Race Report – Göteborg Marathon – 2017/10/14

Planned: training-race. Easy long run. Go for the medal and no bother on the time.

Actual: 3:14:22 – 4th women, 2nd age category in Swedish Championships Masters Marathon (silver medal), 1st or 2nd in District Championships (unsure – tbc). Quite ok for the place and nailing the podium. But time-wise… no comment…

Two-loops route, used usually for training. Windy, not very much but enough to be annoying throughout. Went for the place, definitely not for the time. OK ending 😛

Race Results:
place (M/W) 4
place (age) 2 (Silver medal 🙂 )

Total 49 all runners

Age/grade: 73.84% (2017 Hamburg 74.08 / Tokyo 78.07 / 2016 Amsterdam 79.9 / Ferrara 78.2 / Dubai 73.83 / 2015 NYC 75.93 / 2015 WMAC 74,99 / 2014 Chicago 75.97 / Stockholm 76.76 / Rotterdam 78.43 / Dubai 77.74 / 2013 Berlin 75.74/Stockholm:73.1/Boston:72.19/Dubai: 72.35/2012 Berlin:68.29/SF:65.66/London:66.47/Dubai:66.6)
time total (gun) 03:14:22

time total (brutto) 03:14:22

average pace: 4:36min/km… distance-pace…no comment!

Garmin non-official splits:

Split	Time	Time (split)	Pace (min/km)	km/h
5 km	00:21:01	21:01	04:12	ok
10 km	00:43:12	21:11	04:14	Still ok
15 km	01:05:51	22:38	04:32	slow-comfortable
20 km	01:28:40	22:49	04:34	slow
Half (21.1km)	01:33:xx?
25 km	01:51:43	23:04	04:37	What is happening?
30 km	02:15:01	23:18	04:40	Euuuuhhh…distance workout?
35 km	02:38:08	23:06	04:37	Morning run pace…
40 km	03:03:14	25:06(!!!)	05:01(!!!)	Euuuuhhhh….what?!?!?
42.2km	03:14:22	11:08…	05:04…	Seriously???…

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M Day-8-to-5

Trip to Bucharest. The marathon planned for October 8 was postponed one week later due to another event this same weekend. Could unfortunately not change travel plan for the race. Hence getting there, training 2 days under heavy rain, no visit, alone, bad sleep and then back home on the Monday. Finally marathon-week…

M Day -4

Last session. Rehearsal with race outfit for 5K at expected marathon-pace and 3*4min slightly faster. The marathon pace part went fine but heavy at the end. Did not really want to push much, trained on the race route to get even more miles there. The minutes-intervals went… ok. Too fast pace for the first one, but with a comfortable effort, MP for the second one (including a hill up), and slightly above MP-effort for the last one. Nothing boosting the confidence. But settling in the objective being “make it to the podium and don’t bother the time”. As Micke said “if the elites can jog during championships, why can’t we amateurs do the same?” 🙂 Rehearsal outfit definitely convinced me to skip the singlet and go for as little clothes as possible. The wind might be an issue, but once again, there had been enough training in windy conditions to feel enough-prepared. Run done in the evening after work… The choice was easy: waking up at 5-ish and seeing a “2ºC” on the weather-channel made me keep the head on the pillow and move the workout to the evening. Better weather conditions in the evening, but felt tired after workday… Cannot have it all! Massage in the evening after completing the workout. Evening with friend. Relaxed but feeling a bit sluggish with this no-carb day. What should one do really to get herself in the mood for running???…

M Day-3

Way-too-early up this day… Felt that I had barely slept (which I probably did). Drag myself out despite the drizzle and light cold, as this was the only chance I had during the day to get this workout done. Yeaaaahhh… I know… Marathon week… one workout less is always better than one too many…. But for sure this morning felt like a bad option. Have never had before the thought of “why on earth am I doing out there when I could still be in my bed”… Well, ok. Had probably this thought before, but not that hard feeling of “this is actually a bad choice to be out there”. Felt fine after a hot shower though. Long day at work. And tired in the evening…. Positive of the day? CARBOLOADING started!!! F.i.n.a.l.l.y!!!

