forward to visiting a new place in Vietnam; I’d heard good things about Moc Chau and I couldn’t wait to see it.

The drive to Moc Chau took just under five hours, with a couple of stops along the way. I enjoyed catching up with James and Ajay, and we talked in anticipation about what to expect from the race. James was running 10km, despite our best efforts to try and convince him to sign up for a longer race, and Ajay was taking part in the 42km; his longest trail to date. I’d signed up for the 70km, and I knew I would be in for a challenge. I felt physically and mentally ready.

We arrived at the hotel around mid-afternoon, and after checking in, we went to the race expo so that we could have a look around and see what was on offer. James and Ajay got caught up with new technologies; I found myself a punnet of strawberries and entertained myself with those. The weather was beautiful; sunny, but not too warm, and I was keeping my fingers crossed it would stay that way for the race. In the evening, we attended the carb loading dinner which was put on by Topas, and got chatting to some of the other runners who were all completing various different distances. I attended the race briefing later that evening, but about half way through I decided to call it a night, as I decided that getting some sleep would be much more beneficial.

I woke early the next morning; the bus was collecting us at 3am to take us to the start line in time for flag off at 4am. My race gear was all lined up by the side of my bed; I always get my kit ready the night before so I don’t have too much to stress about before the race, but I still always have mad anxiety and find myself double and triple checking everything, to make sure I haven’t forgotten anything. I had opted for a room share and was placed with a lovely lady from Japan; she was also very nervous as this was going to be her longest race so far. I did my best to reassure her, whilst trying to keep my own nerves at bay.

At the start line I met a couple of runners from the previous evening, and a very cute dog, who I shared some cuddles with at the beginning of the race. Then, at 4am on the dot, we crossed the line and started what would be a challenging, but enjoyable race ahead.

As the race was months ago, unfortunately I can’t remember so many of the details, but I do remember being wowed by the beauty of the race route, when the sun started to rise, just over an hour in to our run. In the past I have started races at midnight, or even earlier around 10pm, and the thought of running for six plus hours in the dark can be a little deterring; it’s also gets extremely boring after a while.

I set off strong, and was about fifth or sixth female after passing the first checkpoint, and like all races, I started to feel optimistic about gaining that desired podium spot once again. However, I was soon overtaken by much stronger runners, although this time I didn’t let this deter me; instead I revelled in the fact that I was running, and I was injury free!

I was reaching each checkpoint at a decent pace and making relatively good time, but then I started to struggle at around checkpoint four. This was the checkpoint where food was provided, but there wasn’t much to help refuel us, and the midday sun was hitting hard. The organisers of the race had told us to expect slightly harsher than normal weather conditions; Northern Vietnam in winter can be cool, particularly in January. Yet the mountains decided to make their own rules, and the sun was beaming down on us throughout all of the daylight hours. Normally I run in sleeves, as I don’t want to get burnt, but this time I was looking forward to the fresh cool air and decided a t-shirt would suffice. That, combined with a lack on sun cream, meant that I had some pretty tasty looking tan lines by the end of it.

As always, I met some wonderful people during the run; in particular Hanno, who I met at checkpoint four and managed to keep up with, until steamed away in to the distance somewhere after checkpoint six, and Duy – who kept me company on and off from around checkpoint four until we crossed the finish line together at the very end. There was a beautiful moment after we left checkpoint four, as we were battling the midday heat, where an elderly lady was perched half way up the hill, with an ice box full of coke. I don’t normally drink full fat coke, but this was possibly the most refreshing drink I ever had. I downed the coke, instantly felt better, and then felt my stomach fall into pieces shortly after. But it was worth it, for that blissful ice cold break from the heat.

There were a few points throughout the race when I was worried that I wouldn’t make the cut off times; the races in the Vietnam Trail Series are very challenging in terms of time, especially if you are a steady paced runner (i.e. me!). A large group of us were running towards checkpoint five and frantically checking times and distances as we were cutting it very close, but luckily we all made it. This was the same checkpoint where we met with the 42km runners; I was hoping I would bump in to Ajay at some point, but deep down I knew he would already be way ahead, despite his concerns about this being his longest trail run yet.

The route towards checkpoint six was a brutal climb; the VTS races are infamous for their challenging climbs at around 50km. Yet somehow, I seemed to have found my legs again, and so did Duy, who caught me up even though I left him behind at the previous checkpoint. Lots of other runners from the 70km and 42km categories were stopping to rest on this part of the trail but we powered up it without taking a break; knowing full well that the quicker we reached the top, the sooner it would be over. I kept having to remind myself to take stock of the beauty around me; often during a later part of the trail it’s easy to become so focused on finish that you forget why you’re doing the race. So I kept checking over my shoulder to admire the wonderful views, and reminded Duy to do the same.

Once we reached CP6 we could relax slightly; this was the final checkpoint and we had hours before we had to reach the end. But I had more motivation to finish quicker; I had a fridge full of cider which I brought with me from Hanoi to celebrate James’ birthday, and I also wanted to make it back in time before the hotel buffet closed. Eating is always really important for me during races, particularly as a vegan, it can sometimes be difficult to refuel depending on what is available at the checkpoints. So I knew if I wanted to eat that night I had to make it back to the hotel on time, as the supermarket across from the hotel had a very limited supply of vegan friendly food.

By this time it was dark; the second round of darkness is always the hardest and finding the motivation to continue can be a struggle. Duy and I kept each other going by telling each other our life stories, and talking about how good it would feel to cross the finish line. We later met one the race crew who told us we only had 1km to go, which was a blatant lie; I can’t remember exactly how far he was off, but we still had quite some way to go. We could hear voices from the finish line, but every turn we took seemed to take us further away from them. This was possibly one of the most frustrating parts of the race, and often, when I’m alone, I cry, because I just want it to be over. But this was the first ultra I’ve done where I didn’t shed a single tear! I enjoyed the fact that I could run without an injury (the pain in my heel was definitely there, but nowhere near as bad as it has been in the past), and I was just so happy to be back on the trails again. As we crossed the line; Duy and I hugged and congratulated each other; completing this race was an accomplishment for both of us, but for different reasons. I headed straight for the 7 Bridges beer tent where I bought myself a well-deserved beer and then boarded the bus ready to take us back to the hotel. I somehow managed to find the energy in my legs to run from the bus, take the quickest shower in the world, and then head down to the hotel restaurant for that first delicious sip of cider, which was almost as rewarding as completing the race itself!

[initforthelongrun2019]

A Different Type of Challenge

I have a ganglion cyst.

That wasn’t the way I had imagined starting my first blog post since completing my challenge at the end of last year, but it would be out of character if I told you that I am completely injury free.

It seems like a lifetime since I completed the ‘In It For The Long Run 2019’ challenge; where I aimed to complete a distance of 7,500km in 365 days by running and hiking. Those of you who have read my blog before will know that this didn’t quite go to plan; for those of you who are new to my blog; well, read the previous posts to find out exactly what happened.

When I first set out to do this challenge, I thought that I would never want to run again. However, towards the end of last year I was running way less than I wanted to, so once my injury started to heal, I didn’t want to stop! I completed a trail run in Moc Chau in January, and after that I was happy to continue running a good distance every week. I had a good feeling about the year ahead, so I signed up to two more trail runs; the Da Lat Ultra in March (100km) and the Chiang Mai Ultra in August (100km), with plans to sign up to many more throughout the year. I also set myself a goal to gain a spot back on the podium (it feels like a long time since I’ve had one of those) and made a pact with my friend Ajay that I would achieve this by the end of the year. However, Covid-19 put a stop to those plans, and I shared the frustrations of many runners around the world as race after race got cancelled.

Lockdown in Hanoi was a strange time, with lots of uncertainties, particularly in terms of what we could and couldn’t do. It was unclear whether or not we were allowed to exercise outside and on the first day of lockdown when I headed out for a run – alone and wearing a mask – I got yelled at by the police and instructed to go home. I went in to a slight panic about how I would cope without running for the next few days, weeks, or months; however long it might be. It was bad enough not being able to run due to my injury, but being able to physically run and restricted from doing so felt even more frustrating. So I took to running secretly; going out very early in the morning – even earlier than normal - to run around my block, time and time again. I wasn’t actually breaking the law; I saw many locals out exercising and running in a morning, and they weren’t being sent home. But rather than risking any further hostility, I decided to keep my runs short and sweet, which led to me running my quickest 5km ever; finishing at 24:44 with an average pace of 4.49/km. Those of you who know me – or have read my blog – will know that I am the first to put my hands up and admit that I am not the fastest runner; especially towards the end of my injury I was running at a pace of 7.5/km or slower. So this was quite an achievement in itself, especially as it was compulsory to wear a mask outside; I was breathing so hard I almost inhaled it. I ran a couple of 10kms as well, at a slightly slower pace, but at 50-55 mins, each time I was still way faster than my usual 60 plus mins.

