Happy 2021!

Imagine you had a jacket with two pockets, that you use now and then. With time you learn what to put in which pocket so that you make use of them the best way. It works and you are happy and content. Now imagine that every winter, ou stopped using a jacket at all, because besides your wallet, phone and keys you also need space for your gloves, hat and umbrella. Instead of buying another jacket or finding a way to get more space for your winter things, you simply chose to not go out at all and avoid the problem. Now imagine that one day someone told you to look inside of your jacket. You did and found 5 more pockets there, of different sizes, some with zippers, some with special details and you get excited and try them all, and every time you find new and better possibilities. After a while, it seems basically impossible that you hadn't seen them before and you don't even understand how you could have missed that whole side of something that felt so known and comfortable before. 

That's how I feel. About running.

I have been running now for nearly 11 years. I was happy and content. Did basically only asphalt running and some races now and then. The more I trained the more my times became (big surprise...), but every winter I stopped running (or reduced it to 1 or 2 times a week) because it was cold and dark and who runs then anyway. Now and then I heard of other people doing mountain running and trail running, and how cool it was but somehow never thought it was for me. But then I moved to the forest (not to an actual forest, but a neighbourhood not far from one). And I found a whole new side of running, full of lite pockets here and there. I had moved here thinking I would use the broad marked paths to run, but got bored of them pretty quickly, especially due to the numerous other options around. 

This is how 2020 became a year of new things. 

This is how I became a forest freak. 

 

Gettings lost in small trails was my favourite summer thing. That and exploring new areas, new trails, new lakes, new challenges (like crawling under a giant tree that had fallen on the trail or climbing a rock to get to the other side). Then came the fall and with it the dark evenings and the wet and muddy trails and I slowly embraced them. With the right clothes, shoes and equipment nothing is too wet or too dark and mud washes off with water and soap. Now that I had fallen in love with running all over again I was just not going to stop because of the weather. Afterwards came winter and its snowy days, and after having survived months of rain and darkness I was just not stopping now either. And so it became that I started 2021 by doing something so new and so old at the same time. Running on snow!

Looking back I don't think it was a mistake to stop before. I just didn't see running the way I see now - as a part of my life and of who I am. Oh... and of course all this joy has made me go out the door more often, run longer than ever (although I'm less tired than before) and I ended up improving my personal bests. Quite a nice side effect :)

This is exactly what I want to bring to 2021. Find new within the old. Find challenges within the comfortable. Accept. Adapt. Learn. Try. Live. And have fun, at least a lit bit every day but hopefully much more than that. 

Let's all do that! 

Happy 2021!

(Dis)Orientering

Orienteering is a big sport in Sweden, a country full of nature lovers. It basically consists of running between different checkpoints spread in an unknown piece of land, often a forest, using only a paper map and a compass. That's the serious version. For less athletic people there are other options, like the Hittaut app we found recently. The app shows a bunch of checkpoints spread all over the city's green areas (yes, because even if Gothenburg is the second largest city in the country it does have a lot of forests just at a stone's throw from the city - welcome to Sweden!) and using the GPS of the phone it is pretty easy to find the points. Once we get to the point, there's a code on a metal marker that we read and register in the app, which changes the status of that checkpoint to done. The goal is to do as many as possible and there are prizes every month. 

A orientação é um desporto bastante popular na Suécia, um país cheio de amantes da natureza. Basicamente consiste em correr entre diferentes pontos de controle espalhados pela natureza, geralmente numa floresta, usando apenas um mapa de papel e uma bússola. Esta é a versão séria, mas há outras opções para pessoas menos atléticas, como a app Hittaut, que encontramos recentemente. A app mostra os postos de controle espalhados por todas as áreas verdes da cidade (sim, porque mesmo Gotemburgo sendo a segunda maior cidade do país há muitas florestas a poucos passos da cidade - bem-vindos à Suécia!) e usando o GPS do telefone é muito fácil encontrar os pontos. Quando se chega ao ponto há um código no marcador de metal que lemos e registramos na app, o que altera o estado desse ponto para feito. O objetivo é fazer o maior número possível de controlos e até há prémios distribuídos todos os meses.

Sounds pretty cool, no? So we decided to give it a try, doing it my way... with an ice cream break in the middle.
Bem fixe, ah? E foi assim que decidimos experimentar mas à minha maneira... com uma pausa para gelado a meio.