M Day-2

Rest day… Nothing really fun, but after the too-early start the day before, a sleep-in until 6:30am, felt like luxury! Working as usual. Meetings back-to-back were probably not the smartest for race preparation, but once again, with the objective for this race that felt almost “ok” with lack of preparation. This is as well what happens when running on home routes. The excitement related to the race never reach the level of a race somewhere requiring travel… Ate a 2 portions-spaghetti bolognese at home, drank 2 bottles of sport-drink… Felt so high on sugar during all day that headaches came to visit about half way through the afternoon… Wonderful preparation… The heavy rains of the night and day as well as the storm-like winds of this day made me questioned (once…) why on earth I had signed up for this particular race… Nothing as stubborn as a long-distance runner…

M Day-1

Definitely feeling the need to run when waking up on this Friday. Too early still, windy only, jumped into shorts and tshirt and took an easy and short leg shaking. Felt good enough. Would have gladly run longer and faster, but that was not the day. Work all day and then the evening came. Carbo-loading working well (maybe still too high on sugar…). Prepared my bottles for the race, with flags and nice cheering words on them. Sport-drink chosen was the Maurten, which I have tested during summer. Felt fine and was thinking, why not? Had planned last food intake around 2-3pm, but finally took a bagel later in the evening. Felt far from “I am going to race tomorrow”, but would do the best of the situation…

M DAY!!!!

At last!!!! Race days have this little something special, which has to be experienced to understand…

Before the race

07:00am – Awaken since a while, but decided to remain in bed as long as possible. Up for breakfast (chia seeds, green mix, Gatorade (2dl) and Maurten sport drink, orange juice, a bagel with honey). And back to bed…

7:30am – Drinking every 30minutes as it should be. Heading to the shower for the longest and warmest shower ever taken before a marathon. Stop the drinking @8:30am. Testing this bladder again… Felt as ready as one can be. Body cream, fixing the hair, warming gel on the legs and anti-chaffing cream on the top (thighs, under HR band, lower back and armpit). Racing gear on (ADIDAS Shorts Response black, Casall sports bra MIK, ADIDAS MIK singlet (to be removed in case it would be too warm), black arm sleeves, Compressport calve sleeves and ADIDAS Adizero Adios Boost Purple (Swifty)). Sunglasses on the top of the head before leaving. The skies were looking grey-ish and not really fun, felt windy but at least it was not a combo of heavy rain-stormy wind-and-cold temperatures… Mp3 ready with Icarus song added the day before… Just in case… 2 gels in my back pocket just in case the bottles would not work.
Finished to fill-in my race bottles, throw a bit of everything in my sport bag, long easy pants and MIK jacket on before leaving. Now it was time. Felt more like a Sunday run out there…

8:48am – Cannot wait any longer. Closing the door and heading towards the tram. Still thinking that taking the tram is the laziest thing to do today, as getting to the start would probably take 15minutes with real easy jogging… Anyway…

9:15am – Getting to Friidrottens Hus to pickup my BIB. As this is the Swedish championships masters for marathon, the ones participating to it will also have an age-tag in the back. Smiling when the gal giving me my BIB is also taking a K35-tag 😛 Nope. Liiiittle older this time 🙂 Meeting with Stefan vdB, getting a pen to write my name on the BIB. Chat with Anette K who ran in Wroclaw (where I could not 😦 ) but today is not feeling on the top of her form. Dropping my bottles. Very professional arranged! A box for each water station. My bottles are nicely marked already and get a little place in each box. Heading to the locker rooms. Can borrow a lock and hop! I can leave my stuff inside instead of outside 🙂 Not fully feeling that a race is going to be started soon. But ok. Visit to the loo. Then more anti-chaffing cream. Anette sets my age-tag on the back of my sports bra. And I am ready. And there is still so much time to wait…

