Post 100KM body effect

How your body feel after running a 100km race (The North Face 100, 100km Ultra Trail race in Hong Kong on 11-12 Dec. 2016)

1. After crossing the finish line: Cannot speak, don't want to open my mouth, feeling hard to breath. Just change my top and wrapped myself a big towel and go home immediately. Cannot have the joy of finishing. On the way home feeling the sun is so bright that i don't want to open my eyes. 
2. After 3 hours: sleep, breathing is strange, still like in a dream. 
3. After 6-7 hours: eat 2 steam eggs, congees a bit, no appetite, legs is so stiff. Dinner no appetite. 
4. After 1 day (Monday): Walk is pain, legs is strange, difficult to walk downstairs, feeling pain. Want to eat rubbish. Feeling the sun is so strong and don't want to open my eyes.
5. After 2 days (Tue.): Swell, both legs and feets are swell, fatigue. 
6. After 3 days (Wed.): Went to Physio, massage a bit. loosen up the tight muscle. No appetite. 
7. After 4 days (Thur.): Can walk downstair properly still abit of strange at my right knee. 
8. After 8 days: First Physio to just loosen the muscle 
9. After 9 days: Diagnosis of ITB problems and have my first acupuncture 
10. After 16 days: Feel magical that i have no problem at all to walk downstair, say only 5 %. 
11. After 22 days: Run my first 5km. OK. Muscle memory still there. 

The North Face 100 Hong Kong

Everything starts with my stupidly sign up for this race after i come back from Ulanbattar in June. But the #guts, #determination and #preservance to FINISH today is not stupid at all.

Crossing the finish line at 25 hours 53 mins on 12 Dec. 2016 for this 100km Ultra trail race in Hong Kong.

The North Face 100 Hong Kong
Distance: 100km
Elevation gain: 6300m
Weather: Day 27 degrees celsius (feel like 33), Night 13 degrees celsius
Wind: 3-4 North Wind
Humidity: 54% Dry

The race starts 8AM at plover clove, i have already changed and my bag is all loaded with my power foods and more than 1.5L water. Charles drove me there with my classmate which made me feel comfortable and I'm not worried at all ;) I just need to tighten up my lace and i was urge to move to the start line 30 mins before the race starts. It is actually a good move to the front out of 1500 peoples with 100km and 50km mass starts for a better timing. After several photo taking, chit chat we starts. I'm excited and knowing it will be a long day, i'm actually quite relax at the starts. The first is a bit challenging as we have to run up to a 1:100 400meter slope to reach a bottom neck trail. So i ran as much as i can to try to get a good position.

Up to the Pak Sin Leng trail, i feel great, preserved my speed but run as much as i could and in the meantime i'm very careful to keep a distance behind the runner. i keep running with my pal behind Iris and Sally, they set a good pace and i feel confident running behind them. Before CP1, my pal Sally twisted her ankle and she ask me to leave her and then i just go. Feel bad about this, but i cannot do anythings. I found that I'm clever that i didn't drop my pole at the CP1, as theres tons of runner even within our own group and it will block the runner behind. So when i pass the CP1, i didn't stop and pull out my poles immediately and continuous to Session 2!

Why I'm doing the North Face 100

I made a plan in 2016 to RUN. Many first in 2016 to start with my first marathon in March followed the 100km on a 3 stages race in Gobi in June and to ended by the North Face 100km in Hong Kong.

I wanted to finish a ultra marathon after i complete the Gobi as i realized that the Gobi cannot called it as ultra. Any distance beyond 42.195km run is called an Ultra, so the Gobi is disqualified.

So i search on the internet and found out that there have a race called The North Face 100km and then i enter the lottery sign up, and surprising i'm IN. That was in August and the race is in December.

The North Face Hong Kong is great, they have teamed up a TRA The North Face Running Academy with the Elite runner Ho Chung Wong as a coach to trained 10 peoples who sign up this 100km race for 3 months till the race day and luckily i'm one of them! I feel super bumped and can't wait to just run flying in the mountain that i imagine the road is flat with a bit of sand, like HK trail. But it was totally not and i'm so wrong.