We did 16 checkpoints running/walking a total of 13 km. The checkpoints are often in high points and we got beautiful views from up there. Sometimes I couldn't believe that was so close to the city! We also got to discover new paths and places. 

Fizemos 16 checkpoints e corremos/andamos um total de 13 km. Os pontos de controlo são muitas vezes em pontos altos e passamos por vistas muito bonitas. Às vezes nem dá para acreditar que estamos tão perto da cidade! Também descobrimos novos caminhos e sitios mais recatados.

J. always saw the markers first and there were times where the marker was right in front of me and I didn't see it! He also has a great sense of orientation knowing always his north, whereas I often guided us in the wrong direction... Such a great orienteer... But I did enjoy myself a lot!

O J. via sempre os marcadores primeiro que eu e houve vezes em que o marcador estava mesmo à minha frente e eu não o vi! Ele também tem um grande sentido de orientação e sabe sempre onde é o norte, enquanto que eu muitas vezes nos guiei para a direção errada... que grande orientadora... Mas diverti-me imenso e é isso que importa!

One of the funniest parts was when we had to cross a stream. Someone had set up a slackline and rope and it looked easy enough since it was a very small stream. 

Johan did it without a problem. Me too. Ok... not really. Halfway through I decided to question Johan's technique and find my own, which resulted in me almost falling into the water. Luckily I was close enough to the other side and J. could help me (after taking pictures of me of course!).

Uma das partes mais engraçadas foi quando tivemos que atravessar um ribeiro. Alguém montou uma slackline e uma corda para facilitar a travessia e parecia fácil o suficiente, já que era um ribeirito pequeno.

O J. atravessou sem problema nenhum. Eu também. Ok ok, não é verdade... A meio da travessia decidi questionar a técnica do J. e desenvolver uma técnica nova, o que quase me fez cair na água. Felizmente estava perto da mergem o suficiente para o J. me ajudar (depois de me tirar fotos claro!).

Before and after the moment I decided to rotate my feet... not a great decision...

Antes e depois do momento em que decidi rodar os pés... não foi lá grande decisão...

So, I'm no Tove Alexandersson (the Swedish champion in Orienteering), but I did enjoy the closeness to nature, the fresh air, the challenges of going through muddy places, jumping stones, crossing "rivers" and the variation that all that brings to my training, so I think I will be doing it more often from now on. 

Don't worry, if I come across some nice landscapes I'll share them here with you :)

Ou seja, não sou nenhuma Tove Alexandersson (a campeã sueca em Orientação), mas gostei da proximidade com a natureza, do ar fresco, dos desafios de correr pela lama, pular pedras, atravessar "rios" e a variação que tudo isso traz ao meu treino, por isso acho que vou fazer isto mais vezes.

Não fiquem preocupados, se encontrar paisagens giras eu partilho-as por aqui :)

Göteborgsvarvet 2019

And then it was May and time for the largest Half Marathon in the world - Göteborgsvarvet! 

After having missing it last year for lack of training, the only race I've ever not started after being registered, this year I was really looking forward to doing it. 

For the first time I went to the Expo to listen to a couple of lectures and interviews. Usually, I just go there to pick up the bib and that's it, but it was really interesting to spend a bit more time there and feel the race atmosphere already before. 

First, I went to see an interview with Mustafa Mohamed and Charlotte Kalla. The first is a long distance Somali-Swedish runner and the second my favourite skier.

Maio chegou e com ele a maior meia maratona do mundo - Göteborgsvarvet!

Depois de ter faltado no ano passado por falta de treino, a única corrida que eu não comecei mesmo estando registrada, este ano estava ansiosa para a fazer.

Pela primeira vez fui à Expo para ouvir algumas palestras e entrevistas. Normalmente só lá vou mesmo para levantar o peitoral, mas foi bom passar lá mais tempo e começar a viver o ambiente da corrida ainda antes. 

Comecei por ir ver uma entrevista com Mustafa Mohamed e Charlotte Kalla. O primeiro é um corredor de fundo Somali-Sueco e a segunda a minha esquiadora preferida. 

The questions were interesting and we got to learn a bit more about the tough life of an elite athlete. They also signed some items to be auctioned later on that day. Charlotte signed a pair of skis and Mustafa a picture of himself. 

As perguntas foram interessantes e conseguimos aprender um pouco mais sobre a vida difícil de um atleta de elite. No final autografaram alguns objectos para serem leiloados mais tarde naquele dia. A Charlotte assinou um par de esquis e o Mustafa uma foto sua.