10:15am – Off with the easy pants and jacket. Keeping my MIK tshirt and out for an attempt to warmup. Meeting right away Mikael from Lerum and plan to just follow him and his expected MP 4:20/30. Then I see the best-and-only Robban. 🙂 Enough time for a hug and then getting my music in the ears and of course it starts… raining… Yeaaaah… Not much, light drizzle, but enough. 2Km jog on the race route and that’s enough. Back to the locker room. Getting to the loo one more time… trying to set my head into race-mode. Meeting Karin S, who plans to cruise to the finish line at 4:20-pace, which is as well suiting me well.

10:45am – Out again. Meeting MIK-Gunnar and taking off my MIK tshirt so he was kind enough to keep it during the race. Trying to find the other K40-gal who I need to keep an eye on. Nowhere to be found 😦

10:51am – In the corral… No gal in the front though… Only tall and fast guys. Fun to be there anyway 🙂 Meeting Staffan S, who looks good to go!

10:57am – Checking once again my shoe laces. Noticing a gal on my left and here she is 🙂

10:58am-ish – Ooooook! Now we should really start to run… Because I am soooo ready… Or not at all… a bit unsure actually… Hearing a final “good luck” from Staffan. Got a smile from Tricky on his way into the corral a little behind…. When are they going to drop this ribbon in front of us?!?!?…

