Cursa el Corte Inglés - 10k

 After a week of rest and massage to try and fix a muscle in the groin area I wasn't very sure about running a 10k today, but on the other hand I thought that doing one might also give me an idea of what I could expect for the longer mountain race next week. So after a very cold and rainy Saturday, both Jordi and I jogged down to the starting area in front of "el Corte Inglés" en Diagonal. The weather this Sunday was much better, somewhat windy and certainly not warm, but at least no rain. Due to Covid they decided to change the route so the start would have more space for all runners. The new route looked to be very fast even though I was going to go at easy pace. Jordi did want to go for sub 45 minutes. After an easy warmup we split up when entering our starting boxes, since Jordi did not have an official time below 50 minutes yet and they wouldn't allow me in his box for some reason. 

At 9 am we started to run and very soon Jordi passed me. Not easy to start slow for me, but I definitely wanted to finish without stressing the pectineus muscle that somehow got irritated and somewhat inflamed a bit over a week ago. The first 2k I was just above 45m pace in 9m10 and after I slowly gained on that schedule without much effort passing 5k around 21m45. From there on I was holding back and just maintain a decent pace until the finish line. I was more than happy to finish under 45 minutes without any issues. So now it was just a matter of some easy runs and stretching and foam rolling muscles preparing for the next race.

Jordi was also very happy breaking 42 minutes. With more specific training sub 40m is possible for him, but that will probably be in autumn.

Cursa de la Mercè 2020 - 10k

 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.

Cursa de la Mercé - 10k

Exactly one month after starting the UTMB an easy 10k in the city centre of Barcelona. Recovery has been slow but good and I am back to easy training for some weeks already. Ofcourse I had no clue of what pace to run so I decided to try and stay with the 45 minute pacer. Though we started at nine o'clock it was very warm already and apart from that starting with 12000 runners makes for some chaos in the beginning. Up to the kilometer 3 I am somewhat behind the pacer, just because catching up with him through the crowd was not easy. Actually the third kilometer just to not go off pace to much I had to sprint and pass people where I could which ofcourse sent my heart-rate up. The fourth and fifth kilometer I can finally settle and I make it half way just below 22m30s so 45 minutes is still possible. Shortly after we pass through the Arc de Triomf where many runners grab water and slow down a bit, which opens up more space and I am some 100 meters in front of the pacer by then. Kilometer 6 and 7 as always are hard and a matter of holding on and try to stay relaxed. My times are still ok so I know I don't have to sprint in the end to finish under 45 minutes which is great. Happy to be running again without after effects of the UTMB. More 10ks are to follow.

Finished in 44m39s!!

Cursa La Maquinista - 10k

The plan was to go for 39 minutes. But after a week of 35 ºC and above and less sleep than normal I was not sure what I could do this morning. Also the course has quite some climbs in it, so all in all not really good circumstances to run fast. I arrived on time at the other end of Barcelona do warm up and prepare for the race. Once again we started at the edge of the Commercial Centre La Maquinista, what makes for a less than perfect start since it is very narrow the first 100 meters, then a turn to the right and soon after that and a second turn into a wide street where we soon can settle for a pace. I pass the first km in exactly 3m54 and the second in 7m44, but I feel like I have to work to hard to maintain that pace. After 3k I am still on pace, but the next 3k is full of streets going up noticably and I have to slow down there. When reaching the highest point I am tired already and it is very very warm and humid so the last 4k to the finish I don't really push hard. Just running to finish, since breaking 39 minutes was clearly impossible today. In the end I finished in 41m48, considering all not too bad. Now back to the mountains for a race in september.

