Barcelona Half Marathon - 21k

Being in shape and being able to perform well have a delicate balance in life. After a busy week with long days, less sleep, training less and feeling tired on the rest days before the race, I already had my doubts before I started and with all done I still am happy with a 1h26m58s. The race started at 8h45 in the morning so I got up early to prepare and around 8 a.m. I arrived near the start and since it was not too cold I changed into my running clothes, stored my bag and started with the warmup in the Parc de Ciutadella. With about ten minutes to go I left the park to enter my box and nicely on time we were shot away. The first kilometers were very regular passing in 3m45 and 7m30. Then we went slightly uphill running along the Avinguda Paral.lel and I maintained good pace on the first 5k passing in 19m01. During the 6th kilometer I lost pace for a while picking it up during the 7th, but the running in general was not very smooth and I slowed down a little and passed the 10k in 38m46. I still could not maintain pace and most kilometers passed in above 4 minutes so running a Personal Best today was impossible. I passed the 15k in 59m21 and just held on to pass the 20k in 1h21m50 and a last kilometer near 5 minutes. Next is the marathon and after the experience of today I know rest is going to be important in the coming weeks.

Terrassa - Half Marathon - 21k

No Personal Best but still very happy with 1h24m33s. The half marathon in Terrassa is run on a very hilly course and this is an excellent time. I arrived well on time and walked to the start area from the town center what took longer than I thought. Nearly there I met two other runners and talked with them and they already told me this certainly wasn't the fastest half marathon. When we arrived at the starting area we wished eachother good luck and I continued to the place where they stored your clothes and made the last preparations before starting the warmup. It was very chilly this morning, but luckily the sun helped a bit, eventhough it would soon dissappear behind the clouds as was predicted. At 10am sharp we were shot away, with a really thundering traditional rifle. 

 

The first few hundred meters were on an broad boulevard which was great for space and easy running from the beginning. The first 2k were quick, in spite of trying to go easy, in 7m30, and on to the 5k mark I maintained pace passing in 19m exactly on the 1h20 schedule that I hoped to be able to follow. Upto the 5k point the course already started to climb and it continued to do so, and rather steaply, for 3 more kilometers at least. Ofcourse my pace dropped considerably and I passed the 10k marker in 39 minutes with a 5k partial of 20 minutes. For 2 more kilometers the road went more up than down and then we started to go really downhill, sometimes very steaply like the meters just before the 15k marker which I passed in 58m47 with a slightly better 5k partial of 19m47. After 2 more kilometers of more downhill than uphill we turned up to a broad boulevard called Rambla Égara, which was all uphill untill the 19k marker. Here I really lost pace and even the last two kilometers that were more flat I just barely held on and finished in 1h24m33s, with a last 5k partial of 20m27 and a last kilometer in about 4m50. All in all I am happy to have run here. The course is hard but nice to run and there was quite a crowd cheering us on and the ambiance at the finish area was great. Lets see what I can do on a flatter course in 3 weeks from today!!!

Cursa Sant Antoni - 10k

Continuing to be in good shape with another 37m00!!! I tried hard to improve my PB but it was not to be today. Yesterday it was cold and rainy and we were very lucky to start the day with a little wind and only a few clouds and no rain to be seen at all. After a good warmup I entered the first box and after some 10 minutes we were shot away.

 The first few meters (I am on the right)

The first 20 meters were a bit rough but we found rythm very quickly and the first kilometer went by nicely in a low 3 minutes, later confirmed at the second kilometer mark with 7m06. Running along the Gran Via nice and straight I maintained excellent pace and the 3rd and 4th kilometer went by running 20 seconds under the 37 minutes schedule and I arrived at the half-way mark in 18m05. The sixt kilometer went by very well too still maintaining the 20 seconds under schedule and even the 7th kilometer that goes slightly uphill I maintained good pace. Up to the 8th I started to struggle a bit and most of all during the ninth kilometer I lost my pace and margin passing 5 seconds behind schedule now. I had just enough push left to arrive at exactly 37 minutes! Happy with repeating a very good mark and now onto longer distances for the next two months and starting with strength and mountain training already!

With the finish line in sight

Cursa dels Nassos - 10k

I did it!!! I reached this seasons goal of breaking 37 minutes!!! In the popular last race of the year, la Cursa del Nassos, I finished in 36m55!!! Very happy and wondering if I can break 36 minutes too?!

