My Copenhagen Marathon 2011 Results!!

I finished Copenhagen Marathon in 4 hours, 43 minutes and 33 seconds!!

I am really happy with that time :-)

The race went really well and was easier than I thought it would be.

I'll do a full write up on the marathon tomorrow as I'm still recoveing right now :-)

The Night Before Copenhagen Marathon 2011!

Twas the night before Copenhagen Marathon and all was quiet in the house of Lynne :-)

All day she had been lying on the sofa, resting her feet and eating pasta. Everytime she stood up she would have a little glass of water so as not to be dehydrated for the long run in the morning.

Lynne had packed her energy gels, pain killers, extra contacts, tissues and a spare hairband in her gel belt pouch. She had packed a bag for her husband for after the marathon containing her camera, jeans and her Copenhagen Marathon T-shirt.

Her luminous orange t-shirt, bright pink trainers, shorts, socks, watch, race number, pace band and chip were all in a pile in the bedroom so as not to be forgotten. Her phone was on charge with two alarms set, sun tan lotion was waiting on the side, and she had arranged to stop by a friends house, who lived right by the start, for her toilet trip in the morning.

Lynne looked up from typing her night before Copenhagen Marathon blog post and noticed that it was nearly 9:30 in the evening.

'Only 12 more hours to go until the start of my very first marathon,' she thought to herself. 'Will I make it to the finish?' The answer was 'YES I WILL!!!' And so will you too :-)

It doesn't matter if it's your first or your number one hundred marathon, it's still going to be a fantastic day!!

HAVE A GREAT MARATHON :-)

Getting Ready for Copenhagen Marathon 2011!

I have been running a little the last few days but only a couple of 5k runs.

I'm starting to get pretty nervous now! It's only 2 days until Copenhagen Marathon :-)

I have got my race pace sorted, energy gels sorted, cheerleaders sorted, drinks and food sorted, and am already aware of what will be the 'boring' part of the course.

I have run almost the whole course in pieces during all my training so know what to expect. There is no doubt that the best part of the course is between 23k and 28k. This is a fantastic run all the way along the front of Copenhagen harbour :-)
I have run this route many times and love doing it! Also my husband and sons will be on this part of the course cheering me on!

I can't wait until Sunday :-)

Only One More Week until Copenhagen Marathon!

What am I feeling now?

EXCITED
SCARED
HAPPY
NERVOUS
WORRIED
ANXIOUS
COURAGEOUS
FANTASTIC

If you have any other emotions let me know. It could get interesting :-)

Today I ran nearly 11k and as there was a cold wind I put on my winter stuff. I was SO hot!!

I'm oviously just running the marathon in shorts and a T-Shirt.

This time next week it will all be over.....

Copenhagen Marathon 2011 Drinking Stations and Toilets!

Some information regarding the drinking stations, toilets and where to find fruit during Copenhagen Marathon 2011.

Drinking stations


You will pass drinking stations 9 times during Nykredit Copenhagen Marathon.
4,8 km -  Kristianiagade (Water, Powerade energy drink, oranges and bananas)

8,5 km -  Frederik V’s vej (Water and Powerade energy drink)

13,0 km -  Nørregade (Water, Powerade energy drink, oranges and bananas)

17,3 km -  Carsten Niebuhrs Gade (Water and Powerade energy drink)

21,5 km -  Sønder Boulevard (Water, Powerade energy drink, oranges and bananas)

26,1 km -  Sankt Annæ Plads (Water and Powerade energy drink)

29,2 km -  Kristianiagade (Water, Powerade energy drink, oranges and bananas)

33,7 km -  Frederik V’s vej (Water and Powerade energy drink)

38,4 km -  Nørregade (Water, Powerade energy drink, oranges and bananas)

The order is the same for all drinking stations:

Toilets –> shower (cold water) –> private fluid* –> water –> Powerade energy drink –> fruits –> first aid and vaseline.

*private fluid is only for men running sub 3:00 and women running sub 3:30.



If you are anything like me, you need to know where the toilets are when you are running longer distances :-)

Copenhagen Marathon Route 2011

This is the latest updated Copenhagen Marathon 2011 route!

That's Another 17.5k Towards Copenhagen Marathon!

I went out for a 15k run this morning. The weather was beautiful :-) Not too hot but not too cold. It was still a little windy but not as bad as it has been!

