Running in the rain, swimming in the rain

Rainy start of the race

Once again, I registered for a half marathon in an exotic location based on the photographs they advertise on their website. In much the same way as I thought it might be fun to run the Angkor Wat half marathon in Cambodia last year (in extremely hot and humid weather) I wanted to try the Reykjavik half marathon because I thought it would be nice and cool. The photographs on the website show runners in shorts and short sleeves running under a blue sky. The reality is rain, wind and cold.

But, what could I do once I was already there and ready to run. I dressed in warm running clothes which I brought with me just in case, gritted my teeth when stepping out of my pleasantly heated hotel into the awful weather and joined the hundreds of other runners who were there in the same conditions.

Running along the coast

The race route wound around the city in two large loops, allowing me to see the outskirts of Reykjavik that reach all the way to the ocean on two sides. I'm sure I wouldn't have gone to these areas otherwise so I'm glad that the race allowed me to go there.

View from the race route

Many local people were cheering us on along the route. There were music bands and makeshift cheering squads where people used pots and pans and wooden spoons to make noise. There were plenty of water stations where I forced myself to drink even if I wasn't thirsty. The water was so cold! No, it wasn't refrigerated, it was just standing outside where the temperature was about 9 degrees Celsius.

No matter how hard I tried I couldn't get my pace to under 7 minutes per kilometer. I used up too much energy just to keep going in the cold. I made it to the finish line without incident, happy that it was over and deciding that this was another of those experiences that feels good to have done but I wouldn't want to do again.

So happy this one was over!

After the race, Marko and I took advantage of the free entry vouchers for a swimming pool that were given to us in our race packs. We had heard that Iceland has numerous hot water swimming pools built around geothermal water sources. A soak in hot water in the Laugardalslaug swimming pool seemed just right after running in the miserable weather all morning.

And yet there was another unexpected element when I entered the swimming pool area: the pools are outdoors! Well, yes, it's fine to soak in the hot water, even outside in 9 degree weather when it's raining. But how does one get into the hot water? Through the changing rooms where it is first mandatory to shower before entering the pool and then by walking outside totally wet, wearing only a bathing suit. I ran straight into the hot water as fast as I could before freezing for good.

The temperature of the water in the swimming pool varies. It's very hot near the water source and cools down further away. Thus I could wade as close or as far away from the water source as I felt depending on how hot or cold I was. After the soak, my body was warmed up so much that it wasn't too difficult to get out of the pool again and walk outside back to the changing rooms. And I felt warm even for hours after that. Yes, Icelanders definitely know how to keep themselves warm.

There's no sunshine in Reykjavik

View of Reykjavik from the Hallgrímskirkja church

I came to Iceland well prepared. I knew it was going to be cold so I packed plenty of warm clothes. What I didn't plan for was the constant wind and rain. An umbrella is completely useless in such weather and the wind ensures that I'm sprayed with a thin layer of moisture from the rain evenly all over. I don't even know how it feels to be dry any more.

Hallgrímskirkja church

Looking at all those tourist brochures about Iceland that depict the summer with blue skies and shining sun I wonder where they get those photographs. There really is no sun, only rain for days on end. Occasionally, when I'm most miserable in the awful weather, I half suspect that the sun is just photoshopped on tourist brochures.

While strolling around Reykjavik – and yes, Marko and I do stroll around, even in the rain as it would be pointless to sit inside and wait for the rain to stop as if that would ever happen – I notice that restaurants and coffee shops have outdoor seating areas. Tourist brochures explain that Icelanders love to catch the sun during their summer. So there is sun after all? I guess it probably sneaks up on them unexpectedly and when it does, everyone jumps quickly to enjoy it while it lasts.

Statue of a man sitting on a park bench

There is a park bench with a statue of a man sitting on it. Sure, who would want to sit on a bench when it rains all the time? I guess they put the statue there so it wouldn't look so deserted. The local people do, however, ride their bicycles. It seems the rain doesn't bother them so much.

But bad weather aside, Reykjavik is a very pleasant city. It's small and easy to navigate. All indoor places such as hotels, restaurants, museums as well as the famous Hallgrímskirkja church are heated inside. So it's not too much trouble to walk outside in the rain for a while and then go inside to warm up.

Open air shipwreck museum

We chanced upon an interesting open air museum that displays maps with historical shipwreck sites along the Iceland coast. There sure were many of those in Iceland's history.