Greetings,
My journey as hobby runner took a further step on last Saturday, when the 3. Bremer Brückenlauf (the third bridge run in Bremen) took place. I had participated at the event last year as well and was full of expectations because the event is really well organized, follows a wonderful route at the river Weser and moreover is located in my home town. I must say that this running event belongs to my absolute favorites. The organization works great and one really feels welcome. Unfortunately I don’t have any photos from the race, because I only had my smart watch with me.
My training during the past few months could have been better, but at least I have been able to keep up with an average weekly distance of 30 – 60 km. I still don’t feel as fit as I was a few years ago so the objective for the race was to get a good foundation for the training for the next marathon, and to test how high a speed my body currently is able to tolerate. The plan was to keep the pace at 04:30 minutes per km and to adjust it during the race if required.
The weather on the day of the event was not very promising. A moderate rain started to hit the ground in the morning, but on the other hand the weather forecast provided a more promising view to the evening, when the race was supposed to take place. I went to pick up my bib number a bit earlier so that I could enter the starting grid as late as possible (normally I spend way too much time waiting for a start). After that I had a good meal and took care of all major and minor actions for the race (attaching the bib number to the running shirt, protecting all critical body parts by using a medical protection tape etc.).
This time I decided to handle my personal transportation by bike, as it is the fastest option for me. Another possibility would have been to take a tram with a couple of change of tram or a longish walking distance. I prefer it if I can get quickly home after the race so the decision was a no-brainer. I rode my bike in a moderate rain, and the temperature was at around +17°C, but pretty soon my hopes got high, as the sky seemed to get brighter and it really was possible that the race could be started in nearly optimal conditions. Also the wind was not too strong so it should be a big issue.
The start shot was fired at 6PM as planned and off we went. I had chose a spot in the first third of the start area, which should ensure that I should not overtake or be overtaken too often, and could really concentrate on keeping my target pace. The pace for the first three kilometers was as I had hoped for (4:25, 4:29, 4:28) and even though the feeling could have been better I wanted to tested whether this kind of a pace could be maintained. I was running in small groups and tried in that way to save my strength for the last kilometers. I rarely get the feeling I got on Saturday during the race: the pace was right, the weather was fine and the music in my earbuds also motivated me further. If you can enter a flow state, this was pretty much that. A race seldomly feels that short that it did on Saturday, so I think it was a sign of that everything worked out pretty nicely.
A few words about the route: if you have visited Bremen, you know that it is pretty flat out there. The route follows the outskirts of the river Weser and the color green is dominant (After all, Bremen is one of the most green cities in Germany). During the race we pass by a number of small gardens, run on the main pedestrian area at Weser in the city centre (Schlachte), and like you can expect – cross numerous bridges. I think it is one of the nicest I have ever run. There are only a few drawbacks – at some places you have really beware as there are pedestrians on the same road which could lead to accidents if you aren’t alert.
On my behalf the race proceeded according to the plan which was absolutely great. I could maintain the desired pace and finished the half marathon with a time of 01:37:46. At the finish line I was greeted by the organizer who happily congratulated me. If the spirits were that high in every race, I would not like to do anything else than run. 🙂
After having a few weak years when it comes to racing and training, I really needed this. Now I feel really motivated for the next events, and can believe that I still can run a bit quicker, if needed. My Strava training overview can be found below.