All the running in Phuket

A Friday evening 2 hour flight we were in Phuket and ready for a weekend full of fun?! Our first hotel, Cassia, was lovely and really modern looking out onto the Laguna and in really close proximity to the race pack pick up and our hotel for the second night!

Went along to the race pack collection and expo - bought myself a little visor!! Michelle was doing her 37th Marathon (i think that is right!) and Ellen was doing her first ever!!! And I was doing my second half marathon in 5 weeks! We also entered the 5km run on the Saturday evening to shuffle round together :-) But just before... we moved across to our second hotel, which was dreamy... 

Dusit Thani was right on the beach front and was a lovely hotel. Even better was that it was only 500m down the road from our first hotel (flight time change so had to get a hotel Friday night too but second one was full to add on the extra!) and also that they were putting on breakfast between 3am and 11am especially for the marathon and half marathon runners - excellent. This set up was already better than Borneo!!

Our entrance into the marathons meant we had a free ticket into the pasta party!! Which was a huge buffet of meat, fruit, veg, noodles and PASTA! There was even a chef there to make you your own pasta with the additions you wanted. It was really great, music playing and good atmosphere. Also the puddings were a DREAM!! Cheekily we filled up a lunchbox with even more pasta for our post 5km meal later that evening hehe!

Before...

After!

It was so lovely to run around together considering we all have different paces and was good to see a bit of the route for tomorrow's run eeeeeeeeek!!

Sunday 9th June

Already sweating and not even started!!

Ellen and Michelle started at 4.30 and mine was at 5.30am...so I had lots of time after we all woke up to go and have a good breakfast and get to the start line. I had learnt from my first one to take a bag to the drop off area so that you can get those trainers off at the end and swap for flip flops!! I really felt so much better running in this half, the weather was 4 degrees cooler (still 30 degrees!) than Borneo so I think that definitely helped, although the humidity was still 80%+. Also the better breakfast and having my energy gel in the right place in the race haha!! But importantly, you learn from each run you do and your body feels different each time.
I knew that I had gone off too quick in my first one so I went slower at the start of this one...on reflection of this race, given the sprint finish and my increase in pace in the last 3km I actually went off too slow to start. But hey! It was so so much nicer doing a run which I was enjoying!! I was so so pleased with my time of 2:01:27 for my second half!! And to get so close to under 2hours (something I never thought was possible) I am over the moon!! Now I have my next goal... sub 2! Guangzhou half I am going to try again to enter so hopefully in December :-)
Perhaps I should maybe try running in a place which is below 30 degrees, even below 20! And with no humidity!! 

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Post race, free massage and food and drink :-)

After waiting for Ellen and Michelle to cross the finish line we were able to shower and enjoy some food at the hotel, on the beach. Ahhhh such a nice feeling to have completed such a challenge! So proud of Ellen for her first marathon in this heat and Michelle who had not had loads of time to train, still getting around and not giving up! Top weekend with lovely ladies xxx