Monday 15 April 2019

One race, two Portuguese Olympians and me!

In my 'happy place'

For the last 18 years I’ve been lucky enough to spend up to three weeks every spring with my coach, Les, warm-weather training in Monte Gordo in the Algarve, Portugal.  I absolutely love the area and training there is always one of the highlights of our year.  For that reason it has also long been my ambition to race there too, but races have either been non-existent, haven’t coincided with when I’ve been there, or haven’t fitted into my schedule of preparing for an important marathon or ultra.  However, this year I finally managed it!  The third edition of the Half-Marathon H2O in Faro fell towards the end of our stay in Portugal and so I jumped at the chance to enter.  I was super-excited at the prospect of racing in Portugal, but on the other hand didn’t want race-day to come as I knew it meant I would be nearing the end of my stay there – and I never want to come home!  But race-day did eventually come round, making Portugal the 15th country I’ve raced in outside of the UK.


Bib number 164 - will it be a lucky one?!

The race was slightly strange as, although it was held on a Saturday, the start time wasn’t until 5pm.  I’m more used to weekend road races being held in the morning and it did mean a bit of hanging round during the day waiting for the race.  We arrived in Faro late morning, in time to collect my number and suss out the finish area and last part of the course.  The race HQ and finish was in the Jardim Manual Bivar, right by the harbour / marina in the centre of Faro.  



The start of the race was out at Praia de Faro, to the south-west of the city, and all the athletes were bused out there on shuttle buses.  I arrived at the start, having left Les by the finish area, and tried to work out where anything was – the toilets, baggage drop-off, even the start line!  The finish area had been marked with inflatable gantries, barriers, banners and blue carpet and I expected something similar for the start – even just a chip timing mat – but there was nothing!  However, I eventually worked everything out and did my warm-up jog.  At last we all lined up at the start and were sent on our way by none other than Portuguese Olympic marathon legend, Rosa Mota.  Rosa was the first sportswoman from Portugal to win Olympic gold and the first woman to win multiple Olympic marathon medals (bronze 1984 Los Angeles and gold 1988 Seoul), as well as being the reigning European, World, and Olympic champion at the same time.  I remember being inspired by watching Rosa Mota on TV when I was first starting out in the sport and so it was a massive highlight to actually meet her in person, in Portugal.  (I should have told her that my bike is named after her!)

The race start was by the wide area at the left-hand end of the bridge over the Ria Formosa.  We headed off along the road to the left of the picture.  The bag drop-off etc. were at Praia de Faro on the far side of the bridge.

Meeting up with my friend Kay after the race.
I started off with the leading group of women, but soon realised their pace was rather quick for my current state of fitness and so settled into a more sustainable rhythm.  The course started with a long, straight section heading away from the beach and inland, around the airport and past the university.  Just under a mile of this was on a rutted dirt track and not easy to keep a steady pace going.  The course then turned south-east, through the suburbs of Faro and back onto the cobbled streets in the city centre.  It was at that point that I heard shouts of “Go on Sue” as my friends, Kay and Trevor, encouraged me on.  Kay was one of my former training partners and team-mates at Leamington C&AC (also coached by Les) and now lives in the Algarve with her husband Trevor.  I owe it to Kay that I was running in the race at all – she had sent me the information about it in the first place and had arranged payment of my entry fee at a Portuguese ATM as there was no online payment!  A huge thanks for that, Kay.

As we approached the Jardim Manual Bivar the runners doing the shorter 10.5km race peeled off to the finish and the half-marathoners carried straight on; “Laranja sempre em frente” referring to our orange bib numbers (it’s a good job I can speak a bit of Portuguese!).  We ran through the Arco da Vila – the ornate 19th century gateway into the old part of the city - then had an uphill climb over very uneven cobbles and past the cathedral.   We did a large loop on the eastern side of the city, which included some testing inclines and a long uphill section at around the 18km mark.  The course returned through the main shopping streets, past people eating at restaurants and cheering on the runners from their open-air tables right next to the course, and back onto the uneven cobbles to the finish.

Running on the cobbles through the old city
Not more cobbles!  The finish at last!

