My races experience!

During the last year, I participated in two races:
Helsinki City Run (HCR): May, 2009
Stockholm Half Marathon (SHM): September, 2009

For my first race, HCR, I didn't follow any training program but ran mostly with Javier who was following for the Stockholm Marathon. Needless to say, I went on running with him but followed him with my limits. I would run less or shorter  intervals depending what his program said. I think the reason I developed the endurance needed for the HCR was running outdoor from the end of February in Helsinki: the ice-cold weather and snowy/icy paths made this possible. By spring, my legs were stronger and faster because of the conditions I ran during the winter, and my Heart Rate (HR) drop down considerably. I was very proud to be able to finish the race and didn't care much about the time: 2h 03' 13'

When it was time to get ready for the SHM, I decided to follow a training program from Runner's World to get faster. Considering my lack of experience, I re-wrote the program taking into account my limits (for example, my longest runs were around 23km). I followed the program during the summer in Helsinki, and it was a great experience. Javier was away so I had to learn to run by myself and was able to log 40 to 50 km/week with my Nike +. For what it worth, I completed with a Personal Best (PB) and felt great during the race! My time was 1h 53' 02'' and learned a good lesson: protect my nipples from rubbing against the t-shirt; the bleeding was real pain after km 16, and it took times to recover from it (scabs included!)

If I have to compare both experience, I have to say that I enjoyed SHM better than HCR. The water points were well-organized and larger than in Helsinki, there was a larger selection of food, in Stockholm, bands playing all around the course and the possibility to have a massage at the finishing line!