 A training week of Mustafa's life - 11 workouts and a total of 180 km. Only...

Uma semana de treinos na vida de Mustafa - 11 treinos e um total de 180 km. Só...

Kristina Paltén's lecture was also very interesting. She is a Swedish woman who decided to run across Iran and prove society how certain fears are simply built around stereotypes. A single woman, ran alone 1840 km in 59 days. That's already quite impressive, but she did it in Iran with very hot temperatures and wearing an overall to cover her body completely, and staying in strangers homes. She met great people, loved the whole experience and has great stories from the journey. She also wrote a book, which is now translated in several languages. I've read it and vividly recommend it.  

A palestra de Kristina Paltén também foi muito interessante. Ela é uma mulher sueca que decidiu atravessar o Irão a correr para provar à sociedade como certos medos são simplesmente construídos em torno de estereótipos. Fe-lo como uma mulher solteira que correu sozinha 1840 km em 59 dias. Isso já é bastante impressionante, mas ela fe-lo no Irão, com temperaturas muito quentes, vestida com um fato de treino, para cobrir o corpo completamente e a ficar a dormir em casas de estranhos. Ela conheceu pessoas fantásticas, adorou toda a experiência e tem óptimas histórias da jornada. Também escreveu um livro sobre a viagem, que está traduzido para vários idiomas. Eu já o li e recomendo vivamente.

Going around in the fair is always fun as well. It's not often that we have a large fair full of runners and all kinds of running equipment and gadgets. Visiting the past medals and finding our name in the runners wall was a must do. I passed by the stand of one of the sponsors and there they were again - Charlotte Kalla and Mustafa Mohamed. We talked to them a little bit and I got my bib signed by Mustafa and my booked signed by Charlotte (she wrote a book about skiing and training).

Passear pela feira também é super divertido, porque não é sempre que temos uma grande feira cheia de corredores e de todos os tipos de equipamentos e coisas de corrida. Visitar as medalhas passadas e encontrar o nosso nome na parede dos corredores é obrigatório! Passei pelo estande de um dos patrocinadores e lá estavam eles novamente - Charlotte Kalla e Mustafa Mohamed. Deu para conversamos com eles um bocadinho e pedi ao Mustafa para autografar o meu peitoral e à Charlotte o meu livro, escrito por ela (sobre esqui e treino).

With the best of luck wished by these two amazing athletes I never felt more ready (cof cof... ignoring the fact that I hadn't actually trained that much). The day after was race day!! And how I had missed the butterflies in my stomach. How could I go an entire year without a race is beyond me...

Com os desejos de boa sorte destes dois atletas fantásticos senti-me mais preparada que nunca (cof cof... ignorando o fato de que eu não tinha treinado assim tanto). No dia seguinte era a Varvet e percebi que tinha sentido muito a falta das borboletas no estômago. Como é que passou um ano inteirinho sem eu ir a uma corrida...

My bib signed by Mustafa Mohamed. He even draw a runner in between!

O meu peitoral autografado por Mustafa Mohamed. Até desenhou um bonequinho a correr!

 Waiting for my turn in the stadium, where the goal is. 

À espera da minha vez no estádio, com vista para a meta. 

This was the 40th race and there's a group of people, identified by blue shirts, that has run this race every single year. Pretty amazing! On the shirt it says "I have ran the Varvet all the years". 

Esta foi a 40ª corrida e há um grupo de pessoas, identificadas por camisolas azuis, que correram esta corrida todos os anos. Muito incrível! Na camisola está escrito "eu corri a Varvet todos os anos".

Göteborgsvarvet 2019, 1h54m45s

And then I started, ran for a bit less than 2h and got to the goal with another great experience. This year I was completely tricked by my body. It turns out that even if I didn't do a lot of running to prepare, all those gym classes of intensive training did help and I ended up running my fastest Varvet ever. Specially uphill!

Now, I just have to put in a bit more running and maybe next year I can do it even faster. Yes... we runners are always looking for the next race and the next challenge. 

And you know what? I'm already registered for the Varvet in 2020! Bring it on!

E depois comecei, corri por um pouco menos de 2h e cheguei à meta toda contente. Este ano sinto que fui completamente enganada pelo meu corpo. Acontece que mesmo sem ter corrido muito para me preparar, todas aquelas aulas de treino intensivo no ginásio ajudaram muito e acabei por correr a minha Varvet mais rápida de sempre. Especialmente nas subidas!

