During this Holidays, I went back to the beautiful Dominican Republic to surprise my parents for their 40th anniversary. This trip was one of a kind for me; seeing my parents’s happy faces and just being there eating, laughing and breathing a blessing warm air, was incomparable for me.
And then, my cousins told me about this 14k race (they call it 1/3 full marathon) and my smile was even greater. Even though I was not expecting to face any sort of running competition during these 5 days, this race was a good start of my winter training for Boston (yeah, I was one of the lucky ones), plus it would be my first race in my native country. I started to run at my usual pace after the 2nd kilometer, and then it was very weird because while I ADORE to run at normal temperatures, I wasn’t quite expecting that day to switch from running usually in 14 F to 60 F. I was craving for oxygen and the sweat increased. But I got to the finish line and those moments where happy gone (you know, finish line, happy people, job done!)
I must honor that, given that this was a pretty much small event it was very well organized by the group (Club Maratonistas Cocuyos del Mirador): Timing chips, race bib numbers, 2 ambulances nearby, hydration teams (handing out clean plastic water bottles!), lots of support from fellow runners and organizers and e-mailed results by categories… by the way, I ended up being the third female in my age group, my very first prize!!!
It was fantastic.
