WOW!
What a race! After 6 months 325+ miles run in training, and countless Nike+ iPod syncs, it finally happened. As I sit in a hotel in Los Angeles at midnight after the race, unable to sleep and waiting to see the official results, I’m amazed at the experience and how it all turned out.
The event itself was an amazing spectacle. It all came together thanks to Nike, with almost 13,000 runners, 4 Olympic Medalists, Randy Jackson and all in the shadow of the historic Los Angeles Coliseum. I must admit to being a little nervous as I walked into the venue at 6:45. I couldn’t wait to start getting ready and line up with the 8:00 pace group. This was the same group I ran with when training with the Club Run LA folks in Santa Monica, so I was pretty confident I could keep up. After a press forward with the rest of the crowd we saw scenes from the other races around the world and were challenged to run the last of the Human Races after 25 cities and probably almost a million runners before us, it was our turn! 8:31:08 PM Pacific Time approaches, time to run…
If you’ve never heard the sound of 26,000 feet hitting the pavement, rhythmically tracking the progress of 13,000 runners in the LA night. As I ran along with the mass of humanity from the start/finish line and onto the main stretch, few thoughts were going through my mind other than staying in step and out of the way of the other runners while trying to make forward progress and keep pace. I checked my Nike+ SportBand under each street lamp as we passed, nearly missed a checkpoint trying to pass a few folks but stepped on it at the last moment, and made the turn watching the elite runners pass the other way on their way back.
After a few turns on the side streets, and picking up the pace at mile three and again at mile 5, when I made the final turn back onto the last portion of the course, I ran with all I had, determined to leave nothing on the course. Passing the final timing mark and seeing 45 minutes elapsed, I broke into a dead sprint and crossed the finish line before I knew it and without looking up to see my final time. I did it!
It was hours later when I found out my official time, that I was sure I had completed my first 10K race ever with a reasonably respectable time. Thanks to Nike, and in no small part to Nike+ and all its training help, I felt a sense of accomplishment; I hadn’t felt in 10 years of recreational running. I’m a believer, and can’t wait for the next race. The Nike+ Human Race 10K was over, but I have a feeling my race schedule is just beginning…

Gotta run….Kris