Sants was great

As I wrote a few days ago, last Sunday I ran the Cros of Sants, one of my favourite races that I try not to miss since 2009. The day didn’t start very well because last weekend we had a lot of rain in Barcelona. Therefore, during the race it didn’t rain much and it wasn’t really cold so the environment wasn’t as bad as you could think before it started.

For me it was an important race because I have been training hard during this months and I hoped to do as good as I did in the Cursa de la Tardor of Sant Andreu de la Barca. Sants  is a difficult race, with continuous up and downs and narrow streets. In the other hand, it is good because you go pass a lot of places that are familiar.

I started quite behind because I met Patricia before the race and I decided it to be with her until the start. Once we passed the start line, I began to run and try to go pass all the people I had in front. I think this was one of the worst moments, because it is very difficult to keep the same rhythm and you are sprinting and slowing down constantly.

Until we didn’t get to the second kilometre, more or less, I didn’t feel really comfortable. There was Jéssica to cheer me and give me some help. I finished the first lap a bit over 23 minutes and I was a bit worried because I knew that the second half of the race was more difficult. However, for the first time in a many years, I improved my mark.

This year they changed a bit the circuit and I think that it was faster even though the last kilometre is hard because you go along carretera de Sants. In the end, I took me 45.52’ personal best of this race and much better than last year (nearly two minutes). I went under 23 minutes in the second lap and I finished with the feeling I could have gone a bit faster. I am also very happy with Patricia’s performance because she was able to finish.

This was my last race in 2014. It hasn’t been a bad year but I have to keep trying. In January I will ran Sant Antoni and later the half marathon of Barcelona, where I will try, once more, to finish below 1h 40 mins. Now it is time to train and to rest.

Getting ready for Sants

It has been a long time since I last wrote about running. As you may remember my last race was the Cursa de la Tardor in Sant Andreu de la Barca and I finished quite satisfied about it. In the next few weeks there are a lot of popular races; some of them very important like the Jean Bouin but I don’t like it because there are too many people.

Before the end of the year I have decided to take part in the Cros de Sants . For me it is one of the main ones in the year because I run near home and the circuit goes through different streets which I am familiar with. I think it is one of the best races and one of the most important things is that there aren’t too many people.

The Cros of Sants is on the 30^th of November and I am training hard to be in my best. This week,since I am not working I am taking advantage to train a bit harder than usual. However, next week I will have to reduce a bit the number of kilometres to arrive to the race totally fit.

Another thing I like about this race is that Jéssica is there to cheer me and she waits for me at the finish lane. This year it will be more special because my friend Patricia is also training to run it so I think I will enjoy it more. I am thinking to run on my own –I am faster than her- or to follow her pace.

The Cross of Sants, if nothing changes, will be my last race this year. In 2015 I will start running Cursa Sant Antoni that is also very special for me because it was the first one I ran. Every year there are more people but I think it is worth it. I will also run the Half-marathon of Barcelona and depending on the training I will try to finish under 1h 40 min, something I haven’t been able yet. Last year I nearly made it, but I exceeded by just a few seconds.

As it happened last year, I still have to think whether or not to take part in the marathon. This past edition was very hard because it was very warm and I was glad not to run it. In a way I feel like trying again despite it means a lot of effort and big sacrifices. However, I think I am doing a good job and that I am in the right direction if I finally decide to take part. We will have to wait and see.