Welcome to the 4th issue of Bangkok Runners Newsletter, April 2015

Sawa dee kaa New Members,

When the lottery vendors are out in force on my morning runs, I know it is the end of the month and time to complete the

Bangkok Runners Newsletter. The purpose of this newsletter is primarily to welcome new members who have recently

joined us on meet-ups. We would encourage all new members to join us whenever you would like some company on your

runs. We always really appreciate seeing new faces at our meetups.

Welcome all and please see the additional newsletters here: http://www.meetup.com/Bangkok-Runners/files/

April’s BIG Events:

Saturday 4th

April Colour Miles for Smiles 2015, 5k/10k/21k, Bangkok

Sunday 5th

April Aveda Run For Water, 3k/10k, Bangkok

Run HDF 2015, 2.5k-5k/10k, Bangkok

Phu Tab Buerk On The Rock Trail Run, 5k/10k/25k/45k, Phetchabun

Monday 6th

April Chakri Day Run, 5k/10k, Bangkok

Saturday 11th

April Singha Songkran Chiang Mai Night Run, 10k/21k, Chiang Mai

Wednesday 15th

April Bangkok Runners Songkran Shape Run – to be confirmed!

Sunday 19th

April PTT Baiyoke Run Up International, 84 floors, Bangkok

Colgate Total Health Mini Marathon, 5k, 12k, Bangkok

AOT Mini-Half Marathon 2015, 2k/10.5k/21k, Bangkok

Saturday 25th

April K San’s Run Across USA starts!! See more at:

https://krunusa.wordpress.com/2015/ and please check the calendar for a

meetup on this day in support of K-San.

Sunday 26th

April 8th

Bung Nam Tao Mini-Half Marathon 2015, 5k/10k/21k, Bangkok

Singha Obstacle Fun Run 2015, 7.5k/15k/Team, Phetchaburi

For details about joining these events, please check our meetup calendar:

http://www.meetup.com/Bangkok-Runners/events/. For a full race calendar (and details of how to register, results and

reviews) please check: http://www.runthailand.com/ Alternatively, http://www.jogandjoy.com/ and

http://www.forrunnersmag.com/events/index.php?language=english also have information in English.

Formed in 2012, Bangkok Runners organises, via meetup.com, a variety of different running events: park jogs, track

sessions, trail runs, city explorer runs, training runs and race meets, as well as social get-togethers; all aimed at getting

people out and running in Bangkok. Anyone is invited to RSVP to events or even schedule your own (regular or one-off)

which can then be confirmed by one of the team. Bangkok Runners are usually in attendance at most races in Bangkok

and many of those around Thailand.

Our Bangkok Runners: Interview with Chris Bell

Bangkok Runners is lucky to have members who live not just in Bangkok but throughout Thailand and even further afield.

For a variety of reasons, these runners join us when they are in town, when we are in their town or when there are special

events and races. We can keep in touch thanks to dailymile and facebook and these non-Bangkok Bangkok Runners bring

a wealth of knowledge of areas outside of the capital, whether it be local trails/routes/races or simply just general advice

about running. I find it wonderful that some Bangkok Runners living in the States are supporting K-San on his Run For

Your Dream run across the US next month.

Chris Bell resides in Pattaya and when I polled (3!) runners at a recent meet-up, there was a resounding desire to know

more about Chris’ running, so here I am happy to present his interview………

1. How is the running in Chonburi? And would you ever trade it for the mean streets of Bangkok?

The running in Chonburi is pretty good. We are fortunate to have the Khao Mai Kaeo (KMK) and Mabprachan Reservoir

trails close by, Khao Kheow trails about 40 minutes drive away, and the seafront and Pratumnak Hill close to the centre of

town. I think the only thing we lack is a really nice public park along the lines of Lumpini Park. Although I enjoy running in the

parks in Bangkok, and would like to be able to attend more group runs in Bangkok with Bangkok Runners, I would not want

to trade the running here for the running in Bangkok. I love running in the countryside too much.

2. Where is your favourite local place to run?

The easy answer to this question is KMK. I’ve run in quite a lot of places around Thailand, and I still think KMK is my favourite

running place out of everywhere I’ve been. It has a nice mix of rolling hills, tough climbs, and technical downhills, most of

which is under the cover of trees to protect from the sun. If you have never been to KMK before, I recommend that you try to

join one of the trips that Bangkok Runners organise there every so often. Whether trail veteran or trail newbie, KMK has

something for everyone.

3. When did you start running and why?

I started running around 4 years ago when I lived in Bangkok. At the time I worked long hours in-front of the computer,

smoked, drank too much, and didn’t do anything in the way of exercise. I began to feel generally unwell. Nothing too specific,

just a sense that something was not right. A trip to the hospital for a full health check followed, and although everything came

back as normal, the doctor advised a change in lifestyle was in order. I agreed completely.

