07 May 2008
Holy Shit was that Cool.
So it's Wednesday. I am in Sweden. I'm working on Volvo projects here because I wasn't "challenged" in Germany, and the Swedes needed help fast.
There is so much work here, I can't really wrap my brain around whatall needs to be done. Today was one of those days where I was bailing as fast as I could, but the water kept rising. By this afternoon I was thinking about running naked through traffic.
Some coworkers had a better suggestion. We ran the Vår Ruset, a 5k (clothed!) women's only race in Gothenburg's Central Park, Slottsskogen. Follow the link, there are pictures there. Leaving work, I followed crazy-driving Rossanna and instigating passenger Anja (whom we have to thank for arranging the event) through downtown rush hour traffic to make it to the park. At the park we met up with Lotte, Kathrin, Ana, and Anna. It was tough, though. There was a crowd.
19,000 women.
19,000 women ran through the city park at 7pm on a regular ol' Wednesday. no shit.
It was like a really good mountain bike festival atmosphere. There were vendors, and music pumped out over PA's. But really, I thought the mountain bike races I'd been in with 2000 people on bikes were a big deal. That was nothing to Gothenburg's Wednesday night 5k Women's run.
And sponsorship! It was sponsored by Coop, a big grocery store chain. We signed up as teams, and each team got a picnic bag of selected sample foods for after the race. There was bread and wraps, smoked turkey, salad, sunflower seeds, cream cheese, liver paste, pretzels, crostini, sparkling apple juice, yogurt drink and bars of dark chocolate. Along with paper plates and napkins, plastic cups and silverware. All in a big reusable shopping/tote bag with the name of the race (and of course the sponsor) on the side.
The weather was perfect, just under 70deg, sunny and gorgeous. Our little team was sponsored by the Company, so we all wore logo shirts and took a couple of PR photos. The run was also pretty good, it was a little hilly, but not terrible, and they had all kinds of bands set up on the sidelines cheering us along! I remember a dixieland jazz group, a rockabilly band, an italian folk group, a marching band (with flaggets!), and a small symphony. There were also 2 water stops along the way.
And you see, I run a little bit, but really i still consider myself more of a bike-rider. I keep trying, though. This time, I ran about 2k with Rossanna, until it was time for me to walk a little bit. I got my good little 5k workout, and at the end of the race we all got medals and goody bags!
First we got the bag and then we walked through chutes being given different products at stations along the way. I'd open my bag and say "Trick or Treat!!" Goodies included spaghetti noodles, single-serving cereal boxes, headband, tear-open foil packets of shower gel and moisturizer, pear-juice juicebox, chocolate soy-milk juicebox, breakfast bar, roll of toilet paper, and a promotional pantyliner! how great is that? ha, also in the bag was a bookmark for the Anti-Genital-Warts-and-Cervical-Cancer vaccine, Cervarix.
I passed my spaghetti and some of the other things on to the girls who actually live here. There's no reason for me to be schlepping a package of spaghetti noodles through an airport the day after tomorrow. I am keeping the TP, though. It's the first toilet paper i've won from running. that's special!
The party atmosphere was fantastic. All the teams sat out on blankets eating their little picnic dinners. And seriously? 19,000 women. That was a lot of picnics!
I'm also considering this a dry-run for August. Several of us from the office are going to run the Tjejemilen, a 10k event in Stockholm. It turns out that one is also a Women-only run. (I'm totally blown away by the turnout and participation. it was amazing.) We've learned that it might just be a good idea to bring your own bottle of wine to the after-race picnic.
After this race, I'm not so worried about the Stockholm event. It was a really good, positive environment. I just hope I can make 10k. :D
There is so much work here, I can't really wrap my brain around whatall needs to be done. Today was one of those days where I was bailing as fast as I could, but the water kept rising. By this afternoon I was thinking about running naked through traffic.
Some coworkers had a better suggestion. We ran the Vår Ruset, a 5k (clothed!) women's only race in Gothenburg's Central Park, Slottsskogen. Follow the link, there are pictures there. Leaving work, I followed crazy-driving Rossanna and instigating passenger Anja (whom we have to thank for arranging the event) through downtown rush hour traffic to make it to the park. At the park we met up with Lotte, Kathrin, Ana, and Anna. It was tough, though. There was a crowd.
19,000 women.
19,000 women ran through the city park at 7pm on a regular ol' Wednesday. no shit.
It was like a really good mountain bike festival atmosphere. There were vendors, and music pumped out over PA's. But really, I thought the mountain bike races I'd been in with 2000 people on bikes were a big deal. That was nothing to Gothenburg's Wednesday night 5k Women's run.
And sponsorship! It was sponsored by Coop, a big grocery store chain. We signed up as teams, and each team got a picnic bag of selected sample foods for after the race. There was bread and wraps, smoked turkey, salad, sunflower seeds, cream cheese, liver paste, pretzels, crostini, sparkling apple juice, yogurt drink and bars of dark chocolate. Along with paper plates and napkins, plastic cups and silverware. All in a big reusable shopping/tote bag with the name of the race (and of course the sponsor) on the side.
The weather was perfect, just under 70deg, sunny and gorgeous. Our little team was sponsored by the Company, so we all wore logo shirts and took a couple of PR photos. The run was also pretty good, it was a little hilly, but not terrible, and they had all kinds of bands set up on the sidelines cheering us along! I remember a dixieland jazz group, a rockabilly band, an italian folk group, a marching band (with flaggets!), and a small symphony. There were also 2 water stops along the way.
And you see, I run a little bit, but really i still consider myself more of a bike-rider. I keep trying, though. This time, I ran about 2k with Rossanna, until it was time for me to walk a little bit. I got my good little 5k workout, and at the end of the race we all got medals and goody bags!
First we got the bag and then we walked through chutes being given different products at stations along the way. I'd open my bag and say "Trick or Treat!!" Goodies included spaghetti noodles, single-serving cereal boxes, headband, tear-open foil packets of shower gel and moisturizer, pear-juice juicebox, chocolate soy-milk juicebox, breakfast bar, roll of toilet paper, and a promotional pantyliner! how great is that? ha, also in the bag was a bookmark for the Anti-Genital-Warts-and-Cervical-Cancer vaccine, Cervarix.
I passed my spaghetti and some of the other things on to the girls who actually live here. There's no reason for me to be schlepping a package of spaghetti noodles through an airport the day after tomorrow. I am keeping the TP, though. It's the first toilet paper i've won from running. that's special!
The party atmosphere was fantastic. All the teams sat out on blankets eating their little picnic dinners. And seriously? 19,000 women. That was a lot of picnics!
I'm also considering this a dry-run for August. Several of us from the office are going to run the Tjejemilen, a 10k event in Stockholm. It turns out that one is also a Women-only run. (I'm totally blown away by the turnout and participation. it was amazing.) We've learned that it might just be a good idea to bring your own bottle of wine to the after-race picnic.
After this race, I'm not so worried about the Stockholm event. It was a really good, positive environment. I just hope I can make 10k. :D