Agora só tenho que aumentar um bocadinho mais os treinos de corrida e talvez no próximo ano consiga fazer esta corrida ainda mais rápido. Sim... os corredores estão sempre a pensar na próxima corrida ou no próximo desafio.

E sabem uma coisa? Já estou registrada para a Varvet de 2020! Pode vir!

Forest 1 - 1 Sara

More than a year ago I wrote here about running in the forest near home and how it beat me, because it was so hilly. I finished that post with "Today, the forest beat me. I'll take that as a challenge!". Well, today was the day! I went straight there facing the 700m hill and then I did sprints in the other hills, always without stopping. 

Me and the forest are finally even!

Foto from the internet

Há mais de um ano atrás, escrevi aqui sobre treinar na floresta aqui perto de casa e como a floresta me bateu nesse dia, por causa das subidas a pique. O final desse post foi "Hoje a floresta bateu-me. Vou tomar isso como um desafio!". Pois que hoje foi o dia! Fui direita à floresta, pela subida de 700m que vai de casa lá e depois fiz sprints nas outras subidas, sempre sem parar.

Eu e a floresta estamos finalmente empatadas!

Göteborgsvarvet 2017

It was time again for the biggest half marathon in the world, with 60.000 people registered, here in Gothenburg. It is not the easiest race, because it goes up and down, and the final kilometres are hard. The most feared part is Avenyn, the main street in the city center, because it looks almost flat but it really isn't, it's long giving a never ending feeling and it comes after 15 km. 

Chegou de novo a hora da maior meia maratona do mundo, com mais de 60.000 inscritos, aqui em Gotemburgo. Não é a corrida mais fácil de sempre, porque vai há muitas subidas e descidas, e os quilómetros finais não são fáceis. A parte mais temida é sempre a Avenyn, a rua principal no centro da cidade, porque parece quase plana, mas não é, e além disso é longa parecendo não ter fim e vem depois de 15 km.

I didn't have great expectations this year. Training did not go so well, I got sick twice and I knew judging by the way I ran Växjö's half marathon 3 weeks ago that I was not prepared for the challenges of this race. On top of that, I had a dinner/party two days before the race, in which I drank a few glasses of wine, danced for a few hours and didn't sleep enough. My calves were still aching before the race. 

Não tinha grandes expectativas este ano. Os treinos não foram os melhores, fiquei doente duas vezes e sabia, depois de ter corrido a meia maratona de Växjö há 3 semanas, que não estava preparada para os desafios desta corrida. Além disso, tive um jantar/festa dois dias antes da corrida, no qual bebi alguns copos de vinho, dancei durante horas e não dormi o suficiente. Ainda tinha dores musculares nos gémeos antes da corrida.

The goal / A meta

But there are different ways of facing a race: go for it doing your best or go for the fun. One kilometre into the race I decided to do the second. That way would be more fun and enjoyable, and I would have more chances of fulfilling my promise: run the whole Avenyn without walking. I ran at a slower pace, smiled a lot at the amazing public that is spread almost throughout the entire course and enjoying the atmosphere. When I entered Avenyn I felt good and put on a smile never dropping it. People who saw me cheered me even more. It was so good, that when I noticed I was on top of it. I had a low phase a bit after, but then I looked at my watch and saw that had run 18.5 Km. No one is allowed to walk that close to the goal! And so it went... For the first time ever in this race, I ran the whole way, I had more fun than ever and I feel I accomplished what I could, giving the conditions.

Mas existem maneiras diferentes de enfrentar uma corrida: ir com tudo e dar o seu melhor ou ir para aproveitar a diversão. Um quilómetro depois de ter começado, percebi que o melhor seria escolher a segunda. Dessa forma seria mais divertido e agradável, e teria mais chances de cumprir a minha promessa: correr a Avenyn toda sem andar. Corri num ritmo mais lento, sorri muito para o público que é fantástico e está espalhado durante quase todo o percurso e aproveitei o ambiente de alegria e festa que a cidade ganha. Quando entrei na Avenyn, estava-me a sentir bem e pus um sorriso na rosto que nunca mais larguei. As pessoas que me viram gritaram e aplaudiram ainda mais. Foi tão bom, que quando dei por mim estava no topo da avenida! Tive uma fase mais difícil um pouco depois, mas olhei para o meu relógio e vi que já tinha corrido 18,5 km. Não se pode andar tão perto da meta! E assim foi... Pela primeira vez nesta corrida, corri durante o percurso inteiro, diverti-me mais do que nunca e sinto que fiz o que pude, dadas as condições.

