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Gobi March Blogs 2013
7
PostsGobi March (2013) blog posts from Eric Ha
07 June 2013 02:12 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi
What should I say...if it rains, it pours. Literally...
The long 75km day started out with lots of anticipation, excitement and most of all, anxiety about what to expect. Once again, it had rained badly the night before such that everyone in the tent had to get up in the middle of the night to reorganize themselves as half of the tent got flooded which didn't make things easier.
Everyone started out cautiously, wanting to save some energy for the kilometers ahead. For the first half of the race, there was a stretch of 20km with a 2,000m ascent...basically 10% incline on a treadmill. I felt good going into this stretch until the weather turned really bad. Strong winds in the valley followed by strong rain. Temperature must have fallen to single digit. At one checkpoint during that stretch, the organizers wouldn't let me pass because they said my jacket wasn't waterproof. I said it doesn't matter, "my body is waterproof" so off I went. Shortly after, I started thundering, storming and there was hale. I didn't care - I was pulling out cheesy lines like "when the going gets tough, the tough get going" - I was trying to make up time and marched strongly as my knee felt decent having been given Motrin the night before (I made Bear Grylls look like a school boy). But the temperatures dropped further. I started to lose feeling in my hands as I was using the walking poles. I know I needed a lot more calories to keep my body temperature constant to not suffer from hypothermia but I ran out of any I had portioned for the actual race. Before the main climb, I had some fellow Koreans pass by and they were kind enough to hand me a piece of bread which eased the hunger. There was a bit of snow on top of the mountain when I finally made it up there.
Having reached the highest point, I wanted to make up more time and ran down the next 10km, ignoring the pain that re-emerged. There were only 35km to go and I knew I would regret it if I don't run. Having reached the 45km mark, the doctors then told me the race got cut short and they are pulling everyone off the course. There were still a number of runners who had yet to make it up the mountain and it was just too dangerous letting it go on.
I then ran another 8km to a house in which the others were waiting to be picked up by the bus. Everyone in that house was completely soaked and shivering...it reminded me of a scene from "Band of Brothers". We were waiting for 3hrs until the bus came as they made sure the folks still on the course were being evacuated first. Made sense! That allowed for some time for some chattering amongst us. I still had some cheese and bread left which I shared with everyone. One girl was moved to tears when I handed some to her - but hey, we are all in this together.
So today is an off day and everyone is in much better condition/mood. We are being put in large yurkes (is that how you spell it??) and we discovered a little shop that sold groceries. We were so excited and the HK/Korean connection went right in and got large amounts of beer, peanuts and smokes (ok fine, the latter ones were really just for me...). We got the party going right away...it was a blast. We had the Chinese, Japanese and Singaporean guys come by and everyone was pretty nicely inebriated...and it wasn't even noon by then.
It's around 4pm now and everyone is relaxing and looking forward to the closing out the 15km tomorrow. I am not sure if I will be able to write another blog tomorrow. But here just a few brief closing thoughts:
The last few days have been an amazing journey and the extraordinary amount of will, passion and determination supercedes everything I have ever witnessed. I made a ton of good friends and my deepest gratitude to our fellow Korean tentmates who have been all so welcoming, entertaining and helpful in everything (I now also know all the Korean drinking games...). I just saw that majority of Team Singapore is also still around - they are all still college students and embarking on such an event and fighting day by day at such young age deserves all the respect. I want to thank everyone in the Racing The Planet organization who have put in so much work and reacting with such charm and skill to the ever changing weather changes - they too were pushed to the limit.
Last but not least, thanks to all you guys out there who have been sending me such encouranging words every day. I have actually not looked at any of my times and standing even once. It's secondary to me. I will be coming back in one piece - as promised - with a feeling of pride having been able to raise money for A Drop Of Life - See you all soon.
05 June 2013 02:15 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi
It was cold this morning, really cold and rainy. Actually, it had rained all night before and having to go out of the tent in the middle of the pitch black night to go to the "bathroom" is like watching a scene from Blair Witch Project. A lot of people were coughing and sniffing this morning but everyone who was physically able to put one foot in front of the other started Day 4. A great outcome after seeing so many injuries and tears over the last few days.
