Buriram 21 km :Be Calm, Be Quiet ,Be Present

My current heart rate is now soaring up to almost 180 beats per minute.

The King Rama 1 monument statue is right in front of me. Just only 3 km until finish line at Chang Arena at Buriram Marathon. My both legs are still running at the fastest pace they could do.

All over those passed 17 km, It was like a dream which I felt light, free and move my body effortlessly.

Currently , the reality is hitting me hard. It shouts, screams and convinces me to slow down.

“Just a short walk or easy jog and you will be fine” It still keep whispering me.

Surprisingly, I have no negative or positive thought on that particular moment. It was just quiet , calm and peaceful mind despite the chaotic and near limitation of cardiovascular and respiratory system. !

The finish line is calling.

A personal record is still wait to be broken.

My body and mind start to exceed their own limit.

What would happen next still the big question mark?

Pre-race

I arrived at Buriram on Friday afternoon to make sure that I can prepare all my personal things before Saturday. I also would like to have a good sleep on Friday night. Normally when the start time is quite early like 5 am on Sunday morning like this race it is often that I would sleep less than I should on Saturday night.

Buriram is still a lovely city to travel to and to run a marathon. Four to six lanes of the road which lead to the city is quiet and smooth.

It was nearly dawn and I felt like the city was super ready for all the runners to visit, to run, leave and take experiences and memories form this amazing running event.

Race day

I started my race day with light and easy to absorb meal. I tried not to have too much food and calorie because it is just a half marathon today.

Before this race, I discussed race plan with my coach (Timo Limo) and we agree to run the first half not too fast and felt as good as possible. Then after 10 km slowly build the pace and after 15 km if my leg were still good, I would definitely go all out.

After a toilet stop and baggage drop, I managed to be at my block and ready to run

The first few kilometers was quite a frustrating feeling as I had to hold myself not to go fast and be very conservative as possible. My current average pace at that moment is still 5.xx min/km

After 3 km, the course took me out of Buriram International circuit and brought me to the main road. I slowly increased my speed to 70-80% and tried to hold at this feeling without keep looking at GPS watch.

The roadside signage told me that 10 km had passed and my current average pace is still above 5 min /km. If I really want to break my personal best, this is the time that I should accelerate.

Be Calm, Be Quiet ,Be Present are three things I repeatedly talk to myself.

“ What you would do in this exact moment to finish this half marathon under 1.44.28 hr ?” I asked myself to have some actions for going faster.

• Maintain the flow and momentum of this pace
• Use gravity to pull you forward
• Swing both arm to help you move forward
• Switch your muscle on push phase
• Run and push strong
• Fast cadence and further your stride

All of those are actions I have tried in the second half of this half marathon. Amazingly it worked well and all the negative thoughts were remain in silence.

Post-race

1.46.25 hr is my finish time (Chip time) for today’s half marathon. Absolutely, it was not my best time and I was struggling in the last 3 km.

By staying in the present time and did what I could in that moment. Also, not think ahead or calculate finish time was probably the most effective way that help me run through those hard time.

Step back , Step up , Step in * (from Perform Under Pressure by Ceri Evans)

This was the main mental plan in the last 3 km and yes it was the time when everyone including me felt bad and started to slow down.

Step back: Move yourself from negative thoughts as soon as possible.

Step up: Look at yourself from the top and analyze what you should do next.

Set in: Take actions to stay on top of your game and maintain it.

Yes, I still could not break my own record at Buriram half marathon but I did learn an important lesson to deal with myself mentally and physically during those last miles. And I was super glad about my run today.

How about you?

TC-triathlon
Inspire - Knowledge - Race review

TC Triathlon

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