When I run, I run for the joy. I run in the woods and parks and don´t really enjoy crowds of people joining in.
When I run, I prefer to have animals around, not 11 thousand people.
When I run, I run with a pepper spray and my ID. A pepper spray just in case I´d need to protect myself and the ID in case the pepper spray fails and they will need to identify my body.
Though it might not sound like me, I always wanted to run a half-marathon. As a matter of a fact, I posted this image from one of my morning runs on 15/05/2015 saying "Make a wish. Mine is to run half marathon one day."
Before I proceed to how it all happened, I think one should clarify the misconceptions that float around a half-marathon Prague run.
It is going to hurt!
"Julie, prepare yourself, there is going to be pain, it is bloody going to hurt" - well, that is what I heard multiple times from people with whom I discussed it with. I can tell you one thing. If those people ever got the kind of period pain some of us get, they would never say that a half-marathon hurts. And just to clarify, I am not putting on a brave face, I actually have a very bad tolerance to pain.At one point I did feel my left Achilles tendon going stiff and ache a little, but after a while the pain went away.
It can hurt...but welcome the pain, acknowledge it and let it go. There might even be the voice telling you to stop and slow down...but let it just pass you ears. You have much more strength than you think.
Shoes
They are important, you do want to choose shoes that will comfortably carry you through a distance that might usually take up a day of walking. My advice is don´t stress it. If your shoes are comfy, don´t feel bad that they are not Nike or Adidas. Mine were old, second hand shoes that I actually did not even have time to clean up from mud.
>"ewww Julie, why are you posting pics of your blistery feet?"..."well, you are very welcome world<
Cobble stones will kill you Julie
"Running on coble stones is the worst" - honestly it is not the most fun thing to do, but people who say that should try wearing highheels and walking (not to say running) on cobble stones.
Make sure that you sleep well
Let´s all take a moment and acknowledge that sleep is the best. I love to sleep and I can turn into a grumpy monster if I don´t have my 8 hours a night.
It probably is very desirable to get as much of it before the run as you can, right? Well, yeah probably...but the nights before the race I barely was getting 5 hours of sleep a night. You can do it even if you don´t relax enough before it.
Energy drinks and all that jazz
Ahhh, so many people had those energy drinks and gels and all those fancy thingies to make you think that they give you energy and all. I never had any of this and hell I did not need it. I found 4 chewing gums (my alltime favourite lime ones) in my pocket and that was it.
What a rebel you are! (?)
As you can see, I probably broke every possible rule you might read in some sort of a running guide, which I never actually read anyway. Truthfully, I did not even know what was the exact route of the run! I am not a rebel, I just don´t think one should overdo it. There is a million pieces of advice floating around on the internet, but your body will know better than any technology, smart food or anything.
My running results said that I run every 5 kms in exactly the same speed (with the difference of few seconds) and I had no idea about this, did not have any apps to measure this or anything. Seriously, your body will know what to do. Don´t even try to run behind someone, just do your own thing.
Embrace the adrenalin lifting up your feet and let it carry you.
Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!
One does not have to win it, you don´t have to finish even. Just bloody enjoy it! If someone was filming my face, they would have thought I was on drugs - I was honestly smiling all the time, the atmosphere was absolutely intoxicating, people cheer, other runners give you smiles. Just charge energy from all the people around, they scream it at you, don´t be afraid to receive it. Even if I did not finish it would have been worth it, don´t feel like you need to prove anything to anyone, not even yourself. Embrace the adrenalin lifting up your feet and let it carry you.
Run for yourself, you can do it
Don´t run for anyone else but yourself. I did not have anyone in the audience and when I called my mum to actually tell her what I did (since I did not know if I was going to do it, noone knew) her first reaction was "God, you tell me you did not finish last". The truth is you are in this alone (though there might be another 11 thousand people around you) and you alone will accomplish it and cheer from it the best, so enjoy it. :)
The race infact was just ok. I thought, I would run 15 kms, I think I can do that and if I do, I will be proud and get home. In my 13th km I asked myself how do I feel...and I felt ok. So I kept running. Then before I knew it, it was my 17th km...and I realised, it´s only 4 kms till the finish...hell yes, I can do this easy!!!
I finished in 2 hours and 38 minutes. It is not a winning time, but it is win. :)
ANYONE CAN DO IT.
Here is a TIMELINE of how it all happened:
Thursday 31/03/2016, evening, in the tram
My friend Petra posted on Facebook that she is sick and wants someone else to run the Saturday half-marathon for her. I reply to that if one can still do that and get a prompt answer that I should do it.