I ran from Amager over Langebro, through Christiansborg Slot, into Nyhavn and then all the way along the water up to The Little Mermaid again. I was there at 9.15am and it looked like a cruise ship had just arrived as there were tourists everywhere!

I then ran back towards the city and past my favourite fountain in Copenhagen which is in the photos below.

I then ran past the queens palaces, back past Nyhavn, across Kongens Nytorv and all the way down the walking street to Rådhuspladsen. From there I ran to Islands Brygge and home again.

In all I ran a little over 17.5k which was over 2.5k over my target so I'm very happy with that.

This time in 2 weeks I'll be running Copenhagen Marathon 2011 :-)

My Last Long Pre-Marathon Run

On Sunday I had my last long pre-marathon run!

It was a little over a half marathon and was the easiest run I have ever had!

I ran with Jeppe my friend Lisa's husband. It was really good to have company and made the running much less hard. He was happy to run at my slow pace because he hasn't done much training over the last few weeks. Jeppe is also running Copenhagen Marathon for the first time.

We ran from his apartment into the city, through Nyhavn, up to the little mermaid, back through the main shopping area, along the water front opposite Islands Brygge and then the last stretch home.

Our average pace was 6.19 per km which suited me perfectly as I'm going to try for a 6.24 marathon pace which then would give me a finish time of four and a half hours :-)

We stopped every 5k for a drink and an energy gel which seems to work for me and is how I intend to run my marathon.

I woke up the next day minus my usual muscle pains. I had no blisters. I actually felt like I could of carried on running for longer. This has made me believe that, yes, I really can finish that marathon!

Only 19 days to go until the Big Day :-)

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Great 27k Run in the Countryside



Me after 21k



I have been over the other side of Denmark in Jutland for Easter and thought this would be a great place to get in one of my long pre-marathon runs :-)

There is an old railway line which runs from Horsons until Silkeborg and is around 52k long. We were staying around 1k from a part of this so it made sense to run some of it.

The path is now a nature trail and is very beautiful to run on. A 5k part of it has been preserved and still has an old train running up and down on it.

My family took this train from the one station to the next and back again and meet up with me during my run. This part of the trail is through a wood and I find this so much harder to run on. I actually prefer to run on roads!

I managed 27k which I thought was pretty good as I was carrying water and it was about 24 degrees and very sunny.

Below are some photos of the nature area where I was running :-)



I Ran 13.5km For Japan!!

Today was my Run for Japan event!

I ran 13.5km and so have raised a minimum of 140kr for the people of Japan!

You can also donate money without even having to run at www.runforjapan.com

I wasn't expecting anyone else to turn up as it was so VERY windy!!

I got ready and put on my new Asics Nimbus 12 trainers (remember the pink ones).

I got the metro down to where the meeting place was and waited for 5 minutes. No one else showed so I started my run alone. This was fine by me as then I could run where I liked and at what speed I liked :-)

For the first 4km I was running into the wind and it was really hard going :-( I was heading down to run along the beach path and was expecting a very strong head wind there.
I was pleasantly surprised as when I got there the wind was behind me all the way so I had a great run along the beach :-)

The 5km back home from the beach, on the other hand, was terrible!!!

I was running into the wind all the way :-(
I kept telling myself that I was doing this for the people of Japan that have lost loved ones, homes, and everything! This helped to keep me going.

I have decided to get my husband to sponsor me for Copenhagen Marathon and give 10kr a km to Run to Japan.

One last thing, my new trainers are GREAT!!! No blisters, no knee problems, no hurting toe nails!

I LOVE THEM :-)

Copenhagen Marathon Route, Accommodation, and Other Information

As we are only 97 days away from Copenhagen Marathon 2011 I thought it was time to update my blog with some of the details about the day :-)

Copenhagen Marathon 2011 Route and Water Deposits

Copenhagen Accommodation (best to book as far in advance as possible)

DANHOSTEL COPENHAGEN CITY

- Stay in walking distance to start and finish. As a guest at the DANHOSTEL Copenhagen City you have access to your room after the run to have a shower and you can leave your luggage during the run.

www.danhostelcopenhagen.com

CABINN

- Cabinn offers good, cheap accommodations and have a selection of four hotels in the Copenhagen Area. If you are participating in Nykredit Copenhagen Marathon, you can book your room at a special discount price. To get the discounted price you will be required to present your race number and the code 2509
http://www.cabinn.com/

