On Day 4, I woke up at 4am.
I'm not that tired.
What's great is that the roads are flat every day.
Last year in Spain and Portugal, there were steep hills every day.
When climbing, the fatigue is concentrated in the arms, shoulders, back and upper body.
On the way down, I have to support the buggy with my legs to prevent it from going out of control, so my lower body get damaged.
Today I will run 44 km to Ninh Binh.
Yesterday, while I was running, local people sometimes called out to me, but I didn't understand Vietnamese so I just greeted them with "Xin Chao."
Yesterday, a boy in elementary school (around the lower grades) spoke to me in English.
It was a mundane conversation like "Where are you from? Where are you going?"
I only talked for a few minutes, but he left with a satisfied smile.
I started at 6:20am.
It was cloudy and the sky was hazy. It was cool and easy to run.
For a while, it was a quiet road along the river.
The mooncake-like sweets I bought yesterday are so delicious!
They contain goji berries, walnuts, and almonds, so they probably have a lot of calories...
I don't eat much Vietnamese food, but it's fun to find ingredients that aren't available in Japan at the supermarket.
At the entrance to Phu Ly, two people gave me two bottles of water each.
One was a truck driver, through the car window.
The other was a young girl at a street stall.
Their smiles gave me energy. Thank you!
I ran 12 kilometers and got back on Asian Highway 1.
There was also a huge roundabout, which was full of thrills.
I sprinted through the roundabout, but the light turned red and a large truck honked its horn at me (lol).
One wrong step and it's a hellish highway! (lol)
I ran silently and there were only 18 kilometers left.
Monotonous roads are the kind of roads where I can lose myself and just keep running.
Apart from the dust, noise, danger and bad air, it was quite comfortable (lol).
14km left, it was getting hot so I took a rest at a street stall.
I was recommended a Red Bull, so I tried it.
I was glad they put ice in it.
My whole body was covered in dust while I was running.
I think my lungs would be damaged if I stayed on the road all day.
I can't take off my neck gaiter, even though it makes it hard to breathe.
If I run 30km in the morning, I feel a little better in the afternoon.
If I run 50km, I run 20km in the afternoon, and if it's the distance of a full marathon, I run about 12km in the afternoon.
On hot days, I especially want to extend my distance in the morning.
After 2:30pm, I arrived at the hotel in Ninh Binh after running 43.1km.
It was quite hot and I was feeling a bit exhausted.
It seems that my body is not yet used to traveler mode and the heat.
Three-quarters of the journey today was on the Asian Highway.
I still have a long way to go to get to know Vietnam.
I had pho at a restaurant a short walk from the hotel.
It was my first time eating pho since coming to Vietnam, and it was very refreshing and delicious.
Next, I moved to a cafe for a Vietnamese coffee. The sweetness of condensed milk was a great way to soothe my tired body.
*Today's distance: 43.1 km Total distance from Noi Bai International Airport: 114.9 km
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