What better way to celebrate one's birthday, than running 21km along Lake Geneva with thousands of other runners, in front of live bands and lots of spectators, and under a cloudy sky which is only good for running anyway.
It was a spectacular event, which I have set as objective during the spring, when I started running. My training regimen was not as intense in the last months as I would have liked, I ran only once in the month before the race. The longest distance I have ever ran was about 16km, but that just made the challenge even more interesting.
In fact, if it had not been such a huge event, I would have probably quit around 17km. That is when it was the most difficult, with pain all over my legs, the last bits of energy long gone, but still a long distance ahead. Somehow I kept going, and then 1-2 kilometers before the finish line giving up was not an option anymore. Finally I reached Ouchy, a sight I have been visualizing in the previous 1 hour, and found my family waiting for me. Judit lifted Enikö over the fence, and we ran hand in hand through the finish line, it was quite an emotional moment.
I am not planning to run more long distance races this year, perhaps a few 10k runs before the skiing season starts. It is encouraging that I was able to complete a half marathon the same year I began running from zero, there is a huge room to improve my time of
2h19:38.