I finished decently today and for the first time, I was able to run full-on for more than 30min in one go, it felt liberalizing. Who would have thought I needed to complete 160km first before I could do that. There are so many destructive things that go through ones head throughout the race but I try to keep up the spirit. At some point, I was neck to neck with a cow and a sheep and they ended up overtaking me. But hey, they are much more familiar with the terrain, not wearing a backpack and can spread the weight over four legs, so all good. That's positive thinking!!
In reality tho, the real heroes are the ones that spend 10 plus hours out there every day, struggling much longer in this crazy heat and having to bear much more exhaustion than the others. There is a team from Singapore competing, all students from NUS who have barely been making the daily cut-off times. They stroll in around 7-8pm every day and get up the next morning. It's especially tough for them because they could not complete any hill training since SG is a pancake elevation-wise.
On the tent front, the sino-korean relationship is getting deeper everyday. One of the Koreans is within the top 3 and we are all rooting for him to catch the other two with another Korean amongst top 15. I was told one of them was in the Special Forces and the other in the Korean Navy...yes, we are all extremely nice to them.
Thanks guys for your continuous emails/comments - tomorrow will be the long 75km day. So gotta wait for my blog.
Ps: We ran past a little village today...the kids were just getting off school and they were so excited seeing and high-fiving us. That reminded me of the money that has already been donated to Drop of Life and all the underprivileged people that will benefit from it. Thank you so much...
Comments: Total (9) comments
Dan Toole
Posted On: 07 Jun 2013 04:29 am
Congrats dude, you're doing a fantastic job and great blogging to boot. Thats strenght of mind right there coming in from your day's brutally hard slog and providing a great narrative for us couch potatoes. Best wishes for a BIG finish. Dan
ben falloon
Posted On: 06 Jun 2013 11:35 am
yes we all know singapore is a pankake but its hot1 glad you are rooting for the koreans as thats made Jake and TK happy. Good luck tomorrow it will be tough as hell but i think your getting faster!
Wan Sze Loh
Posted On: 06 Jun 2013 11:35 am
Love reading your blog, you definitely still have your humour intact, as well as having run an amazing journey so far!
Keep up the good work, you can do it, it's almost done!!
Alex Vauq
Posted On: 06 Jun 2013 08:06 am
hahaha your are keeping the good spirit, it is a good sign. I should say I am quite impressed... Stay focus, keep going, the hardest is still to come. Reading you makes me want to register for next year... The 75km is going to be tough. Be strong and never give up. JUST-KEEP-GOING !
Morgan Lau
Posted On: 06 Jun 2013 08:02 am
day 4 over!!! practically just 1 stage left (albeit the longest...)!!! you can do it!!! I found a place that does really good beef noodle!!! let\'s have it when you get back!!!
still trying to make thru to your donation page electronically...neither anna nor I had any luck so far...
Anna Cheung
Posted On: 06 Jun 2013 06:34 am
Wow, another day of fantastic result! The end is in sight and here's wishing you a strong finish.
Wins Lau
Posted On: 06 Jun 2013 05:22 am
awww the family ha's comment is so touching!!
ange found one great picture of you in stage 4! looking totally cool! for that picture it's worth your effort! keep it up!!! closer to finishing now!
Family Ha
Posted On: 06 Jun 2013 03:48 am
Go Eric! You’re doing so great despite your knee issues and are already more than half way there! We’re rooting for you for your big day tomorrow! Keep up the positive mindset and enjoy this unique experience :)
Love,
Mum, Dad, Vanessa
Bo Huang
Posted On: 06 Jun 2013 02:34 am
Yes, that's it, positive thinking and keep up the good spirit.
04 June 2013 10:19 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi
I had just heard that my Day 1 and Day 2 blogs have been delayed so I hope it has been published by now.
Just finished Day 3 so here it is, the “Good, Bad and the Ugly”. The Bad – having to wear the cap for long stretches of the day isn’t helping my receeding hairline. And the Ugly – my hamstring and patella don’t seem to be holding up…
Once again, today turned out to be a decent day during which we had to complete the most difficult stage of the entire race. However, my knee is not intact and I had to rest for 20min at the checkpoint. The difference between physical and physiological pain is that physical pain is endurable, a mind challenge to a great extent. Physiological one isn’t…it WILL force you to stop with all the pressure on the joints and tendon. Unfortunately, I am suffering from the latter, meaning that I am not able to run/jog, not even the flats, much less the downs. In fact, just walking the downs turn out to be extremely painful so most of the time, so I had to limp my way down.