I eventually finished 5th female, just one place behind Portugal’s Ana Dias – a four-time Olympian (Atlanta 1996 5000m, Sydney 2000 10,000m, and 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing marathons) and a multiple Portuguese national record holder with a 2:28:49 marathon PB.  I was slightly disappointed with my time of 89:20, but it wasn’t too bad for such a tough course.  The women's race was won by Estonia's Kaisa Kukk.  I knew there were cash prizes for the top five, but as the podium on the stage was only set up for the top three I assumed I wouldn’t be involved in the official presentations.  But then, all of a sudden, they added 4th and 5th positions to the podium on the stage and I heard my name being called!  It’s a good job we hadn’t left!  Another surprise then awaited me - as we all made our way up onto the stage I was announced as 4th place winner, not 5th!  It transpired that Ana Dias had won the Portuguese Regional Championship, which was a higher value prize than 4th overall, so I was upgraded!  

I made it onto the podium after all!

I was really chuffed with a 4th place medal and a cheque for 100 euros, but the best was yet to come.  Rosa Mota, who had earlier been the race starter, was also on hand to award the prizes along with some other VIPs and I managed to meet her briefly afterwards – she came across as a really lovely lady.

Meeting Rosa Mota was an absolute highlight for me (left) and with my 4th place medal and cheque (right)

I was really impressed with the race – it was extremely well organised and marshalled, with lots of Guides and Scouts helping out and doing a brilliant job.  For only a 9 euro entry fee I got a t-shirt, finishers medal, goody bag, transport to the start, specific 4th place medal and prize money – much better value than UK races!  But better than any of that was meeting two Portuguese Olympians!

As always, Les and I had a great three weeks, with almost unbroken sunshine and temperatures around 20 degrees pretty much every day.  Training went well, with the usual mix of easy runs on the trails through the pine woods; tempo runs on the roads around Castro Marim or Altura; long runs on the Coastal Ecovia towards Cacela Velha and Cabanas; and track sessions in Vila Real.  

On the trails through the pine woods.

On the beach

On the Ecovia Litoral

On the boardwalks.

And on the track (with the French national team!)

Whilst I wasn’t running the mega-miles that I have in some years when building up for a marathon or ultra, I did increase my mileage to the highest I’ve run since preparing for the world 100k champs. last summer (215 miles over the three weeks).  I definitely needed my magic New Zealand blackcurrants https://curranz.com to help my recovery and reduce muscle soreness – they are amazing.  The running was supplemented by gym sessions and the usual recovery routine of stretching, massage (on the kitchen table in our apartment!) and ‘ice baths’ standing in the Atlantic Ocean!  I did actually brave a short swim in the sea on our last day as it was unusually calm.

Using the gym during the quiet time before all the throwers come in!
Post-run stretching in the sunshine on our apartment balcony.

Of course, all that training required adequate fuelling too.  Breakfasts and lunches were all eaten outdoors in the sunshine (for Vitamin D!) on our apartment balcony, with delights such as locally-grown oranges and strawberries, freshly baked bread and the occasional ‘naughty’ (pastel de nata and bolo de bolacha being my favourites).  We also enjoyed occasional meals out at the local restaurants, with fresh fish being a firm favourite, and chatting with the waiters, many of whom remember us from year to year.  In fact, it’s a bit like going home as we ‘know’ so many people in the town – Angela the bike hire lady; the girls who serve in the local grocery shop and even the butcher was so pleased to see us again that she gave us some complimentary meat!

Fuelling with pastel de nata (left) and breakfast on the balcony (right)

Birding near Santa Luzia
As every athlete knows, rest and recovery is as important as the training itself.  The training produces stress; the recovery time allows the body to repair itself stronger in order to cope with an increased training load.  Some days are very easy runs, others are complete rest days, and it’s good that Les and I share other interests outside of athletics.  We both enjoy birding and this year even managed to add four new birds to our ‘life list’ – Blue Rock Thrush, Rock Bunting, Wryneck and Subalpine Warbler – thanks to the expert help of June and Peter of Algarve Birders.  We’re still discovering new places to visit, even after 18 years, and this year we walked the 4.3 mile trail up the limestone outcrop of Rocha da Pena, along the plateau and back down through the typical Algarve village of Penina.  The scenery was spectacular, with some amazing panoramic views from the top.


On the way up Rocha da Pena - Les was pleased to achieve his daily goal of 10,000 steps
(though he shouldn't have worn that t-shirt as we were, in fact, on the south face!)
The views from the top were amazing.

All too soon the three weeks came to an end and it was time to say goodbye to the sun, sea and sand; running in crop top and shorts (& thanks to the fab. people at Mizuno I had some new ones to wear); the freshly-squeezed orange juice every morning and those amazing vibrant blue skies.  Can’t wait to be back there again!