The short runs were great, and it was delightful to run without feeling that familiar niggling pain in my heel, but I had no idea how lockdown would last and I was worried I would start to lose my endurance if I kept up with these distances. So I took it upon myself to run 30km on my rooftop and was featured in the Vietnam Trail Series newsletter; my claim to fame, at last! As expected, completing such a lengthy distance in such a small space (one lap wasn’t even 0.1km), was both a mental and physical challenge. Mentally, I knew this would be extremely good training for when I was able to get back out on the trails, for those moments when I question what I’m doing, why I’m doing it, and everything is telling me to give up. In terms of the physical aspects, 30km isn’t much compared to the distances I was running last year, but my body took more of a battering than I thought it would and my heel pain flared up due to running around in circles; the twisting and turning was playing havoc with my muscles and by the end I was in agony. I completed in around six hours, and then treated myself to a nice big lunch and a cider or two.

After lockdown was eventually lifted, I was happy to be back out running again, without feeling like I was doing something wrong, and my first time running without a mask felt so free. However, this feeling was short lived; as the heat and humidity of Hanoi’s summer approached, I started to run less and less. I remember a time when I wouldn’t even entertain the thought of going out for a 5km run, but I found myself opting for this distance more often, with the occasional 10km here and there. Lots of time passed and I didn’t seem to be able to pass the 10km barrier; the heat was a killer and I was also suffering from a general lack of motivation. I cursed myself; I complained so much when I wasn’t physically able to run, and now I had the strength back, but I just didn’t want to. However, this was a good learning curve for me; I realised I had turned in to a bit of a running snob, and that all distances should be credited. So I stopped being so negative and actually started to praise myself for going out in the crazy hot temperatures, despite the distance, and then when I did complete the longer runs, it felt like even more of an achievement.

But right now, back to the present, with me and my ganglion cyst. Up until last week, I was looking forward to more races towards the second half of the year, but once again, Covid-19 has put a stop to this. My 25km trail run in Sapa last weekend was cancelled, right about the time I got stuck in Hoi An (Central Vietnam) due to a lockdown in neighbouring Da Nang. I had plans to sign up for 100km at the VMM race in Sapa in September, and was considering VJM in Pu Luong in October, but with the second wave here in Vietnam I’m not sure if they will be going ahead either, and I already have way too much money tied up in cancelled races this year, so I may just keep an eye on the situation and see how it goes. I have now relocated to Hoi An; ironically, the very place I started my running challenge back in January 2019, and I’m thrilled about my new home and running location. I am also very happy to be writing this blog again, albeit after a very long hiatus, and I have lots of exciting running plans in the pipeline.  

[initforthelongrun2019]

Challenge Complete

So here it is, my final blog post (a month late, but who’s counting?)

Back on the 1st January 2019 I set myself a challenge; to run 7,500km in order to raise money for Action Aid.

Many people asked why I chose 7,500km and, as I mentioned in my very first post, there was no real reason for this. 5,000km seemed achievable (10km every day) and so the next best sounding number after that was 7,500km (around a half marathon, every single day).

I set this challenge at the same time as I was battling an ongoing injury; the dreaded plantar fasciitis. I had already experienced two years of this excruciating pain in my left foot, and, after numerous visits to the physio and changing my routine to incorporate more stretching, pilates, etc, I had around three glorious pain free months. However, in October or November 2018, the injury reappeared; this time in my right foot. Somehow I managed to forget just how horrible it had been coping with this for the previous two years and stupidly I thought it would just go away, so I stubbornly decided to continue with my challenge.

In the first few months it wasn’t so bad, and I managed to run around 21km almost every day. However, pain soon started to set in and I hobbled around on most of my runs and struggled to walk throughout the remainder of the day. For some reason I decided I didn’t need to see a physio again (and I am still questioning this decision) but I did introduce more pilates and stretching in to my weekly routine, and cut out all other high impact activity, such as my HIIT and interval classes which I’d been enjoying for such a long time. This was actually more from a time perspective than anything else, and probably wasn’t the best decision, as I lost a lot of strength and also gained a lot of weight; something I am still battling to get back down.

In addition to my injury, I also experienced some big changes to my own personal circumstances. Initially, when I began, my intention was to quit my job during the first half of the year, so that I could travel, volunteer, and have some much needed rest and recovery; as well as allowing myself the flexibility to run whenever and wherever I liked. However, I left my office based job in March 2019 and instead of being as free as a bird, I embarked upon a new challenge, where my role required me to travel extensively across South East Asia, Hong Kong and Macau. Having been in a similar role before, I knew how difficult it would be to keep up to a solid workout regime and, while I still worked out every day during my trips, it was difficult to do two or three sessions a day like I usually do, due to work commitments, often at irregular hours. Depending on where I am based, it can also be difficult to run. Jakarta, for example, is definitely not a runner-friendly city, so when I was there I had to wake up ridiculously early, take a Grab Bike to an area which was safe to run, and gain as much distance as possible in the relatively short time I had in between the park opening and work starting. Shortly after starting my new job I moved to a new country; see, I really do like a challenge!

Despite the injury, the new job and the move, I still continued to run, although the pain was getting worse and the work trips were becoming more frequent. After picking up the trail running bug during my 122km race in Chiang Rai, Thailand, in 2018, I took part in a few more ultras; the 100km park run in Bangkok, Thailand, the 70km Vietnam Jungle Marathon in Pu Luong, Vietnam, and 103km at The Moon in Koh Phangan, Thailand. I had signed up for three more; all in Thailand, but my final one of the year ended up being in Chiang Mai in August 2019. I was so excited about this race, but the throbbing pain in my foot throughout the entire journey from Hanoi to Chiang Mai was something I was so desperately trying to put to the back of my mind. I experienced discomfort all day, all night, and stretched like I had never stretched before in an attempt to make it go away. Yet when I was lining up at the start line, the pain was still very much there. I carried on regardless and, around 4km in, was in so much agony I almost got my first DNF. I won’t go in to too much detail here (one of my previous blog posts talks about this particular race) but this was a really worrying time as I knew I was doing more and more damage to my foot. Somehow, I managed to complete; I think mainly due to my stubbornness and not wanting to get my first DNF, but I really worried about the damage I had done, and how I was going to complete the rest of my challenge. I flew back to Hanoi and booked a session with my physio; normally I had needling but I was in far too much pain for this. She asked me to stop running for a while and for the first time ever, I listened and agreed. When I say I agreed, I mean that I cut down significantly but didn’t actually stop. Again, another silly decision, but that’s just who I am. I did have two weeks off running; I thought it would help, but it didn’t. I did, however, make the somewhat sensible decision to pull out of my final two ultras; 230km in Chiang Rai and 100 miles in Pai. I’m still very disappointed but there is no way I would have been able to finish them. See, I can be sensible sometimes...

I still wanted to complete my challenge so, from the 1st September, I decided to incorporate cycling. My friends had been telling me to do this for a long time, but I felt as though it was cheating. But I really had no choice; unless I just gave up on the challenge altogether. Adding cycling should have made it much easier but it didn’t; I was still travelling a lot with no access to a bicycle, and I was already so far behind my final target. 

In the end, I completed a total of 7,000km; 4,047,69km running and 2,952.31km cycling. Obviously, this still falls short of the 7,500km I wanted to run, so, towards the end of my challenge I had an idea. I had been supported by so many amazing people through this, and I don’t think I could have done it without their support, so I asked for one last favour; for people to run and/or cycle on the last two days of the year, to contribute to my distance. After receiving help from the wonderful people below, I managed to rack up a total of 7,679km.

X7 bootcamp: 54.9km run Mum: 10km run Andy: 10km run Steve: 4km run Boon: 19.09 km run Claire: 17.53km run Jamie: 4.82km run Gareth: 61.78km cycle Manny: 36.74km run James: 12km run Ajay: 30.05km run Belle: 33.22km run Jiratiwat: 13.3km run Chris: 7.65km run Pang: 25.57km run Forest: 27.97km run Mark: 70.45km cycle Nick: 14km run Tom: 18km run Am: 11.1km run Beth: 105km cycle Donna: 25.01km run Naomi: 27km run Sam: 22.53km cycle Kiat: 12.08km run Kai: 5km run.

Last year threw out some difficult obstacles, but this challenge was very much at the forefront of all of these. However, despite the pain, the complaints and the frustrations, I still had an amazing time pushing myself to my limits and I’m so pleased that I was able to complete the distance in my own unique way, and raise money for an amazing charity.

I also had the opportunity to run in some wonderful locations (see below);

Vietnam: Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An, Da Nang, Hue, Da Lat, Pu Luong, Phu Quoc Thailand: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phuket, Koh Tarutao, Koh Lipe, Koh Phangan Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Penang, Taiping, Johor Bahru UK: Bradford, Manchester, Oxford South Africa: Cape Town Cambodia: Siem Reap Indonesia: Jakarta Hong Kong Singapore Macau

I also ran with some truly amazing people… far too many to mention but a huge shout out to all of those who supported me through my challenge, especially my crazy people in Bangkok (Ajay, Donna and James, I’m looking at you).

I’ve since completed another ultra; this time a 70km in Moc Chau in Vietnam, and although I ran very slowly, I was injury-free for the most part. I think I’m now well and truly on the road to recovery, but I will continue to have regular visits to my physio who has now become a very good friend and even, if the pain goes away for good, I’m not going to take it for granted that it will stay that way.

However, I’m feeling very positive and now wondering... what’s next?! :) 

[initforthelongrun2019]

The Race I Almost Didn’t Finish

My last trail run was a complete disaster. 