This is an amazing event and every participant displays a great deal of spirit. However, it’s painfully frustrating if it takes me an hour for a 4km downhill stretch and I have tens of people passing me … gotta change mindset, let’s see what tomorrow brings.
Comments: Total (15) comments
Nick Low
Posted On: 06 Jun 2013 12:16 am
keep going man, what u're doing is awesome and super inspiring. we're all cheering for u
Thi Quach
Posted On: 05 Jun 2013 02:33 pm
Eric, hang in there! You're already half way done and we're all cheering for you in HK =) Tomorrow's another day to kick *ss. Hope you're stretching after each finish ;)
Kevin Lepsoe
Posted On: 05 Jun 2013 12:15 pm
If one leg goes...use the other...if both go, you can still bend at the hips...those go and you have two elbows left. Make it happen and get to the finish line bro.
- Kevin
Tobias Lee
Posted On: 05 Jun 2013 11:24 am
Eric! Eric! Hello
I've only just picked up your days. How's today gone? How are the knees today? I really hope they're settling in more after what I read on your day 3 (can't see day2) today will have been a challenge I can imagine but your almost there now. Remember what I told you for your mental strength, now is the time to use it.
Please tell me how the knees are, i want to know... IS THERE ANYWHERE YOU CAN GET ICE? Or is that a ridiculous Q?
Stretch them out at night ITB too and try to release the trigger points in the patella tendon. "Massage them"
All the best - every hour is an hour closer to the end. Thinking of you man
Tobias
Wan Sze Loh
Posted On: 05 Jun 2013 09:55 am
So proud of you Eric. You can do it!!!!!
Peter Lam
Posted On: 05 Jun 2013 04:02 am
Hang in there mate! Sounds hard enough already! Your results sounds like you are doing well!
Wins Lau
Posted On: 05 Jun 2013 03:57 am
I don't know what to say re the knee, cuz you know your conditions the best!
And I agree you are a winner already being there! now I feel like I want to try too
I have no sports news to report.. but larry is back in the office!
Anna Cheung
Posted On: 05 Jun 2013 02:46 am
Hang in there, Eric! No matter what happens, you've accomplished more physically than most people we know.
Not to make you feel worse, but I have to report that Tsonga downed Federer in straight sets last night. It wasn't even a competitive match.
Angela Ho
Posted On: 05 Jun 2013 01:57 am
Add oil Eric!!
You already so great to join this challenging race!! It's really a challenge on yourself now.
Keep up your spirit and hope you knees feel better tomorrow...
Alex Vauq
Posted On: 05 Jun 2013 01:14 am
Remember: Never, ever...
Morgan Lau
Posted On: 04 Jun 2013 05:20 pm
Dude you are already a winner being there!!! No regret whatsoever!!! Hope your knee feels better tomorrow. If not, you'll make the right decision whatever that might be.
You are doing well time-wise so don't worry about people passing you by. It's a challenge against yourself.
On another note, Kidd retired yesterday (along with Grant Hill 2 days ago).
Julia Bräuer
Posted On: 04 Jun 2013 04:24 pm
Don't give up! Find your own way. Staying behind and watching the others passing is a much harder psychological challenge (and lesson) than just forcing your body to race to the top. Take it on! It is not about being the best but about doing your best.
And take care of your knee (I must say that as the daughter of a physiotherapist!) :)
Muhammed Yesilhark
Posted On: 04 Jun 2013 03:34 pm
Get your mind free Eric! You can do this! There is NO return! :)
Where there is a will there is a way (prob its the other way round over there) :)
Give it all!!
Bo Huang
Posted On: 04 Jun 2013 12:33 pm
Most people won't even attempt to do this, you are there because you are stronger and more determined than the rest. Remember if it were easy everyone would do it, hang in there and keep up the good work.
young chow
Posted On: 04 Jun 2013 11:13 am
add oil E!
02 June 2013 08:47 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi
...actually started on a decent tone. I managed to get a few hours of quality sleep despite a Korean tent fellow snoring like crazy (but hey, he spent a good time of his career in the Korean army, for all I know he can use me as a human mattress). Noone really minded the extension of the route today by another km to 43km much either and the weather turned out to be great running weather with temperature probably in the mid-twenties.