DGI-BYEN HOTELS

- “Sleep in quiet surroundings and wake up well rested for the challenge of your life. When you stay at one of DGI-Byens hotels you can walk back to your room to have a shower and rest until 17:00. Or you can recover your legs in the Swim Center spa or in the steam bath and sauna
www.dgi-byen.dk/hotel

SCANDIC

 NYKREDIT COPENHAGEN MARATHON OFFICIAL HOTEL PARTNER

- Scandic is the official hotel partner and offers a range of hotels in the city center close to the starting area.
“Scandic is a modern hotel chain where conscious people come for inspiration and renewed energy. With around 150 hotels and 30,000 rooms, we are already one of the largest hotel companies in Europe. And Scandic are continuing to grow – within a few years, there will be over 200 Scandics to choose from."
www.scandichotels.com/copenhagen

Start & Finish

Nykredit Copenhagen Marathon is once again using the area just by Langebro at Islands Brygge as both start and finish area.

The area along the water front allows Nykredit Copenhagen Marathon to accomodate larger groups of runners and spectators better giving the race a great start when the runners cross Langebro and continue into the city center.

Nykredit Copenhagen Marathon gives you:

- Three days of Sports Expo before the run

- Timing recorded through a chip

- A traffic-free 42,195 km course for marathon runners only

- Pace setters to ensure a steady pace throughout the run

- Hydration stations every 4,5 km offering water and energy drink. Four stations will also serve fresh fruits

- Medical Aid Stations and toilets positioned along the route

- Music and other entertainment along the route

- Photos will be taken by photographers from Marathon Photos, who will be stationed throughout the course

- Showers will be available at the finish area

- A plastic blanket, hot chocolate, rolls, yoghurt and fresh fruits in the finish area

- A medal and a Nykredit Copenhagen Marathon t-shirt – to show you were there!

For more information, to read about the Sports Expo, and to sign up for Copenhagen Marathon 2011 please visit:-

http://www.copenhagenmarathon.dk/
www.copenhagenmarathon.dk/en/participant-info/online-registration/



Running for Help for Heroes Charity

I have decided to run Copenhagen Marathon 2011 for the Help for Heroes charity.

This is a charity that helps wounded soldiers and their families!
I have created a page at the top of my blog and the information is also written below:-

I always knew I wanted to run for a charity but it had to be the right one for me. And Help for Heroes is The Right One!


Members of my own family have been stationed in war zones such as Bosnia and Iraq. I really feel for the injured and dead soldiers and their families. That is why I decided to run for Help for Heroes! I want to help these soldiers and families and encourage others to do the same.

http://www.bmycharity.com/copenhagenmarathon2011

Donating through this page is simple, quick and secure. It is the most efficient way to give – so every donation goes further – and if you are a UK taxpayer and give Gift Aid consent the charity will receive an extra 28% at no cost to you.


Thank you for your support.


And for supporting such a great charity with me!


All the best,
Lynne

Ouch My Foot!!

Well that's just great.....Here I am about to start my serious marathon training four months before Copenhagen Marathon 2011 and I've hurt my foot :-(

I think it's just a tendon. I was fine while running yesterday but later on in the evening the top of my foot between my big toe and my arch started to hurt. It was like something was grinding whenever I moved my foot or toes a certain way. Especially if I pointed my toes upwards.

I taped my foot up when I went out as I wasn't sure what else to do. When I came home I remembered a bandage, that I had bought when I was in England, called Physicool. (http://www.physicool.co.uk/)

It's a cooling bandage for inflammation and bruising of the muscles tendons and ligaments. I'm not sure how it works but it has the cooling agent already in the bandage so you don't have to put it in the fridge.

Anyway I put the bandage on, elevated my foot, and left it there for around one and a half hours. My foot was tingling for sometime afterwards but the pain was mostly gone and there was no more grinding sensation.

I'm going to put it on again this evening while watching a DVD and see how my foot is in the morning.

This is very annoying!!!

I Really Wanted to go to Spartas Fællestræning!

I was planning on going to the first of Spartas marathon training sessions today and instead I'm at home ill :(

It really sucks!!

I'm hoping I can get out and train this week because the training session next week is 15km and if I don't run this week I'm going to really struggle.

Interview for Runabroad.com!!

I have done an interview for RunAbroad.com!!!!

RunAbroad.com is a great site and has a lot of interesting race and marathon information on it!

