Bikedock Belles

Having averaged about 1 run every 3 weeks in the past 9 months, running fitness was not at its best – never mind running at pace! Why then, when Andrea received a text from her best friend wishing her luck in the race, did she arrogantly reply asking was she being funny and why was luck needed for a 10KM after all the extreme stuff she'd done?! The fact of the matter is, best friends know you better than yourself and Andrea hadn't factored in that she would run as hard as she could – and not being used to running, or speed (ahem, all relative!), she would feel vile.

Never take any event lightly if you're going to give it 100%, is the lesson learnt here!

The race took place about 5 miles out of the city centre and at 645am on Sunday Andrea caught a tram out to the leafy suburb. By 715am, with 45 minutes until the start, there were numerous runners and lots of chat about tempo runs and intervals etc amongst the club runners, as well as strategies for the race. Yawn! Andrea's concentration lay elsewhere, in fact nowhere on the race, as she pondered finding her way 4.5 miles back to the city after the race – jogging in the vicinity of the tram lines!

With 15 minutes to go, Andrea feigned some stretches and took some photos, before a 2 minutes to go announcement brought everybody onto the starting area where the US national anthem was blared out of massive stereos on the back of a jeep, with the US flag hoisted, and everybody standing silent with their fists on their hearts. Andrea felt privileged to be part of it and had her own hand on her heart, transporting it back home. A moving moment!

And then the real moving started! The gun blasted and everybody blasted off. In the first 100m Andrea's legs felt wrecked and energy was lacking. She starts blaming the jet lag and late nights. However at the 1 mile mark she looks at her watch and sees 7 min 10 secs. No wonder she's wrecked! As if that pace could be kept up!

At mile 4 nausea sets in and at mile 5 the legs are burning – but calculations are made and the 50 minute barrier can be broken! That would be a PB...not that impressive mind you when Andrea has only ever done 2 other 10KM races before – in two hugely famous metropolises....one in Singapore and one in Lisburn!

Feeling like she is about to vomit, Andrea crosses the line in 49 min 58 secs. . . and falls to her honkers. The yukky feeling soon passes, after about 5 minutes, so much so that Andrea decides to go for it and jog the 4.5 miles back to her hotel. Blissful, steady jogging with her race t-shirt in her hand. Big sigh.

Refreshments had been laid on after the race, but Andrea couldn't hang around as she had a flight to catch.

On arriving back in Northern Ireland on Monday, to her surprise there was a message that she should have hung around post-race...because she had won the female 35-39 years category and come 10^th overall. (NB Andrea really only won because there wasn't anybody else in the "female, 35-39yrs, mother of 2 from Northern Ireland, coffee market analyst, adventurer - that straight after finishing the race ran 7km back to the hotel" category).

Not a bad day's work, nor a bad 3 days actual work?! either in the Big Easy. But the 10KM was anything but easy. Note to self - never rebuke good luck wishes again!

Ding Dong!

ps click on the thumbnail to enlarge pics and use the arrows to scroll through

Andrea