Ten top tips for Real Thai Food

Hello and Sawadee krup!

I am overdue for a blog on my LSD running; not too "L" and very "S" btw, but first wanted to share these tips for eating Thai food in Thailand. Which I am currently doing and enjoying very much. Training is returning; I am shrugging off the last symptoms of PEDS (Post-event depression syndrome), and will use my mountain-top trail run in the middle of the island here on Koh Samui to get ready for Lumpini Park next week. In the meantime, enjoy your Thai food!

   1. It’s all about the rice. In Thailand the term for eating: gin khao, literally means eat rice. When eating lunch or dinner in Thailand you should always place the rice on the plate first, and then serve the other dishes either over or aside the rice. Other dishes may be already served on the table, often times at family meals all of the food is on the table and once the steaming rice is served everyone begins eating. All Thai food tastes good over rice to me!

   2. Thai people eat with both a fork and spoon at the same time. The spoon is placed in your dominate hand and is used to scoop up the rice and accompanying dish and the fork is used as a scraper to help fill the spoon.  I was told that this way the Thai people are able to get all the delicious juices and sauces that are so unique and delicious in Thai food, plus they would not inadvertently stab themselves in the mouth with the fork. Thus more efficient and safer too!

   3. The only food that some Thai people (my wife Worawan included) believe should not be eaten with rice is noodles. Whether the signature noodle dish of Thailand called Pad Thai, or one of the many other different types, shapes, sauces and flavors of noodle dishes served in Thailand - they are all delicous, noodles can be a substitute for rice. Noodle dishes are also the only time Thai people will use the Chinese chopsticks. I personally love Pad Kee Mao (drunken noodles) or Sen Leung Gai (yellow noodles with chicken) mixed over some rice, but I have always been a true carbohydrate fan.

Pad Ped Gai - Chicken in chili paste curry.

   4. Another signature dish of Thailand is called Tom Yum Goong, or spicy shrimp soup. The spicy part is variable, it can be anywhere from mild to fiery, but pretty constant from place to place will be the ‘flavor enhancers’ and natural ingredients used in the soup. These include galangal root, kefir lime leaves, and lemongrass stems that while providing flavor and aroma to the soup are not really edible. Be careful when draining your soup in Thailand, some things are better off left on the bottom of the bowl.  

   5. Everywhere you eat in Thailand the water will be safe to drink; if it is served to you. Tap water is not safe to drink, no matter where you are staying, and ALL restaurants know this and serve only bottled water, even in the smallest remotest locations. Many smaller local restaurants will have pitchers on the tables from which you can fill up your glass that they will bring you, usually to start off filled with ice cubes. The ice is also safe to drink, no one can afford to manufacture their own ice so it is delivered daily, but to get ice…

   6. You have to ask for ice. And when it is hot in Thailand, you want ice. Because everyone has to buy ice and have it delivered there is often times a small charge for ice, whether a glass or bucket. If you ask for a Coke, it will be automatically served to you with a glass, but not with ice in the glass. Many Thai men drink their beer with ice, and buckets of ice are used in many different concoctions. Learning how to ask for ice was one of the first phrases I mastered when traveling in Thailand.

   7. There is an expression in Thailand that goes: Same Same but Different. It can apply to many things in Thailand, including the food. Oftentimes a traveler will discover in the first day or two a new favorite Thai dish and then order it each location we travel to only to find that is different. My first five weeks in Thailand I ate mostly Pad Thai with Chicken, and every single place I ate it was made a little different.  Do not be disappointed if your Basil Chicken in Bangkok does not look like your ‘Gai Grapow’ on Koh Samui, they will both be delicious, just different.

Pak boong fai dang - Stir fried morning glory.

   8. We have had several vegetarians on our Thailand Adventure Travel vacations and they have mostly not had any problems with avoiding meats. There are many delicious local fruits and vegetables in Thailand, depending upon the season, and we have found all restaurants either have an extensive vegetarian menu or are very accommodating with creating special dishes. My all-time favorite Thai dish in fact a vegetable dish called Pak Boong Fai Dang, or morning glory on fire. It is a spinachy- watercress like vegetable flash stir-fried with oyster sauce, lentils and green and red peppers. It is reported to naturally improve your eyesight, and will add some ‘fire’ to your morning routine. 

   9. There are three major Thai beers: Chang (the elephant), Singha (the lion), and Leo (the tiger). Take your pick, they are all strong, and the alcohol content is actually that of a malt liquor for all three. As I mentioned some Thai people drink their beer over ice, partially because it gets warm so fast in Thailand with the heat, and I think partially to tone down the beer flavor. But that may be just me; I still drink Bud Light because they sponsored my races 20 years ago or so. Wine is relatively expensive in Thailand and not that popular in Thai restaurants, although it is popping up more and more in ‘farang’ restaurants. If you purchase cocktails from most Thai bars, do not expect too much alcohol. That is why Thai drinkers will go with the ‘bottle and bucket’ routine. Buy a full bottle of rum or whiskey with mixers and a bucket of ice and mix up your own drinks. This is the only sure way to guarantee a strong drink in Thailand!

