To anyone out there that has been running or doing races for a long time, or even a young person who is involved in sports, running over 10k in one go might not seem like much of a great accomplishment but like a lot of people I really got out of shape in my later years.
I have been working my way back up with a group called the Hash House Harriers over the past 6 months or so going from injuring myself in the first ever run i did, to being someone that is middle of the pack and now, I find myself near the front almost every run that we do. However, yesterday was twice the distance that we normally do and while i was prepared, it was a real challenge.
I knew that this one was going to be 12km but since I was up front and helping to discover the trail i ended up running an additional two km (the trails are intentionally poorly marked so that the FRB's or "Front Running Bastards" are slowed down to allow the pack to catch up.)
The path was not on cement at all either, which makes it a bit more dangerous since there are lots of opportunities to tweak an ankle. However, i don't think i could do 14k on pavement because i would get really bored. To put this distance into perspective, it would be 35 times around an Olympic size 400 meter track.
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Also our track features hills and although yesterday's run was for the most part flat, there were some hills and i gotta be honest, I did NOT run these and neither did anyone else that I noticed.
Once we got out of the sun it was a little more enjoyable and this was where i entered an almost zen type experience. I wouldn't say that i know what "runner's high" feels like, but i did find it a lot easier to just focus on my movement and the energy required to keep moving wasn't something i was thinking about.
It really can be picturesque in a lot of these locations
In the end I made it back in under 2 hours and I don't think there has been a single instance in my entire life that I have exercised this hard consistently for that amount of time. I played soccer a lot as a kid but even if I played the entire match it was only 90 minutes.
I didn't run for the entire 2 hours, but I did for most of it and today I am a bit sore and I think that is to be expected. I did burn over 1500 calories which is great news because now I can have 20 beers or so and not worry about the carbs :P
As always, I encourage you guys to find your own local Hash House Harriers if there is one. It is a global organization and it could just change your life the way it has mine.
Keep up the great work Make the good work better
That is awesome, and what a great accomplishment! Probably should do some exercising myself instead of eating just sweats and cakes for Christmas!:)
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Well I think everyone gets a pass during Christmas. 😆
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That is pretty awesome. Congrats on the achievement! I have been working out for about two weeks now five times a week and I am pretty excited about that. I can't say that I enjoy doing it yet, but it is something that I know I have to do, so I am hoping that the more I do it the more of a habit it will become. I think it would be cool to one day complete a 5k race. I don't necessarily care if I win, but actually participating would be awesome. I still am on the fence about running. If I could be guaranteed a runners high then I would definitely do it :) Congrats again!
I wouldn't say that I enjoy exercise but this trail running is something I don't hate and I feel good about it after the fact. I don't think i could run for 5k on a track or in a street race, I simply lose interest.
Holy cow I had no idea you were a frb in running like you are here!!
Just the line of that run would me impressive if it was flat and paved. Then you add the terrain AND the elevation. You are a warrior!
Big congrats on that accomplishment. Can’t wait to see what you accomplish next!
When I call you FRB in the future, you will know why. ;)
Bravo.
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i do not take FRB as an insult. It is one of the highest honors of the hash!
The next race is called the "ballbreaker" and it is 20km.... i'm worried about it but unless i get injured, i WILL finish it.
I know it is a fair distance for us older out of shape bastards but that is still a good time considering the many obstacles like hills. I think you are fortunate to have found a great group of people to do this with and hope Vietnam has something similar to jump straight into. Knowing you though you have already checked that Hash House out already online.
yeah and unfortunately the closest one is about 30 minutes away from where I live. Once I know the lay of the land a bit and meet some people I may decide to open my own chapter in Danang. We'll have to wait and see what happens.
Im new user please help me