Adidas Stockholm Marathon is one of RunAgain's partner races and will be held this year on June 3rd. That's tomorrow! RunAgain will, of course, be represented before, during, and after the race, and among the ambassadors running this year is myself, Nicolaj.
This internationally recognized marathon takes place in the heart of Stockholm. Although it is a one-loop course of 42.2 kilometers, there are several spots where you pass by two or three times, so it's important to stay focused on the clock and the kilometer markers! However, the course will take us through the most central parts of Stockholm, so it will be a fantastic experience. It goes, among other places, through the historic core of "Gamla Stan," past the Royal Palace, the beautiful nature of Djurgården, and Södermalm. The icing on the cake will be the epic finish inside Stockholm Stadion, where the 5th Olympic Summer Games were held in 1912!
My goals for winter/spring 2023 - I had three main goals:
- Lisbon Half Marathon (March 12th)
- Drammen 10k (April 2nd)
- Stockholm Marathon (June 3rd)
For these races, my aim was to run at my maximum effort and ideally set a new personal record (PR) in each one. Before Lisbon, my fitness was excellent until I caught a cold shortly before the race. Nonetheless, it turned out to be a great trip, even though my time wasn't as desired. I managed to set a new PR at the Drammen 10k, which was a fantastic race in this new event in Drammen!
In Stockholm, my goal is to beat my time from Valencia in December 2022, which was a clear PR. However, Valencia had perfect conditions and a very fast course (only 46 meters of elevation gain according to my Garmin!), so my fitness MUST be better to surpass that time. Fortunately, I have been training very well for a long time and have not experienced any illness or injuries, so my fitness level is slightly better. It's necessary because the course in Stockholm has some hills and bridges... so we'll see! The weather forecast, at least, indicates it will be as good as one can hope for in June! It could have been 27 degrees with scorching sun from a clear sky, but the forecast says 15 degrees and cloudy! That's lucky because I run significantly slower when it's hot!
The Training Program
In my 12-week program leading up to the Valencia Marathon, I ended up with the following training protocol:
- Tuesday: Intervals with 1000-2000m repeats. Alternatively, as a double threshold session (6 x 6 minutes, morning/evening).
- Thursday: Long intervals or tempo runs: 5000-meter repeats or ON/OFF sessions of 16-22 kilometers.
- Sunday: Easy long run, 20-30 kilometers.
- All other days: Easy jog, 30-75 minutes.
This totals approximately 90-100 kilometers per week and has resulted in legs that aren't significantly tired. No discomfort either. I've used different shoes for (almost) every session throughout the week. It's been an excellent setup, so I've continued with it.
But this spring, in addition to the three mentioned (main) races, I have also run seven other competitions, six of which took place in the last seven weeks. To avoid getting injured, I have only run at about 75-95% of my maximum effort in several of these races. Bergen City Marathon was used as a long run at marathon pace + 20 seconds per kilometer. Sentrumsløpet was a good tempo session (95%) for speed training, and Lierløpet was a controlled half-marathon where I paced at 1 hour 30 minutes. The last race was Fornebutrippelen, which took place 10 days ago, where I ran 3, 5, and 10 kilometers with approximately 20 minutes of rest in between. I went all out in that race as my final hard session. It was fun!
So, I have incorporated many of these races as additional quality sessions. They have provided me with great experiences (as participating in races does) and valuable training benefits, all while minimizing the risk of injuries. Using races as tune-up events for other races is a well-known strategy, even utilized by the very best! You should give it a try too!
Now I am really looking forward to completing the 42.2 kilometers in Stockholm. Mostly because I have had many solid long runs, so I am confident in maintaining my muscles throughout the entire distance. I'll see what the combination of my form, course profile, and weather will result in terms of time. In any case, I should be able to achieve a time under 2:55! If not... well, that's okay too! The experience of a big city race is much more significant than beating a time. There will always be new opportunities coming my way 😉 - I have already registered for the Valencia Marathon again in the fall.