Normally I run every day before a race (I don’t do tapering, and with this challenge, tapering only means I lose out on covering valuable distance, so it’s even more out of the question). But for the first time ever I listened, and took the advice of my physio who told me not to. I may have mentioned previously (I can’t remember - it’s so long since I last posted) but my physio is also a runner, and I really trust her, hence why I decided to listen. She understands the frustrations I have with being in pain and not being able to run, and I know she would only advise it if she really truly believed it, unlike the numerous doctors and health professionals I have seen who throw the rest word around for fun.

I arrived in to Chiang Mai feeling exceptionally nervous. Despite not running all week, and stretching every day, my foot was still throbbing. I knew for a long time that this race was going to be difficult, but after the discomfort I felt during the long taxi ride to my homestay, it really sunk in just how hard I was going to find it. Not for the first time, I worried about not being able to complete.

However, all worries went out of the window when I arrived at the homestay and took sight of the beautiful location I was going to be spending the night and following day. It was absolutely stunning; a quaint little bamboo hut tucked in front of some spectacular scenery; rolling hills and countryside as far as the eye could see. For the first time I managed to put the pain to the back of my mind and I actually started to look forward to the race.

I was treated to some wonderful food at the homestay; I was welcomed with warm smiles and some delicious local deserts, followed by an evening meal of tasty homemade food. This didn’t stop the following day; I started the race with a full belly and lots of energy to burn during the race.

Flag off was at midnight, but for the first time I wasn’t concerned about this; my last trail run started in the dark and it was perfectly fine. The route was fairly steady to begin with, although soon the incline came and I started to find my pace. I approached checkpoint one with relative ease and I finally started to relax. But then as I reached the 6km mark, a shooting pain came through my foot and I feared the worst. The pain didn’t go, and I started to panic; how on earth would I complete the race if I was feeling pain already? I reached the second checkpoint almost in tears; I peeled off my shoe from my foot which was a lot more difficult than it sounds, and desperately rubbed gels and spray on to it. This eased the pain, for approximately five minutes, but as I was on my way up a steep hill I felt it again. I stopped, started, stopped, started, and then I did start to cry. The rain was heavy, I was starting to get so cold because I couldn’t move quickly enough to warm up, and the pain was unbearable. I was actually worried about how I would get to the third checkpoint; I could barely even walk and I was so relieved that I’d decided to use poles for the first time; I put most of my weight on to them and continued to limp through the muddy and wet trail. At that point, I realised that this would be my first ever DNF. 

As I was struggling on the trail, I was frustrated by the amount of people who saw me hobbling in pain and didn’t stop to help. The one thing I love about trails (and what I mention repeatedly) is the fact that there is such a community and how fellow runners help you to get through the toughest times, so it was super frustrating that this wasn’t happening when I needed them the most. However, I did start to reconcile my trust in people again, when I saw a group of men stop some way in front of me. I thought they were perhaps waiting for some of their group to catch up, but it turns out they were actually waiting for me. The heavy rain had caused a very fast flow of water through part of the trail, and they stopped to make sure I crossed safely. In addition to this another runner, later on, just before checkpoint three, asked me if I wanted to DNF. He helped me to call ahead, so that the medical team were aware I was on my way and were prepared for me when I eventually arrived. The runner looked a little lost; he didn’t know what to do, so I thanked him for his help and told him to go on ahead, wishing him luck as he did so. After he left, another couple of guys saw me in pain and stopped to help me. One of the runners took off my shoe (again, a task which was extremely difficult) sprayed my foot, then eased my shoe back on and tied my laces. Such a simple gesture, but so very kind and almost made me cry again. My faith in trail runners was well and truly restored. 

Upon arriving at checkpoint three, I was met by the medics team, who sprayed my foot... and then did nothing else. I was a little surprised; I was expecting to receive a little more medical attention than something I could do to myself, and what I had already done numerous times on the way there. However, something inside me decided that I wasn’t ready to give up. So I put my shoes and socks on (which was such a painful task in itself) finished up my bowl of noodles, and hobbled on. As I was leaving, the Teelakow photographer arrived on his motorbike, ready to collect the person he was told was going to DNF. When he saw me he shook his head and begged me not to DNF. I see this guy at most of the trails I do and we always have a hug and a chat; his encouragement was even more reason to carry on. I set off with the mindset that I would walk, until I couldn’t physically walk any further. And so I began, on the most boring part of the trail, which quite easily would have been so runnable in any other circumstances, but I limped and hobbled and left sad voice notes to my friends, telling them to save me a place for dinner later that evening, as it would be very likely I’d be joining them. And not because I was going to be breaking any speed barriers by finishing early; because I knew I would be pulling out of the race very soon.

The next few hours were painful, long and boring. It’s been a while since I ran the race so I can’t actually remember much, but all I can remember was that it felt like I was walking for a lifetime in between CP3 and CP4. I kept going through various different emotions, and somewhere around half way I decided that CP4 was going to be my final CP. Then I reached CP4, and decided that I would push on to CP5. At the bag drop which was CP6 or 7 (again, my memory of the trail is quite vague) I had a packet of colin the caterpillars; my favourite ever vegan sweet which I picked up from my last trip to Hong Kong, as I can’t get them anywhere else (other than the UK). I knew if I didn’t reach the bag drop, I would have to wait until the following day to get my bag (and my colins) so I made it my aim to get that far. I left numerous voice notes with my friends, and my beloved Colin featured regularly. But there were many occasions where I didn’t think I would get to him. The rain was hammering down hard, and there were points on the trail where I was actually worried about the water bursting the banks of the rivers I was running by, or a potential landslide. It sounds like I’m being very dramatic but the water was flowing so heavily, and I realised I was probably the last one on the trail, so if anything happened then no one would know for a good few hours at least. When I reached CP 4, I was surprised to see some other runners there; I thought I was way behind everyone, but clearly this wasn’t the case. And as I set off from that checkpoint, another runner came up behind me. It was nice to know I had some company around me; the trail was starting to feel exceptionally lonely and I was fed up of not having anyone to speak to. The rain was still coming down hard, and my raincoat was doing very little to keep me dry. The lady who was running behind me started to pick up pace and she stopped me, put my hood over my head and tied it under my chin, to try and keep me dry. Again, such another small action, but so very touching. 

When I finally reached the bag drop, I decided to call it a day. My colins were within sight and I was actually looking forward to getting back to the homestay, getting dry and seeing my friends, so I told the guy I wanted to drop out. But he couldn’t speak English; I gestured, I tried in every possible way to describe a DNF but it wasn’t working. Eventually, after what seemed like a lifetime, he got it, and managed to tell me that the bus to collect the DNF runners wasn’t due for another hour. I had no idea where I was on the route or how long it would take me to get back; but I realised that I would probably be too late to meet my friends as they would all be getting an early night in preparation for their races the next day. As I argued internally about what to do, the lady who helped me with my hood told me that she had spoken to her friends who found out that the route had been cut short; due to the weather the trail was no longer safe and after the first 16 people completed the full 104km, they decided to close part of the race. Normally I would be devastated; this time I was delighted. She had another friend who was a little further behind us, so we waited for him and decided that we would finish together, no matter how long it took us. The friend arrived and I could see he was even more injured than me; we had another 30km or so to go and I wondered how either of us would make it. 

We ended up running (hobbling) through another night, despite the fact that so many runners finished in around 16 hours. The trail was so runnable which meant that the 36 hours given to complete was completely unnecessary, for most people anyway! I was out of signal for a while; when my phone clicked back in to life I had messages from people who had already finished, asking me how it went. This was depressing; I was still nowhere near the end. I decided against replying, and carried on. There was a point where we thought we were close to the end, but it turns out we had miscalculated and we still had another 20km to go. That almost destroyed me; we had to go back to CP4 (a checkpoint we reached earlier that day) before making our way on to the final checkpoint and then, finally, the finish. The trek to CP4 (which was by that point, CP8 or 9) was by far the most challenging part of the route. I was tired, in so much pain, and I started hallucinating badly. My knees kept buckling and on many occasions I fell to the ground and couldn’t get back up again. I was seeing things, hearing things, and all I wanted to do was put my head down, curl up in a ball, and sleep. When we reached the CP, I was so close to dropping out, again. But when the other guy who was injured told me he would carry on, I realised I had to as well. The three of us said we would finish together, and that’s what we would do.

It was dark, it was cold, it was wet; we started questioning the route, our sense of direction, and our sanity. As we reached the final CP I started to finally feel optimistic, but the other two were not, and this is when I realised I had to carry them through like they had with me the past few hours. I put on some disco music, and kept talking, to keep them awake and keep them focused. By this time, everyone was tired and miserable, but I was trying to lighten the mood. The poor guy who was injured was in such a bad way by now, and at one point we had to put his arms around us and carry him along. I was determined he would finish; by this point I was more focused on him than myself, which actually helped to take my mind off the pain. We were reaching the end of the course when the 62km runners started to pass us. Despite being in front and clearly running for a good time, the leader stopped to help us, by offering his spray and words of encouragement. The second place soon followed; which shows that he put his lead in jeopardy for the sake of helping us. Incredible. 

