Since lot of days before, nights I could not sleep. Time runs faster than us, if you have a rendez-vous which requires some training. Day ‘D’ comes suddenly, too soon.
On Friday, the afternoon before the trip, J and I were helping at my sister’s moving home. From an optimistic point of view, we have sufficient worked for sleeping deep and non stop…
Saturday, at we woke up. We drove to the railway station, where we have taken a train to Madrid
Jorge was already there, big suitcase, five minutes for a ‘fast’ breakfast and we were sitting at the train to Almería.8 hours in front of us for sleeping, seeing bad films, laughing and talking, almost always about the race. Nobody of the three was sure of finishing the race. It was our first race for all the three.
As announced, Antonio was at the train platform. Gentle and polite, as he is we have introduced ourselves and have taken the car into the Hotel. Antonio loves Almería, so that in the short way he explained us the way to go to his school, the name of squares, streets and buildings that we sow in the way.
Immediately I have recognized Sweder, who was sitting at the Hall, with Ms S and his friend Stevie, Andy and Ms A, came later. Everybody is exactly as I have supposed and imagined. No surprises at all. The feeling was great.
After checking in this modern hotel, we met at reception. A small round near the hotel streets looking for ‘tapas’ and some beer. Sweder had the opportunity of discover that Spanish waiters doesn’t know how to put a Guinness in a glass, anyway the second try let him enjoying the last beer before his HM. This is a Sweder’s secret for feeling home in order to run a HM. Strategy is important.
After a light siesta, we met for going to the Stadium taking our race-numbers… We have seen Moyle and T for the first time. Once there, a lot of athletes around us. Everybody met there, we joined the charming Antonio’s wife who loves his husband hobby and shares his hospitality, also the very enthusiastic Antonio’s friends.
We have met a lot of interesting people, everybody dreaming on the 'tomorrow’s race', where everybody had his aim for doing it well (some of us, just finishing it) in a very special ambiance. Together with our race-numbers we have received lots of gifts: Tomates, t-shirt, chip and a lot of small things. We also get the most important paper of the evening: a pasta-dinner ticket…, girls included, as RC team is bigger than everybody can imagine…
I thought that pasta dinner should be just a saucepan of macaroni in a plastic dish, but out of any prevision, this dinner take place at the elegant stadium restaurant and there were even waiters serving a quite energiser dinner: pasta as starter and….
Are you hungry?
…. Well, the rest of the pastadinner & running-race-commentaries are coming later ;-)
Meatloaf
Hooray! A wonderful beginning, Ana . . . so good to read another report.
'Gentle and polite',yes, I know this man. And you are correct - Guinness does help me to feel at home and relax before a race . . . but not too much. Just a prelude to the aprés-half . . . but that's another story : )
More please.
Posted by: sweder | Tuesday, 05 February 2008 at 06:39 PM