Friday 01/04/2016, throughout the day
"What have I done", I keep saying to my wise friend Barbara:- if I don´t run it, I will hate myself and think what a coward I am
- if I run it and cannot finish, I will think what a quitter I am and I will hate myself
- if I run it, finish and became ill from exhaustion, I will hate myself
Friday 01/04/2016, night, my bed
I cannot sleep, I just can´t. I am going through different scenarios in my head. Not a minute of sleep that night. Well, that´s perfect, not enough sleep before a race, just what I needed.
White wine for dinner?
Sunday, 02/04/2016, 0:30, the front of Hemingway pub in Prague
I flip a coin, it lands on my palm and as I uncover my right hand I see the result. Ok, it says that I am running then, oh wait I am running in 9 and half hours and I am still in the centre of Prague and tipsy! I hear a question from my friend, Anna Maria, whether I made sure I ate something starchy, like potatoes. "That is supposed to be good for you", she says. I stare stupidly and my forehead starts to sweat since I am thinking "uhm, not really, I had three glasses of white wine, is that healthy for me?"
>see if you can spot the 1 Czech Crown of my wall of coins that have helped me make decisions<
Sunday, 02/04/2016, 1:30 am, my bed, falling asleep
After I sit for a while in the pub with Anna Maria, Sarah and Rosa I realise that I need to get home while they wait for the absint. I text Petra "You know what? I think I am going to do it". I am finally in bed and think that I shall see in the morning, that my body will tell if we can do it. There is a sentence, that my best English friend Charis once said, ringing in my head as I am falling asleep "I won´t be able to do it, but you...you can do it Julie, you have the balls".
Wake up time!!!
Sunday, 02/04/2016, 07:01 am, my bed
Why did I wake up this early?! I could have been sleeping for another two hours! Don´t you want to make sure that you get a proper rest before a race like this? What am I even doing. I plunge into a bathtub with hot water, trying to relax my muscles. Still cannot make a decision.
Sunday, 02/04/2016, 08:00 am, after getting out of bath
Ok, let´s check out the shoes then. Oh bloody hell, they are ridiculous, I can´t run in those shoes, what would people think. Wait, what! Would I really make this kind of decision based on what might people think? I don´t even have any work out music on my phone, I go online and quickly download first collection of songs that I came across and the name of it - THE BATTLE - caught my attention. It turned out to be perfect for the run.
Sunday, 02/04/2016, 08:30 am, our garden
I open the door to our garden, it´s 9 Celsius degrees and the morning haze just lifted up giving it´s way to a blinding and beautiful sunshine. I step outside and breath in the fresh air, it´s a little chilly, yet perfect for running. All of a sudden I hear a massive roar coming from the centre of Prague and cutting through the cool air. So, it´s beginning, the moderators must have arrived and they are welcoming the media and the early arrived people. Well, this is kind of scary. Do I really want to be a part of it? Wait, but how can I sit home and feed myself with stupid excuses why did I not do it.
Sunday, 02/04/2016, 09:00 am, my room, listening to Spotify
As I am reaching for my sports bra, the special kind that gives your chest a very boyish look and successfully eliminates the painful boobie bounciness, my Spotify playlist if on shuffle and decides to play some songs for me. Two very familiar songs come up. Those are the songs that I would always start my run with (until I got sick and tired of them) Battle Cry and I Bet My Life. "Ok, this is a sign, I should really really do it". Aren´t we humans just suckers for "signs"?
Sunday 02/04/2016, 09:20 am, getting on a tram, meeting other runners
Why did this bosy looking runner just give my dirty shoes such a dirty look? They are dirty, so what...get your skinny runner ass out of the way! Why does everyone around me bloody look like an absolute pro? Hang on...why am I comparing myself to other again, that sure is a highway to hell, I need to stop. Ok, I am just going to do my own thing and let the symphony Vltava, that the loudspeakers along the race expoded with, fuel my trembling feet.
I finished in 2 hours and 38 minutes. It is not a winning time, but it is win. :)
Did I hit the brick wall every runner fears?
Actually, I never had that feeling. I had some mild crises...but nothing I was not able to slide away with some encouraging and body-phrasing thoughts. A half-marathon is not enough to wear you down and to torture you. You don´t have to put up too much of a fight to get through it, I promise!
A final note?
Honestly, halfmarathon is not too much of a struggle, it is not too much for your body, you can do it even if you will have to push yourself a little. The struggle of thinking and stressing about it is probably more severe than running the actual race.
ANYONE CAN DO IT.
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