   10.  You are finished eating, the Thai food was ‘aroi mog mog’ (very delicious in Thai) and you and your friends are sitting there enjoying conversation and waiting for the waiter to bring you the check. Good luck – you will be there til the place closes! In Thailand you have to ask for the check, otherwise they will figure you are still a customer and let you sit there eating, drinking, or just talking, til they close. Asking for the check was probably the second phrase I learned on my travels in Thailand after learning to ask for ice; it is easy to remember: check bin!

 

See you on the trails of Koh Samui or Northern California, or perhaps in Lumpini Park!

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Running Long and Surviving

Hello and Sawadee krup!

I have been 'running long' ever since I started running cross country in high school; back then it was an unbelievably long 9 mile run to start off the season and break our legs into shape, and over the years 'long' has grown from 20 plus miles for a marathon to now 30 plus miles for my second ultra: a 60K trail run coming up in ten days. I love running long. I love the excitement and adventure of preparing for a 3-5 hour workout that provides a physical high, a mental vacation, and almost a spiritual experience. I love the sense of accomplishment that comes from writing the distance and time in my training log and look forward to the ache of achievement in my legs that tells me I pushed my limits.

Of course I really don't like hobbling about the next day after a long run due to severe DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness), not only because of the discomfort but because one of the tenants of ultra marathon training is back-to-back days of long runs, which is extremely difficult to do if you can't walk the next day. So over the years I have learned what to do to recover strong and feel fresh after running for hours. Mostly it is about fueling correctly. If you take in the correct type and amount of calories before, during, and after your long run you will run stronger, recover faster, and feel better the next day. Eat enough before you start, use plenty of liquid, Clif Bars and Clif Shot energy gels during the run, and take in your recovery carbs (high in fructose or other high glycemic carbs) followed by an amino acid supplement (I strongly recommend TwinLabs Amino Fuel) to help the damaged muscles recover within 20-30 minutes of finishing your long run.

One of the things I love about running long is creating my own adventure. Enjoying a long run that is not only difficult, but has incredible terrain and scenery, along with a well-stocked supply of aid stations has always been one of my passions. For 13 years in a row my business partner and best friend Mark Shaw and I would compete in the Death Ride, a monstrous 128 to 151 mile bike ride in the Tahoe Alps, and then the next morning get up early and run on single track trails around Fallen Leaf Lake for four hours. In 2011 I did the first Run Around Koh Samui, a 52K run on the 'Ring Road' around the the third largest island in Thailand. We had a mobile aid station during the run with my friend Justin Hall riding his motorbike/sidecar and my wife Worawan riding in the sidecar and carrying our fuel - or running into a 7-Eleven to buy more fuel when needed. I was not so successful last year with my attempt to run the Old Elephant Trail from Mae Hong Son to Wat Chan, an 85K run that had some climbs with elevations as steep as 28% and had me in the jeep calling it quits with two 'kao pad gai' at about 32K.

View over Mae Hong Son

Trails in the Land Between the Lakes 60K

Western Kentucky Runners Club aid station

One of the premier ultra trail runs in Asia, the North Face 100, took place earlier this month near Khao Yai National Park, the first National Park in Thailand. The race is produced by the same folks that have done a great job putting on the Laguna Phuket Triathlon for almost 20 years, Go Adventure Asia. I have visited Khao Yai National Park and found it very beautiful. My ultra I have been training for takes place far away from Thailand in western Kentucky, in another beautiful National Park called Land Between the Lakes. The 60K trail does three loops through the wilderness that surrounds both Kentucky and Barkley lakes. The Western Kentucky Runners Club have been putting on the race now for ten years and in my second running I am looking to break seven hours. I will fuel well, have the right clothing on with vaseline applied in all the right spots, and I will stay positive during the long arduous miles by calculating, planning, thinking, and most of all enjoying all the sensations of running long. I love running long, and will use any excuse I can to get one in. If you cannot join me for a long run in Kentucky this March, how about joining me for a long run in Lumpini Park in April?

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Finding your own Adventure

Hello and Sawadee krup!

Adventure is relative. What is extreme for one is 'soft' for another. Everyone has their own personal likes and dislikes, their fears and strengths, their comfort level, a line they won't cross when it comes to what they will do; what they consider adventure versus insanity. When it comes to endurance events that line has become less and less distinct as more and more athletes sign up for and complete IRONMAN Triathlons, double Century rides, and 50 or even 100 mile ultra marathons. The hard-core Adventure Races such as Primal Quest still draw teams from all over the world for their 7-10 day treks of survival and suffering, but the shorter Adventure Races have for the most part been replaced with Mud Run Obstacle courses livened up with huge log walls, rope swings, fire pits and even electrical fences.

