Chty blog

I have to say that I was really surprised myself by the time I did: 3:42:47. I really didn't think I would be able to run under four hours if I finished it.

What about the race?
That was very hard! The weather was really nice. Nice sun, blue sky; perhaps too sunny at the beginning but not so hot finally.
I managed to maintain the pain of my sciatic nerve, that was my biggest worry.
The first part is ending at approximately 30km; after this, welcome to hell! It's truly harder and harder. Here begin the real fight between you (the one who wants to finish the race), your body and your brain (the one who wants to stop and have some beer). You can not even look at the landscape, and have to stay concentrate in the race to not fail. At each supply, you have to be quick enough to not let the body get used to with this state.
At 40km, I was already feeling a great emotion of success even if my body was hurting, but I saw how dangerous it could be; each time you think to something else, your body is trying to take over you.

As a lot marathon runners say, when you are in the race you just think to stop and relax, but after it, you just think to do it again, so you are pleased to have finished it, and so you feel brighter and stronger than before.

The better advice in such a race is probably to keep your mind happy and pleased to do the race, so it's important; perhaps more than 50% of the race is happening in your head.

Thank you very much to everyone who supported me along my training until the big day, especially during hard times to block injuries, moral failures, and everything! Joining a team is another good advice to prepare a marathon to get encouragements from teammates. Each step is really important, everyone in your circle is significant, specially for a first marathon when you don't know what you are able to. Encouragements during the race is obviously so helpful, specially after 30km, even if it's really boring for spectators to wait for you and to try to see you during some seconds: thank you so much guys!

Here is some statistics about me:

Time:
5 km: 0:24:50 (4:58 min/km | 12.08 km/h)
13 km: 1:06:15 (5:06 min/km | 11.77 km/h)
18 km: 1:30:15 (5:01 min/km | 11.97 km/h)
21,097 km: 1:45:55 (5:02 min/km | 11.95 km/h)
26 km: 2:11:52 (5:05 min/km | 11.83 km/h)
34 km: 2:57:38 (5:14 min/km | 11.48 km/h)
39 km: 3:25:42 (5:17 min/km | 11.38 km/h)
Marathon (42,195 km): 3:42:47 (5:17 min/km | 11.36 km/h)

net time: 3:42:47
gross time: 3:43:17

Place:
general: 351 / 826
general (men): 324 / 716
age (18-22 men): 12 / 34

The Kongsvinger marathon 2008 is now finished. It was really a great race for me, because of its new landscapes, new tracks and new feelings.
Most of the race was through woods: the weather was perfect for running, cloudy; part of the track was a little dangerous, because of the rainy weather before the race and the rough path. At the beginning it was really not possible to contemplate the landscape and it was better to take care where you put your foots to avoid the roots and stones. A few ways were so muddy that there were narrow planks to go through.

At the end, I was pleased to see I've broken my record in a half marathon: 1:41:54. Really good improvement, especially compared to my first one in France which was almost totally flat. But I know it's difficult to compare results between different races because of the longitudinal profile, the weather, etc... Special thanks to one of my friends who motivated me during 14 km as in a team. It really helped me.

Back from such a nice travel through Norway; awesome, wonderful, indescribable; I really don't have enough words to describe it. I don't exaggerate. The nice weather was a good chance too.
Back to work, everyone is comparing their suntan, telling their travel, telling stories.
Back to projects, some important deadlines are waiting for me; enough to do until the end of my internship.
Back to running; there is a lot of work on this side too, to be able to achieve the final aim ;-)

Here one of the multiples different landscapes I could see last week... Sweet dreams...