I dare interrupt our traveler’s diary because I would like to share with you experiences of my first local cross-country race.
It will be two years since I attended my first and so far the last race (I wrote about it here) – Avon Night run at 5km distance. This time, I registered straight to the twice long track because I believed I could do it (plus it was a great motivation to run).
We were there already in the afternoon because we have registered our boys for children’s race. Here I can proudly claim, that our older came to the finish in the 7th place (out of 96 boys in his 2009+ category)!
But back to my race:
In the startup are I was a bit confused by the signs, according to which the runners had to sort by time, for which they run 10 km distance: 35 minutes, 40, 45, 50 and then suddenly walking. My goal was to fetch time under an hour, so I did not know where to go. Will I be such a loser, and just walk the track? 🙁 My friend Sylwia guided us to sign with the number 45 and I waited to see what would happen. What if a herd of fast runners grinds me during the start and I fall down, as some kids in the afternoon?
Fortunately, that did not happen and I set off for the race at a fairly decent pace. After the first kilometer I lost sight of Sylwia and in the second I started thinking about this post. I admire those who could remember what happened in the 20 km race (like Alžběta here on her blog Utíkej, mami, utíkej). As I started to think, I was overtaken by quite a lot of my co-runners. I realized that if start during the course, I automatically slow down (unlike driving a car when I unknowingly hit the accelerator). However, I still clung to “my” group and I ran quite well. Approximately on the third kilometer, it got quite dark and began to thunder. With the approaching storm came my first crisis when my group began to recede out of my sight and the fourth kilometer appeared very long. It didn´t lift my spirits that I saw in the opposite direction, across the river Emme, some runners already “for a turnaround.” Then came refreshment in the form of sweet tea and I thought that the distance between the fourth and fifth kilometer might have been wrongly measured because I passed this distance quite quickly.
At the sixth kilometer, I said to myself – after I saw few empty energy gel tubes on the track – that I have probably made somewhere a mistake because of course, I had no such gel with me.
After another five hundred meters a gentleman of about sixty briskly overtook me and my second crisis was born. I had wanted to take off my shoes, throw them into the nettles and walk home. But then I realized that I would have to go on foot anyway and my lift is waiting for me at the finish. Fortunately, the crisis did not last long because at the seventh kilometer a terrible storm started, and everyone seemed to run faster and as if wanted to hide from the storm. Of course, it was impossible despite dense foliage of trees and cats and dogs was pouring down on us. When we got to the 8th kilometer and were offered a cup of water, I did not mind that I splashed it on myself, because at that time I was wet as a drowned rat. At the ninth kilometer, I started thinking how is it possible that other runners are overtaking me and I don´t overtake anyone, although I felt that I run quite quickly at given circumstances. Just in front of the tenth kilometer, I overtook the lady from “my” group and I felt terribly good. The last 500 meters I felt like a fairy – although wet, sweaty, breathless, in water soaked shoes and with mud on my legs, but it was like I was flying on some wings. When I just in front of the finish line saw the sign showing time of 54 minutes and some seconds, I could not believe I managed my run at this time. But it was so.
My overall time was 54: 11.6.
The pace of 5: 09min / km.
I finished 19th in my category Damen F30 (out of 40 participants) and 68th in female overall ranking (out of 146).
Even now I can feel how I my endorphins are leaching. And I’m going to sign up for another race. Although it won´t be as flat as this, but I just give it a try it.
PS: I have not overtaken the sixty year old gentleman.
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