We were all delighted to cross the finish line; something we didn’t think we would manage to do at many times during the race. I was so late finishing that I only had to wait a short time for my friends to join me, in time to start their race. Depsite everything, I’m so pleased I finished, and I got to spend a wonderful weekend with my friends who I miss so much. I’m currently not running; I’m trying to heal. It’s frustrating me more than I can describe; but I’m working on my cardio and strength in other ways, without putting too much pressure on my poorly foot. I can’t wait to make a full recovery and get back on those trails!

Distance covered so far: 4,524.48km  Distance still to go: 2,975.52km 

[initforthelongrun2019]

A Change To The Challenge

I have now reached the 3,500km mark. Woo hoo! However, this still means that there is just under 4,000km still to go. Boo hoo! With just over three months left in the year, this is looking more and more unrealistic by the day.

I had such a great start to the year, but after looking at my more recent stats I realised that I haven’t covered a weekly distance of over 100km for over a month, despite getting out and exercising almost every single day (with a very rare rest day here and there). As I mentioned in my previous posts, the return of the plantar fasciitis injury has been very difficult to deal with, and much more painful that I can remember the first time round. Some days I am unable to walk, never mind run, so I have been cycling on those days to reduce the pressure on my foot. However, rather than dwelling on this and the fact that there is no way I can complete my challenge by running alone, I am putting a plan in place and doing something about it!

I am on the email distribution list for the Topas Group in Vietnam (the company which organised the trail run I did in Pu Luong back in May) and recently received an update which included an article by Flavia Breu; a physiotherapist based in Hanoi. The article contained tips on stretching for performance and injury prevention, and specifically referred to a stretch for people suffering from plantar fasciitis. That’s becoming somewhat of a buzzword for me now, so I read to the end where I learnt that Flavia would be offering weekly stretching sessions at her clinic, very close to where I live. I instantly got in touch and asked when I could join; I was keen to get involved sooner rather than later.

I joined the first stretching session of the week; Monday at 8am, which is clearly too early in the day for everyone else as I was the only one there. This meant that I had the opportunity to really make use of Flavia’s expertise and I told her about my injury, my runs and my challenge. Understandably, like most people I meet, Flavia was shocked by my limited mobility and inability to mold myself in to certain positions, but, as a highly experienced physiotherapist, this excited her as she could see many different ways to try and rehabilitate my slightly broken body. That was two weeks ago; this morning I completed my third session and I can honestly say I am feeling so many benefits, and having someone to stretch with is giving me the motivation to actually do it, at least once a week anyway.

Not only do I attend stretching sessions with Flavia, but last week I decided to stay and have a physiotherapy session straight after the class. The week before, Flavia told me that she thought needle therapy would be a good way to treat my pain. I have to admit, I was a little apprehensive; not because I’m scared of needles (I have way too many tattoos for that) but because I had acupuncture in my back years ago and it absolutely crippled me to the point where I was unable to walk properly for a couple of days. I felt like it did more harm than good, so I made a promise to myself to never do anything like that again.

Yet, there I was, last week, lying face down on a therapy bed, with needles sticking out of my hips and legs. The sensation was exactly how I remembered acupuncture to be; burning as the needle went in and then various different twitches and spasms as my body reacted to what was going on. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to run the next day (Flavia’s orders and for once, I listened) but I was worried this would mean I wouldn’t be able to do anything at all. I was a bit sore for the rest of the day but was able to walk freely on my heel without any pain. The following morning I woke with the usual hobble, but as the day went on my heel was, yet again, pain-free. I got out for a morning cycle and hit the gym for an interval training class later that day, and was amazed by my range of movement and lack of pain. I decided I was ready to run on Wednesday and had the best run I’ve had in a very long time; I wouldn’t say it was totally pain free but it was pleasant and I didn’t need to stop, which is the first time in a very long time. I did the same again on Friday and enjoyed the run equally as much. I had pain straight after the run, and throughout the rest of that day, but at this stage any progress at all is making me feel optimistic.

I went for treatment again this morning; one hour of stretching followed by one hour of physio, and this time, Flavia used needles and an ultrasound to ease my aches and pains. As well as problems with the fascia, Flavia believes that I also have an issue with my soleus muscle, particularly as I have been experiencing an usual type of pain on the right side of my foot, close to my little toe, which apparently is linked to this muscle. 

I have a race in Chiang Mai this weekend; a 104km ultra, which, I have to say, I’m dreading. I only booked my flights a couple of days ago as I have seriously been thinking about dropping out. These distances require both mental and physical strength, and as I have now completed four ultras I’m confident that I have both. However, although I have taken part in these types of races with my plantar problem before, this is the first time I am going in with such excruciating pain. I’m going back to Flavia on Wednesday for another stretching class, as well as an ultrasound and to get taped up, so I’m hoping that this will do the trick and ease at least some of the pain for some of the distance (I am no way delusional enough to think that I can do the entire thing pain free, or whether or not I can do the whole thing at all). But, as always, I’ll certainly give it my best shot, although I am mentally preparing myself for my first DNF.

So, where does this leave my challenge? With weekly physio and needling, I am not going to be able to run at least one day per week and, as I am already behind, that’s not going to get me anywhere close to completing it by the end of the year. I’m also now at a point where I realise that all of this running isn’t doing my body any good, and I could actually do some serious long term damage. But I’m not going to quit. Instead, from the 1st September I am going to incorporate cycling in to my running and hiking routine, in order to allow myself to achieve 7,500km by the end of this year.

For a long time, my friend Ajay has been encouraging me to do this, but I haven’t given in because once I set myself a challenge, I like to stick to it, and I’m worried that this might be seen as ‘cheating’. So many people have donated so generously to my cause already, and I feel that I am doing them a disservice by not completing the challenge how I initially set out to. But I have been at a crossroads for a while as I realised a long time ago that I could no longer do all of this just by running. So, my dilemma was, do I complete the challenge by including cycling, or do I not complete it at all? As I am not one to quit, I have, therefore, decided to incorporate cycling. I will still run as much as I physically can, as I want to achieve most of my target by running, but I don’t want to get to a point where I am unable to run at all, so changes have to be made. I can only hope that people understand why I have had to make this change, and continue to support my wonderful charity Action Aid and the amazing work they do. 

Distance covered so far: 3,605.35km Distance still to run: 3,894.65km

[initforthelongrun2019]

Painful Plantar - The Return

It’s been a very long time since my last blog post, but I will try and keep this one as short as possible as nothing much has happened, other than the fact that I am now in a lot of pain due to the return of the dreaded plantar fasciitis. In previous posts I mentioned how the injury was threatening to reappear, and now it finally has, in a spectacularly painful way. 

It took me a long time to recover from my last race in Koh Phangan, mainly because my feet had been ripped to shreds by the trail, but eventually I got back in to the swing of things and started to increase my distance yet again. But now we are over half way in to the year and I haven’t even reached the half way point yet, and the realisation is sinking in that I might not achieve this challenge in the 365 days I set myself. A combination of things are to blame; an unexpected new job (with lots of travel), an unexpected move to a new country and one too many nights out, combined with the fact that I can’t recover from a hangover like I once used to. Having said that, all of those things are minor in relation to this injury which has come back and hit me hard. I’ve tried all sorts of things; stretching, icing (I’m currently sat with my feet in a bowl of ice as we speak) and I’ve even tried rest days. Well, my version of rest; incorporating more cycling in to my exercise routine in an attempt to give my feet a break from pounding the pavements, once or twice a week (I’m also strongly regretting not counting cycling towards my distance at the start of this challenge, as I would be well on my way if I had!) However, nothing seems to be working and the pain is much more unbearable than the last time I had it; sometimes I’m struggling to walk, let alone run, and it’s even starting to affect my sleep.

This post is taking a slightly depressing tone, so I won’t bang on for much longer. Instead, I’ll focus on some of the positives. I’ve just come back from a two week holiday in Vietnam (the country I’ve just moved to) and had the opportunity to run in some incredible new locations, when my feet would allow me to do so. I even went back to run in Hoi An where I started this challenge, back on the 1st January, which now seems like a lifetime ago. Even if I don’t achieve what I set out to at the beginning of the year, I’ll still be able to look back on this challenge with some fond memories of some great runs in incredible places around the world. But I’m a stubborn little bugger and I’m not giving up just yet (despite considering this on more than one occasion). I’ll keep on going until the end of the year, so let’s wait and see how I get on!

Distance covered so far: 3,313.52km Distance still to run: 4,186.48km

[initforthelongrun2019]

The Time I Learnt That Toes Could Explode

My last blog post was all about a trail run and this one is going to be no different. Four and a half weeks have passed since the Vietnam Jungle Marathon and a couple of weeks ago I completed 103km at The Moon 100 in Koh Phangan; the first of four in the four trails series organised by Teelakow.

But first back to Vietnam and the recovery, or rather, the lack of recovery. I couldn’t quite believe how much I struggled after this trail run; I’ve never felt aches or pains like it. Somehow how I managed to run the day after, and continued to do so for the rest of the week, but my body wasn’t thanking me for it, and it was only on Thursday or Friday where I felt I could complete a run with ease.

