Bergen City, here I come!

To Be(rgen) or not to Be(rgen)

Bergen City half marathon is in 6 days. It's been one and a half years since my previous half marathon race. Just four months ago I was still wondering whether I would ever fully recover from my injury and be able to run a half marathon again. But then, since February I've had at least six 20 km runs. This is in fact about the same number of 20 km runs I had in total in 2014, including the three half marathons races I participated in. I believe that training in the mild winter of Istanbul since January is one of the main reasons I am able to run long distances again now.

Of course every place has its advantages and disadvantages. Istanbul provides perfect training conditions for the marathons and half marathons of the spring. But when it comes to the long races in the fall, the training conditions of Bergen are much better, offering cooler temperatures during the summer. I'm not sure Bergen wants me back, though. Since I arrived Friday afternoon, it has been playing games with me. First I had a quite extreme allergic reaction to pollen, almost immediately after landing. Itchy and watery eyes, clogged nose and a lot of sneezing. Then yesterday morning it started snowing! At least that cleared the air and helped the allergy, but all this started me wondering how on earth I am going to race next week without being able to breath and in this cold?

I'll find a way. Most importantly I want to enjoy the race, like the first time I participated. Hopefully I will be able to follow my plan of not starting out too hard, and rather increase speed gradually. At that first race, I was lucky to follow a pace holder who started out easy, and I was very happy with the outcome. Five months later, at Oslo half marathon, I knew so much more, and I wanted so much more. Unfortunately knowledge is not the same as wisdom. I started out with a pace I knew was too fast, and consequently the outcome was not as good as it could have been. This time, my plan is to watch my heart rate closely, and not go above my threshold until I've passed halfway. I don't even want to set a target race time goal. I'll simply go where my heart rate takes me.

It's a new experience to be this relaxed; it is one of the advantages of having been injured. The happiness over being able to participate outmatches everything. It will be so wonderful to race with a lot of my team mates from Varegg, Melkesyre, and Fjellgeitene, and a lot of fun at the big after-race party. On top of all this, my closest running buddy from Istanbul, Berna, is coming to Bergen to race with us, and I am looking so much forward to that. Berna is also racing in Madrid half marathon today; she's so cool and up to a challenge!

Now I'll simply rest my legs, eat my carbs, and cross my fingers...