Mahidol Sports Science 10k

The Mahidol Sports Science 10k, was a race that I was sorely under-prepared for but still managed to have a great time at.  I had not run in about two weeks, but was still able to drag my lazy butt out of bed to go for a run with a great team of co-workers.  While the course was... scenic... and quite... random, it was still a beautiful morning, and with the weather hovering around 63 degrees Fahrenheit, it was one of the coolest runs that I have had the chance to take here in Thailand.  

I think there is a real awesome thing about a photo right after you finish a race of any distance.  You are in pain, you have just eaten more bugs than anyone else who might be asleep, you are covered in sweat, but still on that post-run high.  May as well get you before the real pain and soreness kicks in.  

I really cannot make sense of the race course.  The nice thing though is that it was a full 10k, which seems to be rare here in Thailand, as most of the courses seem to be estimated, and not measured accurately.  I am also pretty happy as I went into the race thinking it would be a "lap" race, and never once had to retrace any steps.  I cannot tell you how much most runners dislike the idea of running around in circles just to add distance onto their total run length.  

It was a great run, with a very confusing, but fun course, and I would totally do this run again.  Full points in my book!

Plus, the chance to run in 63 degree weather in Thailand should never be passed over.

An Interesting Observation at the Mahidol Sports Science 10k

Sometimes your morning can start out looking a bit like this.  I would say that I look like someone who got up way too early to go to a sport that I don't think anyone likes, but you can just translate that to "looking like hell."

I have had the opportunity to run many, many kilometers around the beautiful Mahidol University, and today was no different.  It was a beautiful run and I enjoyed it a lot.  It was a somewhat similar route to what I have run before in these two different blog posts.  Post 1.  Post 2.  

While the run was very pretty, (see the pictures below), it was a realization that I had that made it very memorable.  

At the start of the race, the woman next to me was running in a hijab.  While normally, I might not find this all that interesting, with all the anti-muslim rhetoric going on in the United States right now, I found it quite nice that this woman was able to keep to her traditions and still join in on non-traditional activity.  She wore a very conservative set of running clothes (long sleeve athletic shirt and long running pants), and was able to compete in a sport that one would not think typical of a person wearing a traditional head covering.  

Needless to say, I loved seeing her doing this.  I am quite used to see lots of women in hijab here in Thailand, as there is a large population of Muslims here, but it was great to see someone who was able to mix the old and the new.  

She was also a damn good runner.  

Now, without further typing, on to the pictures: