Well I did it, I ran Mørketidsløpet and survived! It was an intense experience, like nothing I've ever done before, and I won't forget it any time soon.
10.30: Race morning I got up after having a decent 9 hours sleep. I felt rested, albeit a bit jittery. I ate my traditional breakfast of bran müsli fortified with soy crumbles, sunflower seeds, raisins, a sliced banana, and oat milk, with a glass of juice on the side. I had been following the weather reports religiously for the last couple of days and just as predicted the temperature rose to +4 and it started to rain around 11AM. I began to pack my things and prepare mentally for the challenge ahead.
12.34: I took the number 20 bus in to town. I noticed that the roads were quickly turning into a mixture of treacherous ice and ankle-deep slush. The snow plows were out and they were sanding as well but it didn't seem to make much difference.
13.00: I reached the SAS Radission hotel downtown where we were supposed to go to pick up our race numbers. There weren't too many people in line and I got my envelope without a hitch. Inside was my race number (176), four safety pins, and a map and info sheet on the race. I noticed that they didn't include a time chip for my shoe like in Helsinki City Run. I was curious as to how they would keep track of our individual times without it.
13.30: After skating around downtown on the slick sidewalks and streets I decided to buy some last-minute spikes for my shoes. I visited first a sports shop and then a shoe store and bought myself a pair of something called Duenorth traction aides. I have to say I'm really glad I did this, they really saved me a lot of worry about footing during the race and gave me a lot more confidence in my stride. I saw runners falling and sliding all over the place, but I didn't slip once myself!
13.45: After a quick trip to a grocery store for three bananas I headed to Kulturhuset where the bag check area was located. I met up with Jerome, a French exchange student at UiT who had told me that he was also going to run the race. It was his first real halfmarathon, and in winter conditions no less! We talked runners stuff, shoes, clothes, mp3 or no mp3 etc. while we changed and headed out to do our warm-up.
14.00: Headed out to test out the footing with Jerome. I noticed that about half of the runners had chosen to wear spikes on their shoes. I enjoyed the grip that mine gave me and walked and jogged up and down Storgata for about 15 minutes or so. I felt a slight twinge in my right knee that concerned me but it seemed to go away as I walked.
14.21: Walked over to the library to meet Lyonel and hand over my camera bag to him. I snapped some shots before the race, and he got some during and after. He also managed to cheer me on at two places during the race, once downtown and once out at the airport.
14.35: I went back to the bag check area and decided to grab a banana to take with me during the race. It's been my habit during training to eat some fruit at the 5km and 10km mark. It seems to work for me. One thing I also learned during this race is that you shouldn't allow yourself to be distracted by other people's race day rituals and ignore your own. We all have different needs and styles and what works for one person doesn't always work for someone else. So if you have a weird quirk, like my tendency to either leave the start or cross the finish clutching a banana in hand, go for it!
14.40: I met up with Megan and her friend Evan from the US who were also running the race. We did some warming up together with some people from a local gym Friskis & Svettis and then settled by the starting line in a big group to await the signal. There we met up with another American named Randolph who was also running. All in all I think I knew at least 6 people who ran that day. It's kind of cool having familiar faces to start with, even if you aren't sure if you'll finish together or not.
15.00: And the race is off! We all stormed out of the gate and ran a quick loop through town before heading out towards the airport. First along the main street, and then on footpaths and bicycle paths. I quickly lost Megan but tried to concentrate on keeping my own pace reasonable and not burning out in the very beginning.
5km-7km: I reached the 5km water station in about 28 mins, which is a decent pace for the first 5km. I made an effort to hold about the same pace, not much quicker and certainly not slower until I reached the half-point marker out by the airport. I know from the past that I feel horrible the first 5km, it starts to feel ok at 6km, and at 11km I'm flying. So I was holding out for that burst of speed that I knew would come. The run to the airport was fine but wet, I was getting soaked from below by running through puddles and huge piles of slush, or "snow bogs" as Grace would call them. From above the rain was pouring down and my jacket and hair were both soaked quickly. At around 7.5km a driver totally drenched me with water and I remember swearing in Swedish at the driver which seemed to greatly amuse my Norwegian running mates.
10km-15km: I reached the airport turnaround in 55 mins. I waved to Lyonel, grabbed some water at the aid station, and then prepared to put on a burst of speed. I was feeling really good until I made the turn back in to town and was hit head-on by a wall of water. The wind was brutal and the rain came bucketing down. There was so much water on my face that I could barely keep my eyes open and I could hardly see. I passed a couple of guys and then just fought to keep going. This was very much a mental race, and I was happy that I had decided to take my mp3 player after all. Some of the stretches of the race were pretty desolate, and the music really helped keep me going.
15km: It was at the 15km water station that I started to realize that I might be able to finish in a good time. I grabbed a cup quickly and kept running, not wanting to stop and walk like I usually do for fear of getting cold. I gulped down my drink and was surprised when it turned out to be apple juice and not water. It was a little too sweet but then it probably helped give me a little extra boost as well.
18km: There was this fantastic cheering squad at the crest of this hill just as we were coming back in to town. They had been there to cheer us as we left but I was surprised to see that they were all still there when we came back, despite the horrible weather and everything. They screamed and yelled as each one of us exhausted runners came battling up the hill. I remember beaming at them before flying down the hill again on numb legs. In general I want to applaud all of the organizers and the volunteers for staying so chipper throughout the whole wet and miserable race.
20km: We hit the main street for the final kilometer and just then my iPod started to play Rammstein's Führe mich. It was perfect timing, to finish with my favorite band's music playing in my ears. We went zipping down the sidewalk, running around startled pedestrians as they came walking out of shops. I neared the finish and looked up at the clock and could barely believe it. It said 01.47, could that really be true? I heard them yell out Megan's name and her time just as I crossed the finish. I tore off my soggy race number and held it up for the volunteer to scan the bar code. And then I was done, they wrapped me up in a thick wool blanket, gave me my medal, and sent me off to the Saami tent that was set up in the main square to get some complimentary juice and a donut.
I met up with Megan and Randolph afterwards and we all agreed that it had been a pretty brutal race, especially coming back from the airport. They had both seen a lot of people slipping and falling also but had managed to keep their own footing. We headed in and quickly changed to warm dry clothes. I had my post-race banana, water, and peanut butter sandwich, called my dad, and then took the bus back home, floating around in an adrenaline-induced high.
When I got home I went online to check the results. Turns out I finished in 01:47:35, and 3rd in my age group of women 18-29! I can't believe it, this totally blew away my 1/2 marathon time from last May, and in these conditions no less! I had such a hard time sleeping last night, my mind was just buzzing away. Now I really feel like my dream to run a full marathon, and then hopefully qualify and run Boston in the future, might not be so impossible after all.
Today I'm sore but nothing unmanageable. I iced my right knee this morning and after that it's been fine. My lovely boyfriend has been doting on me and I rewarded myself by baking some blueberry muffins. I think I'll brave the ice (with spikes on my shoes of course!) and head out for a quick walk just to loosen up my muscles. All in all, a hellish experience during, but a wonderful feeling of pride and accomplishment afterwards! And that's really what running is all about.
Photo Credits:
1) And we're off! - Lionel Perabo
2) Smiling at the end, and looking like a drowned rat - Lionel Perabo
3) Start number and medal - Linnea Nordström
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