Stockholm Marathon 2013 review

With apologies to my non-runner readers, I appreciate this post is going to bore you to tears…I promise I will be back on to Iceland content soon…

I recently participated in the Stockholm Marathon, which was my first international race. I arrived at the start line feeling uninspired and tired from doing a longer period of training than I had ever done before and left thinking “Wow, that was a great race…”  But, back to the beginning…

Historic 1912 Olympic Stadium, what a place to finish!

Moment of madness

I signed up to do this race last year, knowing that it would come only a few weeks after what would be only my second marathon. My logic at the time was in thinking that if you are going to do all that training, you might as well get two marathons out of it rather than one. I also thought it gave me a bit of a safety net in case I got injured and could at least do one race rather than none. You usually have to sign up to marathons quite a long way in advance, without knowing whether you will have the time, inclination or fitness to actually do it in x months time.

I know now that I wouldn’t do two marathons together again. It was very hard to keep the training going for that long.  Between the two races I was just keeping my legs ticking over rather than getting any of the rewards of feeling improvement or doing varied and more interesting running. I was also just really bored with running at that point as this extended my training runs to 22 weeks, with most of the long runs being done in wind, rain, cold or all of the above due to a much worse winter than the previous year.

I was correct in thinking this would be a good way to sightsee around a city for the first time. The course is two laps around central Stockholm and another bit that goes once around the Djurgården island, which was like a big park.There were no really boring or tedious bits of the course, which is unusual.

The course
From stockholmmarathon.se

In the last few weeks before Stockholm, it really felt like it wasn’t even happening. I was disappointed with my previous race result when I suffered from cramps, and couldn’t be bothered to spend all the time thinking about the Stockholm race only to have it go wrong again.

The day before the race

Reality struck on arrival in a sunny and very warm Stockholm, my worst fear, as even in May I still didn’t get anything like warm weather to run in and it would be a real struggle if it was hot.

I went to the pre-race Expo the night before the race. This is also held in the starting area so it is nice to be able to see the layout when it isn’t so busy and make sure you know where you are going. Everyone had to go to the Expo to pick up their number and other bits and although I had seen other reviews complaining about the lack of merchandise I was really impressed with what there was. Asics is the main sponsor of the race, and although you could only buy Asics gear, there was the best selection of t-shirts for this race I had ever seen. How refreshing to see a race shirt in technical material (meaning you can run in it), in a variety of really good colours and in men’s and women’s sizes.They even had a special race edition shoe in Swedish colours. The Expo was also open the day of the race so if you had forgotten something you could still buy it! Genius.

I was surprised to see that everyone’s race number also had their country’s flag on it. This was quite a fun touch and when running I found myself looking at other people’s numbers more closely than usual! About one third of the entrants for this race are from outside Sweden so on a practical level this would also help medical staff when treating participants.

After buying as many t-shirts as I could afford at Swedish prices, we went to the pasta party, where basically you got a free pasta meal that was actually really tasty and solved the problem of where to eat carbs in a strange city.

Looking forward to seeing YOU tomorrow

The race finishes close by in the Olympic Stadium and it felt quite exciting to see the finish line being set up and to see what a fun area it would be to end the race in.

Race day 

I felt a little calmer about the weather as despite still being  warm in the morning showers were forecast in the afternoon. Something that was different to UK races is that this race didn’t start until 12:00. I don’t understand the logic of this as you are guaranteed the hottest weather of the day at that point, and you have a lot of time to kill in the morning where you can’t do much or eat a lot. The husband appreciated not having to get up at 6:00 though.

Spectators near the start – ok, I’m nervous now!

The more races you run, the more you get particular about all the bits of kit and equipment you need to bring – luckily I remembered everything. Then it was off to the starting area, there were not enough toilets as is always the case and I spent forever just waiting in line. It turned out that actually there were many more once you went through to your starting pen so I didn’t need to do that! It did make the pre-race hour a little more nerve-wracking than it had to be with a very last minute sprint to the start.

Off we went at 12:00 and I did feel immediately hot within the first couple of miles. At the first water station I made an executive decision that I was going to stop at most of them even though I had my own drink. As these stations can be crowded this was going to slow me down a bit but I decided I didn’t care and I just wanted to enjoy this race.

