I’ve been running regularly for the last two or three months. By regular, I mean that sometimes I miss a week of training because of my international and domestic travels. However, if I’m in Istanbul, I always start training early in the morning (around 5:50 a.m.) at our prestigious sports club, Enka. I even have a running coach. I train with Serpil Koçak, a.k.a. ‘Serpil Hoca,’ a former Turkish record holder and now an athletics coach. I’ve made significant progress since I first started.
I’m learning a lot, from improving my running style to training techniques. Personally, if there’s nothing specific bothering me in the morning, I really enjoy training this way. After working out, I relax, feel happy, and start my day with a stronger spirit.
I also set goals for myself while training. For example, a few weeks after starting, I ran the 10 K in the Adana Half Marathon. I wrote about it in an article entitled “First good news of the year from the Adana Half Marathon”: https://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/yilin-ilk-mujdesi-adana-yari-maratonundan
Beyond the enjoyable time I spent with my loved ones, I was also motivated when I finished the run with a pace of 4:19 (meaning I ran 1 km at an average of 4:19), far exceeding my expectations.
Runtalya instead of Trabzon
My next goal after the Adana Run was the Trabzon run, which was scheduled for the last weekend of February. However, I canceled that plan due to my trip to Germany. Unfortunately, due to the Kahramanmaraş earthquake, the worst disaster we’ve ever experienced on February 6th, the Trabzon event was postponed until October. Naturally, I focused on Runtalya, a race I’ve participated in many times before, for my next run.
However, my preparations before the Runtalya run didn’t go as planned. Due to my busy schedule, I had to reduce my training time (due to frequent trips to the field in Kocaeli and Ankara), and I also got sick and traveled abroad. Ultimately, I was only able to train for the Antalya Run at 50% efficiency. But even that was enough. I felt like I’d run well. Still, not wanting to take any chances, I asked my running coach, Serpil Hoca, and thankfully, she was kind enough to come with me to Antalya.
Strategic Accommodation Mistake
Meanwhile, I made a huge strategic mistake while organizing my trip. Always looking for something new, I saw online that old Antalya mansions had been converted into boutique hotels, so I decided, “This time, I’ll try those old Antalya mansions in Kaleiçi for a change,” to avoid staying in the same old Antalya hotels. I couldn’t resist.
Tuğba Danışmaz’s historic jump
I also made a reservation at a place called Route Hotel, which was right at the intersection. Last weekend, our Saturday afternoon flight, which was delayed, landed in Antalya around 4:00 PM. Then, we took a HAVAŞ bus to the city center and immediately went to the Atatürk Cultural Center to pick up our running kits. I was impressed by the first time a running event was organized. In a highly organized manner, I first changed the category of my 21 K run to 10 K at the Antalya Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM) and then grabbed my kit and headed out. Around 6 p.m., we went to 7 Mehmet Restaurant, an Antalya classic, near the AKM, for an early dinner. After filling our stomachs, we went to check into our hotels in Kaleiçi. While walking in Kaleiçi, I ran into Polina from our Istrunbul running group. We took her with us and went to the Terracity Shopping Center. At Terracity, I bought both a charger and energy gel. I also had an online meeting about hydrogen on Saturday evening. That evening, while we were sitting at Midpoint, Tuğba Danışmaz became the European Champion with a historic triple jump. We witnessed this live on Coach Serpil’s cell phone. Coach Serpil was delighted on Tuğba’s behalf, as she mentioned that she was an ENKA athlete and knew her personally. She immediately texted the relevant coaches and Tuğba. After a few drinks at Midpoint, we headed back to our hotels.
