The Nike 10k in Buenos Aires

Courtesy of La Nacion

Yesterday was the Nike 10k race that took place in various cities throughout the world. Last year some of my friends ran it in Quito the day after we arrived in the country, braving the high altitude. I hadn't run in 2 months since getting to Buenos Aires, but I really wanted to run in this race. I tried signing up online, but the registration was already complete for 15,000 runners. So I just went to run anyway, and all I missed out on was the t-shirt (too bad) and the medal. I kept track of my time however, and finished just about in 1 hour exactly.

Not too bad considering the time off. The first 10k I ran was in Cuenca, but I had already been running before that race, and finished at about 1 hour 7 minutes. So I improved because of the altitude perhaps, though I have been out of training. The race was nice and flat, though it did get difficult at one point when I had a burst of energy and then immediately crashed after that. With no marks of the kilometers, it was hard to know when to expect the last kilometer, and I got psyched out several times. There was a lack of water for the most part, and the first time I got some I had to stop and change direction, dodging traffic, then mostly spill the warm water on myself.

The mist tunnel towards the end was a nice change of pace, but with such a beautiful day it wasn't even necessary. It was a sea of red shirts but I was in a white and black shirt, with an orange long sleeve tee wrapped around my head to prevent burning. I must have looked pretty silly, but some people chose to dress up strangely anyway.

As I neared the finish line I was about to vomit but luckily crossed and then stopped, composing myself. A concert started by the finish line and Puerto Madero was packed. My body hurts now, but it was good to get running again, even if only for an hour.