First half marathon completed!
2010.07.13. 10:16 poraten
In March I remember telling you that I apologized for not having written in a long time but that the lack of writing had nothing to do with a lack of training. Unfortunately the same does not apply right now.
During the past months I managed to go for a run no more than once, which was the one miracle time that I managed to drag myself out for a 10km run around Vondelpark. The motivating factor was that a friend had asked me how fast I run 10km and I answered around 55 min, and he proudly announced that he managed to do it in 50 min the other day. My competitive instinct took over and of course I had to prove that I could do the same (which, for the record, I could but exhaustedly collapsed on the kitchen floor when I got home!).
Apart from that one time, I have either had plans in the evenings or simply made up those typical excuses of why I shouldn't run today:
- it's raining (very good one! although -10 degrees and snow didn't stop me in January so this excuse is highly questionable!)
- I just ate (true, but I could have just had a banana before the run if I was hungry and then have my proper dinner afterwards, so once again a very questionable excuse)
- I promised to call my friend (really, do I have to do this NOW and not an hour later?)
- I could get back my shin injury (likely, but there is only one way to find out i.e. by running!)
- I don't feel like it (definitely the most truthful excuse)
Even the fact that June 12, the date for my first half marathon, was quickly approaching did not change my lazy behaviour. As such I ended up flying to Copenhagen last Friday to do my run the next day from Denmark to Sweden with hardly any preparation before hand. I wasn't even nervous and had more the mentality "let's see how it goes".
Mom had cooked a wonderful pasta dish the night before the race, however my attempt to have a non-alcoholic week had failed miserably already on the Monday and was further followed by drinking a glass (or two) of red wine on Friday when I arrived home to my parents. It may not be good for my running but it definitely felt good for my taste buds (and I've also heard a glass of red wine is good for the heart ;) ).
So Saturday June 12 arrived and I took the train to Copenhagen Strandpark where the race was going to start. Heavy rain and winds dominated the day so bringing the water proofs was a given. Luckily during the 2 hours of the race the sun came out! 30,000 participants gathered in the park making it quite difficult to find my Danish colleagues who were going to run the race as well. At 15:00 we had to line up in our start groups (I had registered for the 2:00-2:15 one) and slowly we started marching towards the start line which I crossed at 16:20, i.e. 20 min after the start of the race.
First we had to run through a 4km tunnel which turned into a sauna due to the amount of people and no winds, it was by far the worse part of the run. Never have I appreciated fresh air as much as after those dreadful 24 min in the tunnel! This was followed by a 4 km on Pepparholmen, an artiificial island that was created when the bridge was built between Sweden and Denmark and a long ascending road up to the top of the bridge. The bridge itself is 8km and from there on we ran 5 km on Swedish mainland finishing just outside Malmö.
From a running perspective it felt like I was born to do nothing else than run! Perhaps it was the people around me triggering my competitiveness or the adrenalin from running my first half marathon, but irrespective I had so much energy to use. My target was to run in 2 hours, however after 10km I realised that, unless my body failed me for some injury, I would break two hours keeping my current speed.
The only time I started feeling tired was when passing the 19km sign, but by then I was so close to the end that I decided to just bite the sour apple (Swedish expression) and continue, although I did slow down a bit. The cheering from the crowd also helped keeping the spirit up and I crossed the finish line with a time of 1 hr 54 min and 29 seconds finishing on the 1168th place for women (out of almost 9,000)!
Very very pleased with myself, although I cannot deny the fact that I walked like a 90 year old lady the next day suffering from sore muscles. So worth it though!!
The lack of training worked well for this time, however I will not apply the same approach for the actual competition against my colleague for the half marathon in Amsterdam in October! By that I will for sure have more regular running updates for you during the summer!
14 komment
Címkék: malmö sweden experience half marathon
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angelday 2010.07.13. 10:18:26
Ketszeri 2010.07.13. 12:32:05
Congrats!
Nannycsuri 2010.07.13. 14:22:20
FutoBolond 2010.07.13. 16:42:17
BGy · http://babosi.blog.hu 2010.07.13. 18:17:24
@poraten: congratulation! Thanks to the EU nobody asked you to show your passport on the bridge. :))
poraten 2010.07.13. 18:53:55
I just hope I can keep up the good spirit for the "real" race in October.....!!
/laki Gy." 2010.07.15. 14:55:23
Proaten do u come in Septemeber Nike Budapest half Maraton?
monerd2 2010.07.16. 18:33:35
no way in hell that I'd be able to do a 1:54 half marathon right now and I've been training a lot!
monerd2 2010.07.16. 18:38:20
doncii · http://doncii.blogspot.com 2010.07.19. 05:55:42
I felt exactly the same after my first Half, something changed there, nothing was the same after. Keep the spirit and do not forget the taste of victory. It's yours, you deserve it :)
BGy · http://babosi.blog.hu 2010.07.19. 16:05:01
poraten 2010.07.19. 19:00:09
It was a great feeling for sure!!
and thank you for the invitation to Nike Half Marathon in Budapest, although I will have to decline the invite as September is fully booked with friends coming to visit me..... Good Luck to all you runners though :)
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