The KIS 5K was originally scheduled for early April, but got postponed after the passing of former Lao President and Party leader Khamtai Siphandone, who died in Vientiane on April 2 at the age of 101. The government declared a five-day national mourning period, during which all sporting events and celebrations were suspended.
I’d been putting together a really solid block through March. Then the smoke rolled in at the end of the month and pushed me indoors. I switched to the treadmill: I struggle with the easy days on the treadmill so the skiped some Zone 2, but found the big half-marathon sessions and workouts more bearable. I’m not sure how well the treadmills at my gym are calibrated — the paces and heart rates never quite matched up with what I get outside.
The short intervals didn’t work well on the treadmill, so instead of 30s on/30s off, I changed things to 4x4s. got in a few of those and 2 big half-marathon sessions, the last lot of 4x4s was on Tuesday (April 1st), and then… things started to slide.
I just felt off. not really sick but lingering fatigue, Tried to run again about ten days later and still couldn’t find the energy. Not “sick” in a way that stopped me from working or travelling, but running felt unwise. Just day-to-day life seemed to use up all my energy. In the end, I had almost five weeks with minimal running, right when I’d been building great momentum.
Race Day
Expectations were low. There was some miscommunication about the start time. The organisers had mentioned 5:00 or 5:30am, so I turned up early — only to find out the race actually started at 6:00. I spent a long stretch standing around in the dark, waiting even before the barriers had been set up. Not the smoothest start to the morning.
The course was the same location as the Kasemrad Run for Breath, and I half expected another short one. With the lack of training, I didn’t really have a goal in mind. Quick warm-up, legs felt okay, so I thought: why not give it a crack?
Looking back, I went out too hard for the lack of preparation I had. The pace was off, frustrations were high, and I even spent stretches with my heart rate pushing up around 190 bpm — top end of where it should’ve been for a 5K effort. It was already hot by 6am, and I faded gradually through the Ks. It’s not enjoyable losing touch with those just in front and having the strong finishers go past. Still, I kept the effort hard right through to the finish, in hindsight probably too hard for the first run back.
The course turned out to be properly measured, exactly 5.00 km. I crossed the line in 21:16 (4:15/km).
Reflection
A year ago, I would’ve been stoked — that would’ve been PB territory. This time, it was a reminder of how far I’d slid back since March. But the bigger picture is this: I’m running again. And that’s the win for today.
Looking back, it was likely just a lingering illness that made running a bad idea for several weeks. Not enough to stop day-to-day life, but enough to drain the energy I normally rely on for training. Either way, it forced a reset.
Next up is the Bangkok 21K Park Run in just a week. Still deciding how to approach that one — whether to treat it as a rust-buster or pull out, it’s a big call since we are travelling to Bangkok specifically for that.