Two weeks ago I ran my first 10 km in 10 years. Yay!! It was a local race called the Birslauf, which goes up one bank of a river called the Birs, over a bridge and back down the other side. In other words, it's an almost completely flat course.
My husband and daughter came down to the race with me, which was great. I was so nervous, I would probably have chickened out if I'd had to go alone. We arrived very early and watched as hundreds of lean, fit people stretched and "warmed up". My husband asked if I wanted to warm up, and I laughed at the idea of running further. I was having serious doubts that I could even run 10 km.
I fixed my chip onto my laces, which was exciting for me, having never run a chip-timed race before (I don't think they'd been invented the last time I ran a race!). Then I had a small panic because I'd forgotten to bring any safety pins. Hello, this is Switzerland! Not only was there a box full of safety pins at the numbers desk, but they'd been sorted into little pin-families of 4!!
I amused myself for a while by checking out the crowd of lean, fit people in expensive running gear and trying to spot the ones who looked like I might be able to beat them. There were not many and mostly they were over 70. Then everyone began ambling to the startline and I kissed the family goodbye and followed. I decided to hang out way at the back, as I still wasn't sure what my pace would be, or if I could even run the whole way. There was a woman sitting on a rock in the middle of all these runners, smoking a cigarette. I didn't see anyone I knew so I just waited until something happened. Being Switzerland, there was no fuss. At exactly 6 o'clock a gun went and off we ran.
My husband and daughter came down to the race with me, which was great. I was so nervous, I would probably have chickened out if I'd had to go alone. We arrived very early and watched as hundreds of lean, fit people stretched and "warmed up". My husband asked if I wanted to warm up, and I laughed at the idea of running further. I was having serious doubts that I could even run 10 km.
I fixed my chip onto my laces, which was exciting for me, having never run a chip-timed race before (I don't think they'd been invented the last time I ran a race!). Then I had a small panic because I'd forgotten to bring any safety pins. Hello, this is Switzerland! Not only was there a box full of safety pins at the numbers desk, but they'd been sorted into little pin-families of 4!!
I amused myself for a while by checking out the crowd of lean, fit people in expensive running gear and trying to spot the ones who looked like I might be able to beat them. There were not many and mostly they were over 70. Then everyone began ambling to the startline and I kissed the family goodbye and followed. I decided to hang out way at the back, as I still wasn't sure what my pace would be, or if I could even run the whole way. There was a woman sitting on a rock in the middle of all these runners, smoking a cigarette. I didn't see anyone I knew so I just waited until something happened. Being Switzerland, there was no fuss. At exactly 6 o'clock a gun went and off we ran.
Can you spot me in this picture?
It had been a long time since I ran in a crowd and it was really strange at first. It was also the first race I've ever run alone, without my friend Emma at my side to keep me company. We ran round the park, past the giant dinosaur and out onto the river bank. Although this was only a small local race, there were a few people dotted along the course cheering us on and some kids ringing big Swiss cowbells which made me laugh. In fact, I could hardly stop smiling once we'd set off and the nerves had settled. I was running. I was racing. I was one of the fit people again. I'd forgotten why I loved to run in races. Nerves and endorphins and collective energy make me feel somehow connected to all these people and I want to hug everybody! It's like going clubbing but with no need for drugs.
We ran up the river for a while, and I was fully occupied with passing people on the narrow river path. Apparently starting at the back had been a mistake. I began to see people flaking out after only a couple of kilometers, and the lead runners passed us going back along the other bank after just 20 minutes and we all cheered. The first half hour went quickly and I couldn't believe it when we crossed the bridge for the turnaround. I still felt fresh so I speeded up and began passing even more people. The 5 km marker was shortly after the bridge as we headed back toward the park.
At around 6 km I began to feel that I'd been running for a while. I'd been passing people for the whole race and only been passed myself a few times. At around 7 km I began to slow down. It was hot, I was thirsty and there were no water stations in this race. I thought maybe I could take it slowly for the last few km, and still maybe break my goal time of an hour. My training runs in Allschwil forest are around 8 km and my body began to tell me that it was nearly finished. I wasn’t smiling anymore, I just wanted to finish and find something to drink.
