La Cursa (The Race)

So this past Sunday (the 22nd) I ran my first race in Barcelona, or in Spain for that matter. For those of you who know me well, you know that generally I run a lot so this isn't anything new. WELL...let's just say I haven't really run...AT ALL since being in Barcelona (even when I returned home for three weeks...no running). This isn't me, so let me explain! Being in a big city like Barcelona, means a LOT of walking...I mean sometimes I end up walking over two to three hours a day, just to get around...that isn't walking just to walk....I'm going to places that I need to be. I'm not really sure what it was that was going through my crazy head that made me sign up for the race last week....maybe it was the loud music that came from the sign-up booths that I had already memorized...maybe it was the fact that I had to walk past these booths everyday...or maybe it was just this unexplainable excitement that I felt everytime I thought about actually doing it. As soon as I signed up though, the happiness turned to dread...haha...perhaps because of the fact that I haven't run in the past six weeks and I had just signed myself up for an 11K! So to finish this long version of a short story, I did actually go and (ran most of it) and finished without passing out! It turned out to be a beautiful way to see another part of the city. More than that though, it (suprisingly) gave me a feeling of belonging. Let me explain...there were over 55 thousand people doing this race and this is it's 27th year. The vast majority of those participating are from here and associate this race as "being very Barcelona". Just by being caught up in that energetic sea of people, I found a sense of community...especially for that hour and a half. The truth is that I now feel more comfortable here in this city. Maybe it is because I did something that I really love or that I got to participate in something bigger than me. Whatever the reason, I am glad.