The second week was much better and I managed a very good overall distance, due to running twice most days, and covering more than my daily average three or four times a day. The next week was just as good and I even managed to squeeze in a pilates class and a sports massage, in advance of the Koh Phangan trail. I opted for a pre-race massage, thinking this would be lighter and less painful than my previous experiences and I thought I was in luck, as the woman started working on my back ever so gently, but it turns out she was just lulling me in to a false sense of security and later continued to hurt me just as much as she did every single time. The massage was just before my flight, and I arrived in Koh Samui feeling sleepy and sore. I soon woke up as I arrived at the ferry and took in the cool air and fresh ocean breeze as we made our way to Koh Phangan. At this point I was contemplating not running, and staying in my lovely hotel, with a pool overlooking the ocean, and drinking my body weight in cocktails.

Obviously I didn’t end up doing this, and the following day I went for a very short 4km run before getting my head down and cracking on with work. I might have been on a paradise island but life went on as normal; it was a Friday, so a normal working day resumed, and I had lots to be getting on with. In between emails and calls, I dreamt about carb loading and went for what turned out to be a very disappointing falafel and hummus lunch. Falafel and hummus are two of my favourite things ever and they should never be disappointing. I had lunch in a bakery opposite the start and finish line, and watched as the organisers got everything together in advance of the briefing and flag off later that night. Before going to collect my race kit, I purchased some homemade vegan energy balls from the shop with the aim of taking them with me on the race. Turns out they only made it as far as the end of the road; they were far too delicious not to eat all in one go. But it’s ok, I was carb loading (I love that excuse).

Later that evening I went to the briefing, bumped in to the lovely Teelakow photographer who I’ve met at previous races, and then wondered what on earth I would do with the remaining six hours. At this point I realised I should have checked myself in for another night at the hotel so I could at least get some sleep; I initially thought at 6pm check out would be sufficient but I was already feeling so very sleepy. So I went off in the search for food and tried my luck at falafel and hummus again, which I’m pleased to say turned out much better than attempt number one. After this, I went to find out where I could get a massage and paid for a two hour massage so that I could sleep and pass the time. After this I walked around, ate peanuts (mainly as a result of boredom but again I will use the excuse of carb loading) and slowly began to lose the will to live, until I bumped in to Tom; a fellow runner who I follow on my IG. I’ve said before that I love the wonderfully small world of trail running and the community it brings with it and this evidenced it first hand; Tom recognised me from my posts on my InItForTheLongRun2019 IG account and knew I was doing this race, so he hung out with me until it was time for the 103km to set off and go!

The first part of the route was around a 10km flat run; something which would usually irritate me on a trail run, but this time I was happy; the longer we spent out of the jungle in the dark, the better. Setting off at midnight was new to me and the thought of five or six hours alone, in the jungle, in the dark, was not filling me with joy. I know I am slow when I set off and I was worried that I would get left behind; it doesn’t normally bother me on the trail and I like having the time to climb and descend at my own pace without people right up behind me, but this time I wanted to stay with the group so that I would have someone to follow.

I reached the first checkpoint in good time, although it wasn’t actually clear that it was a checkpoint and so I didn’t actually realise at the time. So when I started to reach the cut-off for check point one I started to worry, thinking that I was going to miss it and fail at the very first hurdle. However, this, on the other hand, meant that I was well happy when I arrived at check point two, as it meant that I covered more distance than I thought, and I was making very good time too.

However, on the way to checkpoint two I had to deal with the normal frustrations of everyone racing down ahead of me. Once again, I didn’t take my hiking poles, and once again, I regretted this as soon as I was faced with a very steep descent. Note to self: buy hiking poles and TAKE THEM WITH YOU. OTHERWISE YOU WILL BE SLOW. I lose SO much time going down, because I don’t have the confidence to run without poles. I did run a little and I fell, on a flat part of the trail. Which is why I don’t run when it’s super steep, because I have literally zero balance.

The rest of the checkpoints have all sort of blurred in to one; mainly because I have a terrible memory and I have left it so long to write about this, and partly because it wasn’t a particularly memorable race. Actually, I’m being kind, it was probably my least enjoyable race so far. The route was boring and the terrain wasn’t fun; the trails were extremely overgrown and a lot of time was spent running up and down very slippery clay paths. The fact that we set off at midnight meant that we spent the first five or six hours running in the dark, which quickly became very dull, and I also copped for another round of darkness on the second night. We began the race running next to the ocean; and although I could appreciate the sound, the smell and the cool breeze, it really would have been lovely to actually enjoy the view. There were very little viewpoints on the trail which was a real let down; when you climb up a massive hill you want to be rewarded with something nice at the top of it; that’s kind of the point!

There were a few positives, however. One very memorable part was the run through the national park which was stunning, and led us to one of the few viewpoints, which was spectacular. After the viewpoint I reached the top of the waterfall and dived right in; soaking up the cool water and enjoying how it eased my aches and pains. As always, I also met some wonderful people on the route and I am so thankful for the group of Thai runners who took me under their wing from CP 6. This was the CP after the toughest spike (which I actually really enjoyed), and where we could collect our drop bag; which meant a much-needed change of clothes and some treats; although my treats were vegan biscuits which turned out to be pretty disappointing. Anyway, I set off feeling refreshed and ready to go; despite the darkness which had enveloped us, but one of the guys stopped me and asked if I had a buddy, as he was worried about me running on my own. I told him I was fine, and I was actually feeling surprisingly confident after running for the first six hours on my own in the dark, but he insisted that he would catch up with me after he finished eating, which I didn’t doubt, especially as we were going downhill. As I reached the bottom of the next trail, a wave of tiredness came over me and I had to sit down and take some time to rest my eyes, and at one point I almost fell asleep. Somehow I managed to find the energy to get up and get going, and that’s when I heard Pleum and his friends behind me. After I reached the top they told me that they weren’t going to leave me, and by this point I was ever so grateful. It meant that it took much longer to complete the route; we were a big group and we stopped every time someone wanted to take a rest, but I actually enjoyed the companionship of running in such a strong friendship group, rather than competing for time or a good finishing place like I usually do.

However, despite the company, it was at this point where I was close to calling it a day. My feet were unbearably sore (even worse after the descent to CP 6 where I actually felt my little toe explode) and I was struggling to keep my eyes open. We reached a 7/11 en route and instead of going in to buy treats, I took full advantage of the five or ten minutes that everyone else was in the shop and rested my eyes. Eventually we made it to CP 7; by this point everyone was ready for a rest, and I had half an hour of blissful sleep, even if it was laying on the gravel floor in the middle of nowhere.

Thirty minutes later and our alarms woke us; I tried to persuade the group to let us have five or ten more minutes but one guy was insistent that we should leave right that second. I didn’t have time to get any water or reapply my gels and I barely had time to eat; other than a slice of bread which I grabbed as we left for the next CP, so I was feeling a little frustrated and wondered why we were in such a hurry. However, on reflection, it’s a really good job he rushed us the way he did; even though we had a lot of time to make it to the next CP, the next part of the trail was really horrible. We had to climb waterfalls in the dark which was actually pretty scary, and another reason why I was so thankful for the company of a group, especially when I fell backwards in to a pool of water, and was quickly pulled back on to my feet by the lovely Ekky. When we finished climbing up waterfalls we started to make our way back down and we all thought we were reaching the end of this section. In turns out we were very wrong and we ended up back in the waterfalls once more; making all of us doubt whether or not we were going the right way. This was another frustrating thing about this route; it was extremely repetitive and not very well sign posted; there were many times even during the day that I got lost and had to re-route myself, and I heard many others tell similar tales. This was probably the longest part of the race so far; it felt unsafe and it wasn’t enjoyable. By this time we had added numbers to our group and we were all really struggling, so it was a huge relief when we finally reached the next CP, which, I thought was the final one. But it turns out I was wrong, so you can online imagine how I felt when we I discovered that we actually had another 20+km to go, rather than the 12km beach run finale, which we almost didn’t make due to cut off times. The next part of the route was extremely boring, followed by extremely brutal; there was no in between. The final climb before the descent to the checkpoint was excruciatingly tough; I actually enjoyed it, but it’s something we could have done with much earlier in the race when we all had energy. At one point we had to push our entire bodies against the hill to make sure we could dig our hands and feet in to it, in order to be able to climb up it; there was nothing to hold on to, and the tree roots that were there were extremely lose and could’ve resulted in us tumbling back down the hill, which obviously none of us wanted.

We arrived at the final CP caked in mud, sweat, cuts and bruises. I am so relieved that we made this CP; despite wanting to drop out earlier in the race I would have been devastated to make it so far and not be able to complete. By this point my feet were in absolutely agony and I wasn’t sure how I was going to finish the final 12km run along the beach; I wanted to get treated by the nurse but the group were keen to get going and I wanted to finish with them. So I stuffed my blisters, bruises and peeling skin back in to my running shoes, and hobbled off along the beach. The first part was great; people cheering us and welcoming us back like we were coming back from war (it certainly looked like we’d been at war). However, this soon wore thin as the 12km felt long; much longer than a standard12km, especially as running on sand is painful at the best of times and, although we could see the finish line in the very far distance, it didn’t seem to be getting any closer. As with all of my trail runs, I started to question my sanity, I swore lots, I cried a little bit. My body wasn’t hurting; even my hip remained pain free for the entire route which was absolutely delightful; I can’t remember the last time I didn’t have hip pain, especially on such a long and brutal run. But my feet were unbearably sore and as soon as I crossed the finish line, I headed straight for the nurses station for some help with my blistered and torn skin. My feet were pretty banged up for days after; normally I can run (or at the very least hobble) the day after a race, but I could barely even walk. I cycled for three days and on the fourth day managed to get out for a run, but even now, one week later, they’re still very, very sore. Safe to say, my runners went straight in the bin and I’m now on the search for a pair which won’t torture me like those ones did for the entire 103km.