Cursa Diagonal DIR - 10k

After only one week of recovery another 10k on a course more flat so better for setting a Personal Best. I went running from home to the start area at the beginning of the Diagonal some 30 minutes at easy pace. I dropped my bag and did some more warm up exercises. Today it was really warm in spite of starting at 8h30 am. I am still far away from feeling strong at the start but at least some little pains I had during the week have subdued and I can run comfortably. The start is smooth and we have space inmediately, but to my surprise in spite of running fast I pass the first kilometer in 4 minutes. So I up my pace a bit and I am even more surprised to pass 2k in 8 minutes. I start to doubt about the validaty of those markers, also hearing more comments of runners around me. At 3k all of a sudden I am running near 37 minutes pace passing in 11m10. That is going to cost me later on, having started so fast, with the marker confusion. I try to stay relaxed and keep pace and pass 5k in 19m19s which is way to fast. Just after the 6k marker we leave the diagonal for a while and that part of the course goes up and down quite a bit, so I take it easy here going up to above 4m/k. Once back on the diagonal I am tired and try to get back at 4m/k pace. The kilometers are still marked chaotically so I can only run as fast as I can now and I will know at the finish line whether it was enough or not. So after the final turn I push out some sort of a sprint and finish in 39m41s. Judging the irregular pace I think that is a great time. In 3 weeks the next 10k race, though training will shift more to mountain running.

Cursa Nou Barris - 10k

While at the other side of planet Earth Kilian Jornet has started his run up the Mount Everest for me a more modest challenge, running another 10k two weeks after my first one in a long time and after some pretty good training. Eventhough I prepared well, I arrived later than planned at the start area and also with a suspicious rumble in my stomach. The regular visit to the toilet some 25 minutes before the start showed that indeed my digestive system was quite upset, so I was just hoping for the best today. After a minute of silence in remembrance of a woman, member of the organizing athletics club, who recently passed away, we were shot away. It was already warm and I was sweating in spite of very little warm before the start. The front group stretches out quickly and running is comfortable right away. Because of my stomach I took it easy and inmediately stayed with the 40m pacer, together with some 30 other runners. The first 2k go by in 7m50, and then kilometers 3 to 5 are the hard ones of this race, 2 sharp turns and some streets that are uphill make running at near 4m/k pace a tough thing to do. Still, with some struggle and practicing deep breathing at times as I did in some of the training sessions I managed to arrive at the midway point in 20m10 still in the group of the 40minute pacer, a very cheerful guy that is continuously talking and checking upon us and letting us recover during the 6th kilometer, which is flat. We pass that mark just under 4m/k pace and he anounces that during the next 2k he will up the pace a bit since we go downhill so we will arrive at 8k just under 40minutes schedule. Up to 8k I am following quite ok, but then I very very slowly start to tighten up and really have to push to follow the group that is only some 10 runners now. After the 9k marker, where we pass with 35m55 I know that as long a I don't blow up I can probably finish under forty minutes sprinting a bit at the end. So I let the group go though the gap is never more than 20 meters and when we enter the athletics stadium I push out a controlled but pretty fast sprint to break 40 minutes for the first time since january 2016 finishing in 39m54s. The coming weeks 2 more 10k races and then it is back to the mountains.

Cursa Bombers - 10k

Finally!!! Running again and starting to enjoy it!!! In spite of recovering well of the triple ultra trail effort last year I guess more deep down my body needed some rest. After many years of repeating 10k training during fall/winter/spring, changing into marathon training in spring and then into mountain running for summer and fall without any breaks somewhat before Christmas last year I had to stop. After a full break of about a month and then a slow and easy start combined with a rest squat program my knees accepted running again. Last month I already had a fun first appetizer, running the Cursa del Corte Ingles with Emma and Jordi. Last week I went to Montserrat with the Collserola Mountain Runners and today it was on!!! 10k. No clue about what pace I could hold sustainably and with sore muscles of last tuesday's sprint training, so my warm up mostly consisted of just running around in Parc de la Ciutadella near the start area with some easy accelerations and nothing else. Somehow they still give me access to the fastest start box, though my times of the last years no longer are compatible, but it allows for a much smoother start. Some five minutes after the firefighters were shot away (they run in full outfit!!!! hats off for them!!!) we were shot away and the first 2k went by quite ok, though the sore muscles don't allow for perfect smooth running. Today will be more like a training in many ways. The first 4k are mainly uphill, not much, but enough for making it noticable, and when I finally arrive at the highest point I know running under 40 minutes will be impossible. I pass the 5k marker in 19m56, but already somewhat tired. I can maintain the 4m/k pace untill the 7k marker, after that my hamstrings start sending signals that they are running at the limit so I slow down a bit and run the last 3k at a very steady pace but without sprinting to finish and as such my final time was 40m41 today. Last year around the same time I remember I also struggled to go under 40 minutes, so I am very happy with how I felt today. Two weeks of recovery and training and we will run the next 10k!!!