I am asked frequently: “You travel for races?” Yes, I do. And in October 2017, I made my little way to Amsterdam for what promised to be a pleasant run on flat terrain—the better to set a new personal record.
The weather was glorious. Chilly, cloudless, windless.
The event was well organized. Pacers were clearly identified by marked balloons tied to their waists.
Due to a mishap with my iPhone (it pretended to be low on battery life, but “miraculously” bounced back to 100% after the race ended), I didn’t have my Nike Running app OR my music.
I was mentally on my own.
I was stressed out, to be honest. But I stuck close to the 3:45 pace group and ran at what felt like a comfortable pace. I enjoyed the sights. Large mansions on the outskirts of central Amsterdam. Around the halfway point, I still felt great… but if I wasn’t a little bit tired by the halfway point, I was too slow.
I stepped up the pace and raced to the Olympic Stadium .
But it was over. Irritated that I finished the marathon with some fuel left in the tank, I walked briskly back to the Airbnb, caught up with my hosts, Instagrammed and checked my time.
3:30:33
A new personal record!
It was this day, October 15, 2017, that I gained some faith in myself—that I’d prepared myself sufficiently to easily run complete a marathon, and knew my body enough to maintain a fairly consistent pace without an app talking in my ear.
If you’re interested in learning more about long-distance running, check out my blog post HERE for some tips for getting started!
Words by Jenna 