Cursa dels Bombers - 10k

Sometimes it just isn't your day. I trained well last week, but still, this morning as soon as I started to warm up I felt like it was going to be struggle. I finished my warmup well, but had not understood that the race started at 10am, thinking it was a quarter before. Anyway, as usual, this race has a nice show before and during the start and at least I was in a good position at the front and finally we were shot away.

The first meters were very crowded, I did not look back, but it seemed like a few people tripped and I just started slowly looking for the right space to move onwards. After a few hundred meters we started to settle in a pace and the first kilometer went by in 3m47. The second was more relaxed and 7m20 was quite ok, but like I felt in the beginning, things were not going easy. The third kilometer goes uphill and I came closer to the 4m/k limit passing in 11m17. Just about when I arrived at the Gran Via, starting a long stretch that was flat I was passed by the 37 minutes pacer and I knew I could not follow. The group that went with the pacer very slowly pulled away from me and I passed the 5k in 18m40, just like last week, but without hills today. The rest of the race I just maintained pace just under four minutes per kilometer and when I look onto the final stretch I looked for Montse and Jordi. Jordi was the photographer today and made this nice shot of me, sports photography is not easy!!!

All in all, I guess the warm weather and travelling the week before did not help in my performance today. I will "play" with other variables, though the mountain season is here and I think I will concentrate fully on that this year, while continuing to practice forefoot running.

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.

Cros Can Caralleu - 2k

A few years ago I ran this cros myself and this year it was Jordi's turn. We know the park where it is run and Jordi knew he had to start easy in order to have breath enough for a rather steep uphill a few hundred meters after the start. While Jordi lined up and waited for the start I went to the place where this uphill started to try to make some pictures. Far away I heard the signal and soon after the sounds of the childrens feet announced their arrival at the beginning of the climb.

 

 

Jordi was doing ok, not following the leaders, since there was a lot of different ages running, and running his own race. He climbed up in steady pace when he was out of sight I crossed the park to another part where they would do a zig-zag down my video there was not so good, and Jordi was clearly having stiches, but holding on nicely!

I went back to the first point and made a few last pictures cheering Jordi on to the finish, where I could not make it on time to make a picture there without hindering the other kids. So no time no finish picture just another great experience... Jordi said next time he would have to train!!!