Halfway to the glory

"Molt bè, molt bè!" "¡Venga, venga, venga!" With 3 kilometres still to go, I was starting to feel really tired, and doubted for the first time about successfully concluding my race. It was the support of the numerous bystanders, who were crowding the streets of Vilanova i la Geltru, which helped me recovering from that temporary moment of weakness. As a result, I was able to overcome that last kilometres, including a final climb, really murderous after running for one hour and a half, concluding therefore the race in a satisfying, if not brilliant, way.

Fortunately enough, the weather was perfect in the day of my debut on the half-marathon distance: a starred night was replaced by a clear and warm morning, absolutely perfect to go running. More than one thousand people turned up at the starting point, and I was among them, quite relaxed and with mixed feelings. Perhaps a bit disoriented at the beginning, being a sort of a foreigner in the middle of a Catalan mass, as soon as the gunshot was fired I felt rather at ease, starting to find my place in the group.

After struggling in the first kilometres, characterised by a rather irregular track, I found a good rhythm and could therefore cruise with good confidence along the promenade by the seaside. It was a really spectacular stretch of the race, coming and going from the quay for a couple of times. I guess that if someone was already beginning to feel tired by then, they might have risked to fall into the water if they did not watch their steps!

Going past the turning point at the 10th kilometre, I was still quite fresh and went on with that sensation also on the way back along the promenade. The troubles began when we left behind the seaside, which had guaranteed a rather easy track. As we approached the 15th kilometre, indeed, we had to face the most difficult segment of the race, consisting in a 3-kilometres stretch with several climbs. 

Despite overcoming them quite brilliantly, I felt that my energies were running out. Fortunately enough, the support from the Vilanovins helped me, and biting the bullet I was finally able to cross the finish line.

I must admit the arribada was quite a relief, but soon after it my satisfaction was really huge, both for the final time (1 hour 33 minutes 30 seconds, not bad taking into account that I had trained for just one month and half) and for the good experience. I would like to thank my collegue Josep, who really helped me before, during and after the race. And...What about trying and going for the marathon in the future? Er.....if you asked me during those final three kilmetres, I am afraid I would not have even taken into consideration the idea, but...who knows? After this half-marathon I can say I am halfway to the glory, and above all I have (almost) become a real Vilanovin!

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