Travel blog entry: the wonderful Iceland
I was lucky enough to win an EEA grant and visit Iceland for teaching. Obviously, I haven't left my running shoes at home, and I tried to get the most out of that trip in terms of running as well.
Showing posts with label Race. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Race. Show all posts
Quick tinder survey at a running gala
So I'm now participating at a two-day running gala in the beautiful city of Siófok. After having a long shower and filling my stomach with a nice pizza, I started chatting with several friends on facebook, who are actually runners Long story short: I came to an idea of having a quick survey of runner ladies on tinder.
Tasting something new: my first 6h ultra run
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The "outsiders" may not know this, but running is not as "monochrome", as it may seem. People who do not run, usually only know about the Olympics, and the big half-marathon and marathon races with all the festivities. But there are many other styles of running, like the Spartan races (which should not be confused with the Spartathlon), the color runs (and many other crazy fun races), trail runs, etc.
All of these have a different taste. By which I mean, that the prices, distances, number of participants, competitiveness, etc. are all different. Everybody can find the most suitable style for themselves. I prefer mostly the long distance trail runs, and occasionally fun runs and big city marathons. But last Sunday I tried something new: a 6 hour ultra race.
I've already ran couple of marathons, and some organized hiking events, that lasted more than 6 hours (brutto), but this was different from everything so far because:
- unlike all my previous races, the time is given, not the distance
- the track was a roughly 1.6 km long cycle on asphalt
So basically we were running around for 6 hours on the same 1.6k route. There were some consequences of that:
- It was kind of boring compared to trail runs or big city marathons.
- Since it is an ultra run, there aren't thousands of people attending. Basically, I've been seeing the same ~40 runners all the time. Even if they were much faster or slower than me.
- The small number of runners also meant, that is was a very friendly race. Everybody was rooting for everybody. Sometimes it meant saying "Hajrá!", sometimes only a smile and a wave.
- Some of the supporting people who accompanied the runners were really enthusiastic about rooting for us. Playing loud music from their cars, and in one occasion even dancing on the top of it. :-D
- With such a short cycle, refreshment is not an issue. Every 9-10 minutes (in my tempo), the refreshment desk was there with isotonic drinks, bananas, and other goodies. Most of the people also had personal refreshment in the car. (I used two gels and Magnesium shots for example.)
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The track was actually really nice, we went through a beach in each round. We also had luck with the weather, it was a very comfortable 10-15 C degree, and had no rain. In the end I managed to finish 41 rounds and an additional 209.1 meters, which end up to something like 65k. I'm really happy with that, as I was going for 63.3.
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| The photos were taken by Jenő Burján. |
But, without any doubt, the best part of the race was, when I was a little bit behind a nice lady, and some of the organizers just told me after the loud rooting, that "Yeah, I'd run after such ladies too! :-D". When I outpaced Her, She told me, that "Ok, so from now on, I'll look at your butt, not the other way around :-)". After 4 hours of running I was in a fun mood, and lifted up my shirt a little bit to provide a better view. The next thing I heard was: "Hm... nice." I'm not a narcissistic person, but this definitely lifted my spirit for a while :-).
So, long story short: my verdict is, that I really liked the race. The family like aura of it, everybody supporting everybody, etc. was a really nice experience. Running around the same track for 6 hours was not as unbearable as I thought. I'll probably still prefer trail runs in the future, but once in a while it is a really nice thing to do for a change. I highly suggest You to try a race like this. If 6 hours are too long, there are usually relay options too. The big open question I still have to decide is, whether I want to attend to a 12h or 24h similar race. (Such races are organized in Hungary every few months.)
Anyhow, if You have a similar experience, let me know in the comments.
The most awesome medal hanger
If You are a runner, cyclist, etc. who goes to races, sooner or later You will have to face the problem of finding the proper installment suitable for the medals.
Half Blood Prince Half Marathon - My first virtual race
Roughly one year ago I joined the Hogwarts Running Club while surfing on facebook after my Harry Potter Marathon. HRC contributes to a wide range of charities in various forms: house cup with Charity Miles, goodies shop, and the virtual races. (If You got interested, check out my post for mor einformation about HRC.)
So far I only used CM to track my runs/hikes/rides/etc and strengthen the Ravenclaw house and the Faculty. I was always eager to try one of the virtual races, as they have amazing medals, but the prices always discouraged me. This spring, however, I checked out my paypal acocunt, how much I still have from the $480 I earned with running, and this is what I saw:
Well, this is roughly the same amount, as the registration fee for the Half Blood Prince Half Marathon, so why not, let's do this! Especially, since Prof. Snape was one of my favorite characters in the story. So, I registered, and got my bib the next day or so:
I printed it out, laminated it, and was waiting for the medal. I wanted to recieve it right after the run, so I decided not to do the half marathon until then. The medal arrived in 2-3 weeks, and I started planning my race. I decided that my favorite tea house should be the finish line, so I left the medal there. I only had to wait for a nice day without any other program... It took me a while, but today, I could finally put on my bib, and hit the road.
It was a very hot day already at 9am in the morning, especially in the black shirt (I thought, that it was the fitting one), but I was determined to finally do this. I decided to have a simple track, just running to the second village on the bicycle road and turn back. The beauty of nature compensated me for the hot weather. Here is a photo of the place where I turned around:
Obviously, it was easier on my way back, as the promise of the cold beer at the end was really uplifting. In a blink or two I got back to the tea house, got my medal and my well-deserved refreshment:
And this was my track:
As a conclusion: this was a really fun way to kick of July, but well, it is still not something designed for Hungarian salaries, which is understandable, as most of the wizard/witch pupils come from the US. However, if money is not that big of an issue for You, I urge You to enroll to these events. It could also be more fun, if a group of people do it together. Now that I mention it: I got plenty of looks running around with a bib alone :-D
So, what about You? Have You ever tried virtual races? How did You like them? Let us know in the comments!
Budapest Vivicitta 2016 - Eye opening experiences
Two weeks ago I've participated on three races of the Budapest Vivicitta Running Festival. I would have never thought, that the race this year will provide as many new experiences as it did last year, but it certainly did. To put that into perspective: a year ago I accompanied my brother in law for His first half marathon using it as a test drive for the baby cart of my nephew, while still having plaster on my dominant hand.
