Copenhagen Marathon

The week before Copenhagen Marathon the weather was horrible. Windy, rainy and very cold. During this time I went for a couple of training runs, including a 20 km run around the new beach park, and came back feeling serious pain in hips and shoulders; places that have never ever hurt before after a run. This worried me and I was praying for the rain and the wind to stay away on the day of the marathon.

On the positive side, I ran the 20 km faster than ever before. And I didnt even mean to. It just sort of happened. Everthing in me was urging me to go faster and harder. And so I did. And so I started to wonder if my dream of finishing the marathon in 3:30 was a possibility...

On the morning of the marathon the sun was shining and there was no wind. I was up at 5am to eat a mountain of pasta with fresh tomatoes and a bit of cream and went back to bed to catch another couple of hours of sleep. I arrived at the starting point and met with my mum (my only & biggest fan) who took my bag and stuff and wished me good luck. The weather was still great with lots of sun and no wind and I remember thinking that if if stayed like this it would be perfect conditions for me.

At 9.30 precisely the race started and off we went. The first 15 kilometers I had to constantly adjust my pace and slow down. Every bit of me wanted to go as fast as I had been at the 20 km run 7 days before, but I knew it would be impossible for me to sustain that kind of pace for 42 kilometers. I managed to catch a sip of powerade energy drink at each of the pit stops along the route. A couple of times I even managed to grab a piece of banana which i ate running.

All was well the first hour or so, but then the sun disappeared and the wind picked up. The race got harder and in the big open streets and down by the harbour the wind could really be felt. The sun never returned and the wind stayed, but at least it wasnt raining and that was the most important for me.

I passed the half way mark in around one hour and 49 minutes and I realized that maybe I would be able to beat my personal best of 3:45 and may be even get close to 3:30. I decided to keep a steady pace up until the 32 kilometer mark and then, if I still felt strong, increase the pace. This turned out to be a wise decision, because my legs started to feel a little heavy shortly thereafter and by the time I got to the 32 kilometer mark I knew I wouldnt be able to run any faster.

The next 3 kilometers passed reasonably smoothly, but then I suddeny had a bit of a crisis. It wasnt 'the wall', although tired, I still had energy and strength left, it was more of a mental thing. A lof of runners around me stopped running and started walking. Seeing this, my instinct was to do the same. Funny thing that. It took quite a lot of concentration and will power to keep going and I spent the next 2-3 kilometers being fully absorbed in fighting my instincts. I never stopped running though and by the time I got to the 38 kilometer mark I started feeling inspired again, and forgot all about the tempation of walking.

I passed the finish line in 3:40:01, which is a 5 minute improvement on my personal best time from 2008. Obviously I am quite happy with that. But I must admit that I would have been a lot happier with 3:35 or below. It is within reach and my target for Kampala Marathon in November is to run in around 3:30.

My mum waited at the finishing line with my warm clothes and a couple of cold beers. While I had been running she had been joined by cousin and auntie, and we all had a good time. It felt unbelievably good to just sit down, have a cold beer and chat with the family for a bit. What a great reward for a couple of hours of hard work.

Copenhagen Marathon Madsen