Last days before departure
Now the week had finally arrived! Race week! This last week, the main focus was therefore to secure a profit for the race itself! There are many systems and ways of doing it, but what most people have in common is that for the last 7-10 days you should 1) reduce the number of kilometres, 2) reduce the intensity of the sessions, but 3) maintain the structure/frequency of the training. It builds profits for the competition. Whereas sitting down on the sofa for a week to rest in top shape leaves your legs "without tension" and that you instead become daff! My form topping went as planned. The last main session was 3 x 2000 m at marathon speed at Nadderud Stadium on Wednesday, otherwise just quiet runs with some uphill runs the week before departure.
The journey to Valencia
Departure for Spain was on Friday. On the plane, probably half were in tights and trainers, and you heard continuous talk about gels, food on Saturday, different shoes, water vs. sports drink and whether or not to take Imodium. Little doubt that most of them were going to Valencia!
I myself traveled with a former work colleague, Øivind Christian Thuen, as well as an acquaintance from his running club, Kjell Arne Olsen. Pleasant crew on tour! We flew to Alicante and had a rental car t/r Valencia. After arriving on Friday afternoon, we went straight to the Expo to pick up our BIBs (start number). An efficient system awaited us down in the start and finish area, and suddenly I had retrieved the start number. 24848.
Down at the Expo, I got my first glimpse of what awaited us at the start and finish! So!! What an incredibly magical area! Got chills even then! Something particularly cruder than this is difficult to come up with. Expo is a cool experience in itself, with large quantities of training clothes, shoes and other essential accessories, so it's impossible not to end up with a big bag of stuff after the visit.
On Saturday morning I was up early to run a last leisurely jog before the race the following day. Run to the start/finish area, as it was adjacent to a large park area. Already at 0830 the park was full of runners. Blue skies and top conditions. At 0900 there was also the start of a smaller race, 5 km or something I think. Around 1000 participants. The feeling that this was quite a lot bigger than any other race I've been to.
A little later I met Øyvind again, we thought we'd sniff something more at Expo. But then there was a queue almost back to Oslo... so picking up the BIB the day before was definitely a good idea! We supported two other Norwegian guys we didn't know before, Lars Andreas and Espen. They needed to fill their bellies with pasta so we went together to eat. And exactly this is one of the really fun things about traveling to races abroad! Get to know new people! Met a bunch of new lovely runners throughout the weekend. And like most runners - yes, they are all cheerful and pleasant people! Very cool!
On the way home from lunch, I bought food like most runners before a race: a packet of sandwich bread (nada fiber!) and a Nutella. After even more pasta for dinner, there were a few slices of this for dinner in the room.
Sleep like that the night before the race day (Sunday). Starting at 0825, the plan was as follows:
- 0525: drink 500ml of Maurten (3 hours before was the recommendation from the Maurten stand at Expo)
- 0535: run for 10 min to wake up the body
- 0600: eat breakfast: 3 slices of puff pastry with Nutella
- 0630: get ready, i.e. with the singlet, an old sweater that is given to recycling just before the start, load the flip belt with 7 gels, training suit, socks and shoes (Nike Alfa Fly)
- 0700 go to the start area and have luggage handed in
- 0745 very light heating
- 0815 be ready in the starting area for the start at 0825
The weather was perfect: 8 degrees at the start and not a breath of wind. Blue sky. Should be 12-14 degrees during the race. The elite and fastest pool started at 0815. My pool (3:00-2:50) started at 0825. As written about before, I had changed my plan from running at 4:00/km (2:48:48) to instead running at 4: 05/4:06 speed. Was hoping that it would hold in, and that would give a time of 2:52-2:53. I would be very happy with that. In any case, the most important thing was to run under 3 hours.
Even though there were very wide roads, the pool that was supposed to run 3:00-2:50 was so big that it was very close for the first 2-3 kilometers. I regretted a little that I wasn't out earlier to get a place further forward in the pool. But, on the other hand, a little queue is nice so as not to be tempted to run too fast at the start. The first kilometer therefore went in 4:19, while in the second kilometer I was down to 4:05 speed.
I had four main goals for the race:
- Stick to the plan of 4:05/km. When the field stretched out a bit after 2-3 km, I was fine at 4:05 pace without effort. Went very easily, and it was tempting then to increase the speed to 4:00/km, which was the goal this autumn. But: marathon is long! "It's a waiting game", "a marathon starts at 30 km", "run with your hat until 30, then your heart" are just some of the quotes I remember and which are repeated many times in the podcast "In the long run" . I stuck to the plan, and it shows clearly on my 5-km splits from the organiser. Run like clockwork on schedule!