Me at the goal with a flag of Portugal / Eu a chegar à meta com a bandeira portuguesa

I finished it in 1h56m21s. That is 1 second more than last year. I should be giving a prize for consistency! Last year, I was super in shape and had trained much more and much better, which gave me too much confidence. I ended up running too fast during the first 14km and then breaking down and walking a lot. 

The result was the same in time, but I had less than half of the fun. I'm happy I learned the lesson and applied it this year. Running and learning. 

Terminei em 1h56m21s, o que foi 1 segundo a mais do que no ano passado. Deveria ganhar um prêmio por consistência! No ano passado, estava super em forma e tinha treinado muito mais e muito melhor, o que me deu demasiada confiança. Acabei por correr muito rápido durante os primeiros 14km e quebrando depois, sendo obrigada a andar muito.

Em tempo o resultado foi o mesmo, mas não me diverti nem metade o ano passado. Estou feliz por ter aprendido a lição e a ter aplicado este ano. Correndo e aprendendo.

Göteborgsvarvet 2017, 1h56m21s

I should of course thank the usual gang. The other team members for sharing nerves and experiences before and after the race (they also did really well this year!) and the supporting team for the pictures, support and all the good food. I'm already looking forward to next time!

Tenho também que agradecer o grupinho habitual. Os outros membros da equipa, com quem partilhei nervos e experiências, antes e depois da corrida (eles também fizeram uma boa corrida este ano!) e a equipa de apoio pelas fotos, todo o apoio e comida deliciosa antes e depois. Já estou ansiosa pela próxima vez!

Växjö's Half Marathon

Last weekend we, the usual 3, ran the half marathon in Växjö. None of us had training as much as wanted. Among other things we were all sick at one point or another and had a lot of work or a new job to suck our energy. 

Picture taken by our local supporter

Still, the race was a promising one, because the course was beautiful and flat, and there were only around 250 people registered. There was also a 5k race starting an hour before ours and a 10k starting 2h later. The 10k was actually the main event with about 1000 people registered. That made it quite perfect, because it was never crowded to run the narrow paths of the half marathon, but there were a lot people around so we wouldn't feel lonely for too long. 

The course was breathtaking, probably the most beautiful 21km I have ever ran, even if it was a two-lap race. Half of each lap went through narrow roads and small paths inside a forest, that was partly along a lake. The other half was a full lap around the most famous lake of Växjö. There was a point in which the path actually went in between two lakes (or if it was through the same lake, I actually don't know). It was warm but not too warm, the sun was shining and the water was reflecting the light in a beautiful way. There and then I had my runner's high - that moment when the endorphines kick and the world is beautiful. 

I'm so lucky to be here running, it's so beautiful, my life is so beautiful, everything is perfect, oh how lucky I am.

Down there in the background is me. It was really nice to not run in a crowd like in most races.

Of course that was during the first lap, when I had 11km to go. In the second lap, with 1 km to go, I tried to go into that mood to forget how tired I was. The feeling was still there but it was a bit faked. It still kept my mind busy and I ran the whole thing without ever stopping. It was not the easiest half marathon I have ever ran and the fact that I hadn't training enough was clear, especially the day after. Still, I did it and I was super proud of myself, because I actually broke my record in an official race (my current record is during a training... I know, not common, but I was inspired that day). 

The boys also did quite well and we were all happy to be there. We had a wonderful supporter that did her best to be present and cheer us up when we most needed (with 2km to go I was dying...).

I wish I had pictures of the course but I don't. I do have some pictures of the city and I will be posting those soon in another post.

 Växjöloppet, May 2017, 1h50m46s

The Sara way #3

Or how 10 kilometres turn into 15...

More than a year after I moved to Prague I got lost while running in my own neighbourhood. It was raining cats and dogs and I couldn't see the way. That was my excuse that day.

Yesterday, also more than a year after I moved here I got lost when I was running. Me getting lost is almost becoming a tradition. 

Last weekend we cycled to a neighbourhood, full of small attached houses that look alike, around where I run sometimes. This time we took a right on the main street and went up to the forest. Yesterday I planned to go there to the entrance and back, so it would be quite exactly 10 km. When I was there I didn't feel like running up the hill so I decided to just continue in the main street, because it's flat. The same street where I have ran some other times. Then I remembered that last time, after seeing the map online, I saw that I didn't have to turn around, but I could turn left twice, go around and go back to the main street. Simple enough, I thought. And it was. I ended up exactly where I thought I would be. 

