Hong Kong Marathon 2017 Part 2

Here are some of the things that we did in Hong Kong prior to the big race:

Day 02 - Friday:

Woke up late and skipped breakfast for the two of us, which was awesome as it shows that we really are on holiday!  No work, no kids to worry about (they are in good hands under my parents care) and no plans for the day except to do one short 5km run in the city.  Reason for run is threefold: to loosen our legs for the race, to remove any anxiety we may have by running in Hong Kong cold weather and to help us to plan on the right attire and gear for the race.  Because of the cold weather, I was thinking of buying a light windbreaker for the race but as I didn't want to spend for it, I figured I would wear two (worn out but super comfy) running shirts and just throw one away when I felt that I didn't need it anymore.  I bought two shoes with me but with some pain in the soles of my feet during the short run, I opted to use the cushioned (read: heavy) New Balance shoes as hoping that it would make me last longer in the race.  My last decision on attire was whether to wear standard running shorts (which I have been doing for the past two years) or CWX compression pants to protect me from the cold weather (shorts won out on this).  With the short run, it helped me with the decision making- I would go to original plan of one running shirt, shorts and change my light running shoes to that of the heavier ones.  For Per, she vetoed her original plan of wearing her pink Soleus singlet in favor of running shirt and with light jacket over it.

Our running route was supposed to be just inside Kowloon Park but it was hilly there so we left the park and ran around Tsim Sha Tsui - from Nathan Road (where  race start will be on Sunday), we did a small loop that took us to the Cultural Center and Space Museum and back to the hotel. As we ran with my cellphone with me, our run became mostly a run walk as we stopped in a lot of places

just to take some pictures!  Tourist mode on! :(

Here are some photos taken from our "run":

Cheap dimsum after the run at One Dimsum in Prince Edward where we met some Cebuanos who are also doing the Marathon.

Day 03 - Saturday

Carbo loading day and I ordered two cheap but big meals at Cafe de Coral.

We also collected our race packs at Kowloon Park, which took about 10 minutes only.

Surprised to find out that Nike is now the sponsor of the race shirts!  Dry tech material! Yahoo!

Some more shopping at Harbour City before heading back to the hotel around 4pm so that we could rest our legs.

Slept a little, fixed our gear, had dinner and rested again.

Finally, race would start in 8 hours time!

To be concluded...