THE RACE

First half

11:00am – BAAAAM! Cannot really get that this is a real start. Feeling my legs moving, my feet starting to get to a running rhythm, seeing the fastandcrazy guys moving forward. The start is in the stadium, and we have 300m-ish on the track before we leave the arena. The K40-gal is right behind me at the exit. Hearing a cheering on my name right after leaving. And the focus is just falling into the full body. The music set to “May-2012” should bring me to km28-29, before I need more music-kicks 🙂 Gravel, not liking it, then light up on the asphalt and then down. And we are already on the cycle path. Wet there. Light wind, but there are people around me, so it is ok. Passing the first km in 4:07. All fine. Does not feel fast, had drunk a couple of glups from my Gatorade red and dropped the bottle halfway. So it feels nice to run. Getting up the little slope and then it feels like a Sunday run. With way more people than usual. Had been passed by Karin S right after km1 and by Martina H (K40-gal). But does not matter. There are 42.2km on this race and now I know that everything can happened during this time on the road, especially during the second half and final 10km… Passed by Mikael T and it looks good, but a bit fast for me. So I keep my own pace. By mid-way to the first water-station, seeing the best smile in the world from Gabriel 🙂 Not really possible to talk at this moment, but we promise each other to meet at the end of the race for catching up 🙂 Cool! Best way to meet people I know is to get into a race!!! Have no clue about my pace, quick check when grabbing my first bottle @km4 indicate 4:13, which is what I wanted. Especially because soon after is coming the dreadful slope of Järnbrottsmotet (Yeas, I hate it during training and even more now I am running it during a race….). Taking it slower than I should on the way up, but once again, the objective of the day is not to let gals passing me and make it to the podium. Kept my bottle in the hand until I get to km5-ish. It felt that drinking at km4 would be too early in the race. This also meant I would run a km with a slope up, with my bottle in the hand. Concessions have to be made sometimes… Having had Johanna J from Solvikingarna right before me since the km2 stretch onwards, and I know she can beat me on the half marathon. Not much but enough. So I decided to keep close to her as much as I can and as long as I can. Getting the next km under the feet feels nothing like being in a race. Feeling focused, thanks to the gal ahead of me, but I know I could run faster, but I just don’t do it. Why?!?!? Passing my “8km-mark-from-home” which is “5.5ish km for the race”. I just know this road so well. And here I see coach Ulf F, smiling and cheering on the side 🙂 I am alone at this time, Johanna J has drifted a bit further, but I feel fine. Music in the ears, cheering from the volunteers on the side waving and telling me I am fourth women. Yiiiihoooo! And it just continue. Running this Sunday-long-run on a Saturday with hundreds of other crazy runners. The weather is nice, if it wasn’t for the wind. Passing Askimsbadet and getting to the km-stretch where the wind is always so vicious. Thinking of last week run, when I trained there and saw Sara H and Yannick T. Feeling fine. Reaching km8 and swearing a bit as my “km8-bottle” is laying down on the table. Tricky to pick it, throwing the flag and running along. More cheering and smiling at the water-station helpers. Getting to the annoying wind-sensitive-along-the-sear part. This one is short (400m?) but can be SOOOOO scary when the wind is over 30km/h from the sea… which is not the case today though. A car is passing by my side and its stupid driver is actually…accelerating! On this route where people are running obviously! A very nice guy cheering on the side gets very angry at him and shout to slow down. So he gets a smile from me and a big thanks! This drinking in little bottles is not working well. Not the sport-drink itself, but those small bottles have only a regular cork, which means that I cannot open, drink and leave it opened without getting sport-drink on my hands… Sticky hands since km5-ish and it just gets worse now. Run run run… feels like bla bla bla… Still seeing Johanna not too far… had had another gal in red-ish singlet close-by but after passing me she stopped to take off here extra long sleeves… What was it I say?