I set off on my journey back to Bangkok about four hours after finishing the race; not my most sensible decision but I had to get back for work the next day as I had an extremely busy week coming up. I was in pain for the entire journey and in the airport I was offered a wheelchair which I politely declined, so instead I was bundled in to the back of a buggy (which was a difficult task in itself because I could barely climb up in to the thing) and at one point I was nearly taken to first aid. But despite all of that, it was nice to see other runners, both on the ferry back to Samui and waiting in the airport to board their flights back home (also reassuring to know there were other mad people who thought it would be a good idea to travel back the same day). I spoke to lots of fellow runners; some who finished and some who did not, and was congratulated by many as I was wearing my finisher t-shirt. There were so many DNF’s on this route, and although I took almost the entire 36 hours to complete the race, I still placed quite highly due to the fact that 125 people did not complete; I was one of only 93 which managed to cross the finish line. Another ultra under my belt, with lots more still to go.

Distance covered so far: 2,870.36km Distance still to run: 4629.64km

[initforthelongrun2019]

The Toughest Trail Yet

I completed my 70km trail run in Vietnam on Saturday and I am still in pain. Tons and tons of pain. Normally my body recovers fairly quickly; even after the 122km in Chiang Rai last year I had the strength to do a small workout the following day, and I was back in the gym and feeling fairly pain free just two days after. This time, it’s a very different story.

Having said that, I still managed to get out for an excruciatingly slow 5km recovery run on Sunday evening and covered a distance of 20km on Monday; one morning run and one evening run, as I ran out of time and energy before I had to go to work. But that’s not to say I’m not suffering. The reason I am powering on through with the runs is because I want to make the most of the fact that I completed 70km in one go, so if that means getting out the day after for a run (or, more appropriately, a hobble) then so be it.

I was feeling very nervous in advance of the Vietnam Jungle Marathon but that’s no different to how I normally feel before a big race. But this time I was feeling particularly unfit and unprepared, and my body didn’t feel like it was ready to run. As we crossed the start line the pain in my hip kicked in almost immediately, much to my frustration, especially as I had done my best to stretch as much as possible that week. I had even gone for another exceptionally painful sports massage on Thursday, and only did a very short 4km run in between the massage and the trail run, to try and make the benefits last as long as possible. Which clearly didn’t work.

I was one of the first over the start line, but my leading position didn’t last; as is the case with most races I watched as the other participants sprinted past me. I never start quickly; I’m not a particularly fast runner anyway, and I always have to remind myself not to be deflated by the other runners leaving me in the distance, as it is likely I will catch some of them up at some point. Especially when it comes to these longer races.

After running along flat ground for some time, we reached the point I was looking forward to; the climb. Normally I excel on the climbs; I am able to run or hike up quite quickly, and I usually manage to make up quite a lot of time, whereas most people find this the most challenging part. However, this time was different; the trail was narrow and could comfortably only allow one person at a time, and instead of trying to race past the people in front of me like I normally would, I waited in line as the others trudged up in front of me. Eventually, about three quarters of the way up, I decided to overtake, but I felt my energy lagging and had to have an energy gel, much earlier in the race than I would normally. At this point I started to worry; I wasn’t even 10km in and I was already struggling. But when I reached the top of this beast of a hill, my worries soon disappeared as I was greeted by the most beautiful scenery, topped off by an incredible sunrise above the mountains. I stopped to take photos (again something I don’t normally do in a race) before making my way towards the descent; my least favourite part. I would happily walk or run up a million hills if it meant that I didn’t have to ever come back down them again. I don’t run with hiking poles; usually I don’t need them but this route proved otherwise and I scrambled down using my hands and bum, before finding a stray twig that doubled up as a pretty sturdy hiking pole. By this point, a ridiculous amount of people had passed me and I was losing confidence at an alarming rate.

At the bottom of the hill I reached the first checkpoint; 12km. I was muddy, wet, tired and in pain, and I hadn’t even touched the sides of this incredible trail yet. So it’s safe to say that by this point I was worrying even more, and I wondered if I would have the energy, or the motivation, to complete. After refilling and refuelling at the first checkpoint, the route remained flat for some time so I tried to get back in the zone and enjoy the trail, rather than silently complaining about how difficult it was. But there were even more challenges to come, and by the second, and even third checkpoint, I was feeling like I really wanted to call it a day. I have never had a DNF, and I really don’t want one, as I am terrified that I will lose confidence for future races. I think this is the only thing that kept me going at this point, combined with the fact that I knew completing 70km would help me to exceed my weekly running average.

It helped to have a few running companions along the way. One of the things I love most about trail running is the amount of people you meet. Unlike most road races, where you don’t stop until you reach the finish line, trail runs are a great way to meet like-minded people who can help you to get through the struggle (and vice versa). You can have some really interesting conversations along the way and find out different people’s motivations for running. I met some locals, a few expats living in Vietnam and even some familiar faces from the Bangkok Runners club. I told a few people about my challenge and they were mostly very impressed, and very confused, as to why I would set myself such a huge target.

After the third checkpoint I was ready to die and I was feeling every emotion possible, including extreme hunger, so when I reached the fourth checkpoint to find a supply of potato soup and bread, I was disappointed to say the least. But, who was I to turn away food? I downed a cup of soup and demolished two and a half baguettes (I wish I was lying, but I’m not). I took another baguette for the road and silently wept as I made my way to checkpoint number five, which also had a cut off time attached to it. I genuinely didn’t think I would make the cut off and my fears worsened when I saw what we had to do to get there; a horrible ascent up an open road, with no cover and no water, in the exceptionally hot midday sun. At every opportunity along the route so far I had drank copious amounts of water and thrown some over my head and body as the heat was unbearable, so not having the cover of the trees in the jungle made this section a hundred times worse. I closed my eyes as I struggled up the hill, and every now and then I came back to life and shook myself awake, to make sure I was on track and following the signs to ensure I was on the correct path. There were a few people in front and behind me at this time, and each and every one of them looked like they were struggling just as much as me, if not more. Two guys had almost reached the checkpoint but had passed out at the side of the road, and as I hobbled past them I encouraged them to keep on going as they were already so close. This is another thing I like about trail runs; although there is some element of competitiveness, each and every runner will encourage others to get up and finish. There is a real sense of community when it comes to trail running, which I think must be one of the reasons I keep coming back.

After checkpoint five I was well and truly out of energy, but feeling somewhat reassured by the fact I had 4.5 hours to cover 9km. At that point, I didn’t realise that part of the 9km included ‘the spike’; an incline which was a hundred times worse than the beastly hill I conquered at the start. At the checkpoint prior to the spike, I met Jackson; a runner who passed me way earlier in the race, looking extremely strong, but was now having an internal battle with a potential DNF as a result of an external battle with heatstroke. Jackson handed over a couple of homemade, delicious energy bars, as he no longer needed them; and this helped the hunger that hadn’t been satisfied by the disappointing lunch of bread and soup. This burst of energy was exactly what I needed and I was busy chatting to other runners, telling them how the rest of the race was achievable and how we didn’t have that far to go before the next checkpoint which also doubled up as the final cut off point. I laughed, I joked, I refuelled, and then I began the climb up the spike. Soon after, the laughing and joking went out of the window, even more so when the thunder started and I realised I had to get up there quick, if I was to get back down before the rain. But this didn’t happen, and just as I reached the very top, the heavens opened, the rain poured, and the already slippy trail became an absolute mud bath. Once again I reached out for the help of nature and located two very good branches which acted as solid hiking poles, to make my way down. I have no idea how I would have got to the bottom otherwise; the poles, and the very useful assistance of one of the crew members on the trail, helped me make my very slow and very steady descent, so that I could meet the final cut off checkpoint with 45 minutes to spare. Hot food was on offer at this checkpoint and I had never been so happy in my life to stuff my face with a steaming bowl of instant noodle soup. Delicious. 

After eating, refilling my water and inhaling yet another energy gel, I relaxed slightly as I knew at this point I was safe and there was no fear of being pulled of the route. Reaching checkpoint seven meant that I still had around 15km left to run, but there was only one more checkpoint after this and no more time cuts off. So now it was a matter of strength, determination and willpower to get me through the end. As well as the knowledge that the quicker I went, the less time I would spend running in the dark. Alone. Which I hate.

