Ma tahtsin enne Tallinna maratoni veel ühe postituse teha, aga selleni ei jõudnudki. Aga kuna maraton ise oli pühapäeval ja praegu on asjad värskelt meeles, siis mõtlesn, et kasutan juhust ja kirjutan hoopis selle loo ära. Siin pole ainult maratonijuttu, nii et ärge muretsege. Või isegi kui on, siis ma üritan selle talutavaks muuta ja näiteks kirjeldan detailselt, kuidas ma finishisse minnes mäest üles roomasin… või mitte.
Tegelikult mu see põlvejama on ikka päris… jama. Kolme nädala jooksul ma sain selle nii palju normi, et viimane 10 km jooks oli enam vähem okei, aga lõpus hakkas ikka tunda andma. No siis paar päeva puhkust ja tulime Tallinna. Ma olen neid füsioteraapia harjutusi nii palju teinud, aga siin ei olegi muud lahendust, kui seda muudkui jätkata. Konkreetselt vist ei sekkuta kuidagi teisiti, kui ei ole just ekstreemne juhtum. Aga see on nii frustreeriv, sest jama on olnud juba mingi kuu aega. Nüüd eriti hullusti peale seda pingutust.
I wanted to make another post before the Tallinn marathon, but I didn’t get around to it. However, since the marathon itself was on Sunday and things are still fresh in my mind, I thought I’d seize the opportunity and write about that instead. This isn’t just about the marathon, so don’t worry. Or even if it is, I’ll try to make it bearable, for instance, by describing in detail how I crawled up a hill to reach the finish line… or not.
Actually, this knee issue of mine is quite… problematic. In three weeks, I managed to get it somewhat okay, so the last 10 km run was more or less fine, but it started acting up towards the end. Then, a few days of rest and off to Tallinn we went. I’ve done so many physiotherapy exercises, but there seems to be no other solution but to continue with them. They probably don’t intervene in any other way unless it’s an extreme case. But it’s so frustrating because I’ve been dealing with this issue for about a month now. Especially bad after this exertion.
Tallinnasse minek oli päris tore, käisime ja võtsime mu numbri ära, mis mu meelest on üks lahedamaid asju, sest siis jõuab kohale ka, et maraton on. Pealegi see melu ja kõik on lihtsalt väga vahva. Meil läks päris kaua, käisime ka niisama Kristiines, kuna polnud sinna ammu sattunud.
Kodus viimaks tellisime burgereid ja ma sõin nii palju, et see oleks pidanud mind vähemalt kaheksast maratonist läbi kandma. Samal ajal lugesin ühe hullu jaapanlase kohta, kes Eestis nüüd võistles. Ta on lihtsalt segane vana – jookseb iga kuu keskmiselt ühe maratoni ja neist nüüd Eestiga koos on 102 tükki jooksnud alla 2:20. Rekord oli tal vist mingi 2:07h midagi… ja kui mõelda nüüd, et päris eliit jookseb 1-2 maratoni aastas… see tüüp, Yuki Kawauchi, on võitnud juba 2023 aastal 4 maratoni 8st ja peale Tallinnat veel neli ees… 😀 Ta saladus pidi olema eelmisel õhtul saunas käia ja Jaapani karrit süüa, hahaha. 😀
Going to Tallinn was quite fun. We went and collected my race bib, which, in my opinion, is one of the coolest things because that’s when the realization hits that there’s going to be a marathon. Moreover, the hustle and bustle of it all is just so exciting. We took our time, wandering around Kristiine as we hadn’t been there in a while.