…. So many found it strange (read “probably crazy”?) when I got to the starting line in sports bra and shorts, but at least I knew how it would be during the race. Around km9, got passed by a gal in blue singlet. No age-tag in the back. Meaning she is not in the Swedish championships. But this also means I am dropping from my 4^th place 😦 And soon after, the red-ish singlet gal is passing me. Looking good, until I spot her “K40” on the back…. Noooooo! Not another one! Still on the way to the turning point, so the placing ain’t to be deemed to remain as it is… Seeing the first crazyfast marathoners coming from the other direction. Good. This means not too long before the turn. Meeting Henrik S-MIK from our club relay-team. I thought I would meet him later, which means I am a bit slower than I thought I would be. Still no idea of the pace. I am running comfortably and yes, probably too comfortably…. Seeing Marina H, cheering for her, seeing Karin S, getting a smile. And soon it is the turning point. Confirming that I am at the 6^th place total and 3^rd for my age category in the Championships. No gal close to me though after the turning. Good 😛 One stretch done, 3 to go! OMG, what I don’t like to run on this stretch. I would rather run a long 21km-stretch along the sea-side and then turn back. Like during training. I feel that I’m gonna die of boredom by running 4 times this same stretch… Running back “home” is just going fine. Slower, but ok. I am alone. No one really to hang with. Had quickly dropped my hands into a water puddle around km11-ish. Was so annoyed with my sticky hands… Meeting Tricky not far from me after the turning point. And then seeing Lars and Björn Suneson. Reaching my 13km-bottle and at the same time seeing the bike preceding the crazyfast half-marathon runners…. Well, the first one was just crazy fast. Stormy-Olle. Wow!… So my plan to ensure that I would reach halfway of my race before the fast halfmarathoners are reaching me felt a bit tougher than thought. For sure they started 30 minutes after us, but still… Seeing Sweco Loco runner and then Christopher-MIK. Searching for Patrik B, but not seeing him in the crazyfast batch and definitely not expecting him in the fast batch. Stopping to look after a while. Just smiling along. Giving a few cheers. Seeing the crazy fast Annelie J surrounded by guys. Not far behind Anna H-MIK… OK. Focus on your race now. More cheering from the volunteers. Drifting a bit and the pace I reached feels almost embarrassing for a race… Trying to get a bit up the speed on the way down. Had been drinking @km15, and indeed I confirm to myself that running with a bottle in the hand is NOT something I like and definitely NOT something I am good at. But I have fun in the running down after km15…. before reaching the little tunnel and the slope towards Järnbrottsmotet. I decided to actually take 5 walking steps and then run. This allows me to catch up with the runners who did run all the way up. From now on, the race-feeling is almost gone. Down the slope and getting my km18-bottle. A bit of a kick when drinking it. I really HATE this stretch of 3km forward: it goes slightly up and I never can get up to speed during training. Well… that is not fully true. I CAN get up to speed, but the feeling is almost always that I am slow like a snail….or an elephant with three legs…or a combo of both… And it does not miss this time neither. Remember last year race when I was there and just cheering. Thanking very much all the people who are on the side and cheering. Have now caught up with Johanna J and I am pretty determined to pass the half-way right before here. Question of (stupid) principle. She is running well, but can see that her steps are a bit slower. Still looking comfortable though. Passing her before km20 and the downhill. When I have the feeling that I am pressing a bit more. Probably I am not even accelerating, but at least the head is in a good place and the mood is fine. I can see the stadium. I just wish it would be for the last time today. Down the slope, up the little one. Meeting the fast marathoners has been for a short while already. Too warm with my arm sleeves, I have taken them off and on the way up the slope I see Stefan vdB and throw them to him. He will put them on the table he said. Martina H is met when my watch indicate 1:31:xx… and I am still outside the stadium…, Karin S, seeing a smiling Gabriel and that is all I needed. Accelerating on the gravel, passing the grinds, hearing the cheering Robban who receives a waving from me and final 100m stretch…. Yiiiihoooo! No idea what snail-pace I have but at least I am 5^th on the half-way line! Two stretches done, two to go!