You can see it’s quite hard to find someone you’re looking for…

It started to drizzle a little bit after around 90 minutes, and then the rain became quite torrential at times until I finished. I actually didn’t mind as it brought the temperature down and the weather was more like what I was used to running in.

Under a bridge…

There were all kinds of interesting things to eat along the way, which I’m not used to seeing – gherkins, vegetable stock, bananas, etc.

The actual running was hard as it always is, and it seemed to take forever to do the last mile, which was more like 26.7 miles than 26.2 miles. The stadium was a very welcome sight at the end!

The finishing area was very easy to get around (except for some steps you had to go down – ouch!) and finishers got a decent shirt and there were free hot dogs, beer and many other good things to eat. I can see how if it was a nice day you could hang around there for hours recovering!

I was happy enough with my finish time given this had been a bit of an experiment and was also more about enjoyment than flat out racing. Strangely, my first marathon time is still my best…I will improve it some day.

So, would I do this race again? I’m actually trying to decide this for next year. It had so many nice “extras” and amenities and the whole layout was so convenient. My only very minor gripes were lack of signage for the many toilets on the way to the start pens, lack of meeting points at the end, and it was a little lacking in camaraderie amongst the runners, with no one  really speaking to each other – perhaps this was because there were so many foreigners.  The “goods” far outweighed this. For me, it was also refreshing to do a race that had virtually no charity or costumed runners, it just felt a bit more “serious”.

I have looked at some other foreign races and their reviews and can’t seem to find any that tick all the same boxes. I’m not sure if trying another race would only lead to disappointment now.

You can see a video from the race here:

If you’re feeling inspired, registration for the 2014 race is open now!

Have you done a marathon that’s even better? Recommendations welcome!

Copenhagen highlights

This gallery contains 12 photos.

Stockholm highlights

This gallery contains 11 photos.

Sometimes it’s good to expand your horizons. I signed up for the Stockholm Marathon and ended up making it a city break to include time in Stockholm and Copenhagen. I will write a bit more about some of the things … Continue reading →

Top 5 mistakes I have made in Iceland

Sometimes  people who don’t know me very well  are surprised to learn that I am going to Iceland on holiday. I think this is partly because there is a culture here of going on holiday specifically to go somewhere warmer. The other thing is that actually the general public doesn’t know much about Iceland. Selfishly, I’d like to keep it that way. I sometimes have to remind myself that at one time I knew practically nothing about Iceland either – and although I hate to admit I have been that embarrassing tourist.

Here are some of the ways I’ve been caught out in Iceland and what I’ve learned:

1.     Iceland –  it’s not covered in ice – but…  I must admit, I was very underprepared on my first trip, which was the Landmannalaugar trek. I did this as part of a group and the organisers told us the weather would be changeable, but not how cold it might actually be in June.

Snow = better for walking in than sleeping in

So on the first night we all went to sleep in our tents with our normal UK-summer nightwear on. The rest of the night passed in a weird kind of haze where nobody really slept because they were so cold and we were “pleasantly surprised” when we emerged and saw snow in the morning.  So for the rest of the week it was sleeping in UK-summer nightwear plus hat, scarves, gloves, heavy socks…

Lesson learned: don’t ever hesitate about bringing and wearing winter clothes in summer months.

2.     Wind as comedy. In Iceland it can be what would be considered REALLY windy anywhere else at any time of year. I have spent time attached to the fence near Harpa and several signs along  Lækjargata being too scared to move off because of the wind. This is a case of poetic justice as I love to see other people being blown around by the wind or falling down.

Lesson learned: This is a tough one – embrace the wind? Or don’t laugh when you see other people being blown around, it can be really scary! (ok – I will probably still laugh at other people, which means I am doomed as far as this point is concerned)

3.     There really might be trolls. When out for a walk, my friend and I ended up in a place where we were completely on our own and we found a single huge footprint. We both looked at each other and said in hushed tones: “TROLLS”. I can see this sounds ridiculous, but what else could have left a huge footprint?? Stupidly neither of us thought to take a picture, we had got quite scared at this point and just wanted to get to a bit where we could see other people again. We did manage to take a picture of ourselves on this same walk which came out so ugly we couldn’t believe it – even the other people in our group screamed with laughter when they saw it. We looked like trolls ourselves. I’m telling you, we passed through a weird area.

