M-Day - August 4 (Day 29)

Early start to the day!  Aside from needing to leave at 3:30 by tuk-tuk to make it to the start of the race by 4 AM, I of course was up a few times during the night from trying to hydrate the day before!

My tuk-tuk driver Mau, was replaced with his buddy Hal.  So too was my price of $10 to get me there and back.  The price was now $12 - which I figured is a pretty good deal considering it is so darn early and the guy picks me back up!  Plus the hotel quoted $15.

The trip out of town was crazy!  Many people out drinking and a number of "night workers" overtly available.  The only other tuk-tuks were full of people in the same boat as me, tiredly heading towards the start of the race.

We made it by 4 AM!  We did some stretching, watched the marathon torch get lit by the Cambodian President, and we were off right at 4:30.  Very strange to be running in the pitch dark, as there are no street lights around, but really fun too to be up getting some miles before the sun is up.

As the sun came up, we ran by rice fields and temples.  Later in the morning scattered collections of Cambodian kids began to line the road and offer high-fives as you ran by.  They were giddy if you took the time to high five them.  One little girl even tried to hold onto my arm and keep me there :)  I wish I would have gotten photos!  The sweet kids were a highlight for me!

This is my first marathon with this few of runners.  This made pacing a bit of a challenge for me.  Not to mention it was so hot and humid.  I listened to the complete Hamilton sound track on my way out and looked forward to seeing Corey and the kids at km 31 where we agreed to meet.  I was definitely wishing we agreed to meet earlier, but also didn't want the kids to have to get up too early and wait for a long time in the heat.  On my way to km 31 I spent a lot of time convincing myself to keep going!  My hips were really sore and my left knee was locking up.  Definitely not typical for me.

We had a brief rainfall about 2 hours in which felt amazing.  Between that and the increased sweat from the high humidity, my socks squished with every step.  Luckily Corey had a spare for me.  Just had to get there...

Finally, I was awoke from my running stupor with cheers from a passing tuk-tuk.  I was elated!  We did a quick change out of socks and poured more electrolytes into my bottle and then continued on - but with some new cute running partners!  Lily, Caden and Gia all joined me for a bit.  Then Caden and Gia dropped off and Lily ran with me for a mile.  This was the race highlight!

Best sign ever!

My cheering crew!

On I went.  At this point in the race I had my crew of other stragglers / strugglers.  We just kept passing one another, then getting passed.  Temples were amazing scenery.  And sharing the road with the occasional monkey definitely brought smiles.  

The last 4 km I could not fine any signs so wasn't sure if I had 4 km to go or just 1.  Turning the corner and seeing the finish line was like Christmas.  Lily jumped back in with me and kicked it into gear - although I think the gear was pretty much a crawl pace :)  But no matter.  My goal was to finish with a smile...and to be able to get on an airplane in a few hours.  Check, and check.

Corey and the kids had my favorite drink waiting - a coconut :) - and my favorite ride - a tuk-tuk.  It took a bit before I could drink anything, but when I could, it was amazing.

On our ride back we passed this little cutie.  He is the Cambodian version of our Mr. Chubs.

Once back to the hotel I tried to stretch a bit more and eat.  Both were tough.  Despite feeling like I drank my weight in water, half my weight in electrolytes, and eating the Cliff Shot Gu’s two at a time every 4 KM (it will be a long time before I can look at these again), I returned back to the hotel a bit dehydrated.  Corey and the kids were great.  I kept trying to drink, and move, and stretch – after my massage J  We packed up and headed down for lunch.  New favorite drink is a coconut smoothie!

Our flight left at 3:30 and we arrived in Phnom Penh around 5:00 PM and hopped in a cab to our hotel.  Though only about 15 KM away, the drive took about an hour due to the traffic.  Phnom Penh is a city of 3 million compared to only 1 million in Siem Reap.

Once there, we were so excited to find a highly rated Mexican restaurant next door!  Oh how we have all missed guacamole!  We devoured it.  Soooooo good!  

Our hotel and taxi

The entry

One of our rooms, with an extra "Gigi Bed" as we've taken to calling the places Gigi gets put.  

We have an early flight tomorrow to Beijing, so we ordered in some house-made gelato to enjoy while watching a bit of a movie in our room (needed two rooms again).  Lily and I also took baths, which provided a really funny experience when the gelato guy arrived – as the bath was out in the open.  We tried to hide and could not stop giggling.

Love the pool

 We enjoyed our respective beers with the Mexican food.  First root beer in weeks too!

We passed this family, and hundreds of other just like them, sharing a ride.  The driver is only the one ever wearing a helmet.  Always stresses me out!