Second half

Grabbing my 21.1km-bottle, tearing off the gel from it and getting myself ready. Hearing Robban’s voice at the end of the stadium aaaaaand I’m on my own again. In with the gel…. Yummy! Water to top it. Throwing the bottle before heading down to the little slope. OMG this feels good! I am running like a lazy snail on a Sunday outing and still feeling fine! Wonderful smile and hands clapping on the way down and then the little up. Passing km22, and the slope up and I feel wonderful. 🙂 Seeing Gabriel coming from the other direction… The brain is so crazy slow to note this and thinks that I have reached the turning point… ALREADY?!?!? Lovely smile I receive and a “too much wind, I stop”-like. Try to get him to follow me, as at the pace I am having, it won’t hurt him a bit 😛 But he answers he will head back to the stadium…. Feeling a bit sad for not seeing him later on on the route, but there are more km to cover. Focus again. Wind is there. From km23 I just cheer on each and every runner who is coming from the other direction… Tell me about this focus again??? I take time to read (almost) all the names on the BIBs, if too tricky they get a “come on guys” or “Go girls”. And just for the smiles they gave back, I think it is worth ruining my pace and my final time for this race. As long as I don’t fall from the podium… Getting to km25 and my bottle. Taking it right away. I can feel that the gel has been giving some extra energy. Loooooooving it…. and here comes the slope of Järnbrottsmotet again… I take two walking steps. OMG I am SOOOOO LAZY! And alone… And down the slope and I continue my cheering. It might look like I am doing a separate race. Really. And towards the long stretch to km27-28-29… Why am I just running on my own?!?!? There I recognize the runner ahead. Mikael T. Looking like there is a bit of trouble in the running kingdom… Trying to have him to follow. Getting a smile back, but it looks very much in pain. But still fighting. So I continue on my own. Right after Askimsbadet and the “km14-mark-in-the-other-direction” here he comes!!! The fastest guy on the marathon race. Look actually crazy fast to me and he does not even looking like he is running a marathon, but a 5km tempo. REALLY cool! Almost as cool as meeting the winner @km30 of Rotterdam when he was passing his km40 🙂 Back to my race. Long stretch with the side wind from the sea. Had been cheering on IronMan-Mattias since km27.5. Being right before and hoping he will get before me for helping a bit at some points. Reaching the water-station km29…and MISSING MY BOTTLE!!!! So I actually stop and take a few steps back. Ironman-Mattias is passing me. OMG I am not happy with this. Throwing the little flag and waiting to have reached km30 before drinking. Gel and water. But the euphoria from passing the mid-point has passed now. I want it to stop. I want a gel. Another one. Something to sharpen my focus. Increase my motivation towards faster pace. I want to get a push from someone. I see a guy with a green singlet and I remember he was following pretty close the gal in blue singlet during the second stretch. OK. Let’s get close to him. Let’s pass him. And…. aaaaahhhh! I don’t like this… He is actually slightly accelerating after I passed him and putting himself so extremely close behind me, feels like I can hear his breathing despite my music in the ears. I tell him to pass me, but he says he is fine there. Yeaaaaah! For you! Not for me!!! So I try to run a bit in zigzag, trying to accelerate a little. I don’t want to slow down as I can feel that I must have reached a distance-pace already… Seeing the two first ladies in the other direction. Trying to calculate the number of minutes ahead they have, but my brain feels like mashed potatoes and calculation are NOT working in this head of mine. I push a little more. I see the turning point. Jon-MIK is here and has finished his stretch for the relay and cheers loudly 🙂 I want it to be finished there. WHY didn’t I register for the relay-team? For stretch 1, 2, 3 and 4? Only a long and stupid 10.6km left… Seeing Mikael T after the turning point. And he has been moving along. Yeaaaaah! Meeting Tricky who kindly throwing me a “looking still strong!”. And then Lars and Björn and plenty of other who have been cheered after I left the stadium. Just loving the gals showing “thumbs up” or “go girl, you rock”. Adoring the guys smiling larger than life and all this is just making me not running faster but making me happier. I am at the fourth place I think. I have seen the two first and then the blue singlet Therese. But could not see the red singlet K40-chick. Knowing I haven’t passed her, this means that either I missed her before the turning point or she has dropped off the race. FOOOOOOOOCUS! I want to stop. I am not tired, but soooooo bored to run here… Getting to km34 and almost last bottle. Cannot feel that I need MORE energy, but different energy. Gosh I haaaaaate this stretch. I hated it the first time and I hate it DOUBLE this second time… Even though it means I am closed to the end. Passing Askimsbadet and from there it takes a LOOOOOOT to get me keeping a tempo which is NOT a slow-comfortable-distance pace. Have stopped looking at my watch since a while. Have no reference for my possible finish time. Looking behind me: no chick. Looking before me: no chick. So that is pretty simple choice: just move this left foot in front of this right foot and get to the end. No chick will pass you during those last 5km. Reaching the stupid Järbrottsmotet slope, I decide I am in training and walk up a short bit. Then run up and then walk and run up. This allows me to actually pass a couple of guys. And then down and then to the final water-station. Km38 and my final bottle. Had taken out my liquid gel from my back pocket. There, it has been feeling a bit scratchy since a while and I really don’t want to think about the reason for this scratching feeling… Running with the gel in one hand. Water on the hair. Had listened to Icarus since right after the turning point… Cutting these final 10.6km into buckets of 8+minutes. It does not work well as I have no idea how fast/slow I run. But this gives a boost every time I start the music again. Taking the gel. Feeling a bit of a boost, but nothing compared to my red gel. Missing it today. There is not much left. Passing a guy from Lerum. Cheering. Another guy with a black singlet. Cheering. When there are 3km left or so, I am dead bored. This is not a race. I am actually alone here and I can see two guys a bit ahead and 2 a bit behind. WHERE ARE ALL THE OTHERS?!?!? So I walk. For 20m or so… and then press the pace for a while until almost the end of the km. And then walking again for 10m or so and then pressing again the pace… OMG… I feel like I am running a bad intervals-workout… And indeed a guys passing me, looking pretty tired asks what I am doing, that I cannot run intervals at the end of a marathon and looking still fit. Reaching the final 1.5km. I see the stadium. Seeing the first gal in the stadium. Getting some cheering from here 🙂 And I accelerate in the downhill. And then this stupid little up… AGAIN… Walking a few steps… Cheering from the volunteer in the corner. Passing the guy in blue singlet, headwind there and yes I still hate it. But now it is the end. Down and gravel and in the stadium. Finally. Less than 100m. Indecently accelerating. Hearing my name. Seeing the poor time I will record on this finish line. Doesn’t matter. Time was not the point today. But it is still always is a little, right?. Finish line. And that’s it. Finished.

