Originally, I was planning to do the RnR Edinburgh in June because I had won a free entry via Twitter. After about a week of researching flights, places to stay, etc. I was just ready to begin booking reservations when I discovered that the race had been cancelled. Super bummed, I contacted the race organizers about getting an entry for another race, and they offered me my choice of Dublin in August or Lisbon in October. Knowing that I would be in Spain that fall, I opted for Lisbon.
I immediately began trying to rally some of my running friends to meet me in Portugal and run with me. Sadly, no one was able to join me. As excited as I was to run in Lisbon, I wasn't looking forward to traveling to a strange country all by myself. I prayed for some solution that would allow me to safely travel to Portugal, and then I learned that my new ECA friend Jen would be traveling to Portugal to see her sister run in the exact same race that I was running! It was such a blessing to have someone to make plans and travel with. We ended up getting a great deal on a hostel and decided to travel by night bus to avoid having to miss school.
So, our adventure began Friday night as we boarded a bus to Portugal and learned that we had assigned seats! Praise the Lord we had the front seats, so I was able to stretch my legs out for the eight hour bus ride.
Upon arrival in Lisbon we met up with Jen's sister and spent the day seeing as much as we could around town using our day passes for the transit system. We stopped at the expo so I could pick up my race packet, then made our way to the hostel where we would be staying the night.
Sunday morning I awoke at 5:00 am because I had to catch a train into the center of Lisbon and was not quite sure where I was supposed to be going. The half marathon, as it turns out, had its starting line on the Vasco de Gama Bridge, and the only way to get to there was to board a shuttle bus for the 15 minute commute.
Because I was being extra cautious, I ended up arriving early enough to catch the first shuttle and was one of the first people to get to the bridge. The sun was coming up and it was looking like a beautiful day for a run, but again, I would have to wait an hour and a half for the actual race to begin.
I found a spot next to the starting line, sat down, and got comfortable with everyone else.
As more people arrived, it started to get more crowded. Then, with still almost 45 minutes to go, some very anxious people started picking their way through those of us seated on the ground and began to crowd the front of the pack. Hundreds of people followed suit. Before I knew it, I was surrounded by butts.
At one point a helicopter circled overhead, taking aerial photos and video while we all waved like maniacs.
When it came time for the race to begin, there was a lot of chaos and confusion - a guy started shouting in Portuguese on the microphone while really loud rock music was playing, and everyone just started running. There was no gun, and certainly no wave start like in Chicago. Everyone just ran.
The Vasco de Gama bridge is about 10 miles long and is the longest bridge in Europe. When I found out that I would be running across this bridge, I was terrified. The thought of running and running and running and never actually getting across the bridge was just so demoralizing. Turns out we only ran one piece of it, about a mile and a half worth. The rest of the run was in town and for awhile we had a nice view of the ocean.
Preparing for this race was tough mentally, because I had to prepare myself for the fact that nowhere along the way would anyone be looking for me or cheering for me in particular. There was no one at the start line to send me off, and it was unlikely that my friend would be waiting for me at the finish because she would be looking for her sister. I was completely alone for this race.
I also put a lot of thought into how I would actually run the race. After two bad experiences earlier in the spring, I knew I needed a better solution for fueling during the race. In the weeks leading up to Lisbon I had a few really good long runs during which I tried out some new flavors of Gu and Nuun, and the success gave me hope for Lisbon. I also wanted to break my cycle of going hard and strong for ten miles and falling apart during the last three. My plan was that every five kilometers I would take a walking break and, while walking, take a shot of Gu. I vowed not to stop at any of the aid stations unless I was desperate, and I refused to drink their energy drinks. Thankfully the stations passed out water bottles, so rather than making an unnecessary stop I just picked one up as I passed by and sipped it when I needed it.
Mentally, this may have been the "fastest" half marathon I have ever run - meaning that the time seemed to pass quickly; the miles flew by! It seemed like I had only just begun when suddenly I found myself in mile 13 and nearing the finish! My fueling strategy worked really well, and not once during or after the race did I experience my usual nausea. What's more, my walking breaks actually helped my pace, as I beat my Chicago time by five whole minutes! I felt fabulous at the finish, and while I was definitely spent, I didn't feel completely drained or dead. I stocked up on some refreshments, took advantage of my free beer, and enjoyed listening to the concert for a few minutes before meeting up with Jen and her sister. Together we hobbled to the subway and made our way back to the hostel where hot showers and delicious food awaited!