After i trained with #TRA for a month, Iris Chen one of my classmate told me this race is a UTMB points collective race. And i looked totally odd, what is this? I don't need points, i just want to finish a 100km RUN in one go so that i'm a Ultra marathoner. She said, this is not a ultra marathon, this is Ultratrail. What? No? What happened?

#TNF100 is a 100km #ultratrail individual race, one of the Hong Kong grand slam ultra trail series. Earned a reputation for being one of the hilliest and most challenging trail running races in Asia. Tackling 6,300 meters of cumulative elevation gain over 100 kilometers, to finish this tough challenge within 27 hour cut off time and have to cross each of the check point within a check points cut off.

So, never too late. By knowing the race i just trained is not what i expected that can actually run. i told myself why not spent this time to know further our Hong Kong trail and mountain. And why not Ultratrail? So, that's how i begins.

Friends in Mongolia

This Action Asia  - Mongolia brings in lots of friendship. Theres no better way to hang from day to night with your friends, sharing the Gers under 1 roof. Evan and Lyn travel with me from Hong Kong to this Mars, we have been travel alots together for races and this year is just so special we will be meet again in Santader, Spain in August again!!! love the time being with them :)

Frederic travel from Norway for this special trip too, he comes all the long way for us and this running in the Mars. Really misses him this year after he returned to his home town. Again, we have been travel alots in the past for races and some fun too. Taiwan, Phuket, Bangkok, China, Singapore, Cebu. And this year is so special again, we will be meet him in Santander in August and we will be visiting him in Norway sometime in Sep.

And i meet another special friend JC Ho, a miss i knew her at a running apps - STRAVA. We have been liked each other's activities and one day we found that we are at the same spot at the same time. Most surprizingly, we sign up this race and the airport is the first time we officially meet face to face. Love this kind of friendship. And we have been racing to each other, pushing through the second day. What a great race!!! xxx

Action Asia Mongolia Ultra Marathon 100km Stage 3 - 24km

The last desert and I survive!!

The wind keep blowing violently to our Ger the whole night making anyone cannot sleep. We have to wake up at 4:30AM no sun and lights with the sand blowing to our face. Thanks God I realize the map given is in larger scale and it would not like the previous stages meaning the distance while I could not sleep. The sun never want to see us today and the wind likes us. I don't wear enough possibly and I just keep telling myself you just need to run faster and look for big guy to shield. I run pretty awesome today despite my blood blister on my left foot and have a minor twist on my ankle but I fixed it immediately. I could not let myself injure as I will suffer alots under the cold and a possible storm!!! After the CP1, we reached to sand dunes, and a short climb up to the top of the terra cotta cliff. The most terrible steep down, I dare not to look down on both side as every little mistake will make myself fall😢. Slowly going down and suddenly I heard Andrew the man behind me falling with the loose sand coming over me, all of a sudden I though I would be crashing with him! Luckily he stopped!! We run over the bumps looking back the cliff from time to time and head back to a straight sand crossing to the Finish. Q emotional today with the weather and the scene. I'm glad is over and you don't know how much I miss the hot water shower and my mattress and a glass of water.
Running almost alone the whole journey, smashing back on my way. And I'm glad I finished this.

Action Asia Mongolia Ultra Marathon 100km Stage 2 - 34.1km

Is all about pacing and eat, pacing and eat. The first 10 km was running high over the ridge, so easy for me like flying over the Dragon back. Running with Jcy Ho after the CP1 and she is in fact shouldn't run with me, I keep telling her once she fell good and should go!! Today is the most scenic, we run over the wet crossing and hit the canyon, beautiful beautiful in all terra-cotta colour sand. Rock climbed after the 21 km CP to 1313M, over the top with last a bit of steep rock descent continue to CP3. After the long beautiful crossing, we've back. And what will be look like tomorrow is still unknown I mean mentally and physically, 2 big blister one with blood and numb toes. Seriously shoulder and back pain and I feel my organ is screaming heavily!! Come back in 5 hours 14 mins. 