A Nightmare Night
I checked into my room around 10 p.m. Everything was going well. I was tired. I turned on Netflix and started watching something. I felt sleepy after 10 minutes. I said to myself, “Great, I’m a sleepy head early, it’s time for bed!” I closed my laptop and turned off the lights. Just as I was about to fall into a deep sleep, a motorcycle with a blaring exhaust woke me up outside. I remember waking up and trying to get back to sleep, thinking, “What’s going on?” But right after this incident, a young lawyer was shouting about how he’d filed a petition with the court near the hotel. Oh my God, I cried out, and tried to fall asleep, but the boy wouldn’t stop. After listening to his story for half an hour, I heard the girls calling out to the men from afar. He passed, and then a heated conversation began, women to women. Then, motorcycles passed one after another. Then, cars passed one after another, honking at each other. That was over; a young man was courting a young woman. So, as you can see, the sounds never stopped all night. Finally, around 2:30 or 3:00 AM, I turned on the lights and started watching a Netflix series again, hoping I’d fall asleep again. After a while, I felt a bit groggy and tried to go back to sleep. This time, a mosquito in the room bothered me. The fly buzzed around my head. I turned on the light, located the fly, and then I took the first one to the trailer and sent the second one to God’s mercy. With a small triumphant air, I washed my hands and went back to bed, but the sounds outside wouldn’t stop. The repetitive chatter of high people, their endless chatter and shouting, the sounds of engines and cars, the honking of horns, and the buzz of a second mosquito, and before I knew it, it was 6:00 AM.
The hotel manager, who objected to every word, said, “This is fate.” At 6 a.m., I forced myself out of bed, exhausted and weighed down by the lack of sleep. First thing I did was brush my teeth and put on some rock music to perk me up, but to be honest, I was yawning from exhaustion as I got ready. Then I went downstairs. Serpil Hoca had walked from her hotel to mine. Since all hotels in Kaleiçi serve breakfast, as is almost standard, starting at 8 a.m., they served me a paper lunch box with cheese and juice. I opened the hotel’s closed door, Serpil Hoca entered, and then I asked the manager there for our lunch box. While we ate, we started talking to the man. From his first sentence, this man, who seemed to be a bit out of sorts, spoke to me with a tone of objection to everything I said, increasing my irritation. For instance:
– I couldn’t sleep at all because of the noise outside.
– It’s normal. This is Kaleiçi. There’s noise everywhere here.
– So how do people sleep at the hotel? Because all the noise echoed in my room.
– Everyone sleeps here. Why were you bothered by these noises?
– (I kept muttering to myself, “I’m sorry, we’ve hit a snag”) I couldn’t sleep all night because of the noises of high men and women, motorcycles and cars, and even mosquitoes. I’ll run the 10 K in two hours with this lack of sleep. I shouldn’t be bothered, but who should be?
– Normal. I’ve been upright on average for the last two weeks with three hours of sleep.
– (I’m the one who’s really irritated with the guy) I’ll run 10 K. Have you ever run 10 K in your life with this lack of sleep?
– Then you shouldn’t have stayed in Kaleiçi. Everywhere here is like this.
– Serpil, was your hotel this noisy? Were you able to sleep?
– (Serpil Hoca calmly) I didn’t have that kind of noise. I slept soundly. Besides, my room was on the ground floor. So, it turns out not all Kaleiçi is like this. I regret straying from what I already knew and trying out a hotel like this.
– What noise bothered you the most? –
– Drunk conversations and loud engine sounds.
– I love engine noise.
– Just keep rocking. When they make all those engines electric in the future, they’ll never be able to sound like this. This is the last year for rocking.
– Fine, I’ll have the sound added (this jerk hotel manager says this). I really like that engine sound.
– You might like it, but it keeps the hotel guests awake. (Then to change the subject). Also, I’m going for a run now; it might take a while to get back, and maybe my checkout might be delayed. So, I can leave the hotel around 1:00 PM.
– If I have a customer around 12:00 PM, you might have to leave.
– An hour’s delay won’t hurt.
– Okay.
– The hotel towels aren’t clean either. There are yellow stains on them. Can I change them? “You can’t change it. If you exceed 12, we might not let you in.”
– (I snapped at him because he was driving me crazy.) It’s not your place to say that. A hotel manager wouldn’t behave the way you’re behaving now. I started my career in hotel management. “I’ll report your behavior to the management,” I said, and left the hotel.
Beyond annoyed, I hopped into the taxi waiting outside. I struggled to calm down in the car.
Fighting for a spot in the front row
Then we walked to the track. Despite being completely sleepy and seriously irritated, I started stretching and warming up with Coach Serpil, and I started to regain my composure. I then had a cup of espresso, went to the restroom, and was ready to run. Before I started, Coach Serpil heard me lament, “How am I supposed to run like this?” and said, “I broke the Turkish record in the 400-meter hurdles without sleeping at all,” which really got me going. I mentally reassured myself, “There’s nothing wrong with you, Serhan. You’re ready.”