Once back home, we ordered burgers, and I ate so much that it should have fueled me through at least two marathons. Meanwhile, I was reading about this crazy Japanese guy who was competing in Estonia. He’s simply nuts – running an average of one marathon a month, and with Estonia included, he has now run 102 of them in under 2:20. I believe his record was something like 2:07h… and when you think about the elite runners who race 1-2 marathons a year… this guy, Yuki Kawauchi, has already won 4 out of 8 marathons in 2023 and has four more to go after Tallinn… 😀 His secret is apparently to visit the sauna the night before and eat Japanese curry, hahaha. 😀
Igatahes pühapäeval ma ärkasin ise kell kuus ja sõin ja siis kobistasid teised ka ennast üles. Ema ja õde ja õe sõbranna, elukaaslane ja üks sõber tulid mind starti saatma. 😀 Seal oli küll lahe tunne, kuigi samas hirm oli ikka sees, et kuidas ma hakkama saan ja põlv andis vaikselt tunda ka, lisaks ma ei olnud üldse maganud ja ma tegin riietega vist suure vea selles mõttes, et need oli mu kõige kohutavamad jooksupildid üldse. XD Ma otsustasin, et edaspidi ma katsetan kodus ära, kuidas ma pildile jään, haha. 😀 Arvestades, et Helsinkis ma nägin igal fotol NII NORMAALNE välja. Neid pilte ma jälestan ja ma tahaks nutta, hahahaha. 😀
Start oli lahe ja ikka oli elevus sees ja ma suutsin ilusti tempot hoida, tundsin et sellega ma jõuan lõppu ka! Olin enne neljatunni gruppi, aga ma ei tea, kas see oleks midagi päästnud, kui nende taga oleksin jooksnud. Asi on lihtsalt selles, et kuskil seitsmendal juba põlv valutas, kuigi ma olin ühe valuvaigisti enne starti sisse tõmmanud.
Anyway, on Sunday I woke up on my own at six and had something to eat, and then the others started to stir as well. My mom, sister, sister’s friend, partner, and another friend came to see me off at the start. 😀 The atmosphere was fantastic there, though there was still a fear inside about how I would cope, and my knee was quietly bothering me. Additionally, I hadn’t slept at all, and I think I made a big mistake with my outfit in that those were probably my most terrible running photos ever. XD I’ve decided that in the future, I’ll test at home how I look in photos, haha. 😀 Considering that in Helsinki, I looked SO NORMAL in every photo. I despise these pictures, and they make me want to cry, hahaha. 😀
The start was cool, and the excitement was still there, and I managed to maintain a good pace, feeling like I could make it to the end! I was ahead of the four-hour group, but I don’t know if being behind them would have made any difference. The thing is, around the seventh kilometer, my knee was hurting, even though I had taken a painkiller before the start.
Siis Rocca Al Mare poole minnes tuli jube tõus ja võitlesin seal tuulega tempot alla laskmata. Nii hea meel oli teada, et peale seda läheb enamus siiski allamäge, välja arvatud siis need mõned meetrid finishikoridori. Kuskil 21-24 km olid täpselt Tallinna kodu juures ka, sealt oli lust joosta, elukaaslase vend tuli ka sinna ja ma olin siiralt rõõmus! Kuskil 17 km peal tõmbasin teise valuvaigisti sisse ja poole peal olin ühe geeli ka võtnud, nii et motivatsioon ja tuju olid laes.
Ja siis kuradi kolmekümnes kilomeeter. Põhimõtteliselt selline valu ja sein, et peale seda sisuliselt 200-300 m jooksu, 100 m kõndi. Ja mul oli valus nii joostes kui ka kõndides, ma ei teadnud, kumb on hullem.
Kõndima jäädes oli alati okei, aga siis hakkas jube valus. Kui uuesti jooksma hakata, siis alguses oli jube valus, seejärel läks paremaks ja siis hakkas uuesti valus xD. Õudne kombo!
Going towards Rocca Al Mare, there was a terrible uphill, and I battled with the wind trying not to lose my pace. It was such a relief to know that after that, most of the way is downhill, except for those few meters in the finish corridor. Between 21-24 km, it was right by my home in Tallinn too, so it was fun running there. My partner’s brother also came there, and I was genuinely happy! Around the 17 km mark, I took another painkiller and had consumed a gel by the halfway point, so motivation and spirits were high.
And then that damned thirtieth kilometer. Essentially such pain and a wall that after that, it was basically 200-300 m of running, 100 m of walking. And both running and walking hurt; I didn’t know which was worse.
Whenever I stopped to walk, it was initially okay, but then it started hurting a lot. When I tried to start running again, initially it hurt a lot, then it got better, and then it started hurting again. A terrible combination!