The final verdict: the race had some organizational/logistical quirks, but I had a blast running and would do it again in a heartbeat! I'm not sure I would have run this particular race had I not received the free entry, but now that I have experienced it I would be more likely to choose it intentionally in the future. I learned from this race that I can successfully fuel during a run and not puke my guts out afterwards, and I learned that walking doesn't necessarily make you slower.
Sunday morning I awoke at 5:00 am because I had to catch a train into the center of Lisbon and was not quite sure where I was supposed to be going. The half marathon, as it turns out, had its starting line on the Vasco de Gama Bridge, and the only way to get to there was to board a shuttle bus for the 15 minute commute.
Because I was being extra cautious, I ended up arriving early enough to catch the first shuttle and was one of the first people to get to the bridge. The sun was coming up and it was looking like a beautiful day for a run, but again, I would have to wait an hour and a half for the actual race to begin.
I found a spot next to the starting line, sat down, and got comfortable with everyone else.
As more people arrived, it started to get more crowded. Then, with still almost 45 minutes to go, some very anxious people started picking their way through those of us seated on the ground and began to crowd the front of the pack. Hundreds of people followed suit. Before I knew it, I was surrounded by butts.
At one point a helicopter circled overhead, taking aerial photos and video while we all waved like maniacs.
When it came time for the race to begin, there was a lot of chaos and confusion - a guy started shouting in Portuguese on the microphone while really loud rock music was playing, and everyone just started running. There was no gun, and certainly no wave start like in Chicago. Everyone just ran.
The Vasco de Gama bridge is about 10 miles long and is the longest bridge in Europe. When I found out that I would be running across this bridge, I was terrified. The thought of running and running and running and never actually getting across the bridge was just so demoralizing. Turns out we only ran one piece of it, about a mile and a half worth. The rest of the run was in town and for awhile we had a nice view of the ocean.
Preparing for this race was tough mentally, because I had to prepare myself for the fact that nowhere along the way would anyone be looking for me or cheering for me in particular. There was no one at the start line to send me off, and it was unlikely that my friend would be waiting for me at the finish because she would be looking for her sister. I was completely alone for this race.
I also put a lot of thought into how I would actually run the race. After two bad experiences earlier in the spring, I knew I needed a better solution for fueling during the race. In the weeks leading up to Lisbon I had a few really good long runs during which I tried out some new flavors of Gu and Nuun, and the success gave me hope for Lisbon. I also wanted to break my cycle of going hard and strong for ten miles and falling apart during the last three. My plan was that every five kilometers I would take a walking break and, while walking, take a shot of Gu. I vowed not to stop at any of the aid stations unless I was desperate, and I refused to drink their energy drinks. Thankfully the stations passed out water bottles, so rather than making an unnecessary stop I just picked one up as I passed by and sipped it when I needed it.
Mentally, this may have been the "fastest" half marathon I have ever run - meaning that the time seemed to pass quickly; the miles flew by! It seemed like I had only just begun when suddenly I found myself in mile 13 and nearing the finish! My fueling strategy worked really well, and not once during or after the race did I experience my usual nausea. What's more, my walking breaks actually helped my pace, as I beat my Chicago time by five whole minutes! I felt fabulous at the finish, and while I was definitely spent, I didn't feel completely drained or dead. I stocked up on some refreshments, took advantage of my free beer, and enjoyed listening to the concert for a few minutes before meeting up with Jen and her sister. Together we hobbled to the subway and made our way back to the hostel where hot showers and delicious food awaited!
The final verdict: the race had some organizational/logistical quirks, but I had a blast running and would do it again in a heartbeat! I'm not sure I would have run this particular race had I not received the free entry, but now that I have experienced it I would be more likely to choose it intentionally in the future. I learned from this race that I can successfully fuel during a run and not puke my guts out afterwards, and I learned that walking doesn't necessarily make you slower.
No comments:
Post a Comment