Thailand is a perfect place to find your adventure. There are a couple of great one-day Adventure Races for either beginner or intermediate racers: the River Kwai Adventure Race in March, and the Krabi Adventure Race in September. Both of these events combine trail running, mountain biking, swimming and kayaking and both have separate divisions for beginner and intermediate/advanced athletes. Adventure races are nice to do together with a partner in a team competition, but sometimes you just want to race by yourself. Years ago we put on our first adventure race in Railay Bay, Thailand. The race for individuals combined kayaking, trail running, some bouldering and cave trekking, abseiling, jungle scrambling, and swimming - with two legs of the kayaking and trail running. One of the first winners was XTERRA World Champion Jamie Whitmore in 2004. In last year's race I was able to inch ahead of fellow competitor Tye Austin at the very end of the second kayak leg to have just enough of a lead to hold him off on the sprint up the beach to win. You don't have to race to find adventure in Thailand; there are plenty of other options.




The Railay Bay Adventure Race



Ten years ago on my 42nd birthday I expanded my 'adventure threshold' with my first experience with waterfall abseiling. This activity, which is rappelling down the center of a raging 75 foot waterfall, in the water, was a birthday present from my wife and was set up by Mountain Designs Thailand, the only company offering something like this in Thailand. Subsequently we took travelers from our TBF Travel guided adventure vacations waterfall abseiling and most of them loved it! Over the years of traveling with first time visitors to Thailand I have experienced many different 'adventure thresholds'. For some people climbing aboard an elephant was the most thrilling and exciting adventure of their life, while for others it was ziplining through tree tops in the jungle, or exploring an underground cave that descends deeper and deeper until ending in a waterfall exit. I have seen individuals conquer lifelong fears of heights, open water swimming, confinement in tight dark places, snakes, spiders and even sharks while in Thailand expanding their adventure horizon. Somehow it seems easier to push your limits and achieve impossible feats when everyone is smiling at you and the food tastes so good. 

Finding your own adventure is easier when you feel good about yourself. Maintaining your health, keeping up your fitness level, pushing yourself to try and do new things like mountain biking or sea kayaking, or sometimes doing old things that you have not done in a while like yoga or strength training, allows you to have the freedom of choice when it comes to what type of adventures you want to have. Don't limit your choices by not being healthy and fit enough to participate in the adventures you have dreamed about having. Have your dreams, achieve your goals, and live your adventure.



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Welcome to Thai Multisport Endurance

Hello and Sawadee krup!

This blog is about the Multisport Lifestyle in Thailand. This blog is for people who like to run, bike, swim, climb, jump, train, race and play. This blog is for anyone who wants to race a 5K or 10K, finish a Half or Full Marathon, complete a Triathlon or an Adventure Race, become a Trail Runner or an Ultramarathoner. This blog will cover races and events in Thailand, training locations and plans, athlete profiles and coaches comments, along with my experiences and recommendations from 13 years of traveling and living, training and competing, in Thailand.

While I have been racing and training for over 35 years, I am new to blogging. I hope to provide entertaining, informative, and interesting topics for you to read about and do appreciate your comments, suggestions, and input on the blogs posted here. I will reference frequently the events and athletes of TBF Racing, the company which I run with my wife Worawan and my business partner Mark Shaw in California, that puts on 60 races a year for about 10,000 athletes. The passion, emotion, drive and sheer determination that is displayed at each and every multisport event is the same whether that race is in Granite Bay, California or at Lumpini Park in Bangkok. When I am in Thailand I will attend as many races as possible, while also detailing training, equipment and other multisport endurance topics about the Land of Smiles. While in California I will blog about upcoming races and events in Thailand and preview and review some of my favorite training locations.




Cheow Lan Lake in Khao Sok National Park



Thailand has many fantastic and famous events: the top two of which I have raced: the Bangkok Marathon and the Laguna Phuket Triathlon. There is an IRONMAN 70.3 race on Phuket along with the Phuket Marathon, an international triathlon and marathon on the island of Koh Samui, a Trail Run Series, at least two other half iron distance triathlons, lots of road races and 10Ks, cross country mountain bike races, some big name adventure races, and a running race almost every weekend at Lumpini Park in Bangkok. I will list the best and biggest events and races coming up and also provide training tips for athletes - either first time enthusiasts or experienced racers, getting ready for the events.

What I like most about Thailand is the abundance of natural beauty and nature - combined with an endurance workout, like a trail run from Mae Hong Son to Wat Chan, or a road bike ride from Sukhothai to Chiang Rai, or climbing Doi Pahom Pak on a mountain bike, or swimming from Koh Samui to Koh Phangan, or racing with a four-person relay team across the Isthmus of Kra, or riding through remote hill tribe villages on single track trails and log bridges along the Mekok River from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai, or completing the Railay Bay Adventure Race and then climbing the steps at Wat Tham Sua the next day in under 15 minutes. The people are freindly and kind, the food is delicious and healthy, the climate is warm, hot, or wet - never cold, and the opportunities for a happy and full multisport life are endless.

Sawadee krup and happy trails!

Bill

Mountain bike ride in Chiang Mai with Mountain Designs

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