Aga vahvaid lugusid jooksu pealt:
And some fun stories from the race:
- Alguses nelja tunni grupis joostes ütles tempomeister, et näe, kaks juba tehtud, natuke veel ja ma teatasin üle terve gurpi, et “need kaks niikuinii ei loe, sest kõik teavad, et maraton on 40 km”. See sai nii suure naerupahvaka osaliseks, et vähemalt sain tunde kätte, et minu töö siin jooksul on tehtud. 😀
- Teisel korral oli tänaval silt, et “aeglusta kiirust” vms, mida nähes ma kohe enda ümber jooksjaid hoiatasin ja taaskord kinnistasin oma tiitlit kui parim jooksukoomik.
- Mulle meeldsid inimesed, kes olid siltidega. Mu lemmik oli kindlasti “mäletad, sa maksid selle eest!”, aga teisigi oli häid. Mis mind ka aitas, oli üks paar, kellel oli papist plakat punase nupuga ning kirjaga “power up!”. Aitas küll, ei saa kurta.
- Kuskil 34 kilomeetril, kus ma oma kõnd-jooks-kõnd osa tegin, oli ema oma väikse tütrega. Arvan, et see tüdruk võis olla mingi 4-ne umbes. Nägi seal mind jalutamas, või noh, kuidagi haige jalaga kooberdamas, ja siis küsis väga valjult ema käest, et “EMME, KAS TA EI VIITSI ENAM JOOSTA”. 😀 Ema seepeale tundis nii piinlikust, ütles, et kuule, nad ju nii palju juba jooksnud, vahepeal tuleb natuke puhata. 😀 Aga see oli nii siiras ja naljakas.
- Samal ajal Tallinna maratoni raames toimusid ka Põhjamaade politsei meistrivõistlused. Sattusin jooksma ühe Islandi politseiniku kõrvale, kes rääkis, et ta töötab väikses maakohas, aga suvel oli nii kiire, et ei olnud sugugi aega trenni teha. Kurtsin talle oma tervist ja seda, et alles kolm nädalat tagasi jooksin Soomes. Koldes sain talle ka meie jaoskonda näidata, tal oli küll hea meel. 😀 Igatahes meil tekkis selline rutiin, et mina jooksin ette pisut, ütlesin et no davai, varsti näeme, siis ta jooksis mulle järgi kui ma kõndisin, siis natuke jalutasime koos ja siis ma utsitasin teda jooksma, iga kord proovisime mingi 200 meetritki teha. 😀 Aga kuskil 4-5 km enne lõppu ma läksin ikkagi temast ette. Kahjuks ma ei mäleta, mis ta number oli, aga ma loodan, et ta ei katkestanud.
- Mu töökaaslane oli ootamatult enne finishit raja ääres ja hõikas mu nime. Ma olin selleks ajaks nii sooda peast, et ma ilma ei oleks teda ilmselt märganudki. Aga siis nägin, et üks Soome politsei-tüdruk jookseb mu ees ja mõtlesin, et nii ikka ei sobi ja töökaaslase ergutuse saatel kimasin sealt mäest üles.
- At the beginning, running in the four-hour group, the pacer said, “Look, two already done, a little more to go,” and I announced across the entire group, “those two don’t even count because everyone knows a marathon is 40 km.” This garnered such a big laugh that I felt I had accomplished my role in this run. 😀
2. On another occasion, there was a sign on the street that read something like “slow down,” upon seeing which I immediately warned the runners around me, further solidifying my title as the best running comedian.
3. I loved the people with signs. My favorite was definitely “remember, you paid for this!” but there were other good ones too. What also helped was a couple with a cardboard sign featuring a red button and the text “power up!” It definitely helped; I can’t complain.
4. Around the 34-kilometer mark, where I was doing my walk-run-walk routine, there was a mother with her little daughter. I think the girl was about 4 years old. She saw me walking, or rather, hobbling with a sore leg, and loudly asked her mom, “MOMMY, DOESN’T SHE WANT TO RUN ANYMORE?” 😀 The mother, feeling quite embarrassed, responded, “listen, they’ve run so much already, they need to rest a bit.” 😀 But it was so sincere and funny.