I had been a mountain biker when I was younger, but I was concerned about the safety of cycling on the streets of Bangkok,

so decided that I would try running instead. I lived far away from any parks, and was very self-conscious of how unfit I was,

so I purchased a treadmill to enable me to practice within the privacy of my own home. Having running to focus on helped

me quit smoking and I quickly felt much better in terms of health and energy levels. I progressed to running outside, and

within a year I felt ready to enter my first race – the Phuket Half Marathon 2012. Completing this race was a big milestone in

my life. It signaled the end of my unhealthy previous way of living and the start of a new life of running. I just wish I had made

the change sooner.

4. What is your next running goal?

Over the last few months, I’ve begun to concentrate on longer distance running and racing. I much prefer long slow runs than

short fast-paced runs, and I think that my body is better adapted for that style of running. I still feel that I am learning a lot

about myself, and what my body is capable of doing, and I would like to continue to explore and push my limits to see how far

I can go. My next major goal is to follow the likes of Linda, Karen, Steve S, Matty, and Jaume and enter the TNF100 100km

trail race early next year. Along the way I will try to keep increasing my distance at events such as the Suanpreuk 10-hour

race in May, and possibly the Relentless 12-hour race later in the year, as well as a few road marathons and long trail races

in between.

5. Best piece of running advice you ever received?

Haha. I was trying to think of some great philosophical message that I use for motivation, but I think the best piece of advice

is sadly quite mundane. However, it made a big difference to my running, so here it is – Injinji toe socks. I used to suffer with

blisters quite badly and tried lots of different socks to ease the problem. I can’t remember who suggested it, but someone

told me to try Injinji toe socks. They were quite expensive but I was desperate, so I decided to give them a go. Since then, my

blister problem has vanished. I’m not promising that they’ll work for everyone, but for me they made a huge difference. 2

weeks ago, all my Injinji socks were in the wash, so I went for a 10km road run in normal sport socks thinking that it would be

fine. Within 6km, I felt blisters starting to form between my toes on both feet, and by the end of 10km they were massive.

Lesson learned.

For motivational advice, I think the best thing I’ve heard was something along the lines of ‘Believe in yourself – You are

stronger than you think you are’. I agree completely. Not only does this apply to running, but also to life in general.

6. Music or silent focus when running?

I choose not to listen to music / audio books when I run, although I have nothing against others doing so. Part of my aversion

is due to something that happened early on in my running career. In my days of treadmill running, I purchased some

extension cables and headphones so that I could watch & listen to the tv as I ran (without earphones it was difficult to hear

properly over the sound of the treadmill). I was very surprised and a little scared when every so often I would feel a small

electric shock in my ear. I was concerned that I was getting shocked by the tv through the headphones, so quickly stopped

using them for fear of being electrocuted. I later found out that it was most likely a build up of static electricity caused by the

treadmill that was exiting through my ears and travelling down the cable to the tv, and from there to the ground. Whatever the

reason, it was not pleasant, and it instilled a bit of distrust with mixing exercise and earphones that lingers on to this day. I

also like to be able to hear everything around me clearly, whether traffic approaching on roads from behind, animals

slithering through undergrowth on the trails, or the sounds of birds singing in the trees.

7. What motivates you to do an early morning stride?

I’m a morning person anyway and regularly wake up at 4:00-4:30am, so going out for a run at 6:00-6:30 is no problem. I

prefer to run in the morning whilst it is cool and quiet, and love to see the start of a new day with the sun rising over the hills.

It makes me feel happy to be alive.

8. Favourite post-run treat?

I usually don’t feel very hungry immediately after a workout, so most of the time I don’t eat much. However, I have read many

times about the importance of giving your body protein and carbohydrates after a run to aid in the recovery and muscle

building process, so over the last few months I have begun to drink an 800ml bottle of ice cold milk after most runs. I love to

drink milk anyway, so if I can drink and help my body to recover at the same time it’s an added bonus.

9. Who is your running hero?

Although many of the people in Bangkok Runners motivate and inspire me, if I have to name a running hero it has to be Trailer the dog (see photo below). Trailer lived near the trails at KMK and for a short while, every time we went to run, he was there ready to run with us. I think the longest he ran was around 25km before disappearing into the jungle. He was a strong and happy dog. Sadly, he suddenly stopped showing up to join us, and we’ve never seen him again since. I’d like to think that he found a good home with a strong trail runner and continues to run the trails somewhere else in the country with his new owner. For his amazing running, endurance and happy demeanor, Trailer is my running hero

Editor’s note: Many times recently I have noticed runners on facebook praising the support they get from Chris during

running races. Loyal to the end, Chris couldn’t be more motivating, in a calm and friendly sense of the word, especially

during those “shall I just go home now?” moments that we all go through. I experienced this first-hand on two occasions:

once when I feared for my life at the Ayutthaya Marathon – this was the inaugural race and things have improved since -,

but Chris stayed with me (even though we didn’t even know each other at the time!) for the rabid dogs, pitch black

construction sites and scary motorway (yes really!) sections of the run. Secondly, I was struggling (or sulking) at the Khao

Yai Trail marathon last year, only to have Chris say “Ooh hello,” in his reassuring, mid-race calmness and jog along with me

until I got my mojo back. Brilliant. Thanks for the interview, Chris.