Official time received later: 3:14.22…

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After the finish line

Walking a bit. Receiving my medal. Seeing Staffan S and getting a sweaty hug. Walking a bit around. Disappointed for the time, even though it was not the aim for today. This could have been run outside a race on a Sunday morning. Drinking some sport-drink (beurk!) and coke (yummy). Not able to eat on the food proposed unfortunately (butter, cinnamon… nothing for me). And that’s it. Walking a bit around. Getting my stuff in the locker-room, and outside again. Congratulating Tricky and then Mikael T. Should I even wait for the podium? After this rubbish run/time? Meeting with the MIK-relay guys, who won their category without too many effort. While waiting, getting off my race outfit and seeing a very bad burn mark on the left hip, from the chaffing of the gels I had in the back pocket… Wonderful… I definitely won’t take a shower here at the stadium and will wait for home. Getting into dry clothes and other shoes. After a while it is time for podium. Getting a nice 2^nd place and silver. Waiting more to see the podium with the guys relay. And then time to get back home.

Rubbish race-time. Just have to get over with it. At least the body is aching like after a long run. And hopefully it will be well tomorrow… Walking the 3km back home. Cleaning carefully the burn marks on the hip, the lower back and due to the HR band and then rest with legs up for a while. Walk in the afternoon and “celebrating” with a burger and fries. Looking at my medal back at home… OK, I’m happy 🙂 Good to have done this race before the undetermined rest starting on Monday. No more race planned for 2017… but a good 2018-race plan under discussion 😛

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Weather: 12.2°C, cloudy, Feels like 12.2°C, 21 kph W wind, 100% humidity. Probably good temperature for running, but this wind… this wind…

Food:
> before: chia porridge with green mix and gatorade, orange juice , bagel with honey, Maurten sportdrink (5dl?) (7:am) Little bottle of red juice 2 hours before

> right after: 2 glass of sportdrink + 2 glasses of coke.

> 3.5 hours after: burger, French fries, Coke.

> During: gatorade red right after start, Maurten sport drink 160 @km5-15-25, 320 @km10-35, Aptonia gel (salted butter/caramel) @km29. Powergel apple @km21.1. Coffeine Powergel at km39. Sportenine @start & hour 1 & 2.

Gear: ADIDAS Shorts Response black, Casall sports bra MIK, ADIDAS MIK singlet (to be removed in case it would be too warm), black arm sleeves, Compressport calve sleeves and ADIDAS Adizero Adios Boost Purple (Swifty). Sunglasses. Shoes very good for the job.
> extra clothes dropped before start: MIK tshirt

=> Perfect outfit? Absolutely! Had decided that only snow or real cold temperatures would make me run in singlet. The wind was not cold to make the stomach hurt, which was good. The shorts were working fine, but…OMG! Why on Earth is that inside pocket not working for having a gel and not creating chaffing?!?! This is not the first time I have those shorts and not the first time I have gels there. And this HR-band… what is WRONG with it?!?! Probably to skip the HR-band for the next race or have another one. For the gels… still searching…

15/ A pity I did not press a little more. Was in better shape than before Hamburg (I think), but this wind… Had a similar boring-slow pace as in Hamburg, but during the last 10K this just went from bad to worse… Not because it was painful or I was tired, but pure boredom and impossible to re-focus into a “race mode”. But that’s ok. I was expecting this would happen on this particular race and route…