So what was the problem? The problem was that I didn't bloody recognised it! There are some open fields in the beginning of that neighbourhood and somehow coming from a different perspective made it so it looked completely different, at least in my head! When I came to the main road, that for me was just a road then, I had to turn left or right. Had I turn right, I would have seen familiar buildings after 50 m, but my brilliant instinct told me to turn left. Of course. I should have still recognised it because I have ran there before, but all the houses look the same and I didn't see it.

So I happily ran in the wrong direction not understanding where I was. I tried to go up a small road, because I thought I recognised the name, but it felt like a dead end so I returned and continued on the bigger street. It was only when I saw signs for the next city that I understood that something was really really wrong. 

I went back again, took that smaller road again and decided to go to the end and check if it really was a dead end. At a crossing I stopped and decided to ask someone. And then even before I had time to find someone to ask, it hit me! I was on the road up to the forest! I recognised it then! But... but... but... that meant that the road I have been running up and down is the one I was looking for!!! No... it's too stupid... Did I really do this?

Yes I did. 

After a few minutes I was back in the fields and I finally saw it. Suddenly, all the unfamiliar buildings became familiar and I couldn't help but laugh at myself. Relieved, I ran back making it home with 5 extra kilometres in the bag. 

Then I heard Johan's voice. He is abroad in a conference and one of the things he told me when he left was: Sara, try to not get lost when you run this time. Oh well...

The Newbie - Exercising outdoors in the winter

I remember moving here in January and thinking how these people were crazy to go out and run even if it was freezing. I also promised myself that one day it would become one of them. It turned out that it was not that difficult and with the right advice and clothes anyone can do it. Sure that if it's pouring rain I opte to exercise at home, but the cold doesn't scare me anymore.

I wrote a text about it for the Newbie Guide to Sweden. I included some tips I learned with my experience, although I feel I still have a lot more to learn. Always. 

If you are curious you can read the text here.

Lembro-me de me mudar para aqui em janeiro e pensar como essas pessoas são doidas porque saem para correr mesmo se estiver tudo congelando lá fora. Nessa altura também prometi a mim mesma que um dia me tornaria uma deles. Pouco tempo mais tarde descobri que afinal não é assim tão difícil e que ouvindo os ensinamentos dos que sabem e com as roupas adequadas qualquer pessoa o pode fazer. Claro que se estiver a chover a potes eu escolho fazer exercício em casa, mas o frio por si só já não me assusta.

Recentemente escrevi um texto sobre isso para o Newbie Guide to Sweden. Incluí algumas dicas que aprendi com a minha experiência, embora sinta que ainda há muito mais a aprender. Sempre.

Se quiserem ler o texto podem faze-lo aqui. 

Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon Dublin - review

The Rock 'n' Roll series is a running event present in many different cities and countries, all over the world. The concept is fun and in each city there's a bunch of smaller events happening usually in two days. It's perfect for amateur runners who just want to have a good time and have a good excuse to travel abroad. It was my first time in a Rock 'n' Roll race and we, me and the usual gang, chose Dublin. I was coming from an knee injury, Johan sneezed the week before and got his back injured (this is the shorter and funnier version of the story) and D. did not feel in great shape either. Still, we all made it relatively well. Especially D. who was the first to cross the finish line, despite of having the French guy stalking him (story here).

 Phoenix park

Getting ready

Positive

Registration - Easy and relatively cheap. It included cool Rock 'n' Roll t-shirts.

Races - There was 5k, 10k, 21k and a Fun Run of 1 mile. Distances for everybody.

Pickup - It was well organised. It was inside Trinity College, one of the main sights in Dublin. A good start of the weekend.

Toilets - Best portable toilets I have ever seen! You could flush them! Believe me that makes a huuuuge difference! 

Start - Divided into groups according to estimated time. There was a small break in between start groups so it wouldn't be a too big mess on the road. It worked out nicely.

Course - The course was fun. It started in the docklands and ended in Phoenix park, the biggest park in Dublin, a bit outside of the city. For me, any race that starts and ends in different places is always better. The course went along the Liffey river and it crossed the most emblematic places of Dublin like Temple Bar, Christ Church, Guiness brewery, museum of modern art and its gorgeous gardens. It did have some hills but doable.

