When I lived in Tawau, Sabah in 2011 - 2013 I thought about running but it was just too hot. I did start playing around on the track near my house, using my heart rate and an app as a guide, and doing a little jogging to get my heart rate up when needed. I wasn't very serious about it though. When we got evacuated from Tawau and had to move temporarily to Kota Kinabalu due to pirates, theoretically we had so much time to exercise but just seemed to spend time finding all the new food outlets in KK and putting on weight......We got sent back to the UK in April 2013, where I did some early morning walks, but was still not really into it.
I moved to Korea in June 2013 and joined the BC running club, not really having much of a clue. I somehow got signed up for a 5km race with others from work in October 2013, and things went crazy from then on. I remember that day really well, how nervous I was when I set off. I also remember that 2 colleagues were running the half marathon and all the conversations that happened in the office about their training. The day of my first 5km run after seeing them in pain after finishing their half I remember wondering why anyone would ever do that to themselves and swore never to do a half in my life.
Oops. That didn’t quite happen! The next thing I knew I did my second 5km race and found myself registering for a race in Malaysia in my holidays there. I also did the Walk for Life 5km by Tesco. I then registered for a couple more and somehow ended up doing my first 10km then realising I had signed up for another 6 days later. I didn’t think I would make the first one, let alone the one a few days later! The first was with Cat, someone I met at Christmas in my time in Korea, and we ended up doing a few races together, always ending in a good restaurant afterwards. The first 5km I was doing with her turned out to be in different place along the Han river. Who knew there would be 2 different races along the same river in January - it was freezing! The 10km was my first ‘destination race,’ myself and Cat booked into a hotel (the only non-love motel in a strip of love-motels!) in Suwon, and slept fitfully before getting up early in the icy cold to find the stadium. How are we going to run twice as far? was all I could think of. My training had been mainly inside, I got a 3 month gym membership to avoid the icy paths. I don’t think we felt out feet for the first 2km! The race was interesting, and it was quite funny a few weeks later to receive a certificate with a photo of me in the race! I also had my time texted to me a few hours later. This was all very exciting!
Six days later there was horrible pollution in the air and I ended up wearing a mask to run, as I had done once before for a 5km race. Wearing a mask is awful, but trying to breathe without it was also not much fun. The air was freezing but my mask made my face really hot! I did it though, and decided that 10km was not so bad after all. I signed up for my first Borneo race to celebrate my move back to Sabah.
Around this time I saw adverts for Kuching marathon, and saw that they had a half marathon with a 4 hour cut off. I started thinking about it and before I knew it I was signed up for it. Somehow before I even ran my first half, I was signed up for 6……oops! That included one in Singapore and one in Thailand. Plus an 18km race. Thankfully I survived, and dare I say enjoyed, Kuching and the races that followed. Well most of them. Anyone at Putrajaya night half knows what THAT was like! But that was my first finisher t shirt and the 3rd race I needed in order to become a ‘Half Fanatic.’ So maybe it wasn’t that bad after all……I then got up and did SCKL 10km the next morning…..
My Christmas trip was based around doing the half marathon in Chiang Mai on December 21st. I think that was when I knew I was addicted! (I made the trip with fellow fanatic, Sandra Randall!)
In March I decided I wanted to try a full marathon but as my half times are slow, I wanted to do it in a ‘safe’ way and not feel too pressured. I did Twilight Ultra Challenge in Singapore, where you have 16 hours and 5 km loops (2 different loops for variety). I managed 45km in 9.5 hours. Slow but sure. I realised I can do this. (We spent much of the time in that race eating and chatting at the main tent, not too pressured at all and I got to meet some fabulous people). I was already signed up for Heartland Series, a series of races (half marathons) over 7 days with each day being in a different US state. That trip is now 48 hours away…..watch this space!
I have lost a little bit of weight running, but know that to lose more, and to get faster, I need to do more strength, core and cross training, as well as change my diet more. My living situation is not ideal at the moment and I am just trying to survive living here so am not putting too much pressure to do that until I finish here in September. Between now and leaving Borneo I have a trail race, a few 7-13km races, 4 half marathons and 2 ultras. That will get me through it. Then on the first weekend in the UK I am doing a 5km with my sister followed by a half the next day! The UK will be the 6th country I have run a race in, 5th for a half marathon!
