Running a marathon is tough, but great.

Last Sunday (April 23rd), I laced up my brand-new pink Vaporflies. I walked almost a kilometer from my hotel in Hamburg to the Hamburg Mese, where the HASPA Marathon 2023 would occur. I was a little bit nervous. Yes, it was my fifth time lacing up for a marathon, but it was over three years since my last one in Valencia in December 2019. Covid plus a couple of injuries left me without a marathon for this long. Even though my training went like a breeze the week before the marathon, nasty flu caught up with me and left me wondering if I could recover in time.

Monday before the race was my first day without a fever but very weak and 3 kilograms down in three days. My stomach was shaky, and my breathing wasn’t perfect. I took medicine and vitamins to help me gain back my strength and maybe recover my breathing for the race. I tried to do my last interval training on Tuesday afternoon but couldn’t complete my set. Thursday morning, I was feeling better. We took an early flight from Athens to Hamburg, and in the afternoon, I ran 8km in the lake. I was better but not good. My heart rate was 10–15 beats over my usual rate for the distance and the pace. At least I felt confident I could run something not granted a few days ago. Saturday’s relaxing run and 100-meter small intervals went ok. Not great, but at least I felt confident I could run the race.