Lynne Knightley is an English runner living in Denmark. She plans to run her first marathon soon and blogs about it on Beginners Copenhagen Marathon 2011.


What has been your favourite race/run so far?


As of now I have only run in 3 races. The first was a 5k in Copenhagen around some army barracks, by where the cruise ships dock, and then past where The Little Mermaid should be (she is currently in China).


The second race was a 10k called Friløbet also in Copenhagen from near Parken football stadium, along by some lakes, into Tivoli, and back again. I really enjoyed running around inside Tivoli and hope to do this race every year!


The third race was a 10k around the area I live in on Amager.


Still my favourite run would definitely be one I did in Berlin with Mike’s Sight Running Tours. We ran around the streets of Berlin in the evening for the Festival of Lights and it was fantastic!............
 
To see more visit RunAbroad.com and look for 'Interview with a Runner November 2010'.

Copenhagen Marathon Start Op 15km

GOAL NUMBER 3 = COMPLETED!!!  :-)

I ran this morning in the marathon start op and ran 15km in 1 hour, 24 minutes and 13 seconds (official time)!
I was aiming for around 27/28 minutes so am really pleased with this time. Oh and my knee wasn't hurting at all. I did take 2 ibrufen tablets before the race though, just in case.

It was 3 times around Fælledparken on Østerbro and there were pace setters that you could follow. I ran either a little ahead or a little behind the 5.40 ones all the time.

It was a fantastic race and the day couldn't have been better! No wind! No rain! No sun! Just a very cloudy sky. The leaves were falling or had fallen from the trees and the smell of Autumn was in the air :)

15 minutes before the race I took a High5 energy gel to wake me up a little.

Me in the distance on the very left hand side of the photo

The first 5km was pretty easy and I decided not to have any water and just keep running when I had gone round once. There were way too many people at the water depot anyway. The second time round was much harder, probably because I stop for a drink!
At 10km I had some water and also some Powerade which gave me a great boost for kilometres 11 and 12.

At 13km my pace becan to slow down so I took a SIS energy gel and managed to finish the 15km on a high!!

Another great race by Sparta :)

Sparta Copenhagen Marathon Website

The new Copenhagen Marathon 2011 website is up and running!!

It can be found at http://www.copenhagenmarathon.dk/

I think it's a big improvement on the old one :)

Friløbet 2010

And so I have completed my second goal in my marathon training!!

I ran 10km in Friløbet in Copenhagen today. It's a great run where you start outside Østerbro Stadium, run by the lakes, into and around Tivoli, back by the lakes, through Fælledparken, and then into Østerbro stadium!

The weather was almost perfect. No rain, no sun, just lots of clouds :) I was running a little into the wind on the way back from Tivoli by the lakes but it was nothing that really mattered.

My official time was 1 hour and 26 seconds!!!

Now I know that this time is not so good as my other "10km's". This is because my Nike+ sportband hadn't been calibrated so where I thought I was running a 10km it was more like a little under 9km.

The good news is that I actually beat my old "10km" time by over 2 minutes and did it in 55 minutes and 4 seconds!!

I, of course, have calibrated the sportsband now so am looking forward to my next 10km run to try and beat my time :)

Goal number 3 is calling and that's a 15km race! Probably the Nike Marathon Start-up on 31st October :)

Energy Gel and 10km Times!

I went for a run this afternoon and decided to test out an energy gel as I would be running around 10km. I took it just as I was going out the door.

I didn't notice any difference until I had run 4km when all of a sudden I had more energy than I knew what to do with. And my energy level really did seem to change from one minute to the next. My pace time went from 5 minutes 40 seconds per km to 5 minutes 20 seconds.


I felt fantastic!!
 
The problem was that after I had run 10km I still had so much energy but didn't want to risk an injury by running more.
 
I will experiment with an energy gel again when I run Friløbet on Sunday but this time take it 20 minutes before I start running so it has time to kick in.
 
I ran my best 10km time yet of 56 minutes and 20 seconds :)

Baby Jogger and Me!

Ok, so I've borrowed my friends baby jogger to see if I like them before I buy one myself.

The answer to the question is: Nooooooooooooo!!

I ran up to my older sons school and back this morning with my youngest in the jogger. It was so hard to run with :(

My legs hurt, my arms hurt, my shoulders hurt, and I ran so slow! I couldn't even blame the wind today.

Conclusion: I don't think I'm buying a baby jogger anytime soon!