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SUMMARY: Once again, the results got well-aligned with the expectations. Nothing more really. Just getting out there and running. Weather was as expected as well (windy) and the route… well… the same as during training… So the conclusions are very simple: Yes it is possible to run a Sunday long run on a Saturday and as long as a marathon, and still feeling fine the day after. Yes it was quite disappointing to get this rubbish time even though it was in the plan. Yes I am not fully happy. Yes it should have been on the highest place of the podium with not much more effort. Let’s close this 2017-season with still a nice ranking on the Swedish level and age category. Forced rest for a while to solve some physical issues and then get ready for the next season. Worse case scenario…there will still be some running possible 🙂

There is alway more races… Italy and France should be kind to me next year, right? 🙂

LOTS of thanks for the support and cheering during the preparation. Especially as the running had been non-existent during summer months due to knee problem and therefore had to cancel the participation to two main races I had in plan after summer. If the wind would have been a bit more clement today, that would have helped… or not.

Huge thanks for all the runners who cheered along the course or smiled or just clapped their hands. This is SO giving extra strengths and happiness. Cannot be explained. Have to be experienced 🙂

Lots of loving thanks to my little ones, not so little, who still considered that being on the second place of the podium after a “Sunday run-paced race” was not too bad. Being silver medalist in the Swedish Championships masters was a great achievement in their eyes (and mine 🙂 ).

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A few “after-race thoughts”

NOTE: Body check? A bit stiff at the end and while waiting for the medal. But I would count this as normal: had to wait, did not get back home before way later than planned and seriously… I should have eaten a banana or two after the race probably… The body felt well throughout the run, which made me happy. The stupid problem with the left knee in July was totally nonexistent. The gigantic blisters which came with the new insoles were no longer in the way a week or two before the race, which was good. Hips felt ok. Knees felt ok. Apart from the chaffing burns, all good!

NOTE: Warmup? As usual… nothing to be done really before such a race. It was nice to be able to run a 2km right before, but unsure whether it made a difference or not. Should have done some strides a bit after. But once again… warmup before a marathon?… There are about 21km at the beginning of the race to get warmed up enough… lol

NOTE: Energy/refueling during the race? As usual, it was very nice to have one’s own bottles along the route. Chose to try Maurten and I guess it can be a good option… if it wasn’t for the small bottles used today which were handy during training but not at all during the race. Sticky hands were annoying. Throughout. Gels taken were all fine and work well. The small messages on each bottle did the tricky, also it worked a bit better in Hamburg where I read all of them. This time, I read only half and did not really bother the others… A bit tricky though to have the water-stations placed every 4km-ish and not every 5km…

NOTE: Beetroot loading? Not done this time. No need for a training-race really.

NOTE: then…gels in the back pocket of the shorts? Had 2 there and seriously, I was a bit concerned before starting, but had tested it during training and never had a problem. Major burn after the race. Hence, will not have gels there next time!

NOTE: …and no gel in sport bra in the front/back? Yihoooo! Skipping the chaffing issue this time! At this place at least…

NOTE: Gothenburg marathon is hereby the most boring route marathon I have ever run 😛 VERY well-arranged event. It is just the route that I really don’t like.

NOTE: Post-marathon recovery on-going and working well. Sunday off with a long walk. Monday travel for surgery. Full easy-recovery planned for the rest of the week at least. With no training at all. Will see how this works…

Looking forward to new adventures …soon…

 

October 14, 2017 | Categories: Food, Marathon, Race Report, Recovery/Rest, Running, Thought, Training | Tags: bored, drizzle, fun, Göteborg, Göteborg marathon, Gothenburg, happy, Marathon, not tired, Race Report, Running, Silver medal, Swedish Masters Championships, thoughts, Top3, training, VSM, windy | Leave a comment