Copenhagen Marathon

Does this post look too long?  Here is the summary - I did it!  And like my paternal grandmother said about going to a baseball game, it was like three marathons - my first, my last, and my only.

the kids sitting with a 4:57 marathoner!

I am a little intimidated to write this up because in the process of looking for a course map I found the blog of someone who decided in May 2010 to run the Copenhagen Marathon in May 2011.  I decided on April 8 to run a marathon on May 22, giving myself six weeks and two days to go from a long run of eight miles to a long run of 26.2 miles (42.2 km).


While I was considering whether to run, David learned from his colleague that her nieces had signed up, but were unable to run because it conflicted with their finals schedules.  I debated to about whether to accept their entry and use it as mine, but then I learned that the organizers were fine with it and were even willing to switch it into my name and birth year.  Very generous!  And I never signed a single consent form.  Very un-American.


Surprisingly, once I made the decision, did some research, and chose a schedule, I felt calm.  The long runs through the forest, along the fjord, and on vacation near Aarhus were fabulous.  I am not sure how fast or how far I went, but it felt good and gave me hope.


Experts recommend training with as many similar conditions as possible, so I started running later in the day because the marathon start time was 9:30 a.m.  This was one of the biggest challenges because I naturally prefer to run much earlier and the sun rises before 5 a.m.  I practiced eating a couple hours before running, which was also hard because it was hard to relax once the day got started.  I would want to get a lot of chores done since I was already awake, but I also wanted to be rested.


The morning of the big day I woke up at 6ish and had breakfast (1/2 banana, 1/2 piece of bread with honey, scrambled eggs with salt, diluted berry juice - no coconut milk, sorry Susie K.).  I checked the weather, checked the Copenhagen Marathon facebook page (where people posted questions and got very quick answers - e.g, Q. Were the trains free for participants?  A. Not this year), and tried to relax.  I left the house a bit after 7 a.m. to cycle to the train station.  Several other runners were waiting, too, which was a good feeling.

Even though I had the seen the course map I didn't quite realize it was over two kilometers from the main station to the start, and a little farther since I did not take the most direct exit from the station.  I was able to hear the voice of reason, which told me to look at it as a good way to warm up and was very pleased that my initial reaction was to stay calm and positive, a trait that stayed with me the whole run.


The starting area was well organized with plenty of port-a-potties.  Once I turned in my luggage (a plastic bag with my train ticket, windbreaker, bike key, and regular glasses) I was given a plastic bag/raincoat to use as a windbreaker.  I hung out and chatted with a couple people.  I felt no need to warm up more, especially since I would have a 15 minute walk to the starting line.

And then it started!  I remembered the mantra, "Pass no one," so I would start off slowly.  I was a little surprised that my first 5K was a couple minutes slower than I planned, but I just listened to the voice of reason, which reminded me that it would be easier to negative split if I started off slowly.

I tried to enjoy the music (marching bands, belly dancers, gospel singers), the scenery, and the crowds.  People cheered and clapped out a beat using lots of things, including the cardboard with the map on one side and a place for a person's name on the other side.  They also said a lot of helpful things (I think) in Danish.

Since my longest run was just under 30km (yes, I know I am switching to metric, but I had to switch since I knew the route was marked that way - I had faith that it was the same distance and even though the numbers were larger, they would go by more quickly) I was surprised that I started to feel less-than great at about the 22 km mark.  Again I listened to that voice of reason that said it was all downhill from here, every step I took got me closer to the finish.  I found that calculating times and distances was a good distraction and started tuning out the surroundings.  Unfortunately I was so inwardly focused I was not able to give high fives or kisses when David ran down from the Marriot patio to cheer me.

Just before 28km (? - now I am not sure) I decided that there was no shame in walking.  I initially tried to alternate running and walking for 30 seconds, but found that it was better if I ran for one minute and walked for 30 seconds.  I was amazed that I could pass some people that way!  When the pacer leading a group trying to finish in 4:50 passed me I decided to join them.  I felt like I was practically sprinting and was amazed I could go so fast.  After a few kilometers with them I just couldn't hang on and returned to running my own race.

The last few kilometers were tough, especially since there were so many people (finishers, spectators, people out for Sunday brunch) all over the place that I felt like I was dodging them and running on my own.  At this point I knew I would finish and so I focused on my next goal of finishing under five hours.

I was so, so happy when I saw the MȦL (goal) sign that I almost cried.  This time I could see the sign David was holding and I could appreciate the kids running with me (until they were shooed off the course) and I could finish with a smile!

I didn't negative split and if you like to look at statistics you can check out my times here.  Professional pictures will be up eventually, but I haven't seen any yet.

Final injuries include a blister, a rash from my running bra, and sore, sore muscles.  I have been doing some recovery yoga and some moaning when I move the wrong way, and both seem to help.  I was able to ride my bicycle twice today, but when I tried to run to catch the green light my legs acted like they had put in the their time yesterday and were off-duty.  Maybe I'll swim tomorrow.

I am grateful to David who made it possible with his support the last six weeks (and 18 years) and by taking the children on adventures three days in a row (they had Friday off - see earlier blog post).  He helped me physically yesterday when I could barely sit down and stand up and he complimented me on setting a goal, working toward it, and reaching it.  I am so lucky to have him in my life!