As I reached the final checkpoint; with 10km to go, darkness hit. Before heading back in to the jungle, I had 2km of road to tackle, which I did at a steady walking speed, until another runner came up behind me and shouted at me to run. As if on autopilot, I started to run, and for what felt like the first time in forever, I got my energy back. I ran the entire 2km and then turned in to the jungle and carried on running. There were some parts where I couldn’t run, and some parts where I felt it wasn’t safe to do so, but I just wanted be out of there, and out of the dark, so I knew that running would only help me do that quicker. That last 8km took forever and when I saw two runners taking a rest, I was disappointed to learn that I still had 2km to go. To tackle this, I mentally ran around Benjakitti Park; the 1.8km loop I run often in Bangkok. I sometimes do this towards the end of races; visualising the remaining distance can often be really helpful to remind me that it’s achievable; I’ve done this before, I can do this again. But when I finished my Benjakitti loop, I noticed a sign telling me there was now only 2km to go. I swore at the sign, mentally ran another loop, and then saw another sign informing me I only had 1km to go. By this point I was certain that the world was against me and I turned in to a grizzly, grumpy, muttery mad woman, swearing at signs and nature as I stumbled through the last part of the jungle towards the finish line. I was terrified of getting lost, like I did in the dark during the Chiang Rai trail run; only this time I was running alone so it was even worse. So when I saw the finish line, and my friend Ajay waiting for me, I was so happy I could burst.

Now I am in so much pain, I feel like bursting might be the better option. The trail was stunning; probably the most beautiful I’ve ever done, and I was so happy to be running in Vietnam which, in just over a month, will become my new home. However, after completing 122km last year, I thought 70km would be a walk in the park and underestimated this trail on a grand scale. I finished with a disappointing time (16:45:44) and a very disappointing rank, but in a way I think this is good as it will teach me never to be complacent when it comes to the trails.

Distance covered so far: 2,385.38km Distance still to run: 5,114.65km

[initforthelongrun2019]

The Most Painful Massage of My Life

Despite having two days off this week, I still managed a fairly decent distance of 116.62km overall. The reason I didn’t run for two days was because I attended a music festival in Khao Yai. It’s a shame I didn’t manage to get a run in, as the location was perfect; long and winding, quiet roads and beautiful countryside with fresh air, but I had very little sleep and that, combined with the intense heat and humidity, probably wouldn’t have been a very good choice. 

However, knowing full well that I wouldn’t be running at the weekend, I ran twice on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. This made me realise that if I can double up on runs at least two or three times a week and try to run every day, I should be able to start making up the distance, as I’m currently lagging quite far behind (way further than I should be at this point).

In my last post I mentioned that I had a pilates session and a sports massage lined up. Unfortunately pilates was cancelled; I think it will be cancelled this week too and I can’t go next week as I’m away with work again, so I really am going to have to get in to the habit of stretching and doing some mobility work on my own, and on a regular basis. I did manage to squeeze a sports massage in though, which was quite possibly the most painful thing I’ve ever done in my life, ever. I honestly do not know how such a small, innocent looking woman, wearing unicorn socks, can implement so much pain on a person. I asked for her to focus on my hips and legs and my god she took that literally. She also did some work on my arms; an area where I didn’t think I had any pain, but apparently I was wrong. At one point tears actually welled up in my eyes and I was counting down the minutes until it was over. But, I felt great afterwards, and my run the next day was amazing - no pain in my hips at all! Unfortunately, the pain returned the following day, but hopefully if I can keep up to this on a regular basis, the pain free days might get longer. I’m just not sure if I can bring myself to make that phone call to book the massage and put myself through all of that again!

I have a trail run coming up at the weekend which I’m very excited about; partly because it will do a good job to help me up my distance and also I’m generally just looking forward to the run itself. I just hope I make a quick recovery after the run so that I can get out the next day, and keep increasing those kms! 

Distance covered so far: 2,216.61km  Distance still to run: 5,283.39km 

[initforthelongrun2019]

2,000km down, so many more to go

I’ve reached the 2,000km mark! I’m behind schedule and I have a very long way to catch up (and a very long way to go full stop) but reaching this distance has made me smile. Through the aches and the pains and the growing hatred of running, I have a little smile on my face.

The last week has actually been pretty good. I ran in Singapore (one of my favourite places to run in South East Asia) and also in Hong Kong. I’ve mentioned before that I love running alongside water and both of these places can offer just that, although the construction littering the front of Hong Kong waterfront is a little disappointing. But still, the weather was cool - even in Singapore - and I enjoyed getting to run somewhere other than hot and humid Bangkok.

I flew back to Bangkok and did my first run here on Saturday, despite having a very late night and very little sleep, or rather, no sleep whatsoever. But this was completely self inflicted as I landed at a very reasonable time, and chose to go straight out with some friends, so I forced myself out of bed for a run along the khlongs with the Bangkok runners. It was a struggle, but 13km along a new route kept me occupied and I chatted to my friend Ajay all the way. And then went straight back to bed as soon as I got home, before starting another day of work (on a Saturday - sob). 

This week I am going to have to have a couple of days off as I will be at a festival. It will probably be a good thing for my body, but I’m slightly worried as I’m already way behind my target and I can’t really do with any more days off. So I am going to try and catch up as much as possible on the days that I am here and I can run. I have a pilates session this week and I’m also going to try and head for a sports massage to ease away these aches and pains which don’t seem to be in any hurry to go away and leave me alone. 

Distance covered so far: 2,099.99km Distance still to run: 5,400.01km

[initforthelongrun2019]

Broken phones and broken bones (nearly but not quite)

Somehow I’ve managed to slack off this week and I don’t really know how or where I went wrong. But what I do know is a week where I complete less than 100km is detrimental towards my challenge, particularly as I am already around 600km behind in total. I’m now at a point where I need to be doing more rather than less, otherwise the second half of the year is going to be even more difficult than it was already going to be.

To be fair, starting a new job at the beginning of last month has meant that I’ve had a few other things on my mind. I always knew this was going to make my challenge even more difficult, particularly as I had a job in the past where I was travelling a lot, and although I still exercised every day, I wasn’t doing as much per day as I would have liked. Ironically though, I’m still managing to keep up to my distance when I’m away with work; it’s when I’m home which is the problem and I can only put this down to too many nights out (which I probably need to cut back on) and pure boredom (running around the same park every single day is killing me)! I also have a move to a different country coming up and, while I’m excited about a new running location, I know that the initial stress and busyness is probably going to set me back even further. 

I’m not usually one for running strategies; I know people who like to keep to certain times when they’re racing or have a well planned schedule for training. This isn’t me; I run when I want, for as long as I want, and try and squeeze in some other activities in between, such as pilates and HIIT. However, I’m now starting to think that perhaps a schedule would be a good idea and will hopefully help me to reach my distance every week, although the fear of it taking over my life is real. Probably something I should have thought about before I set myself this target!

I’ve been in KL for the weekend and stayed in a hotel close to Lake Gardens; a beautiful running spot which I used to visit occasionally when I lived there, although it was a long taxi ride from my house so I didn’t go as often as I would have liked. I was very excited about running there again, but on Wednesday or Thursday I started to feel dizzy and faint; my ears felt like they were blocked up and it was playing havoc with my balance. I carried on running regardless, proving to myself that I shouldn’t have done so, when I ran on Saturday morning and went absolutely flying. I ended up with a bloody elbow, sore hands and a bruised hip. Oh, and to top it off, a broken phone, as I softened the blow by landing on the screen. I picked myself up and ran another lap but I soon lost interest and jogged back to my hotel to mop myself up, as I had a wedding to go to later that day and I needed time to make myself presentable - and to stop the bleeding. On Sunday my ears were ten times worse, to the point where even getting out of bed made me want to pass out, so this time I was sensible and I decided that a run was out of the question. Today I went for a hike in one of my fave spots close to the city which was a fantastic way of contributing to my distance, but I had planned on waking up even earlier to squeeze in a 10km run so that I would have a chance of reaching my total distance for the day. That didn’t happen, but the hike was lovely so I don’t feel too disappointed with myself. I’ve just landed in Singapore which is one of my favourite running spots in South East Asia, so tomorrow’s run should be nice, but I’m only here for less than 24 hours before heading off to Hong Kong for a very busy few days of work. But no more excuses, I have to find a way to fit in this extra distance. No more slacking, no more being ill and certainly no more drinking. Well... less drinking... 

Distance covered so far: 1,968.84km Distance still to run: 5,531.16km 

[initforthelongrun2019]

Back to Bootcamp

This week has been much better than the previous one; the main reason being that I ran every day, compared with the week before when I had three consecutive days off. I have been away for most of the week, travelling with work, and when I did return to Bangkok I had a colleague with me for three busy days of meetings and events, including work on both Saturday AND Sunday. So I’m feeling pretty proud of myself that I actually managed to keep up with my running, and I even squeezed in a class or two as well.

I left my last blog post talking about my romantic night in with an ice bucket. This didn’t quite go to plan; when I asked for an ice bucket I thought that the hotel would bring one big enough for a big bottle of champagne. Clearly I didn’t look classy enough; they gave me one which could just about fit in a bottle of cider. With feet the size of mine, there was no way I was fitting in that, so I stuck the plug into the sink, climbed on to the ledge and sat there with a cup of tea. See? Classy?

It helped though, the next day I had less pain in my feet so I could enjoy my last run along the waterfront in Kota Kinabalu. I love running in the hills but I think running by water tops that slightly as I love the smell of the sea and the cooling breeze it brings with it. 

