Before this 10k experience today, I was adamant that this body can't handle a marathon. Now, though, I'm not so sure. I think if I ran it in Madrid with a friend (after a solid 6 months of training, of course), it would be one of the greatest experiences in the world. This, of course, won't happen before I leave in July, but I am fully prepared to come back to Madrid, if only to run the marathon (although hopefully, I'll make it back here for various other reasons).
This 10k was the best yet (I've only run 2, so take that with a grain of salt), and I will tell you why.
1. The marathon and the 10k started off at the same time, and for about the first 4k, we were running side by side. Then, we reach a point where the marathoners go off in one direction and the 10k-ers in another, and everyone just starts clapping and hooting and hollering, waving and cheering the other side on in their respective races. That probably didn't happen with the first few guys (those who were actually running to win), but it's pretty representative of the air of collegiality that just infused the entire race. Someone fell, and others stopped to help them up. We saw the leader as he ran past us where the course doubled back on itself, and everyone cheered him on. It was just an absolutely wonderful, supportive atmosphere and I had so much fun.
2. Having a friend means that (if you're like me), you have someone to set the pace. Kaitlin and I started off aiming for about an hour (and thinking that there was no way that we would make that). We both recognized that we haven't trained nearly as much as we would have liked to have trained, and we entered the race knowing that we were doing it for fun and not for a PR. That said, I still haven't mastered the art of the slow start, and Kaitlin's steady pace definitely reined me in and ensured that I wouldn't collapse of exhaustion before I reached the halfway point.
And to top it all off, I think that her awesome pacing ensured that we both beat our principal goal of finishing in under an hour.
3. Having a friend means that (if you're like me), you then have someone to help you push that pace as you really start to weaken after the halfway point. Granted, it also helps to run with some tunes, but it helps even more to run with a friend.
4. And running with a friend means that at the end, you have someone to lean on to help you recover.
This 10k was the best yet (I've only run 2, so take that with a grain of salt), and I will tell you why.
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| This was the starting line a half hour before the race started. Look at them all lined up! |
1. The marathon and the 10k started off at the same time, and for about the first 4k, we were running side by side. Then, we reach a point where the marathoners go off in one direction and the 10k-ers in another, and everyone just starts clapping and hooting and hollering, waving and cheering the other side on in their respective races. That probably didn't happen with the first few guys (those who were actually running to win), but it's pretty representative of the air of collegiality that just infused the entire race. Someone fell, and others stopped to help them up. We saw the leader as he ran past us where the course doubled back on itself, and everyone cheered him on. It was just an absolutely wonderful, supportive atmosphere and I had so much fun.
2. Having a friend means that (if you're like me), you have someone to set the pace. Kaitlin and I started off aiming for about an hour (and thinking that there was no way that we would make that). We both recognized that we haven't trained nearly as much as we would have liked to have trained, and we entered the race knowing that we were doing it for fun and not for a PR. That said, I still haven't mastered the art of the slow start, and Kaitlin's steady pace definitely reined me in and ensured that I wouldn't collapse of exhaustion before I reached the halfway point.
And to top it all off, I think that her awesome pacing ensured that we both beat our principal goal of finishing in under an hour.
3. Having a friend means that (if you're like me), you then have someone to help you push that pace as you really start to weaken after the halfway point. Granted, it also helps to run with some tunes, but it helps even more to run with a friend.
4. And running with a friend means that at the end, you have someone to lean on to help you recover.
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| I will run this much someday. Not now, and probably not anytime close to now, but someday. |
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