Time to race again!!! Before all a huge "Thank you" to the organization!!! To make running a 10k possible complying all the COVID measures seems simple when it is rolled out smoothly like this morning, but getting there has taken a lot of thinking and planning. Also thanks to Montse for picking up my bib number two days before, and she also told me that, in spite of never having done that before, the organization was very very clear on all the steps and it was easy for her to do so.
Since it was not "yet another 10k", but the first under these new circumstances I went down to the start area early, actually just in time to see the start of the first group of about 300 runners at 8:00am.
Directly afterwards I started my warmup. The start location for years has been in the Mont Juic area, but this year to maximize space and avoid crowds they moved it to the El Forum area where there is lots of space and very few people on an early Saturday morning. Around 8:30 we were called into the start area grouped by numbers and lined up in rows of six with a 2 meter space between each of us.
At that time most runners of the first group were already finishing or on the last stretch. At 8:45 the first 6 runners started there run and every 5 seconds 6 more runners stepped up to the starting line and started there 2 lap 10k run. I think I was on the 4th or 5th row so very soon it was my turn. I put my facemask away when I already had started running and then quickly settled into a comfortable pace. No pushing around this time and also the course was along very wide roads so at all moments we could maintain distance to other runners. The first 2 k I maybe went too fast in 4m20 and 4m15, but I was going at what felt as an easy pace so I only dropped pace a little bit to around 4m30 and basically could maintain that until the finish line. Just before the 5k mark we passed the start area again, and the speaker called each runner out by name to cheer us on. Upto the 7k mark I was going easy and then slowly started to feel somewhat tired and breathing more heavily. It was very humid this morning so surely that also made it harder to get oxigen in. Also from 7k to 8k the road goes slightly uphill. Soon we pass the 9k mark and I pick up pace just a little bit, though without really sprinting and finish in 44:35 on the athletics track of sport centre Marbella. At the finish line we were handed new face masks and got our hands sprayed with some cleaning lotion. They had set up a water station with volunteers opening the taps for us while we filled our cups with water. Very smooth, everything, so once again, thanks to all to make it happen.
