Race: Carrera RbK 10 Kilometros
Start: 9:00 a.m.
Location: Miraflores, Lima, Peru
Weather: clear, sunny, cool, 60s
Official Time: 46:52
Actual Time: 46:15
Well, it was every bit as tough and grueling and nasty as I expected. It was awesome. This was a great race for me; I had everything I needed in the tank, the blisters didn't act up and I came in with a slightly better time than I was shooting for.
Although the race was at 9 a.m., registration started at 7:30 a.m. The starting line was only about 3 kilometers from my house so I walked over, got my number and race shirt and came back home to stretch here, go to the bathroom and bandage my injured toes. I used non-latex band aids and lots of neosporin, completely omitting the medical tape. I also relaced my left shoe to losen the fit along the part where the toe is.
I wandered back to the race area at about 8:30 a.m. I stretched some more, really concentrating on my ilitobial band and hamstrings. I drank water throughout the morning so I left off right prior to the race. When I originally walked over I ate a powerbar so I figured that would give me what I needed during the race itself.
Races in Peru are pretty much the same as in the US with your usual assortment of race rats, amateurs (like me) and excited teenagers. But there are some unusual differences. The weirdest is the shoeshine guys working the crowd before a race offering to clean up your running shoes before you head out. I was also a bit surprised by a number of older ladies with as much makeup on as they would wear to a state dinner. I guess a 10K is a social event here as well as an athletic endeavour.
One thing that really threw me were a few dozen really frightening old guys that had to be in their 70s but were running the thing in a flat out sprint. It was simply incredible to behold. My favorite guy in the whole race was the aging punk rocker whose mowhawk had noticiable bald spot. He seemed a little confused when I said "YOU TALKIN' TO ME?" when he passed me during the race.
Pretty much everyone was cool and the whole experince was really nice but there were a couple things things I didn't dig about Peruvian racers.
First, it is normal for everyone here to wear the race shirt during the race. Given, it's a nice breathable running shirt (and for an entry cost of about $5 US, a steal!) but, come on, earn the thing before you wear it. And, more irksome, there is a penchant for cutting corners like you wouldn't believe. I mean cutting out whole half blocks if they can get away with it. I'll hug corners and hop sidewalks as much as the next guy but, at a certain point, you gotta get in the full distance to have a realistic time.
The race got off on time with about 3,000 runners total. I was a bit back in the pack and it took me about a minute to get through the starting gate. That initial crowd was a bit of a pain for me since I really wanted to hit a steady pace to start. I had my iPod on and trusted the shuffle option.
The weather was cool with that morning mist/fog near the cliffs. It was clearer in the streets of Miraflores, particularly as the morning drew on. (Here are some photos of the event that give a good idea about the conditions.)
After about a kilometer and a half the pack thinned out and I was able to find a good spot to work in. The start of the race was almost entirely uphill, which was good given the initial adrenaline rush but bad after the first big turn where you got out on this street and the reality of the race hits you. Luckily, my iPod decided to play Love and Rocket's "Ball of Confusion" at that point and I slipped back into indestructible mode.
Over the course of the thing, I found my pace was changing with the music but thats OK cause the elevations - although none were extreme - were monkeying with it too. I just tried to keep a steady even rhythm and not overextend on my stride. I kept a running inventory of my danger spots - the toe, the knee, the stride - but things stayed humming along pretty well. I dropped my iPod at one point so there is probably an iShuffle in my near future.
I really started feeling the toll of the thing at about the 2/3 mark. Luckily, the Nine Inch Nails came on and gave me a God-like adrenaline boost I sorely needed but, on the downside, it probably arrived about five minutes too early. I didn't have as much in me for the finale as I was hoping. I stroked it home but not with anything truly special.
Afterward I had a bit of ache in my knees standing in line waiting to get my post-race goodies (everyone got a medal!) and I took a huge honking nap in the afternoon. But no knee pain, no blister issues and no suprise aches at all. But, oh yes, I am certainly creaky and moving slow. All in all a good effort. A solid time to base the rest of my training on and a good performace to measure what needs to be done in the future.
For now, I take a week off. I am heading to Ecuador on work and so running will be out of the question (the altitude different makes it inadvisable as well). I will get back to Lima at the beginning of June and re-start training then.