Action Asia Mongolia Ultra Marathon 100km Stage 1

Patience patience and patience. The bus arrives the Ger at 6AM in the morning, the race start postpone to 10AM, we all have a 1 hour sleep before we enter the Gobi. It was a brutal run, lack of sleep, the sun, and the sand. I was running most of the time with Lisa and 2 other men.

And in fact i feel great and happy all the way, just feel not meaning my speed is great. It is the most because of this new globe where no one, in the middle of no where. I discover the new land and dream. I didn't feel tired at all and i believe my endorphins reaches the highest level (#new #firsttime) There have 3CP to go, total 40km today. i finish at a time of 5 hours 51 mins back to the camp. The support is awesome with doctor, volunteers, cutted oranges and apples, water and sports drinks. The only problem is i don't like to were my sunglasses and caps. I feel a bit of headache running long with them.

Running through the edge of Kobi Desert, June 2016. Photo courtesy: Sunny Lee 2016

Mongolia Action Asia 3 day Ultra Marathon Arrival

So excited for 4 reasons, 1. I will be in Outer Mongolia, very new to me and that satisfied my adventurous mind for many years I wanted to go to this kind of nomadic place. 2. I'm gonna run my very first Ultra marathon. 3. Gonna meet my friend Frederic, my good friend from Norway. 4. Going with Lyn and Evan and sharing our Ger imagine under the dazzling Galaxy. 

I do lots of shopping for this trip, sleeping bag, trekking equipment, water purified tablets (serious?) etc. from the organizer compulsory list. Digging my innermost of 10 years girl guide experience. Can't described how excited I will be. And this explain I can't stay too long in a comfortable environment. 

So all set to go, i packed light with on 1 backpack and one smaller rug sack. When we arrives the airport, we were told the flight delayed 4 hours. Which means we will be arriving Ulaanbaatar tonight around 11PM. The event organizer Action Asia started to distribute the tee shirts and the race bibs for all of us while we have nothing to do. We have already 2 meals at airports, and finally we are on board. We started to know each others on the plane and eventually i meet my Strava friend JC the very first time :) When we landed is already dark, weather is a bit cold. We quickly wear our jacket and moved to the shuttle bus. The lunch box is ready but we had our Pizza Express takeaway with us and the fun journey begins. 

"There should be a 6 hours shuttle bus ride down south to take us to the start line."One of the local Mongolian girl told me and i found out later that she is the student from the local Medical school she came for volunteer us. What? 6 hours bus ride down south, i firstly recall the map and navigation that should be Gobi. I can't express my feeling, excited and unknown. Really can't believe we are really going there! I share the two seater with one local young Mongolian volunteer and ask her if she would like a piece of pizza, she looked very happy. And i'm happy. ON the way, i hardly can see any road sign, thumbs up to the driver. Really have no ideas where is the direction. The land is no ends, dark, rocks and sands. Until i see a bunch of camel with the lights coming from far sunrise, we almost there. 

The race director decided to postpone the start time from 8AM to 10AM, so we've got an hour sleep. I remember when i landed from the bus, the first air breath in is so fresh and crisp. The land is strong and in terracotta colour. I rushed to our tent and greet Frederic, he has been waiting for us the whole night, we just say something and rushed our our sleeping bag and take a power sleep before we gone to wild. 

Action Asia Ultra Marathon Mongolia, after 6 hours of bus ride and 1 hours sleep we all set at the start line. 

2016 Nike Women 10km run Hong Kong

We run HKG!! 

2016 Nagoya Women's Marathon

Running my first marathon with 20000 ladies!!

Outward Bound Adventure race

A race with fun, challenge and overcome your inner fear! We did it

"Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear." - George Addair

Too true re quoted from Bear Grylls!