Payao Lake 26km

After taking a month off from races to focus on trail running and self-improvement, I finally got the chance to hit the racecourse again. I was a bit nervous about how well I would do, especially since this race was over half-marathon distance. Plus, I hadn’t done much training—my longest run leading up to this was only 10km.

I registered for this event a while ago, knowing it would be a big one. The distance seemed perfect for some solid road training before my upcoming trail race at Khao Pratab Chang. I also decided that I wouldn’t participate in smaller races or typical mini-marathons unless necessary, as I wanted to spend more time with my family. From now on, I’ll only focus on major events.

Pre-Race Training

Many runners train for months leading up to a race, especially if it’s their first half-marathon. Some of them have been preparing for this event for over two months, putting in a lot of effort and setting high expectations.

As for me… I didn’t really train for long-distance road running at all. I spent most of my time training on trails, running up and down mountains, and doing interval workouts based on heart rate. The longest run I did was about 12km. Since I’ve been spending more time with my family and focusing on trail running, I wasn’t too worried. I told myself that I could handle it (a bit of overconfidence, perhaps).

Pre-Race Planning

When I arrived in Phayao, it was already getting dark. I picked up my race bib, checked into the hotel, and then went out for dinner with the team. We all loaded up on carbs—pizza, spaghetti, and salad—knowing we’d burn it all off the next day.

One thing I always do before a race is eat something light. It’s crucial for me, even though some runners don’t think they have enough time to digest properly. Everyone is different. For me, I eat about three slices of bread an hour before the race. This also triggers the need to use the bathroom, which is a routine I’ve stuck to.

As for the race itself, I planned to aim for a pace between 5:40 and 6:00 per kilometer. My goal was to run the entire course without stopping to walk. Initially, I thought I’d stick to that pace, but then I reconsidered and decided to focus on maintaining a steady heart rate instead. If I needed to walk, I’d do so after the 21km mark, once I had completed the half-marathon portion.

Expected finish time: 2 hours and 40 minutes

Race Day

At the starting line, the crowd wasn’t too packed. I took some time to warm up, doing about 5 minutes of dynamic stretching to prepare my muscles.

When the race began, I tried not to start too fast, but I found myself running at a pace of 5:05-5:10 per kilometer. It was faster than I had planned, but my heart rate was still within a manageable range, so I decided to maintain it.

10km Mark: My pace was consistent at around 5:20-5:30 per kilometer. I felt good and confident that I could maintain this pace until the end. I started overtaking other runners, though some were still faster than me.

10-20km: This part of the route took us around the back of Phayao Lake, with mountains and water providing a scenic backdrop. One thing that really stood out was the local residents who came out to cheer us on. Their support was uplifting and gave me the energy to keep going.

20-26km: After passing the half-marathon mark, I noticed many runners beginning to tire, but I was able to maintain my pace comfortably. I credited this to my interval training. During this stretch, I overtook several runners who had started to walk. I think I passed around ten people before finally crossing the finish line.

I finished the race with a better-than-expected time and pace, clocking in at 2 hours and 20 minutes with an average pace of 5:23 per kilometer. I placed 108th overall and 15th in my age group.

Post-Race Summary

• The event was well-organized, likely due to the presence of special guests.
• The race shirts were nice, but the armholes were too tight, causing chafing for many runners.
• The decorations were underwhelming for such a large event with high-profile guests—there was definitely room for improvement.
• The water, electrolyte stations, and food were well-prepared—kudos to the organizers for that.
• The MC tried a bit too hard to be entertaining, which didn’t always land well with everyone.
• The medals were well-designed.
• The course was beautiful.
• However, the awards ceremony was too simple and didn’t give the winners the recognition they deserved.