The next day I was in Kuala Lumpur and I was feeling much less refreshed, due to the fact that my already late flight was delayed which meant that I arrived at my hotel in the early hours of the morning, finally hitting the pillow around 2am. When my alarm went off at 5am I somehow managed to pull myself out of bed; the only thing spurring me on was the fact that I knew I would be able to run around my old stomping ground, KLCC. I ran along Jalan Ampang and, when I finally reached the park, was met by a security guard who shook his head frantically at me and closed his arms across his chest. It was only when he started yelling ‘CLOSED CLOSED’ at a volume far too loud for that time in the morning, did I realise that the park, which doesn’t have any gates to stop you actually entering, was in fact, ‘closed’. Even though I could have just run in there, I didn’t really fancy doing 21km being chased by security, so I ran around the outside of the park until 6am, when I could finally enter. Gotta love Malaysia and its rules. The next day I remembered the law of the park and entered at 6am, running for 45 minutes before joining my old bootcamp for a fantastic session which made me very reminiscent of the old days. I didn’t cover nearly enough distance that day but I didn’t care; it was so good to be back with the group who first got me interested in bootcamps and I had a great time.

Then it was back to Bangkok, where the heat and humidity is killing me once again. Thursday was another late flight so Friday was another struggle and I was, once again, being refrained from entering a park. However, this time the park actually had gates on it, so it made much more sense, but I did seek some sort of reassurance when I saw other runners jogging up and down the pavement outside, waiting for it to open. There aren’t many of us, but it’s nice to know there are other mad people in the world who queue up before 5am for parks to open. When did this become my life?!

Although I’ve kept up to running a good distance every day, I can’t say the same for my stretching and icing routine, as fitting in runs and lots of meetings and flights is a challenge in itself, although it’s a terrible excuse and I know how important it is to stretch, especially when you have a body which is as screwed as mine. I’ve iced once since I’ve been back, and I’ve been trying to stretch more, I even tried out a new pilates class at my gym but I left half way through because it was more yoga based than pilates, which I definitely don’t enjoy. It also hurt far too much; I’m not bendy enough to do some of the stuff the teacher had us doing and I don’t see the point in putting myself through unnecessary pain. So last night, after I finished work, Gareth treated us to an hour session in a floatation tank; basically a big tank full of salt and water where you float for an hour. There are supposedly many benefits to floating; the ones I were interested in were the break it gives your body, as a result of not having to fight gravity, as well as improving both athletic performance and sleep. I was worried that I would feel claustrophobic in the tank but it was actually much bigger than I thought. My main problem was boredom; apparently most people fall asleep but of course my brain doesn’t allow me to switch off. So I splashed around in there for a bit and then started to feel a bit sick; motion sickness perhaps?! I got out about ten minutes before the hour was up, which I think is pretty good considering I usually can’t sit still for more than ten minutes. 

Unfortunately my sleep didn’t improve as I got to bed late and woke early as to run and do my HIIT class, but I do have much less pain in my hips than normal today, which can only be a good thing. I’m having a foot massage right now and I might go home and ice; tomorrow I will run, do pilates and maybe get involved with more ice. Here’s to another good week.

Distance covered so far: 1,875.49km Distance still to run: 5,624.51km

[initforthelongrun2019]

The Runs (and blog post) Which Ceased To Exist

I have just finished the most beautiful evening run; my goal was to run to the harbour, sit and watch the sunset, and then run back to my hotel. It was absolutely stunning and a much more positive end to my week compared with the start of these last two weeks. My blog post last week was the same as my running, non-existent. Well, I’m actually being unfair to myself. My blog post was definitely non-existent; my running was in existence towards the beginning of the week. The middle of the week is where it started to disappear and by the end of the week it had well and truly died.

On Tuesday I did a half marathon, Wednesday I did a combo of running, bootcamp, running and Thursday was another 21km. On Friday I was heading off to Cambodia for the Songkran break; I had a very long day of travel ahead of me as Gareth and I decided to travel by train and cross the border by land (a decision we lived to regret), but this meant I had to leave my house very early in the morning, at 4.30am. I knew that I wouldn’t have time to fit in a run when I arrived; after a day that long I would want beer - and lots of it. So I did what most normal people do; woke up at 3am with a hangover to stumble around outside for a very sad and pathetic 3km. Not much, but then again, every little helps and I was super proud (and also slightly judgmental) of myself for being that committed to my running. Famous last words...

On Friday night when we arrived in Cambodia I had more than one beer; I had about a thousand. So it’s safe to say that Saturday was a complete write off; I could barely get out of bed long enough to stand up before having to lie down again. Even floating in the pool was a struggle. But later that evening I’d managed to find the energy to go out for another beer or two, which turned in to three, four... you get the picture. It wasn’t hard to get carried away, especially as the Songkran festivities were in full swing (if you don’t know what Songkran is then google it - basically a mad drunken water fight which lasts for days, to celebrate New Year in Thailand and, evidently, Cambodia).

Sunday wasn’t a total write off, but I woke later than normal; when the sun was up and it was too hot to run. I actually didn’t have a day off from exercise; Gareth and I hired bikes and cycled to the countryside which was absolutely stunning, but unfortunately, cycling doesn’t contribute to my distance. Sunday was a much earlier night, but this was in preparation for a day spent at Angkor Wat. We woke at 3am and cycled to this beautiful site, covering quite a lot of distance both on the journey there and back, and around the temples themselves as the complex is massive. I was out of energy by the end of it; again I had exercised but I had no energy to run and cycling doesn’t count. Not for this challenge anyway. 

I had thought that three rest days (one day of total rest and two away from running) would help and make me feel better and stronger, but it didn’t. On Monday I woke up early to run around Siem Reap for the first - and last - time, before travelling back to Bangkok; this time by bus, and not much better than train, FYI. However, I only managed around 14km, due to a combination of running out of time (I was really slow) and just not being bothered to push myself any further. 

The next day (the start of my running week) I did 21km, but this was a combined effort; a morning run and evening run, as I still couldn’t manage the full distance in one go. As soon as I got home from my first run, I showered and changed back in to some running clothes, then went off to a cafe to work for the day with my running shoes in hand, so that I could force myself in to running later that night and start the week with a good distance. It didn’t help that I was feeling very stiff and very sore, so I introduced more stretching in to my routine and even icing twice a day, to try and relieve some of the pain in my poor feet. 

The week gradually got better, although a mid-week pilates and mobility class proved just how stiff I’ve gotten; my gym has cancelled my weekly mobility class and I don’t have the motivation to do these exercises on my own. Still, it made my run on Friday bearable and, for the first time in a while, enjoyable.

Back to the present. I’m now enjoying a very large dinner after running a combined distance of 27km today; 21km this morning and another 6km tonight, contributing to a total of 122km this week; amazing, compared with last week’s measley 60 km (approx - I’m too depressed to actually work it out).  I don’t feel guilty about not running; I had a wonderful holiday, but I know that I can’t do this on a regular basis if I want to achieve my goal. I’m feeling motivated again; I’m away for work which means I’m super busy but, as I’m in KK, I want to get out and run, as running by the ocean is one of my favourite things to do ever. However, I only have one more day left in KK before heading to KL then back to hot and humid Bangkok, so let’s see how it goes. But first, I have to finish my dinner and then head back to my hotel where I will call room service and request an ice bucket and a ton of ice. They’re probably going to think I’ve got a romantic night in planned, when in actual fact, I plan on sticking my feet in the bucket until the pain goes away and then getting a very early night. Romantic indeed. 

Distance covered so far: 1,737.39km Distance still to run: 5,762.61km

[initforthelongrun2019]

Cold Weather Running

After returning from my Kinabalu trip I had two days back home before flying out again, this time to the UK. In the two weeks since my last post, I have quit a job, started another new job, very briefly caught up with friends and family back home and travelled to various parts of England for visits and training.

I am telling you all of this to justify why I missed my weekly blog post last Monday, as it was the first day of my new job and it was hectic. Yet, despite the travels and the busyness, I have still managed to keep up with my runs, clocking up in 122.79km in the first week and another 104.24km in the second. This includes a long overdue return to bootcamp, a hike in my beloved Yorkshire and seven consecutive half marathons in Bradford, Manchester and Oxford. 

Running in England was cold, and I mean really cold. Even though it was relatively sunny during the day, waking up at 5am to run meant battling through temperatures I am no longer used to, including some which fell in to the negatives. People have asked me whether I prefer running in hot or cold weather and to be honest, I’m not really sure. Hot weather is less intense on the joints, but running in Bangkok’s heat and humidity as we reach the peak of summer is something else. The cold weather takes your breath away and there were some runs where I didn’t warm up for the entire duration. Getting out of bed in the cold and the dark and taking that first step outside is a challenge in itself and sometimes takes your breath away. But not sweating like an absolute monster and being able to wear the same gym kit a few days in a row is a refreshing change (literally!) I also ran at a much quicker pace and one time almost reached my race pace, even though at the end of the run I didn’t feel nearly half as exhausted as I would have done if I did the same here.

I returned back to Bangkok on Friday and got back in to the swing of things relatively slowly, with a 5km run on Saturday morning where I was joined in the park by my boyfriend, which was a very nice surprise, and a 10km run on Sunday evening. However, I can’t keep up with these leisurely runs so today was a half marathon, split in to two sessions as I had a HIIT class in between; business as normal! I have lots more travel planned for the remained of this month, both for work and for pleasure, so let’s see how I get on! 

Distance covered so far: 1,551.82km Distance still to run: 5,948.18km