- Don't go "empty". Ie. fill up with enough nutrition along the way so that I can keep up my pace and focus throughout. After all, I ate well with carbohydrates the day before and had a good breakfast at the right time before the start. Took a gel while standing in the starting area, then a gel every 5 kilometers until 35k, a total of 8. I brought 7 of my own and then they handed out gel at two drink stations. Then I had one in reserve. Took the gels just before the drink stations, where I mostly drank sports drinks. Valencia handed out water and sports drinks in bottles with screw caps, as well as sports drinks in cups! I took 3 water bottles (0.3 liters I think) which I almost drank. As for the cups, I used a super genius trick I learned from the Breaking Marathon Limits podcast: pinch the top of the cup so that it closes and you get a little spout at the end! So simple and so brilliant! Then I could continue to run at target pace with the cup and drink the cup controlled empty - WITHOUT any spillage! Note this trick!
- That the legs should hold all the way to the finish line. This was basically little I could control in the race itself, other than sticking to the pace plan and hoping the training basis was good enough. My legs gradually stiffened more and more from 20 km, but no worse than that I kept 4:05/km all the way, and managed to squeeze out the last juice at the end: 41-42 km was the fastest km-split with 3:56, and 3:36 last 200 meters into the finish line. The legs held! All the way in 😊
- Enjoy the race. Don't just look at the clock! I didn't want to be left with the fact that I didn't remember anything from the trip, that would be a shame.
How did it all go?
I ran in a time of 2:51:54! Super satisfied! A little quick mental calculation when passing 40 km and I came to the conclusion that with a good finish I could see the 51s. And I did it! The average pace was 4:05 min/km - as planned! I didn't run out either - in fact, I was never completely in the basement. Not that I could have run any faster, because my legs had nothing more to give at the end, but the experience was fantastic and the desire to run another marathon was there the second after the finish line. The legs now held all the way through - and that was the moment I was most unsure about. So the training must have been good enough! I also had a look around, gave high-fives to some children along the trail, waved back and shouted a little when the audience shouted "Nicooooo". It was a chess move to have my nickname, Nicco, on the BIB...short and easy for Spaniards to read and shout out. So all four of my main goals were met!
After the race it was off to a sky bar together with around 100 other Norwegians to celebrate the day's feat in the sun! It's been a long time since cold lager has tasted so good and felt so deserved like that day! What an atmosphere! Runners from the top tier met there, with Zerei Kbrom in the lead (debuted with a time of 2:07:10!), several of the other tops in long-distance running in Norway, and the everyday jogger who ran in over 4 hours. All with great achievements and great experiences that were shared in the sunshine at the sky bar. In the evening, I joined a group of 20-30 people, none of whom I knew before, out to eat and celebrate the day some more!
The impressions and experiences I am left with after the Valencia Marathon cannot be described. The training period leading up to the race has been exciting, the weekend in Valencia has brought many new acquaintances and the race went as well as it could have. And now I'm really looking forward to the next big foreign race! And the next marathon! Even though the conditions in Valencia were absolutely optimal, I know that I can manage to run under 2:48:48 if I train as I am now in the future.
How was my traveling companion? Yes, Kjell Arne, he was no worse than that with a time of 2:53:31 he was no. 2 in class M60 and that among 502 runners! Damn steak! Little did I know in the car from Alicante to Valencia that Kjell Arne was so raw! Very fun. It should also be said that he is not just anyone on a bike either, with strong achievements both in Trondheim - Oslo and in other races! So no reason to put the running shoes on the shelf even if the years are filling up! And Øivind, yes, he kicked off like he expected and finished in a time of 2:46:04. With ultra running as a hobby, the distance did not scare him significantly! Strong performance!
Running feels very far from being a solo sport after a journey like this! Signing up for a race abroad "alone" is no obstacle - because if you have at least one small social gene in your body, you quickly meet Norwegians or others who you end up hanging out with on the trip. This is probably what makes races abroad extra special and can create the best memories. So now I'm pondering where the next foreign race will be, and then probably a half marathon or two first. And Valencia - yes, that race will probably be put on the schedule for 2023 too! But before that, I will participate in a number of the many nice races that take place in Norway! They are also wonderful - each in their own way!
But: The marathon is still far. Such good preparation is a clear advantage to ensure that the whole race is a good experience - not just the first 20-30 kilometres.
We are running!
Nicco