Water - There were only 4 water/powerade station. At first I thought it was very little, but Dublin is not that warm and it was enough. In the 2 last stations the drinks came in bottles so one could actually run with them if necessary.

Bag drop - We left our bags at the start and they were transported by the organisers to the finish line. Everything worked our perfectly. At least for us.

Remix Challenge - One could run 5k on Saturday and then run either 10k or 21k on Sunday and get a extra medal for completing both races. We did it. It was fun to have two race days in the same weekend.

Medals - The medals were really cool! The one of the Remix Challenge was the most fun as it was a miniature of an electric guitar!

Festival - There were a lot of tents with food, drinks and souvenirs and a live concert. We didn't take advantage of it too much because we were too tired and it was cold. Still it looked fun.

Shuttle buses - Connecting the start/finish to the corner of the park, where one could take a tram or regular bus. There were many shuttles and although they were full, there weren't any big queues to get in one.

Me after finishing the half marathon, wearing my club's shirt, CDC Pinheiro and holding the flag of my country.

Negative

Swag bags - Ugly. Uncomfortable to take. Ridiculous.

Start time - 8h30 in the morning, which means we were eating pasta at 6am. A little bit later would have been better.

Weather - It was crazy windy. So strong in some spots that it actually made miss a step here and there. Fortunately, it was not windy the whole race and it didn't rain.

Bottles - It is true that some runners enjoyed having bottles of water and powerade instead of the usual paper cups. Although, most runners took the bottles, drunk a few sips and threw them away. It was a huge waste! Maybe having both paper cups and bottles would be the solution?

Trams - Both the start and the finish were far from the centre, where most runners were staying. The trams were free but this was not informed in advance. We, and many other runners, learn this only after buying tickets.

Adverts - We got many emails advertising the different challenges, packages, other smaller events, photographs, and races. We got them over and over again, sometimes just repeting the whole thing again. Singing off wasn't an option because one didn't want to miss important information, provided in the same way.

Us three after finishing two races and therefore holding cool guitars!

All in all, I would totally do it again! 

If you are a runner and want to have fun you should try one of the events in the Rock 'n' Roll series! 

Running update

From February to May I trained a lot and well. So well that I got overconfident and I ran the race in Gothenburg too fast becoming exhausted and ill.

After that race I also fell and hurt my knees against a concrete block.

I felt terrible.

I went to Portugal and I decided to take a break, running only a few times, just to enjoy myself.

I kept having pain in one of my knees.

Last February, I had taken an online course about exercising. When I understood that the pain I had was not from the fall, I went back to the class about knee injuries.

I recognised mine as a common injury caused by running or cycling.

I had ran hundreds of kilometres and I had only cycled 10 minutes a day, not even every day, going to the supermarket, and occasionally for about 1h in the weekends.

The injury had to be from running, right? Wrong.

I stopped running for 2 weeks, but I kept cycling.

I got worse.

My injury was from cycling!

I understood later that I had my bicycle too short. It had actually been mentioned in the class that a wrong bicycle fit is the number 1 cause of knee injuries in cyclists.

Then, I had 4 weeks to go until the next race and I had a lot of knee pain.

It was time to stop, think and train smartly.

I stopped completely for a week.

I started running very short and slow runs in the second week. I noticed that it stopped hurting after 1 or 2 km, which was an indicator of mild injury, one of those who can be heeled at home (rest, ice, compress, elevate = RICE).

I ran a few more times in the third week, including a semi long 14 Km, to give me confidence.

In the fourth week we were already away. We walked a lot never ran. I did not feel the pain again.

I still had no idea if I would be able to run a half marathon in Dublin. 

On Saturday, the 5K race went slow and nice. No pain.

On Sunday, the 21K race went also slow and nice. I didn't walk once. No pain.

Comparing both half marathons, I did it slower in Gothenburg than in Dublin (by 1 minute), just because in the first I got so exhausted and I had to walk a lot. A good example of a Portuguese saying the faster you do it, the slower you end up doing it. I also enjoyed it much more in Dublin, although the Gothenburg race has a much better atmosphere. I'm guessing not being exhausted to death helps!

With the hard times come good lessons and I did learn from these experiences.

I also registered for Gothenburg's half marathon next year. It won't beat me. Not again.

