Sapa and the Hoang Lien Mountains in North Vietnam

Don’t you just love it when you get paid to go to the mountains for work? Well that’s how I managed to end up visiting the Hoang Lien Mountains (or Tokinese Alps) in Lao Cai Province over the weekend in the northwest tip of Vietnam.

Morning Mist over Hoang Lien Mountains.

I recently accepted a consultancy to write up the lessons learned from a disaster risk management project in this mountainous province. So I had to go to the area and see the hazard maps used and early warning systems installed to predict the landslides and flash-floods that occur within this area.

Sport Gear Shortage in South East Asia

Vietnam is a really great place to live. It has great weather, good food, interesting history and culture, beautiful buildings and tourist spots. But despite all these multiple advantages, there are one or two constraints involved when living in this country.

One of the most common issues encountered when living in developing countries such as Vietnam is being able to buy goods that would normally be plentiful at home. And one of the types of goods I always need to buy is running wear.

After a run in Saigon - The warm conditions take their toll on your gear.

The problem is that I’m really fussy about running gear.

Racing for Peace around Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem Lake

It’s not every Sunday that I get up at 5 am to do a one mile race around the city’s lake. But it was the first proper race that I’ve heard of taking place in Hanoi. And all of the Red Rivers Runners that I train with were going, so I figured I’d tag along.

I’m glad I got up in the end. Because I won! I got a big gold medallion medal, 400,000 Vietnamese Dong (22 US Dollars) and a big bouquet of flowers. All for running one mile.

The podium for International Ladies Race (or Individual Female Alien as translated by Google). Photo courtesy of Hanoi Moi.

I had no idea the 36th Hanoi Peace Run was going to be such a big event.

Vietnam International Triathlon – The Aftermath

I swore that I would never ever do a triathlon. They are too fast, too flat, and too fanatical. Well, at the end of August I changed my mind. I went down to Hoi An in the centre of Vietnam and did my first one.

The start of the Vietnam International Triathlon

The reason why I decided to do it was because I’m new to Vietnam. I wanted to meet other athletic people and see what the whole sport / racing scene is like in the country. But there doesn’t seem to be that many running or biking or even adventure racing events that take place. So when I looked around the only thing I found was this Vietnam International Triathlon.

The Hanoi Union of Friendship Organizations (HAUFO) 36th Hanoi Moi Run Tournament for peace 2009

How could I possibly not enter? …

THE HANOI UNION OF FRIENDSHIP ORGANIZATIONS (HAUFO)

————————————-

Hanoi, July 20th, 2009

The Hanoi Union of Friendship Organizations (HAUFO) would like to present its high compliments to you.

On the occasion of Hanoi Liberation’s Day 10/10, 999th founding annivesary of Thang Long-Hanoi, the HAUFO in combination with Hanoi moi Newspaper will organize “The 36th Hanoi moi Run Tournament for peace-2009″. This is the traditional run tournament which is held annually in Hanoi.

Time: 7.00 a.m, October 4th 2009

Estimated Place: Ly Thai To Park and around Hoan Kiem Lake, Dinh Tien Hoang street, Hanoi

On behalf of The Organizing Board, the HAUFO would like to invite you and your staff members to participate in the above mentioned event, including:

1. Opening Ceremony and VIP’s start: distance 200m (for 1 or 2 representatives)

2. Regular Run race:

- For Male : Distance : 3500m (2 laps of Hoan Kiem Lake)

- For Female : Distance : 1750m (1 lap of Hoan Kiem Lake)

Participants: staff members of the foreign Embassies, international organizations, foreign corporations, foreign teachers and students in Vietnam who take exercises on running and have good health.

The Organizing Board will provide clothes and shoes for all the participants.

We would like to invite you to participate in this event and would be grateful if you could send registration form (attached) to HAUFO’s office – 14B Phan Chu Trinh, Hanoi – not later than September 20th, 2009. We will inform you with all information regarding to the Run Tournament.

We look forward to receiving your kind interest.

Thank you very much.

On behalf of the Hanoi Union of Friendship Organizations

Vice Standing Chairwoman

Vu Thi Hai

Book-ing instead of blog-ing

I’ve not had much time to blog recently. It’s because I’ve been busy instead writing my book.

At the end of the Wicklow Round in May 2009, I realised that I wanted to write a book about the challenge and my successful completion of it. I wanted to also document what happened in July 2008 when my attempt went so horribly wrong.

The book Feet in Clouds about UK fell running and the Bob Graham Round. I am writing a book about mountain running in Ireland and the equivalent Wicklow Round.

As I began to put my book together, I also realised that I have a story to tell about how I got into mountain running in the first place back in 2006. And whilst writing about that epic first run, I found it hard not to write about the Irish mountain running scene too: the races, the people, and the craic that make mountain running in Ireland the great sport that it is.

The Endurance needed to drive a Vietnamese Motorbike

Sometimes all the running training can pay off in unexpected ways. Last week, I needed it especially when trying to get my Vietnamese motorbike driving license. Driving a motorbike is the easiest way to get around Hanoi, so obviously we need a license to allow us drive. However, getting such a document is not as simple as it initially seems.

Everyone gets round on motorbikes - there are 20 million of them in Vietnam.

First off we had to get our Irish driving licenses translated into Vietnamese. This we did back in Saigon with relative ease. Then we filled in a form and brought it to the Irish Embassy here in Hanoi for signing and stamping. The translation and the form, together with original and copies of our passports and driving license, we brought to a licensing office in downtown Hanoi. However, our application wasn’t right.

If you can’t take the heat…

It can get really hot in Hanoi. Over the last few weeks, temperatures have been in the mid-thirties and humidity has been pushing 80%. I’ve tried running in such conditions and admittedly, it’s been really hard. On even the shortest run, my heart rate has rapidly gone up whilst still running at the same speed.

A recent training run - Heart rate (in red) goes up. Pace (in blue) goes down.

Apparently, my heart is trying to multi-task, trying to keep me cool by pumping blood to the extremities, whilst still pumping as normal to keep me running. In order to keep any sort of stable heart rate, my pace has, in an equal and opposite manner, rapidly gone down.The heat has definitely taken its toll. So here’s a few things I’ve done in order to get a run in here in Hanoi.

Running around Dai Lai Lake

We’ve moved house. We are longer in the south of Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon as the locals still call it. Nope, we are a 2 hour airplane trip north now, and have just moved to Hanoi.

As usual, when I’m in a new town, I try and hook up with the hash in order to get a run in and to hopefully meet some new people. And this Saturday was no exception when we turned up at the American Club in town at 2pm to catch the hash bus to a destination to be still announced.

Dai Lai Lake, north of Hanoi.

90 minutes later, we found ourselves at Dai Lai Lake.

Making the Transition

I have been in Vietnam now for the last two weeks. And believe me, the place is great… great climate, fabulous food, interesting history, and peaceful people.

On the sporting side of things, there seems to be plenty to do. I have met up with the Saigon Hash for Sunday runs around the countryside. Last Saturday, I even played two hours of touch rugby, the first time in over a decade that I’ve touched a ball since my university rugby playing days. I also have found a really good gym out in District 2 that does a tough Pilates class. And we even have a little road circuit around 23/9 Park for early morning runs.

Action Asia Events. Courtesy of http://www.actionasiaevents.com/

I’ve also been doing some web searches and been asking around what is happening in terms of outdoor adventure races on this side of the globe.