Cursa Corte Inglés - 10k

Back on track with a very good time on this hilly course, 42m32s and around 39m30s over the 10k which was actually well past the 10k marker. This is not comparable to the other 10k races since there two serious climbs in the course, most of all the second one, between 5k and 6k.

Since the marathon I have been training very differently and not as often because it takes a lot of effort and getting used to. Some other day I will explain it in more details, but with the injury of last January and my knowledge on running, combined with talking a lot about it with my brother, I decided to switch to forefoot running and apart from that change to doing extensive series in stead of intensive ones and only recently I started to feel a bit comfortable with it. Today I ran the first 5k on my forefoot, afterwards with all the climbing and the long steep downhill I did not continue in order to not overload my lower legs.

La Cursa del Corte Ingles is THE popular race in Barcelona, it is free and some 73.000 filled the Plaça Catalunya area this morning to run and/or walk for just a bit over 10k. It was a sunny day after heavy rain earlier this week and the jog down from house to the starting area was already very pleasant, eventhough it was still 8h30 am. After arriving I did a long warm up and felt quite ok. My starting box was not at all crowded and I was just behind the first runners. Around 9h30 am we were shot away and in this race it is important to start fast. Many popular runners line up aside the first few hundred meters of the course, since they are not checked by any timechip, and join the race as soon as the elite runners have passed. Only in the first kilometer I had to avoid some of those runners, but the quick start and lack of training maybe would make me pay for passing 2k in 6m40. I slowed down a bit and until 5k maintained 4k/m pace where I passed in a nice 18m40. Already having passed the first uphill soon after the 5k mark the second more steep and longer uphill starts and here I did have to slow down, though I tried to maintain form and push uphill and pick up speed while entering the Olympic Stadium. After leaving a last hundred meters up and then the long downhill started. I passed the 8k mark in more or less 31 minutes. The last 2 kilometers and a bit I just maintained pace. It was warm and humid and had some difficulty breathing, so I was happy to pass the finishline in what later turned out to be a race record 42m32. Next week a more serious try during the Cursa de Bombers to do a full 10k with forefoot running and see how that goes.