Aske KammerYesterday, I raced Helsingborg Marathon. It went quite well, and I learned a lot.
Here is the race report.
Today, I feel great. I am still slightly dehydrated, and there are sores from friction, but that is it.
I may so some gardening later and enjoy the sun.
Joan Benoit Samuelson has stressed that even those who compete individually depend on their group of people. I knew it before but thought a lot about it yesterday: YOU are my group of people. Thank you so much for the support, advice, and inspiration. You know who you are. I owe you.
21/21
How did I do with what I set out to do?
My goal: cross the starting line + enjoy it ✅
My hope: finish ✅
My pipe-dream: finish in 4:15 or less (PR: 4:38:25) ❌
Two out of three ain't bad. It is, after all, only the first two that really matter.
I gave all I had and then a lot (if in doubt, check the before and after pictures), and I am very, very happy with finishing, with the achievement, and with the result.
20/x
The moment I crossed the finish line was a moment of pure satistaction and pride. Of victory and of having achieved something. I struggled and suffered, but I conquered the marathon and finished what I set out to do.
And I knew already in that moment that I would do the 42.2 km again.
19/x
The last part was beautiful, indeed. There was a castle and the sea. There were big trees (shadow), and it was downhill. I was in a mental and physical state where I could enjoy that.
From around 40 km, we ran just by the beach. Beautiful, again, but now, the heat was back with a vengance because of the sun and the sand. Somehow I pushed through. I even managed to sprint for the last few hundred meters.
Exhausted, I finished in 4:45:35.
18/x
Things started to get better. I could run for longer stretches (still walking in between), visualizing the shorter and shorter distance to goal.
14 kilometers to go - I have done that distance many times. 12. 10. Then single-digit distances. Mentally, I was back, and my body had recovered somewhat as well. We ran downhill now, and I remembered @recollir mentioned how the last kilometers would be beautiful. I had that to look forward to.
17/x
I mentioned people with water hoses. They were lifesavers. Initially, they would just spray us with water as we passed; later, they would soak us. Runners did stop and wait in line for these cold showers. This made a huge difference for me at critical moments.
At energy stations I would take three cups of water: one I drank, one I poured down my back, one I poured into my cap to cool my head. It would help for around 300 meters...
16/x
It just went on.
Apparently endlessly.
The sun and the heat.
I felt I was on Arrakis.
No end in sight.
How did I get here?
15/x
I do not know how I managed the next kilometers. From 24 to 28-ish is a blur for me.
Physically, I was knocked-out. It was now a mix of running and walking. Mentally, I was struggling. I knew I would finish, but I had no idea how to make it happen. Everybody has a plan until they are punched in the mouth. I tried to stick to mine: one stride at a time, food and fluids whenever possible, seek the shadow.
Everyone around me suffered.
14/x
At 24 km, I hit the wall. I had known, of course, that it would happen. I had not expected it to happen so soon.
Living in Denmark and usually #running in the mornings, I typically train at around 14-18 degrees celcius. Yesterday, temperatures reached 27.
So it was warm. Brutal. We were now running on broad city streets where the asphalt had really absorbed the heat from the sun, and where there was no shadow, and it killed me.
13/x