So, I woke up the next day after having had a series of turbulent dreams. That night, I think I ran everywhere in the Sahara desert before waking up.
I truly was anxious for the race. Anxious, but ready.
We made it to the start line, which was located not too far from our hotel.
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| It really is true. French people try to look their best, even while working out. | | |
This was one of the moments where I came to realize how much France had actually become home for me. This type of environment was something that I had experienced many times in the United States, and it was very much the same here. I waited at the starting line with anticipation, and when the gun went off, I was ready to go.
The First 5 Kilometers
The first five kilometers of the race went by very quickly, and I felt that I had eased into a relatively quick pace from the start. I wasn't breathing heavily, but I wasn't exactly crawling either. After having finished the first 5K, I looked at my watch and saw 26:30. I was definitely ahead of schedule for breaking 2 hours. The crowd began to spread out a little, and I began to....I can't believe I'm actually going to admit this....... I took pictures! Here is one of the first ones I took:
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| Yes, this picture is blurry, but I think it gets the point across. I was indeed running through the country side. |
12 Kilometers
So this is where I started to worry. I remembered starting to feel some pain in my legs, and my knees were starting to ache. I looked at my watch again, to see that I was still ahead of schedule. And so, I took another picture. See those cows? Well let's just say that for whatever reason, they weren't happy with me when I passed by them. I could hear them mooing for the next kilometer or so.
16 Kilometers
I looked at my watch and was astonished when it said that I had been running for only 1:26:30. This meant that I needed to run a 5K in less than 34:30 to reach my goal of breaking two hours. This was a surprisingly easy thing for me to do, seeing as I had been running at roughly an 8:45 minute/mile pace for the past 16 kilometers.
And finally, after 21 kilometers
And finally, the end was in sight. I saw where we had started the race, and I knew that I would break my goal. But by how much? I saw the finish line and pushed it as much as I could, passing four people on my way. There was, however, one problem. they were holding out a rope to guide us into the chute as we finished. To pass the people, I veered to the side, and, well, let's just say that I came very close to flipping over that rope and falling face first onto the ground. Luckily, it didn't happen.
In the end, I crossed the line with a time of 1:54:29. I had not only achieved my goal; I shattered it!
Yup, this is me afterwards. And yes, this is my Y Life Team Challenge shirt, for all of my fellow coworkers and friends at home. I was thinking of you!
And then, I had to endure the train ride home, with my knees unable to bend. I was happy to leave Bonson and get back to the city life, but it was an amazing experience. Did I run a half marathon through a historic city with hundreds of spectators? No. Did I get to keep the bib at the end of the race? No. I did, however find out that my friend Emily received 1st place in her age/gender group, and that I received 4th place in mine!
This was something on my to-do list for France. I can only think of one word to describe the experience though.
Le bonheur.
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