Lesson learned: If something’s scary – take a picture of it before you run away. (before you ask, the picture of us is on an old computer and I REALLY wouldn’t post it anyway)

4.     I love to eat! Part 1  You know I love me a cheese pizza with jam. Imagine my horror when I dropped a big slice face down under the table. I still ate  it – we just don’t have the same kind of jam here and I wasn’t going to throw it away that easily.

Lesson learned: You can eat food off the floor.

I love to eat! Part 2  Well, it turns out even the most basic and seemingly familiar types of food can make you react badly. I never would have thought twice about eating anything in Iceland, until the time I had a kleina (doughnut) and got some crazy allergic reaction of the type that I’ve never had before or since.  It was very embarrassing and I probably should have seen a doctor. Apparently sometimes food might be cooked in an oil or fat you haven’t had before. I’ve since heard a similar story from another blogger around fish. I wrote more about this here, if you like to read about pain and fear.

Lesson learned:  Just grow up and ask for help if your face swells up to twice its size and you can’t breathe.

5.     You can’t always get what you want Part 1  As a general rule but in Iceland especially, if you see something you want to buy just buy it. It can even  be something as silly as a CD, which I’ve ended up going around 3 shops looking for because I didn’t just buy it in the first shop and nowhere else has it. (side note – something particularly charming in Iceland is the way the salesperson actually writes down your CD purchases – presumably because they only buy more in when they need to rather than overloading the stockroom with things that don’t sell. This seems to happen every time I buy a CD ).

Lesson learned: Just buy it! Even if you see something that seems like it will be in every other tourist/music/knitting shop it might not be. I’ve wasted a lot of time on this.

You can’t always get what you want Part 2  In the City Hall there is a large 3D topographic map of Iceland which isn’t really my cup of tea but is the kind of thing that

Handball vs the topographic map…difficult choice

seems to get mentioned on travel shows and I’d previously gone to look at it  “just because” rather than because it was something I was desperate to see.  However, we did make a point of going especially to see it once (and even had to come back as it turns out the building opens later on a Sunday) only to find it had been taken away to make room for a Christmas display. On the same trip I was also desperate to go the flea market – and guess what – that was also closed around Christmas!

Lesson learned: Things you want to see go away at Christmas. But you can go and watch handball instead if you’re lucky.

Honourable mention goes to the husband who insisted on driving up a “road” up the cliff near Vík, even though the guidebook said it was only advisable with a heavy duty 4×4. Needless to say we abandoned it about halfway up and walked – at least we didn’t actually have to get towed out which would have REALLY been embarrassing.

New page – Icelandic TV and films

Sometimes, readers contact me to ask for recommendations on getting started with Icelandic cinema and TV shows. I prefer not to do full reviews of these or music as often these things are a matter of personal taste, but I have started a new page to give a very brief synopsis of some, which I will maintain and add to. You can view this page here: Icelandic TV and Film

As a side note, two years after closing my personal Facebook account and not missing it for one day, I’ve decided to trial a page for the blog on Facebook. Bizarrely I seem to get a lot of referrals from there, so it’s a bit of an experiment to see if it’s another good way of bringing readers in and making new connections. If you’d like to add me as a friend, I’m on as I’dratherbein Iceland. Takk!

Book review: House of Evidence by Viktor Arnar Ingolfsson

Set in 1973, the book begins with the discovery of Jacob Kieler, who has been found shot dead in his museum-like home in Reykjavík. Strangely, it transpires that his father, also named Jacob Kieler, was also found shot in the same room 30 years earlier. So who is the killer and why have they been targeted?

This is an ambitious book told from the perspectives of the various police offers investigating the case. Interspersed are diary entries from Jacob senior, who kept diaries for over 30 years. Anyone who has ever wondered why there are no trains in Iceland will love the details of Jacob senior’s life, which revolved around engineering and trying to bring the railroad to Iceland. This vision brought him to Germany and plans were on the point of fruition when WWI broke out. His brother Matthias visited him there and is still alive, but a little secretive about the past.

