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| Photo from Hitomi Mikami |
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This race is indeed a very good lesson. A lesson I guess will stick with me for many races to come. Perhaps, I was too conservative and held back more than I should? There may even be a hint of complacency in thinking that I will be able to chase it back in the second half of the race. Or is there not?
Another thing that had me thinking is the local culture of being orderly in line whenever there is a bottleneck ahead. Should runners go along the side of the trail to overtake to the front? Of course, that is provided you do not put yourself or others in danger as you do so. Or, should runners stay in queue and slowly approach the bottleneck? I realise that this boils down to the local culture of the people. There are races I have seen where runners will bash through the sides of the trail so as to get ahead and pass the bottleneck. This includes the country where I come from. Staying in line certainly deserves a praise for keeping in order in such situations. But something a friend told me after I returned to Singapore is still etched in my mind.
"But Jacky .. you were in a race!"
UTMF closed the 2015 season for me. The next main event will be the ballot for UTMB coming up in Dec 2015. The new point system has been introduced and will fully kick in for 2017. I hope I will be able to get in for 2016, which I still qualified for based on the old point system.
Races are slowly lined up for 2016. I am not in a rush though. There is no urge to take part in every race which I am free to do. No FOMO (Fear of Missing Out).
May there be more mountains and more trails waiting in the future.
凡事
抱最高的期望
有最充分的准备
进最大的努力
做最坏的打算
Perhaps .. I'll be back again one day. :)
4 comments:
I was in the same race you did, and saw you. And, was cut-off at A3 too. I too had the same reflections as you did. Was I too courteous by not overtaking? Was I too conservative at the beginning? At A3, I was still fresh, and had a lot of energy. It was a shame. I do not know if I could complete the 100-miler had I continued after A3, but its worth a shot and for me to know my limit.
Regardless, good luck in your UTMB bid. Keep on trying.
Hi Wendy
Apologies for the late reply. Go back for it again. You have the experience of 2015 to aid you. You surely can do it.
Hi Jacky,
I will run for the UTMF 2016 coming soon for my first 100-miler and have seen your race reports of 2015 and 2013. They really provide lots of good and useful info for me! I'm sure you've tried your best in 2015 under such rainy and harsh weather and hats off to your courage!
Seems that the traffic jam at the first part of the course last year is a big problem to the runners, if they didn't manage to get to the earlier position at the start. Would you offer me some advice on this for my preparation too? Please pm me if you wish.
Keep running and fighting! Good luck!
Cheers,
Oscar
Hi Oscar
Thank you very much. I am glad my blog entry is able to help give you more information.
Have a pair of shoe with good grip. It will help with the terrain.
Have a spare bottle with you in your hydration bag. At the aid station going to Tenshi mountains, fill up all your bottles / bladder, and that spare bottle. Have some extra food with you in your hydration bag. Eat more stuff at the aid station. The climb up will be very, very tough. You need to go through it yourself to experience how tough it is. You slowly climb, trek, crawl your way up .. most importantly - do not stop. Remember: slow is not a problem. Do not stop. The mountain can be crossed.
At the start, go slightly faster so that you will be among the earlier runners to reach the trail head, which should be like around the 4km mark. It is in case they again make people enter the trails in waves like in 2015.
Take your camera with you to take photos along the run. Enjoy the route, enjoy the scenery, enjoy the hospitality of the locals, enjoy the aid station food.
All the best!!
Jacky : )
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