63rd in Citylauf Bonn!

I had a great race yesterday. A bit hot, as the Citylauf (lauf means "to run") started at 1PM. It wound through the cobblestone streets, alleys and market-squares of downtown Bonn. In the background is the old church in Bonn, built in the middle ages in the Roman style.

There were not many spectators (aside from the general population sitting at cafés eating sausages, wondering what's up with all the joggers?)

I kept a good pace of about 4:40 per kilometer throughout the race, and the 5 laps slipped by easily (no cramps or soreness). Here I am crossing the finish-line:

46:02 - a very good time!

For the record, I came in 63rd of 198 men, and 7th of 33 in my age-category (men between the ages of 40 and 45, which is a more realistic comparison). I can hardly believe that I ran such a fast time. I don't remember what I usually run a 10-K in, but anything under 50 minutes seems awfully quick. It's almost as if I skipped a lap, but my watch says I did run 5 laps, so I wasn't cheating.

However, I think the course was a bit short. My GPS watch recorded a distance of 9.66 km, so I think a more realistic time (i.e. if it were a full ten kilometers) for me was a bit over 47 minutes. But that is still far better than what I was expecting (54 minutes).

In any case, I recognize that I am fortunate to be able to run like that. If feels great to be able to run up stairs two at a time and to bounce along the trails near my house. I think I will reward myself with a new pair of running shoes.

By the way, I appreciate when people post comments to this blog, as it lets me know that somebody is reading it. I don`t know if what I write about is of much interest to others, but at least you can keep tabs on what I am up to.