Last Saturday, 26th August, was a sunny lovely day. As the race was at 8:30 pm, I left from Almería at 5 pm to have a swim and sunbathe before it and arrived at Mojácar, a Moorish style white village on a hill, 85 km away from my hometown. At the start, I met Riccardo and his wife Anna, whom I had met at this race three years before. He took part at Almería half this year. They come from Italy but spend a few months at Aguamarga, another village near there. I told them that I had trained very little this summer but It had become a sort of tradition to take part in this race. However, he told me he had trained well. I also met Phillipe, a young man from Paris who spends his holidays in Mojácar. He told me he did not take part at Paris marathon this year and he had also trained very little. I also met Diego, a man who took part at the Red Cross race in Almería and at Cartagena half marathon.
The course was the same as the previous year. I started at the back with Riccardo. The first kilometres are downhill and everybody starts very fast. Soon, I could see only Riccardo and a couple who were in front of us. However, I had to slow down and I was the last one for a long time since I couldn´t keep Riccardo´s pace. Actually, he overtook the couple. After the downhill, we reached the road to the town but we went towards a resort with houses with a garden.. On the way, I saw a young man who could not go ahead since he was injured. We wished each other good luck. I could see the runners going back while I was on my way to the place where we turned back. There, I saw a runner who could not breathe well and the volunteers were telling him to get in an ambulance but he refused. Later, I felt a bit tired and decided to walk for a minute to avoid an injury. Then, I saw the man was behind me walking. I went on jogging but I felt some discomfort in my right calf so I had to walk a little but I managed to jog again. Then, when, we were around one km and a half from the finish, the man behind told me to go together if I liked, which I was eager to accept. In fact, before his request, I had expected him to reach me so that we both could get to the finish together. He told me that while he was drinking water in the previous water station, the water followed the wrong conduct and he did not feel well but he wanted to finish. We had to do the last part walking because he felt a terrible discomfort in his legs when running but not walking. I think that was good for me, since I also felt some discomfort in my right calf and the uphill is hard to go jogging. He told me that his name was Manuel and he was 65 years old and a native from Mojácar but he went to work to France, near the Spanish border in Catalonia. The last metres we went jogging and when we arrived holding our hands, people clapped a lot. We picked up a bag with a postcard from Mojácar, a small T-shirt since there were not any larger ones left, a bottle of water and some pears. Later, I met Riccardo and his wife, Anna, who had kept my camera and car key. Riccardo had a beer and I had an alcohol-free beer at the Cruzcampo stand. As Diego asked me if I could take him to Almería since the couple he had come with were going to San José and he wanted to get his medal for being the fourth in his category, Veterans C, we waited to the trophy ceremony. Surprisingly, while I was taking some photos, I heard that I had been the fourth in my category, Veterans B. This is the second time I go to get an award. The first time was in Dalías three years ago to get a box of vegetables for being the last one in that race.
Great to hear from you again, Antonio, and very well done on the race. I'm glad you're still managing to run in the Spanish summer. I know Mojacar. M and I stayed there for a few days after the Almeria Half in 2005. Nice town. Very Spanish on the mountain, though rather more like Essex along the seafront.
Do you have any marathon plans for the coming year?
El Gordo
Great things are done when men and mountains meet.
Bravo Antonio!
Nice to see a member of RC on the podium.
It's good to hear you are racing. I'm sorry that you are still having trouble with your calf - I remember you had this problem during the Almería Half Marathon. Congratulations on finishing the race in spite of your injury.
Saludos á Lewes.
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph
Good to see you getting back on the horse, plunging straight into competition (sorry for mixing my metaphors - I have the image of that fiesta where those bullocks being chased into the water in my head).
Inspired by your tales of dusk racing, I did my first evening race a couple of months back in Dúrcal. It was a lot of fun, though bloody hot.
Thanks for your support! It is great to follow your running lives again.
Andy, I don´t know yet if I´ll be able to take part at a marathon next year. My idea was to do Benidorm marathon or half if I did not feel fit enough next November but I find it difficult to be in shape for the marathon. What about you? Greetings to M.
Ashley, I´m feeling better now from my calf but that´s my Achilles´heel. I´ve read that you have been active in losing fat. I´ve gained four kilos this summer which I shoud lose soon.
John, I´m glad to read you back here again. I´m glad you went to Dúrcal in July. I couldn´t go to the subida al Veleta this year. I think you did it very well, didn´t you? By the way, Almería 103 kms will be held on November 11th or 123 kms on bicycle. http://www.24halmeriasport.com/
Summer holidays are over. Tomorrow I´m going to school again for the September resits.
I wish you all reach your aims this new running year.
Hope your students have worked well for their resits! I've been working with a student who failed his English - he hardly knew anything a couple of months back. His retake is today (in about an hour as I write). He's worked hard, so fingers crossed for him!
Yes, Veleta went quite well - you checked my result? Thanks for thinking of me!! I had hoped to see you there, but I think it's quite a tough event if you've not had the chance to get in the proper training. Being in August makes the training period through the summer a bit of a pain, doesn't it?
anlu247 Wrote:Ashley, I´m feeling better now from my calf but that´s my Achilles´heel.
If your calf is your achillies heel I suggest you take urgent medical advice
Seriously, I know what you mean; my own weakness is my love of calorific beer (sigh).
anlu247 Wrote:I´ve read that you have been active in losing fat. I´ve gained four kilos this summer which I shoud lose soon.
It's true, I've not seen as much of SP recently . . .
Good luck with your return to running and fitness.
Fond regards to your family.
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph
Antonio, are you taking part in that long distance event in Almeria where you go through "el desierto de Tabernas"? I've seen it advertised and I seem to remember you did last year on your mountain bike.
I think that I´ll just keep company to my friend Manuel from Barcelona for a few kilometres on bicycle since I don´t think I´ll be fit and motivated enough for November.
What about you? Are you feeling better after your injury?
By the way, Ponferradina and Almería are in the same division this year.
This year UD Almería is going worse, Ashley. Last year, in the last months they were in promotion positions but this year they are in the last postions.
Gracias, S. I gave myself as a present an 18 km run along the seafront and a swim after that. It was great. I´m taking part at Granada half next Sunday.
Best Wishes
Antonio
Andy, you have time enough to be fit for Almería half next year. By the way, I don´t know the date yet.
I'll be plodding at the granada half - might I see you beforehand? I owe you a coffee from last year!
I'll be going slow since I've got a cold at the moment. It's in it's dying stages but it's laid me low for a week or so. I'm not expecting great things on Sunday, but it's just down the road and there's always a nice tshirt and pint of ale...
I hope you´ll get better from your cold. Don´t worry about going slow. I wish I could go at your slow pace some day. My aim is to finish under 2 hours fifteen.
It will be great to meet at the place where the race numbers are given. Is it Ok at around 9 o´clock?
