Whoo, hoo! We did it! As you know, we signed up for the Nike+ 10k Human Race a few months back mainly as an excuse to check out Berlin, but also for bragging rights of having run 6.25 miles. We even put together a little team. We roped in a couple of our new expat friends here in Zurich and convinced my dad to sign up and run back in South Dakota. So fun. Our first race ever, together, and in Berlin.
We checked out the starting point at Brandenburg Gate earlier in the day. It got my heart racing. The adrenaline was streaming pumping through my veins. I could already feel my heart in my throat and I still had another four hours before the gun went off. The waiting was the worst. Knowing you can't just go run right then. You have to wait, and wait, and wait. Anticipation will kill you.
I wouldn't say that the event went all that smoothly. Not knowing what to expect was probably better than having participated in a bunch of other races before. We had to find our pace time entry point. Too bad the area they was marked off for the 60 minute runners wasn't large enough to fit everyone, so we bunched up with the overflow outside of the metal fence area. After the race started 20 minutes late (I guess because the roads hadn't been completely emptied), we stumbled through our little gate entrance as the slower people shuffled by. I think we probably walked the first kilometer of the race. It was ridiculous. Once we finally rounded the first few blocks and the lead runner passed us, things started to open up and we had a little space to get around people. It was insane. There were about 6,000 people running this race. Now imagine that many people running on these small European streets. Nightmare.
I was so worried about my music list before I left. I laugh now. I barely even heard what was playing. The race went by so fast. On my final stretch back to the Gate, I was thinking how quickly this race seemed to pass by. I couldn't have been running for an hour. No way. With all the craziness at the start, somehow this was a great run for me. I realize I didn't come in under an hour, but being able to just finish the run was an accomplishment for me. I am not a runner by any means.
The crowd of runners was definitely a distraction, but the people lined up along the streets cheering all of us on was a huge boost. This race did teach me something. I think I need to run something further. Don't you? Can you see a half marathon in my future? I am not making any promises, but if anyone knows of a solid beginner half in Europe...let me know. I may be interested.
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WOO HOOOOO you are a rockstar!! ANd i think you can call yourself a runner now. ;-)
ReplyDeleteCongrats! What a great achievement. I hope you have some more shots of Berlin and that you enjoyed it. It is one of our favorite cities in Europe.
ReplyDeleteThe post is a comin'. Josh does have some pics posted on his flickr account. Hope you enjoy.
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