Pääkaupunkijuoksu Half-Marathon

Before.

I ran Pääkaupunkijuoksu (Capital Run) 21.1K Half-Marathon together with my son Jon on the last Sunday of September. 

We set 1h45min as our goal. That's 5 min/km pace.

Three years ago in 2017, we finished in 2:06 - 6 min/km pace. So we planned to run every K a minute faster this time to set Jon's new PR.

The race day weather was perfect. Clear blue sky, but not hot, cold, or windy.

The start/finish area was at Pirkkola Sports Park 3K away. We jogged there for the 1:15pm start. There were about 500 runners, 350 for the half, and 150 for the quarter marathon.

The route was entirely on wide forest paths. The trail surface was all dirt, but not technical. There were a few little hills though. The trees were decorated with beautiful autumn colors. We love that course and know it well. It was also well marked.

BANG! We went out in the front third, but not too hard - or that's what we thought. I breathed hard in the first long uphill, and someone watching us pass shouted "Smile!"

There were signs for every kilometer, which made pacing simple. The first aid station was at 7K. We grabbed a cup of water without stopping. We were 2 minutes ahead of our schedule, but kept on with the same pace. We were feeling good. 

The second AS was at 13K. We took two cups of water, pouring the other on our heads. We started feeling the effort a bit, but decided to push on. We were constantly 2 minutes ahead.

The third AS was at 17K. "Only 4K left, let's go!", I suggested as we grabbed our final hydration, but Jon said he wasn't feeling good anymore. He suffered from a side stitch! We slowed down immediately. I told him to relax and breath deep. We maintained an easier pace. A lot people passed us, but we didn't want to take any chances. The diaphragm can fatigue and cramp just like any muscle, especially if you are a young or beginner runner stepping up your pace or distance.

Soon the finish came to our sights and we crossed the finish line in 1:45 - right on our goal! Jon sat down on the ground exhausted. I fetched our drop bag and some drinks and bananas. We put our jackets on and walked home.

Later on we learned that Jon had placed 32nd in Men (he is 18 now). I placed 15th in M50 category. Not bad at all. Our official time was 1:45:30. We are happy. Thanks for the great race once again!

After.