Then I went to the track. To get a good finish, I needed to start somewhere near the front. People were lined up; there was a huge crowd. The officials there wouldn’t let me start somewhere near the front. I told them, “I’m running at a fast pace. I can’t start near the back because you’ll catch up with the slower runners or get on top of them; it’ll be a serious problem,” but I couldn’t get any point across. When I insisted, the official there pointed to the podium and said, “If that official over there gives you permission, you can enter.” I walked towards the podium, but the official he pointed to went somewhere else, so I figured it was up to him, jumped over the barriers, and settled in about 7th or 8th place. I wanted to place 2nd or 3rd, but in all this chaos, I was thankful for that. I was ready to run.
A challenging race, a record-breaking result
The start was made. From the first kilometers on, I ran at a 4-pace pace, as Coach Serpil and I had agreed. My pace and energy were fine until the 3rd mile. However, after the 3rd mile, my legs suddenly started feeling weak, and I lamented, “Oh, my legs are completely drained. What am I going to do now?” But then I decided to push myself. Then I remembered the energy gel I’d bought from Terra City. I’d forgotten to buy it before the run. It was a pointless purchase. So, I’d started the run with a small piece of dry bread I’d eaten two hours earlier. I was furious. Still, all that preparation and training shouldn’t have gone to waste. I know how I ran those 3-8 kms. Even though I was pushing myself, I’d run at a 5-pace pace out of exhaustion, then quickly drop below a 4-pace pace with a gas gulp, then get tired again, then go back to 5-pace, then push again, then drop back to a 4-pace pace. I struggled mightily in that 5 K. With 2 K left, I told myself, “Come on, Serhan, 8 minutes left,” and picked up the pace again. Just as I was accelerating, I saw Serpil Hoca. I heard her shoıut out, “Come on, Serhan, you’re running slowly, it’s time to speed up.” I thought to myself, “This is my sped-up state, but I’ll push myself to go a little faster.” As I slowed down, I caught up with some runners who had passed me, passed them in the final km, and finished the race in 41 minutes and 45 seconds. I finished 43rd overall out of 1,500 runners and 36th among all men. You can find the race results at http://sonuc.plustiming.com/cert.aspx?uid=16389-261-3-200459 .
Then, at the exit, I noticed Rotarians blocking the road and directing people to their stands. Just as I was about to pass them, they cheered me on, so I had to go into their booth and get some refreshments. Thank you. Then, I went to the meeting point with Serpil Hoca. She arrived at my location 10 minutes later. We did some stretching together and then headed off to Kaleiçi.
As soon as we arrived at the hotel, I asked the daytime hotel manager for a towel. I showed her the dirty towel. He politely apologized and immediately changed it. I then explained a bit about my conversation with the nighttime manager. He apologized on her behalf and said he would pass it on to his superiors. Then I asked, “Can I leave around 1:00 PM?” He said, “Of course, sir, no problem.” Feeling relieved, I went up to my room, showered, got ready, and left the hotel.
An adventure that started off unpleasantly but turned into something sweet.
After Serpil Hoca and Polina arrived, we went to a tavern in Kaleiçi. My military friend Ozan, who lives and works in Antalya, and his partner came to the tavern where we were. After a wonderful meal, he dropped us off at the Akra Barut Hotel. There, we met Emre Öztuna, a veteran of Adım Adım and a member of the Istrunbul running group (he’s also a running coach at Adım Adım and a skilled runner), and his wife Ayça Öztuna. We had coffee, dessert, and a pleasant chat. Afterward, thankfully, Ozan picked us up from the hotel and drove us to the airport.
After saying goodbye to Ozan, my friend of 23 years, we headed to the airport. Inside, while watching the European Championships in Ataköy, Istanbul, I told Coach Serpil, “This is the first time I’ve ever run a race without sleeping. Seeing that I can perform this well on zero sleep, everything became clear to me. My performance will be much better from now on,” and I thanked her for accompanying me. He also said that the 41:45 performance was a time we’d been waiting for, but that the fact that I’d done it without any sleep was admirable. It was a wonderful end to a dreary Sunday morning. We boarded our plane to Istanbul with peace of mind.
Tag: memoir
