Enjoying life in Thailand
PHUKET, Thailand — Jay Larimore describes himself as “a minimalist” who enjoys simple living.
That's why he says living in Thailand “suits me just fine.”
The 1994 Butler graduate and marathon runner has been living abroad for more than a year now. He teaches a hot yoga class six days a week.
“I went to a yoga teacher training (in Thailand) in 2016 to become a hot yoga instructor,” Larimore said. “I did this because it's helped me with marathon training, injury prevention, strength and balance.
Larimore met his eventual girlfriend, Koy, while over there. He returned from the states to visit her and “made the decision to give living abroad a chance.
“I've been over here a year now and don't regret it one bit. The culture and lifestyle over here is very casual and laid back,” he said.
Larimore trained for the recent Sydney Marathon in Australia while in Thailand. It was his first marathon since running the Boston Marathon in 2014.
Formerly a Colorado resident, Larimore had to adapt from training in high altitude to training in Thailand's hot weather.
“The heat and humidity is no joke. It's brutal, to be honest,” Larimore said.
“My training consists of around 60 to 70 miles per week, tempo runs, speed workouts, hill repeats, hot yoga, steam room and ice baths for recovery ... and massage, of course, because they're only $6 in Thailand.”
He trained six days a week and allowed for one day of rest and recovery.
And it worked.
Larimore ran a career-best two hours, 54 minutes and 48 seconds in the Sydney Marathon. He placed 94th out of 4,700 runners and qualified for next year's Boston Marathon.
His first marathon was in Arizona in 2005 and he ran a 3:22. His time in the 2014 Boston Marathon was 2:59.13.
Larimore's goal for the 2019 Boston Marathon is to break 2:50.
“I truly believe I can do that,” he said. “That's what I'm aiming for. Also, I'd like to bring Koy to the states to meet my family and see what this event is all about.”
Larimore said he went to Australia to run the marathon because “I've always wanted to visit and I knew people from yoga teacher training who live there I wanted to visit with. It's truly a beautiful country.”
Now 43, Larimore says his long term goals are to continue living simple and easy.
“Maintain health and wellness and create valuable relationships with people from all over the world,” he said of his future endeavors. “After Boston, I've been considering an ultra trail race on the U.S., either a 50-mile race or a 100-miler.
“I'm definitely most proud of qualifying for Boston again in Australia, going into this race uncertain and much older. It's such a mental game. If that's dialed in, you are one step ahead.”