After three weeks of good training and three days of rest because of some muscle soreness in my left thigh, today I had another go for making my goal to break the 37 minutes barrier. The days before had been very busy and I was not feeling optimal, but like always I would give it all. It was a bit colder than the days before, but very good weather, eventhough it soon would be dark since this race starts at 17h30. After a good warm up and the other physical preparations I entered my green box. One of the advantages of breaking the 37 minutes is being able to race in the red (first) box in all races. Just before the start a runner with a "37 minutes" flag entered the red box just in front of us and that could be of great help to have a pacer.

We were shot away and the first meters were slow and chaotic. I tried to stay out of trouble knowing the first kilometer would be slow. Like last year the pace was irregular and trying to find space in between the runners to advance was difficult from time to time, but I took it easy and passed in 3m44. The second kilometer wasn't much better and where normally I would be well below schedule, today I was still above with 7m28. The third and fourth went by with more regular pace but still some seconds behind schedule. In the kilometer leading upto halfway the race there is a sharp U-turn where we lost some more seconds and we passed the 5k mark in 18m40. In the first kilometers I had run some 20 meters behind the pacer slowly closing the gap and now I was running just behind and I knew I had to check times to make sure the pacer kept pace too :) . On the 6th kilometer we gained 5 seconds and then I started to become tired and I just followed the pacer. I missed the 7th and 8th kilometer marks and we passed the 9k in 33m25 so with a good sprint I might be able to make it. When we turned onto the last long straight I passed the pacer and sprinted to the finish stopping my watch at 36:56 and very happy and very tired for a few seconds. Once back home it was great to see the official time confirmed to be 36m55. I really did it :) !!!

Jordi - Cursa Viladecans 1k

And another race for Jordi, one week before it is dad's turn again. This time we had to leave Barcelona to Viladecans a town to the west. After an early trainride we walked to the start area and picked up Jordi's Bib Number. Jordi was nervous this morning untill he lined up for the start. There were quite a few young runners out this morning and Jordi managed to position himself more or less up front so he could start well. The pack stretched out quickly after they were shot away and they ran down the first straight to round the first roundabout.

 

After the first roundabout they headed back to a second roundabout and then crossed the startline again and sprinted for a last few hundred meters to the finish. Jordi finished in 3m03s and afterwards measuring the track it turned out to be some 750 meters, but still much faster than last week on this totally flat course. Well done Jordi!!!!

After the finish they lined up to receive their bag of goodies...

 

And a well deserved energy drink...

Jordi - Cursa 1k in l'Hospitalet

Today it was my son's turn to run a race. On a beautiful sunday morning we arrived at the start near the athletics training ground in l'Hospitalet some hundred meters away from Nou Camp, the FC Barcelona stadium. Jordi competed in a group of children between one year older and two years younger and participating was the goal. Around 10h20 the were "shot" away and sadly enough two kids tripped only 10 meters out, but they got on their feet and continued. Jordi started easy and after a downhill stretch of some 300 meters they turned back to go uphill. Jordi was doing very well and had passed many children when entering the athletics stadium for the last 300 meters on the track. He ended his 1k race in 4m30 and was very happy.

 

Cursa de la Sagrera - 10k

A few seconds closer to the 37 minutes mark, but still not there. On a quiet, sunny, but also very cold sunday morning I set off for another 10k with the start near the 10k of three weeks ago. Today a two-laps course in the neighbourhood of la Sagrera. After the regular warmup we huddled at the start line and all of a sudden someone blows a whistle which seems to be start signal today. So after some yells of suprise we get underway with the regular pushing and running around de park where we also just had done our warm up. Next is a long straight up to the first kilometer (3m25) and we continue slightly uphill. It seems the top-runners today take it easy, since they appear to be very close still. The second kilometer I pass in 7m06 and the third I settle for a good pace helped by the slightly downhill. At the third kilometer mark I am still ahead of schedule but not too much (10m54) and I maintain the same pace passing the 4k mark in 14m44. The last kilometer of the 5k lap we will run two times has a rather steep part uphill after turning upto the last straight onto the halfway mark. I passed the 5k mark in 18m30 exactly on schedule, but not sure if I could maintain pace today. On the first kilometer into the second lap I lost four seconds passing in 22m16 but I pushed the uphill and passed the 7k mark in 25m59, 5 seconds behind schedule, but starting to be fatigued. Eventhough I am not as tired as the races before I still lost time and passed the 8k mark in 29m50 and the ninth in 33m40 knowing that I still had an uphill to go, but at least I had strenght this time to hold on and push through and on the last straigth slighlty downhill I sprinted in good form to once again improve my personal best with a few seconds: 37m25!!!