Then these two girls passed me. I'd noticed them when I passed them on the way out, because one of them was head-turningly gorgeous. She was running with a friend and looked as cool as if she ran 10 km every day before breakfast. Exactly the pacer I needed! I was not going to let her get away. I speeded up and decided to keep their pace for the next km, even though it felt really hard. Now, I was racing. In fact, I never lost sight of them again until the end, when I overtook them in my finishing adrenaline-sprint. Sorry about that, lovely-looking pacer-girl. I have you to thank for my PB, I'd never have been motivated to run that fast without following you.
By the time the 8 km marker appeared, I was smiling again because I knew I was going to finish, and finish running. As we ran back into the park, some little girls had their hands out for high-fives, which I gave enthusiastically because I've never done that in a race before either. Much to my own amazement, I was holding the faster pace. I couldn't remember whether my only previous 10 km time had been 58 minutes or 56 minutes, so I knew that anything under 56 would be a PB. I could see the clock over the finish reading 55-something so I sprinted in, overtaking everyone so that my husband completely missed my finish.
He found me when the friendly Datasport woman was cutting my chip off my shoe and I jabbered at him about my PB while he took a photo. My daughter cried because she'd been playing and didn't see me finish. I told it was because mummy was SO FAST!
So there you go. Giant dinosaurs, cowbells and a PB. It doesn't get much better than that. Luckily there's a spring Birslauf (April) and a fall Birslauf (September) so I can do it all again in a few month's time.
It had been a long time since I ran in a crowd and it was really strange at first. It was also the first race I've ever run alone, without my friend Emma at my side to keep me company. We ran round the park, past the giant dinosaur and out onto the river bank. Although this was only a small local race, there were a few people dotted along the course cheering us on and some kids ringing big Swiss cowbells which made me laugh. In fact, I could hardly stop smiling once we'd set off and the nerves had settled. I was running. I was racing. I was one of the fit people again. I'd forgotten why I loved to run in races. Nerves and endorphins and collective energy make me feel somehow connected to all these people and I want to hug everybody! It's like going clubbing but with no need for drugs.
We ran up the river for a while, and I was fully occupied with passing people on the narrow river path. Apparently starting at the back had been a mistake. I began to see people flaking out after only a couple of kilometers, and the lead runners passed us going back along the other bank after just 20 minutes and we all cheered. The first half hour went quickly and I couldn't believe it when we crossed the bridge for the turnaround. I still felt fresh so I speeded up and began passing even more people. The 5 km marker was shortly after the bridge as we headed back toward the park.
At around 6 km I began to feel that I'd been running for a while. I'd been passing people for the whole race and only been passed myself a few times. At around 7 km I began to slow down. It was hot, I was thirsty and there were no water stations in this race. I thought maybe I could take it slowly for the last few km, and still maybe break my goal time of an hour. My training runs in Allschwil forest are around 8 km and my body began to tell me that it was nearly finished. I wasn’t smiling anymore, I just wanted to finish and find something to drink.
Then these two girls passed me. I'd noticed them when I passed them on the way out, because one of them was head-turningly gorgeous. She was running with a friend and looked as cool as if she ran 10 km every day before breakfast. Exactly the pacer I needed! I was not going to let her get away. I speeded up and decided to keep their pace for the next km, even though it felt really hard. Now, I was racing. In fact, I never lost sight of them again until the end, when I overtook them in my finishing adrenaline-sprint. Sorry about that, lovely-looking pacer-girl. I have you to thank for my PB, I'd never have been motivated to run that fast without following you.
By the time the 8 km marker appeared, I was smiling again because I knew I was going to finish, and finish running. As we ran back into the park, some little girls had their hands out for high-fives, which I gave enthusiastically because I've never done that in a race before either. Much to my own amazement, I was holding the faster pace. I couldn't remember whether my only previous 10 km time had been 58 minutes or 56 minutes, so I knew that anything under 56 would be a PB. I could see the clock over the finish reading 55-something so I sprinted in, overtaking everyone so that my husband completely missed my finish.
He found me when the friendly Datasport woman was cutting my chip off my shoe and I jabbered at him about my PB while he took a photo. My daughter cried because she'd been playing and didn't see me finish. I told it was because mummy was SO FAST!
So there you go. Giant dinosaurs, cowbells and a PB. It doesn't get much better than that. Luckily there's a spring Birslauf (April) and a fall Birslauf (September) so I can do it all again in a few month's time.
Official time 55:17
Rank 105 (out of 255 women)
Average split 5.31