Given that Day 1 always starts off with the backpack being the heaviest (9.5kg in my case), I took things easy to not strain my knees which have proven to be prone to injuries. However, shortly after the initial 10km, my usual pain reappeared. Over the course of the remaining 30km, things became progressively worse. I wasn't even able to jog gently on the flats with my patella hurting and my IT band locking up. On the hill parts, the downs took me twice as long as the ups. So, I guess, I will be digging for some anti-inflammatories now and hope for the best.
I also signed up for a medical study and my weigh-in after arrival showed that I lost 5lbs today (slots for the next desert race are filling up quickly, so hurry up!!)
Thanks to you all for your emails/comments so far - they do wonders here and really give me something to look forward to.
Pascal, Momo, Paul - ganz besonderen Dank an euch!
Til tomorrow...
Comments: Total (0) comments
01 June 2013 03:05 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi
Ok, 12 hours to go to the start of the race.
We went through a thorough equipment check today. After the first weigh-in, my backpack weighed 10kg which was around 1kg more than I hoped for. Went straight back and looked for things I do not absolutely need. After getting rid of another 800 calories (I mean, who really wants a proper meal anyway when its 35C out there), some bandage and a pair of socks, I made it to 9.5kg. Good enough...
I was told we are very close to the Kazakhstan border and it is finally getting cooler here at the camp site. It's funny to see some people's reaction to their first freeze-dried meal. I was smart enough to have tried it out before...tho in reality, it was more a lack of food at home which forced me to try it out prior. I'm sharing the tent with a few people from HK and from Korea...man, those Koreans have some nice food...beef bulgogi mixed with bibimbap vs my mac and cheese.
I haven't been able to sleep much the past few days, so will try to hit the 'bed' early tonight, possibly even before the sun goes down which I was told is around 1030pm. Tomorrow, 42km on moderate elevation, gotta ease the folks in.
Looking forward to my first night out (literally...not like people in HK understand it).
Comments: Total (13) comments
Morgan Lau
Posted On: 04 Jun 2013 10:39 am
Well done in stage 2 man!!! doing much better than the first stage!!!
You'll be back to watch game 4 of SAS vs Heat series!!!
Anna Cheung
Posted On: 04 Jun 2013 07:07 am
Wow, what a fantastic result for Stage 2! Keep it up.
Good news, there's one German player that made it to the last 8 at Roland Garros. Bad news, Tommy Haas plays the #1 seed tomorrow.
Anna
Peter Lam
Posted On: 04 Jun 2013 06:14 am
Heat won (blow out victory 99-76) Lebron 32 points!! Final are now Spurs vs Heat!
Bo Huang
Posted On: 03 Jun 2013 01:10 pm
Good job on stage 1 buddy. Reading your blog is bringing back memories of Gobi 2012.
Peter Lam Lam
Posted On: 03 Jun 2013 12:51 pm
You shoul have brought fried rice and some ginseng chicken soup iinstead! That will make the Korean jealous! Mate, all the best and hang in there! We will have a cold draft of beer waiting for you when you return in one piece! Be safe man!
Linlin Ma
Posted On: 03 Jun 2013 06:14 am
Best of luck!
Morgan Lau
Posted On: 03 Jun 2013 04:37 am
ok I put both the blog and result pages on my "favourite" so I won't miss it. looks like you have done well in your first stage!!! Young and I tried to honour your effort by playing hoops under the sun for 10hrs yesterday (with intermittent breaks for lunch, foot massage, desserts, dinner, more desserts)...let's do that when you come back and pick up basketball again!!!
And remember what I told you repeatedly before the race dude. (for the other comment readers here, it's not "i love you"...)
Anna Cheung
Posted On: 03 Jun 2013 02:34 am
Hey Eric,
Pacers tied it all up at 3 all (91-77)! Game 7 tomorrow morning 8:30am HK time in Miami.
Federer needed 5 sets against Simon to make it to the quarters. Will play Tsonga next! Wonder which player the French crowd will cheer for.
Anna
Wins Lau
Posted On: 03 Jun 2013 01:02 am
okay we found your results on the site, very good!!! looks like you're managing well!!
Wins Lau
Posted On: 03 Jun 2013 12:48 am
how was the first day?
Yuni Choi
Posted On: 02 Jun 2013 03:08 pm
Haha will u keep sharing the tent with koreans for the rest of the race? You look like more korean than some of real koreans ;) hope u finished today's race well.. Keep us updated!
