Helsinki Marathon

For men, the first 40 years of childhood are reportedly the hardest. Yesterday, I kicked off puberty with a beautiful gift from friends from #bezcichomutov in the form of a marathon in Helsinki, which took place the day after my birthday. Do I have the training? Volume yes, speed no. The goal was to finish under 3:40, there was no reason to run fast, but for endurance. At the start, the sun was shining, right into a hill, and at times I regretted not having sunglasses! The first five kilometers in 25:48 = a lead of 12 seconds. After the sixth kilometer, the marathon and half-marathon routes split, and I overtook the slowest half-marathoners, and we faced several hills. At the top of the bridge was the 9th km, and the ten was at a total time of 51:47. I didn't increase that lead much. At the 11th km, I couldn't hold back anymore and had to expand my territory 😇. A hill followed, and then a downhill, after which Markus joined me, keeping me company for a long part of the race. The fifteen was completed in 1:17:55. Then enemy number 1 🌞 reared its head and had quite a bit of strength. It was noticeable, especially since there was no shade along the route and hills from time to time. The pace and heart rate were still OK, and the 21st km was conquered in 1:48:30. I'm in the second half, I feel like it's up and down, and Markus confirms my assumption because we're on a rocky island, supposedly ahead is a long straight stretch along the tracks. 25 km completed in 2:09:13. We're running between houses and then the tracks begin. 4 km along the tracks, up, down, and then we pass the 30th km at 2:35:35. At the 32nd km, two girls in shirts in Czech colors cheer, I have to greet them and high-five them. Subsequently, I lose Markus, his heart rate shot up, while I’m still safely under my personal best, but I’m not checking it as much anymore, after all, there are only three Benďáks to the finish. I pass the 35th km at 3:01:52, that's not bad. We run under the train station, where we arrived from the airport. I feel the finish line approaching, but every uphill starts to hurt. Yeah, downhill, that's a different story. My groin is a bit torn from the shorts, but as long as I don't stop, it's manageable. I manage the 40th km in 3:28:01. It's time to finish. I feel we're getting close, but my Garmin has been showing a longer distance than the kilometer markers throughout the race. I can already hear the announcers. In the finishing straight, Penka is cheering, and Klára runs alongside me at a pace of 4:45 all the way to the finish! Marathon time 3:39:13. (edited)