first race "run in lyon" finished!

I finished my first 10km race!! And I ran the entire darn thing! If you told me two years ago that I'd be racing, I would have looked at you like you grew three heads.

After the night of minor attack of the nerves, I set my alarm clock for 6h45 with a breakfast of protein mix and 2 bananas. Breakfast of champions I tell you. Meeting my friend outside of my apt, we set out to Place Bellecour for the race. There were so. many. people.

Start line (courtesy of Run in Lyon)

Place Bellecour in crowds

There was no way I could have taken pictures during the actual race as I wore an armband for my phone. The weather forecast predicted rain and lucky for me, it started pouring the moment I finished the race. Because there were so many people, our section didn't cross the start line until 20 mins after 9h00. I didn't hear the gunshot that went off as there was loud music blasting from the speakers. Some thoughts during the race:

Km 1 - 3: I think I'm going too fast. Why are there so many people? And where's that darn Tunnel?

Km 4 - 6: The Tunnel is sooo long. Where's the light at the end of the Tunnel? It's so darn hot in here.

Km 6 - 8: Ok, here we go, last 4 km of the race. I can do it. There are hills! Why didn't I see this in the route? My knees are doing ok.

Km 8 - 10: Ok, almost done. Almost there. It's drizzling! I see the finish line! Gotta finish fast.

The moment I stopped, it started raining hard. I grabbed some Gatorade and found my friend. So glad I didn't have to take the metro or public transportation because it was packed, literally like sardines. I felt like I took a dive in the river after getting home, then showered and made my way to my French family's lunch gathering. Apparently, there was a glass of champagne waiting for me. :D The large lunch definitely made up for the amount of calories I lost during the race. I actually fell asleep when I rested in the living room from food coma.

I ran the 10k in 01:01:00, missing the hour mark, but the most important thing is that I ran the entire 10km. According to the results, I averaged around 9.7km/h which is usually faster than my practice runs. Either way, I'm extremely happy to be running in this beautiful city.

Two things I learned during this race:

1. I really need to change shoes. In fact, according to my app, I ran 737.59 km in my current shoes. Definitely time to change them to avoid anymore knee pain.

2. Be prepared for hills next time and do more cross training.

I can't wait to hit the pavement again in a few days after I recover from this one. I have to fulfill that goal of getting my 5k in under 25 mins.

Bonne semaine, tout le monde!