I finished!!!
One of the mantras of the independent traveler is “No Expectations.” It was with this in mind that I ran in and finished my second marathon. This time it was the Phuket International Marathon in Phuket, Thailand. It was a pitiful performance to say the least, but considering I’ve only ran 4-5 times since I left the U.S., and never longer than 3 miles, finishing was definitely an accomplishment. I crossed the finish line in 5 hours and 50 minutes, or over an hour and a half slower than the Portland Marathon last fall.
As expected, the weather was hot and humid, but not bad for this time of year in Thailand. The 300 entrants toed the starting line just before 5:00 AM, or about an hour before sunrise. It was 81 degrees and 84% humidity, but believe it or not, that was cool in comparison to the previous weeks weather. It was cloudy and breezy, which despite the high temperatures, were perfect marathon conditions.
As a whole, it was a slow, slow course, and the heat seemed to take its toll on everybody. Everyone that I talked to finished much slower than they had anticipated, and I believe that the overall winner came in at about 3 hours. I started the race at a very comfortable jogging pace of over 11:00 per mile, but I wasn’t out to break any records today and wanted to take it easy. I managed to pick up the pace slightly, and finished the first half in a respectable 2:22. However, my lack of training soon became apparent, and I knew my legs weren’t going to carry me the full 26 miles. I decided the best thing to do would be to start taking walking breaks every couple of kilometers. As the race wore on, the walking breaks became longer and more frequent, and I’m quite sure I walked the majority of the second half of the course. But like I said, I had no expectations other than to finish, enjoy the experience, and be able to add a marathon in Thailand to the growing list of this trip’s adventures. However, I did manage to run the last kilometer, along with a Japanese girl I had met on the course. We had passed each other several times as we alternated between walking and running, and she caught up with me again just before the end of the race. So we jogged the last kilometer together, finding enough energy to sprint to the finish and cross the line with smiles on our faces.
After the race, it was a quick trip through the medical tent to cool down, drink some fluids, and have a massage. Although the heat definitely took its toll, I was much less sore than after the Portland race, and I attribute that to the frequent walking and stretching breaks.
Although I did finish this race, and every marathon finished is a successful marathon, I did learn two important things: First, there’s no substitute for good training. You have to put in the miles and pound the pavement. Although at no time did I feel out of shape or winded, I definitely didn’t have my running legs and it showed. Second, even a cloudy, breezy day can be dangerous if it’s 80 degrees and 80% humidity. You can’t hydrate enough. I went the entire six hours, drinking water at every stop, and didn’t once have to stop and pee.
Anyway, chalk up another one. Next up, the San Diego Rock N Roll in 2007!!
Tags: marathon, Photos, Phuket, running, Thailand, Travel, Tag Index
tmags
June 22nd, 2006 at 10:33 am
Nice job, Tim!!
June 29th, 2006 at 1:20 am
Finishing is damn fine accomplishment.
Glad you’re still looking all healthy and well – we wouldn’t want to see any ravages of heavy drinking or the bird flu 🙂
Keep in touch – I know I don’t comment much, but I do pop over and read the blog from time to time.
August 13th, 2006 at 7:01 am
Sounds like loads of fun.
I am running the Portland in October. Should be a bit cooler.
It appears you are having a great time.
21 days till football. see ya later