5. Meanwhile, the Nordic Police Championships were taking place as part of the Tallinn Marathon. I found myself running next to a police officer from Iceland, who told me he works in a small town, but the summer was so busy that he hardly had any time to train. I told him about my health issues and that I had run in Finland just three weeks ago. On a bend, I managed to show him our station, which he seemed pleased about. 😀 Anyway, we fell into a routine where I would run ahead a bit, say “see you soon,” and he’d catch up with me when I walked. Then we’d walk a bit together, and I’d encourage him to run, each time trying to do at least 200 meters. 😀 But about 4-5 km before the finish, I went ahead of him. Unfortunately, I can’t remember his number, but I hope he didn’t quit.
5. My colleague was unexpectedly by the track before the finish and shouted my name. By that time, my mind was so fogged that I might not have noticed him otherwise. But then I saw a Finnish police girl running ahead of me and thought that this won’t do. Encouraged by my colleague, I sprinted up the hill.
See viimane finishitõus oli täiesti kohutav. Põlv(ed) tahtsid otsast tulla ja pulss oli ilmselt 300, mul oli konkreetselt tunne, et ma saan kohe infarkti. Andsin õele, emale ja sõbrannale plaksu ja elasin selle nimel, kuidas võõrad hõikasid, et Signe, mine, you can do this! See oli nii motiveeriv. Ja teadsin, et kallis ootab mind peale finishijoont. Kimasin tema juurde aia äärde, aga selle asemel et talle kaela hüpata jäin sinna najale nõjatuma ja üritasin kõigest jõust vältida talle peale oksendamist… 😀
Sain oma medali kätte. Aeg oli 4:21:49, mis on aeglasem, kui 2017 Tallinn oli, 41 sekundit. Ja kõvasti kehvem kui Soome. Aga no… arvestades tervist, põlve… mu eesmärk oli lihtsalt ära teha ja sellega ma sain hakkama!
That final climb to the finish was absolutely dreadful. My knees felt like they were about to give out and my pulse was probably around 300. I genuinely felt like I was about to have a heart attack. I gave my sister, mother, and friend a high-five, living for the moments when strangers were shouting, “Signe, go, you can do this!” It was so motivating. And I knew that my beloved was waiting for me just past the finish line. I sprinted to where he was by the fence, but instead of jumping into his arms, I leaned against it, trying my utmost not to vomit on him… 😀
I got my medal. My time was 4:21:49, which is slower than my 2017 Tallinn marathon by 41 seconds. And it’s a lot worse than my time in Finland. But considering my health, my knee… my goal was simply to finish, and I managed to do that!
Medal on ka nii ilus ja mu toetajameeskond nii tore! Tallinna maratoni korraldus oli minu meelest väga hea, pealtvaatajaid oli palju, vabatahtlikud olid armsad, ilm oli ka hea tellitud. 😀 Rada oli ka ilus ja väga nauditav. Kindlasti soovitan seda tulevikus kõigile, ka välismaalastele. Inimesed ei tundunud võistlevat, see oli nagu üks suur jooksmist armastavate sõprade pidu!
Kodus tellisime Friends’st laadungi süüa, meil oli temaatiline jäätis ja lisaks läksime me veel bowlingut mängima. Mis siis, et sel ajal juba väga valus oli. Esmaspäeval… noh, kas keegi teab, kus neid varujalgu seal mustal turul müüakse?
The medal is so beautiful, and my support team is amazing! In my opinion, the organization of the Tallinn Marathon was excellent, there were many spectators, the volunteers were lovely, and even the weather seemed to have been specially ordered. 😀 The route was also beautiful and very enjoyable. I’d definitely recommend it to everyone in the future, including foreigners. People didn’t seem competitive; it was like a big party of friends who love running!
At home, we ordered a heap of food from Friends, we had thematic ice cream, and on top of that, we even went bowling. Even though it was really painful by then. On Monday… well, does anyone know where they sell spare legs on the black market?
Is this kind of system for English translation ok or do you want it below separately?
Väljakutse ja tulemus 