Jacob junior has preserved the family history well and ended up living frugally in a house full of artifacts. Why would he have any enemies and what happened to Matthias in WWII when he went to visit Jacob senior?

If this all sounds a little complicated, it is. The book that covers a lot of ground and sometimes features unnecessary details. It’s also a book that will probably appeal more to men than women in terms of the engineering and railroad side. There are many characters, some of whom you would like to see developed a bit more.

This book is really more of a mystery than I thought it would be from reading the cover, and having been written in 1998, is not just jumping on the Nordic crime bandwagon.

I liked the fact that it was set in 1973 as it makes some of the plot more interesting and is the only way it could incorporate the WWII storyline.

I’ll be reading Ingolfsson’s The Flatey Engima next and will be interested to compare the two books.

My Icelandic radar

So, I’ve been pretty quiet on the electronic front lately. The amazing thing is that the blog seems to get the same number of hits whether I write anything or not! Why isn’t everything in life like this? It seems I can’t just stop the blog that easily! It’s good to know people still find and read what feel like “old posts”.

Despite my silence I have still been keeping up with all things Icelandic. Shockingly I will also be going somewhere else on holiday this year and that makes me feel guilty enough to come back to the blog to share my latest thoughts on Iceland, in no particular order.

• I watched the election results with interest and am not sure how the one person that all Icelanders seem to dislike won the majority of votes. I suppose this is proof that what people say and then do don’t always match up! I have to admit that politics don’t excite me, but Icelandic politics are at least changeable and always seem to have something going on.

• I went to the Sóley concert in London recently and she did something I can’t imagine a non-Icelandic artist doing – actually crossed the whole venue through the crowd to come and sit and play at the venue’s piano which was against the back wall. It was really an interesting thing to do and gave a bit of excitement. Kind of like those icebreakers you get halfway through a conference sometimes. It’s great to be a fan of any famous Icelander as they are so accessible.

• We have had a late spring in the UK and it really gives you sympathy for those in Iceland who still have cold weather and even snow in April and May every year. I’ve always thought that would be the hardest thing about living there as spring is such a nice time of year.

• I was a bit surprised to see that the Hamburger Factory has been selected as one of the top 10 burger places in the WORLD. I do like this place, but it is very derivative of most American hamburger places and although they have a good selection of burgers I’m not sure they’re THAT much better than anyone else. But good news for them, and I hope they get some more visitors who may have seen this list.

• “Iceland – Ash Cloud Apocalypse” was shown on UK television recently.  Although I appreciate seeing any shows about Iceland, this was a typical scare-mongering show where the aim was to tell you how overdue Iceland is for a really disastrous eruption.

• I’ve watched a couple of Icelandic DVDs lately, although I have never reviewed films, TV or music on the blog as I feel it is too subjective. One observation though is how few Icelandic speaking actors there must be and most of them must not get very much work and have to have day jobs. It’s oddly nice to see the same people cropping up in completely different roles. You start to feel that you know all these actors.

• I am doing my most ambitious knitting project yet, thanks to help from my friend at Knitting my Day Away. It is an Icelandic flag cushion cover that involves knitting with three colours at once (gasp) and on circular needles. Both of these things are new to me and It takes me forever to do a few rows and there are many, many rows, but I will get there eventually. I don’t think you appreciate how much of a “fast” world we live in until you try doing something that takes as long as knitting.

• It’s time to start getting excited about some new books from favourite authors Yrsa Sigurðardóttir (next week!) and Arnaldur Indriðason (August). I also still have some other books by Icelandic authors that I haven’t read yet.  It’s a bit like my Icelandic chocolates – sometimes it’s more fun to hang onto these things for a while and know you’re still got them to look forward to. I’m quite good at rationing things out between trips now!

As always I welcome your comments or thoughts on anything Iceland. The election has had quite a bit of coverage in the UK and whenever anything to do with Iceland is featured in the news I am reminded what a small niche group of people are actually attracted to the place. It’s a bit like like my two calendars at work – the cat one gets more comments than the Iceland one! Those of you reading probably know more about Iceland than anyone else you know and I’ve had some great input from you.