(ENG) Fim da Europa - what are you thinking of while running?

"What are you thinking of while running?" shares the top position in the dumbest questions to a runner with "Why do you run?" Ok, I have an answer for both...


I run to avoid thinking about anything.

If this is not a good answer for you, I'm ready to reveal my thoughts while running the Fim da Europa race (29.01.17).

(see also: Fim da Europa video)

But first, a few deails. The race starts in Sintra. The most comfort way to get there from Lisbon is train that leaves form Rossio station (there's also a train from Oriente).

Sintra is the last stop. It takes about 40 min to get here from Rossio.

Keep your ticket until the end you have to apply it to get out of the arrival station.

You can hardly get lost while getting from the train station to the starting line. Just follow the runners ))

Pre-race BG (blood glucose) is 5.4 mmol/L. I eat a 30g-carb gel to avoid slipping into hypoglycemia.

The first wave starts at 10 a.m., the second - at 10:15.

Ok, time to share my thoughts, as promised, km by km.

0km. "Was that flop a starting gun?"

1km. "Who needs all those HR-zones if you have your HR at 180 on the very first km?!"

2km. "Just two?! Are we supposed to climb up another two before the first downhill?"

3km. "What's my pace, I wonder? 8 minutes, perhaps. And not per mile. Per km."

4km. "I could never imagine my legs getting so heavy after some 4km."

5km. "A motorcycle. Why not chase him?"

6km. "The brightly dressed girl seems to keep good pace. Should try and stick to her."

7km. "Why don't I use this cyclist as a pacemaker?"

8km. "How weird all this is."

9km. "9 is sort of more than a half of 17, isn't it?"

10km. "Seven to go, plausible."

11km. "The scenery here makes a good spot for shooting a horror movie."

12km. "Five to go. Can I keep this pace? Yes, I can. On a flat course, at least."

13km. "This one if not flat, though"

14km. "Are these people from Japan? The Japanese are known for their devotion to running,"

"Look at this people. They probably came to see the Cabo da Roca place and are going back to their hotel..."

"...but seeing the ruunners they all give highfives."

"They all give highfives! What a boost!"

15km. "Two to go, 1:37, will make it in 1:50, if I keep within 6:30 min/km."

"Someones are already on their way back in a warm bus. Lucky!"

16km. "Others prefer walking. Lucky, anyway."

17km. "The finish line, at last!"  (Speeding up) "No use in speeding up at the last 10 meters."

Two watches show gross time for the two starting waves.

Post-race BG=9.7 mmol/L. Total carbs consumed - 120g (including 30g pre-race). Take 2 units of insulin and plan to consume some food in 20-30 minutes (thanks to race organizers for the post-race kit, which included an apple, a banana and a bread roll).

This is the westernmost point of the Eurasian continent. The Atlantic ocean lies to the left.  "It was worth it!"

Due to the race course profile, my average pace  varied from 7 min/km (first 10K) to 5 min/km (last 7K). Lesson learned: hills demand specific training.