Bangkok Runners: An Introduction to Shape Runs

Without sounding like part of the furniture here in Thailand, each spring I find myself a little out-of-love with running. I

spend the winter with a great level of fitness, confident that I could run a marathon at pretty short notice, thanks to 80k+

weeks. But with the warmer weather comes a running malaise and a general lack of motivation. This year I competed in

the TNF 100k so the lethargy after that race was even more apparent. I was quite frankly fed up!

However, I always know the “hangover” is coming so I try use the hot weather to focus less on speed and distance and

more on…..silliness!

The idea for shape runs came to us (Linda, Rangsarn and I) one Sunday morning in Lumpini and since then, we have

devised several shapes with varying degrees of success. The Christmas Tree was our first, followed 2 months later by a

heart for St Valentine’s Day which was possibly the least convincing of all the shapes….ever. I had to bring heart-shaped

biscuits to the meetup aswell so as not to disappoint anyone!

We have also had a misleading CARROT, an “abc,” both a “1” and a “2” for the Bangkok Runners’ birthdays, a witch on a

broomstick for Hallowe’en, an “Iain” for Iain, Linda’s Christmas stocking and lastly, the king of all shape runs…….the

Songkran Watergun, devised by Stefan (a German engineer naturally).

The water pistol was so clever, it had a “khlong” squirting from the barrel of the gun; on the map of course. You can look

out for the meet-up for this run this month! Which is why I haven’t included it here.

I cannot speak for Linda and Stefan but for me, the clue to devising these runs is firstly to get your “shape.” Search on line

for the next appropriate “Day.” For example, the carrot run was in celebration of World Vegetarian Day and the “abc” for

World Literacy Day. You need to look a few weeks in advance as you may need to run your shape twice before the actual

meet-up. Next you need a really good map, either soft google maps on a PC, or a nice big paper map of the city, which is

what I prefer.

There are some key places in BK that I use for key parts of shapes. For example, the big curve around Sanam Luang in the

Old Town has served as the curve of the “2” for a birthday run and also more recently the curve of the elephant’s head for

the Super Siam Shape Run. If you look for shapes in this old area of the city, there is a lot more flexibility because of the

amount of tiny streets and sois and also, you are sure to pass some amazing landmarks, giving your run a little more edge.

Don’t forget that most of the run could end up on busy, almost non-runable roads as you are not looking for the most

scenic route, you are looking for the most accurate shape.

Lumpini park itself also offers some good curve possibilities: the “a” was here for the “Iain” run. And for the triangle point

of the Christmas Tree and the Witches hat, look in Dusit and on the railway line at Phetburi road:

Convincing or not? The witch-on-a-broomstick shape run.

Last month, I struck lucky and spotted this rather lovely elephant while trying to find a “goat” shape for Chinese New Year.

The route has a little stretch of khlong, a few hidden sois, a lot of landmarks and (when we ran it) a lot of rain. Plus, the

best thing of all is, it’s close to an MRT station or BTS stop which will help your final meetup go smoothly. I had to make a

few adjustments when I ran it as the khlong path for the back of the elephant, is blocked after a point, so we ran part on

the road. And when we did the run for real, it looked like the elephant was dipping his toe in the river as I made us run too

far south on the first foot! But once you have your shape in mind, you are ready to reccy.

The reccy run is key to the shape as this is the first time you will see it from your GPS watch and the first “audit” of your

creativity. Try to also envisage running the route with a big group of people too and make sure it is ok to pass people’s

houses or businesses and that there aren’t too many dangerous roads to cross. Consider doing the reccy with a friend who

could help to Sweep the run on the day, making sure that no one gets lost. But of course – keep the shape a secret. It is far

more fun to reveal the shape on someone’s iphone/GPS watch at the end of the run. And don’t forget to scout the end of

the run for potential breakfast or post-run cafés. The question will be asked!

So, if you can find a semi-convincing shape of about 10-12k, within 2k of public transport and good coffee, for a fairly

appropriate “day” or “event,” then I guarantee, Bangkok Runners will reward you with a meet-up crew to make the shape

run a great fun event!

Resources: Races, events and meet-ups: http://www.meetup.com/Bangkok-Runners/

Bangkok Runners Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/397006620351021/?fref=ts

Website: http://bangkokrunners.com/

Next time:

May 2015 to include: Events in May 2015, Nutrition for Running, A New “Meet-the-Bangkok-Runner.” K-San’s

adventures and Bangkok Runners are 3 years old!!!

Sabai dee pi mai kaa!!