Julia Bräuer
Posted On: 02 Jun 2013 12:22 pm
...and Julia!
vanessa ha
Posted On: 02 Jun 2013 04:05 am
It's the final countdown! The whole family is rooting for you :D46LM
31 May 2013 10:00 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi
After a 16hr journey from HK to Urumqi yday, I am leaving for my 3rd and final flight to Bole shortly. To me that means, saying goodbye to shower, toilet, bed, food as we know it and Internet during the most important time of the year - the NBA playoffs (can someone send me updates please??).
I've been told this event is more a mental challenge than it is a physical one. I hope there is truth to it. Ever since the beginning of the year, I have been plagued by knee injuries and post my last race end of March, I was barely able to train the actual running. I was trying to make up for it by going to the gym and do spinning. I have gotten used to the verbal assaults by my instructor and the cheap European techno music pounding on my ears by now. Finishing well and coming back to kick his butt should act as a good motivator - I feel stronger already.
Jokes aside, thank you all so much for your generosity in helping me to raise funds for 'A Drop Of Life' - so far, HKD 85,000 have been raised. Some donations have been made subject to me completing it - ie, no excuses for me to quit. Never...
Next update most likely on Sunday, after Day 1...
I've been told this event is more a mental challenge than it is a physical one. I hope there is truth to it. Ever since the beginning of the year, I have been plagued by knee injuries and post my last race end of March, I was barely able to train the actual running. I was trying to make up for it by going to the gym and do spinning. I have gotten used to the verbal assaults by my instructor and the cheap European techno music pounding on my ears by now. Finishing well and coming back to kick his butt should act as a good motivator - I feel stronger already.
Jokes aside, thank you all so much for your generosity in helping me to raise funds for 'A Drop Of Life' - so far, HKD 85,000 have been raised. Some donations have been made subject to me completing it - ie, no excuses for me to quit. Never...
Next update most likely on Sunday, after Day 1...
Comments: Total (1) comments
Peter Lam
Posted On: 03 Jun 2013 12:55 pm
Miami and Indiana at three games a piece! Game 7 will be on tomorrow! Hibbert and Paul George are on fire! Wayne complains about Lebron trying to do too much, he needs more touches! Hang in there mate! Lets watch the Finals like the old days when you return!
28 May 2013 10:16 am (GMT+08:00) Beijing, Chongqing, Hong Kong, Urumqi
5 more days to go til the start of the race. Ran the last few errands in the seemingly endless list of mandatory items I need to bring along. Fitting everything into the backpack is already an impossible task...an engineering degree would have come in handy now.
Decided to bring a pair of lightweight poles with me, in case I'll get attacked by animals or someone snores too loudly in my tent at night. Obviously, also helpful for the downhill parts which induces the most pain on my wobbly knees.
Just realized, I will be carrying so much white powder for my recovery drinks with me, I wouldn't be surprised I'll get detained by the Chinese and never see the light of day again. That reminds me, need to pack some cigarettes...just in case I need to bribe myself out of the misery.
Ok, let me look up where I'll be flying to now...
Ok, let me look up where I'll be flying to now...
Comments: Total (5) comments
Barry Tan
Posted On: 01 Jun 2013 04:17 am
Chung Hwas will be handy.
Paul Walt
Posted On: 30 May 2013 06:43 am
Listen to your sister and run like the wind!
Vanessa Ha
Posted On: 30 May 2013 02:52 am
be light on the ciggies,it decreases oxygen in the body & reduces physical endurance. Have a great first day, add oil!
Alex Vauquelin
Posted On: 30 May 2013 01:36 am
Enjoy the race Eric and make the best of it !
Will be following the blog
Irene Chu
Posted On: 29 May 2013 10:07 am
GOOD LUCK ERIC!!!!
Comments: Total (7) comments
Edward Ha
Posted On: 24 Jun 2013 02:40 am
Alexandre Vauquelin
Posted On: 10 Jun 2013 05:03 pm
Peter Lam
Posted On: 09 Jun 2013 10:48 am
Paul W
Posted On: 09 Jun 2013 10:00 am
vanessa ha
Posted On: 08 Jun 2013 11:27 am
Yuni Choi
Posted On: 08 Jun 2013 09:15 am
Dan Toole
Posted On: 08 Jun 2013 07:13 am