De Fevereiro a Maio treinei muito e bem. Tão bem que fiquei demasiado confiante, correndo depois a meia maratona de Gotemburgo demasiado rápido, ficando exausta e doente no final. 

Depois dessa corrida também corri e magoei os joelhos contra um bloco de cimento. 

Senti-me péssima.

Fui a Portugal e decidi parar de correr. Corri só algumas vezes, só mesmo porque o adoro fazer.

Continuei a ter dor num dos joelhos. 

Em Fevereiro tirei um curso sobre exercício físico. Quando percebi que a dor no joelho não era da queda, revi a aula de lesões nos joelhos.

Reconheci a minha como sendo a mais comum entre corredores e ciclistas.

Tinha corrido centenas de quilometros, enquanto que só andava de bicicleta 10 minutos por dias, nem sequer todos os dias, a caminho do supermercado, e às vezes dava uma volta de 1h ao fim de semana.

A lesão tinha que ser de correr, certo? Errado.

Parei de correr durante 2 semanas, mas continuei a andar de bicicleta. 

Piorei.

A lesão era de andar de bicicleta!

Percebi depois que a minha bicicleta estava demasiado baixa. Essa foi de facto uma das coisas ensinadas na aula. Uma bicicleta mal ajustada é a maior causa de lesões entre ciclistas. 

Nessa altura faltavam 4 semanas até à minha próxima corrida e eu com dores no joelho.

Estava na altura de parar, pensar e treinar também com a cabeça.

Parei por completo durante uma semana. 

Na segunda semana comecei a correr devagar e por pouco tempo. Notei que a dor no joelho passava ao fim de 1 ou 2 Km, o que é indicação de lesão suave, que se pode curar em casa com descanso, gelo, compressão e elevação.

Corri mais algumas vezes na terceira semana, incluindo um treino semi longo de 14 Km, só para me dar alguma confiança. 

A quarta semana já foi passada em passeio. Andamos muito mas nada de corridas. Nunca mais senti dores.

Não fazia ideia se seria capaz de correr a meia maratona de Dublin ou não. 

No Sábado foi a corrida de 5 Km, que fiz devagar e sem dores.

No Domingo foi a corrida de 21 Km, que também fiz devagar e sem dores. Não precisei de andar nunca.

Comparando as duas meias maratonas, fiz a de Gotemburgo em mais tempo do que a de Dublin (1 minuto a mais), apenas porque fiquei tão exausta que tive que andar vários quilómetros. Acho que qui se aplica o ditado quanto mais depressa mais devagar! Também aproveitei a corrida em Dublin muito mais, ainda que em Gotemburgo o ambiente seja muito melhor. Suponho que não estar cansada de morte ajuda!

Com os tempos difíceis vêm as grandes lições e eu tirei várias destas experiências.

Também me registrei para a meia maratona de Gotemburgo do ano que vem. Desta vez não me vai bater. Outra vez não.

Toughest - Malmö

When we were in Malmö we had the chance to watch a competition called Toughest. It's basically a race on an obstacle course. A tough obstacle course. Looking at them I didn't feel fit at all. The only thing I would do well in this race would be to run in between obstacles... It looked fun though!

Quando estivemos em Malmö tivemos a oportunidade de ver uma competição chamada de Toughest ("a mais dura"). É basicamente uma corrida de obstáculos, mas com um percurso muito desafiante. Ao olhar para os participantes não me senti nada em forma. A única coisa que eu conseguiria fazer bem ali seria correr entre os obstáculos... Ainda assim pareceu-me bastante divertido!

Ok, slide down and splash, maybe this one I could do. 

Ok, escorregar e cair na água deveria dar para fazer.

This obstacle was one of the toughest, because of the angle and the distance between the boards.

Este obstáculo pareceu-me ser um dos mais difíceis, por causa do ângulo e da distância entre as placas.

Crawling seems easy, but is it after almost 10 Km and a tough arm-obstacle?

Gatinhar parece fácil, mas será que é depois de quase 10 Km e um obstáculo de braços?

Team spirit and fair play were just beautiful to watch!

Espírito de equipa e fair play foram o melhor de se ver!

This was my favourite! Who wouldn't like to go and get dirty in the mud???

Este foi o meu preferido! Não apetece mesmo ir para ali sujarmo-nos na lama???

I know, one does get tired just from looking at the pictures... and there were many many more obstacles.

Eu sei, quase que ficamos cansados só de olhar para as fotos... e havia muitos muitos mais obstáculos.