Copenhagen 2017

Books Read:
28. From the Poplars — Cecily Nicholson
29. Human Resources — Rachel Zolf

Kilometres Ran:
week thirty six — 63.8
week thirty seven — 54.5

To date: 2,140

A couple poetry books (both excellent) and a few articles in the September 11 New Yorker and Sep/Oct Playboy and, ahem, (online, does that count?) Canadian Running (I’ll get to that later don’t you worry). Jared Kushner’s Harvard Admissions Essay in NY was very funny. The long interview with Patton Oswalt in PB was very good. I mostly want to write about running because stuff happened. So let’s get to it, yes?

I’ve written a few times about my inability to taper and so with seven days to go before the Copenhagen Half Marathon, and not to feel left out of the party I ran a rather casual 21.1 km all to get The Great 13.1 Record digital badge in my Strava achievements. I have no idea if the record (most half marathons recorded in one day) was broken. Anyway, it didn’t seem to bother me. After a quick loop around Stanley Park I boarded an Iceland Air flight on September 13 and after times zones and, well, some time, landed in Copenhagen just after noon on the 14th.

At the Wall of Runners

The flat I let was a nice 15 minutes walk to Fælledparken were all the CPH Half stuff would take place. The expo started at 2 p.m. and I was there (a bit zombied but alive) by 4 p.m. to pick up my race package. Friday morning I woke, kicked jet lag’s ass, and went for a 13 km run around The Lakes and back through Langelinie. Then in the afternoon I grabbed a Bycyklen and rode the race route through the city, with a few detours and wrong turns. I thought it would help, but in retrospect I’m not really sure that it did. Maybe?

Windmill at the Kastellet

Saturday morning I went for a short 7 km run along Langelinie again and up and around the Kastellet ramparts, and then spent most of the rest of the day on a Bycyklen or relaxing in the Botanical Garden and the Assistens Cemetery in anticipation for Sunday’s race. I was looking forward to taking in the pre-race festivities on Saturday, which I had in my head starting at 2 p.m. They ended at 2 p.m. I still think that’s a stupid time to end but feel equally stupid that I didn’t notice until 1:45 when I was about to head over to the grounds.

Obligatory gear shot

Sunday race day. Well the race made news around the world for the ensuing thunderstorm. Canadian Running magazine found out I was there and asked me to write about my experience. I’m waiting to see if they accept my story. If they do, I’ll link to it here. If they decline then I’ll post shortened version of events here. Either way, stay tuned.

UPDATE: Canadian Running ran (ahem…) my story on their website. You can read it here: https://runningmagazine.ca/2017-copenhagen-half-marathon-race-report/

Midrace selfie at the Black Diamond
The only photo I could find with me at the finish. I’m under just barely visible under the volunteers right arm in a black Adidas Canada shirt.

I had a great race in spite of the weather at the end, and posted a new personal best of 1:38:27. I loved that the race started at a rather civilized 11:15 a.m. On course entertainment was really great, and the crowds of spectators cheering everyone on were huge, like nothing I’d experienced before. I thought it weird that they used plastic cups at the hydration station. Because of the storm the finish area was shut down, so I didn’t get a photo with my finisher’s medal and I was really looking forward to the post-race festivities, especially after missing out on Saturday. Instead I went back to my flat and had a very long, hot shower.

I ran 12 km Tuesday morning before packing up and heading to the airport just before noon. I had four full and two half days in Copenhagen, and I ran four times for 54 km. It was a great trip. I’d do it again.

Sunrise loop around The Lakes on my last Copenhagen day

On Passing 2,000 km and Stuff

Stuff Read:

27. Get Me Out of Here — Sachiko Murakami

One thousand five hundred twenty three pages of Early Career Development (studio arts) BC Arts Council grant applications

Kilometres Ran:
week thirty four — 55.9
week thirty five — 42.6

To date: 2,021 km

The first couple days holed up in the Victoria offices of the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development I managed to escape down the street and around the corner during lunch hour to spend my per diem at Russell Books and I picked up a copy of Murakami’s collection of poems (among others). I have travel on my mind, as it is one week until I get on a plane for CPH via RKV. That’s Copenhagen via Reykjavík. What, you didn’t know that? Neither did I. And I sort of wish that Murakami had included a glossary of airport codes in her book, but it was otherwise fine. Fun and fine. A break from the mountain of grant applications that I was adjudicating. And before you get all confidentiality apparently, I’m allowed to say that it happened and that it was for the Early Career Development program and, well, that’s pretty much all that I’m allowed to say about it. Suffice it to say, though, there are some pretty excellent young artists in this province that are going to make Montreal or Berlin very proud once Vision Vancouver finishes selling off this city completely. Excellent stuff, really. This was my third jury, and in spite of the daunting commitment it is one of the most rewarding experiences. I’d almost do it for free. Actually, i don’t really want to do the math. I’m pretty sure it’s below minimum wage if you put any sort of effort into it. And I’m the reigning heavyweight champion of imposter syndrome. There was effort.

And while there on the last day of August with the sun setting in the wildfire haze blowing in from central B.C. and with the Legislature behind me I ran past 2,000 kilometres so far this year. So about four months ahead of last year, and about 275 kilometres ahead of my pace to reach 2,600 by December 31. I celebrated with a glass of wine in my hotel room at the Royal Scot, peering into Acrobat Reader on my Macbook Air. I only ran 42.6 this week, which is off of the 50 per week that I’m aiming for, but I’m fine with that since I am so far ahead but I’m also looking forward to a few things, the impending one being the Copenhagen Half on the 17th. It’s way too early to be tapering. Which brings up something else: On Sunday, September 10 there is a fun run on Strava “to be part of a global attempt to set the record for the most half marathons completed in one day” and I’ve signed up for fun and I’m wondering how stupid it is to run a half marathon seven days before racing a half marathon. Because initially I thought that Copenhagen would be a fun run and I wouldn’t try to kill myself but as it gets closer I’ve gotten the urge to try to break 1:38 and I think I can do it but I wonder if The Great 13.1 Record is going to mess it up. I have no idea. I have a few days to figure it out. I’d ask for comments but I know that no one actually reads these.