The Mazury Marathon (Maraton Mazury)

last minute camera instructions

Exhausted and thirsty, I crossed the finish line three hours and fifty six minutes and 42.195 kilometers after beginning the Mazury Marathon last week.  It was the third marathon finish in my life, but this time was by far the most challenging.   Despite being in one of the most picturesque regions of Poland in the middle of the famous majestic lake district, the marathon crossed many hilly parts that continually inclined and declined throughout the course.  Nevertheless, the shadiness and the abundance of water stops along the way made it do-able and in my opinion, fun.

Oblivious like Forest Gump, I am hiding in background at the starting corral not realizing man in soccer jersey is a famous Polish television journalist...can you spot me?

after about seven kilometers, lots of smiles at this point.

Coming out of the starting area and out of the village of Galkowo, the sound of cheering spectators slowly subsided as the village road gave way to a shaded path covered in pine and birch trees.  After a relatively flat 6 or 7 kilometers the path started to incline a bit and then around 10 or 12kilometers the short climbs started, and continued throughout the course, peaking at a modest 200 meter climb around the thirty-first kilometer.  Despite the moderate climbs, the challenging bit for an amateur like myself was the continuity of the course.  Training in a flat city like Warsaw before running in a hilly course was something new for me.

Despite the hilly terrain, as mentioned, I managed to finish without stopping –despite a bathroom break at around the midway point.  It was also quite a pleasant run as there were only about 250 runners on the course.  Around the 39^th kilometer though, I was starting to feel the pain of the whole ordeal and had to mentally deal with the pathetic quitting voice in my head telling me to give up.  After hearing the cheers about a kilometer from the finish lifted my spirits, however, the quitting voice vanished.   Coming out of the final turn and back into the village of Galkowo, the tranquility of the trails turned into cheers as the villagers, who were standing in front of their houses offering water and beer shouting "Dalej," along with  friends and family members of the runners stuck around to cheer on the finishers.  Despite finishing a small trail race, the cheers were actually louder and more supportive than any of the two city marathons that I had finished.  High fives and cheers--some for my name is always a pleasant surprise, but  more importantly, however, was my wife who was standing there cheering for the first time at the finish line of a race I’ve been in.  It's a good thing she came to a good one.  Needless to say, I was quite touched by all of it.  Despite what many people say about the unpleasantries of running, I consider myself quite lucky to be a runner.  Please check out the video and witness yours truly make it across the finish.

Crossing the finish line at 3:56, not  a record, but happy to finish

Marathon Trial Run

Not an advertisement, nor a hangover meal but stuff to keep me going for a few hours.

With the Marathon Mazury just two weeks away, I went out on a long run to prepare myself both physically and mentally a little before tackling the full 42.195 kilometers on June 15^th.  Instead of running the full marathon distance, I settled on 35 and a bit-- and after feeling relatively positive after the run, I think I’ll be prepared to finish the entire lakeside marathon without walking.  After completing my morning ritual of eating from a massive bowl (from what will eternally be referred to as the super bowl) of Honey Nut Cheerios with a banana, I filled up my pack with chocolate and enough water and isotonic drink to get me through the day.  I then set out for my run.

Coming out of Park Mlocinski at 8 kilometers

Just outside of Bielanski Forest at 11kilometers

Choosing to stay away from Warsaw automobile traffic as much as possible, I completed a route that meanders through several of Warsaw’s picturesque  parks and then along the river.  I made two circles around Park Mlocinski, a pass through shady Las Bielanski (Bielanski Forest,) a jog along Kepa Potocka  (Kepa Creek) and finally hiting my turnaround spot by Most Gdanski (Gdanski Bridge) along the river.  Upon reaching the midway point, I dutifully turned back and repeated what I had diligently accomplished before.  Interestingly, despite living in a city, I completed a near marathon distance run while only crossing two traffic intersections.

 

In general, the run went off without a hitch.  By following my rule of packing plenty of fluids on anything over a 10 kilometer distance, and by consuming enough chocolate to give me enough energy to finish with a strong pace, I managed to finish well hydrated and full of sugar from the Oshee (European style Powerade) and two king size chocolate bars –a Snickers and a Mars bar.

 Despite feeling a little strung out from the sugar rush after the run, I was impressed by actually how far I have come in my running, which explains how much I am looking forward to putting my progress to the test in my third marathon in a year that is in less than two weeks from today.

On the way to the river at 13kilometers

Turn around at 18 kilometers

Coming into Kepa Potocka at 20kilometers

A pub on the right was inviting, but had to keep moving

Around My Neighborhood

Crowded and bustling, Warsaw doesn't seem much different than any European capital to the average visitor who comes here.  Nevertheless, Warsaw is a surprisingly green city.  Case in point: my neighborhood in the north of Warsaw. Less than a kilometer from me and situated next to the Wisla river is Park Mlocinski.  It offers numerous scenic trails that will make you feel like you are living in the countryside.  This is where I go on the usual 10-12k runs during the week.  There is a loop that circles around the park, and bends along the river, which adds up to about 5 kilometers.  I've been doing this loop for the last few years; however, I've decided to bring my camera along today.  Despite the lack of steady video quality, the images show you what it's like in the summer after a rain storm, which is common here.  Anyway, enjoy the scenery.  I always do.