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Week 14
Sunday 25th January 2004.
As I walked out this midwinter morning, I thought I had to do my best to lower my PB a few minutes. Early in the morning at 6.30 am, I had had two oranges and three mandarins. Later, at around 7.30 I had a glass of cocoa milk and two slices of bread with some olive oil. Although the weather forecast predicted that it would be a sunny day, actually it was a cloudy misty morning. Fortunately, it wasn´t a windy day as it had been last Sunday but it was a wet morning. However, in the afternoon, the sun did shine. I went to the stadium on foot in about fifteen minutes. There were a lot of people already around getting the race numbers because they had arrived in the morning and getting the chips those who had got it at the runners´ fair on Saturday. I collected my chip and went to the stadium changing rooms to put on my T-shirt after having done a little warm-up. I met Germán. He´s an old runner I met last year at this half marathon and in Lorca, Murcia last November. He always wears the same T-shirt, one with the Cuban and Spanish flag. He was interviewed in the Spanish edition of Runners´ World. He told me that he runs a half marathon every weekend. He lives in Madrid and he´s been to many races. He also told me that last year he took part at London marathon and two weeks later in Madrid doing around 4hours 30 minutes in both of them. I met there some other runners I know and then I went to the start line where I met other runners. Two young men told me I had been their English teacher at Vera in the province of Almería fifteen years ago. I recognized them and we talked a little about the old days and the race. I also met Thomas, the German lad who is travelling on bicycle, and Manuel and some others. Well, we went through the gate where the carpet for the chips was and quickly the race started. I felt quite well and went at a 5´35´´ pace the first kilometres, which is quite good for me. I went with different runners from different places but sometimes I couldn´t follow their pace or I preferred overtaking since I saw that I could finish with a good personal record. My nephew Luis, who is 13 years old, went on bicycle with my rucksack with some water and cereal bars in case I needed but actually I only had a bar at kilometre 18. I stopped running to walk for one minute while drinking water at kilometres 5, 10 and fifteen. When we were going along the road by the sea it was nice to see the people who were going back to the finish while we had to get to the university and how we cheered up each other. I felt quite confident without any discomfort in my calves and I even overtook a runner at the stadium but another runner overtook me too. I saw the people cheering there. Manuel, who had done his PB in 1 hour 32 minutes, was there too. I forgot to stop my watch at the finish but I did around two hours 3 minutes, which is fifteen minutes less than the previous edition on 1st June 2003. In my last half marathon in Lorca, Murcia on 27th November I also did the same time.
I think this sport is really great. Anyone that doesn´t know about it will probably think it isn´t worth doing 21 kms 97 metres to finish one hour later than the winner but for us it is wonderful to see how you´re getting on and feeling that great atmosphere and the good healthy friends you make. In my last half marathon in Lorca , Murcia on 27th November I also did the same time. I´m very glad to have got my PB here in my hometown feeling all right and more confident to do a marathon in three months´ time. Now my objective is to do the next half under two hours.
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