Over the weekend, I ran my first 6k at a yearly race called La Parisienne, a race exclusively for women and whose cause is cancer awareness. More than 25,000 women from all over the globe awaited the start of the race facing the 9/11 memorial at Trocadéro, with the Eiffel Tower at our backs. Strange occurrence : my fellow sardines and I were discussing how tastefully done the towers were when we looked up to watch as a plane flew near the memorial, over our heads and to the right of the Eiffel tower. Just to clarify: commercial planes are not usually seen flying directly over Paris like this. It was a peculiar moment as we all looked at each other in sudden silence.
That said, the race got off to a roaring start and since this year's theme was the regions of France, there were many costumes, wigs, and storks in sight. Everybody was so friendly and in good spirits. Bands played at very corner. At the finish line there were two rows of photographers ready to immortalize our victories and we were each awarded a real medal and a rose, in addition to all the swagger we'd picked up the previous day in the Parisienne Village.
To be sure, I didn't make the top three. I was planted firmly in the middle of the overall standings, but I was pleased to have finished a race that a year ago I hadn't dreamed I could ever finish, let alone run. I did have the particularity of having received TWO GPS trackers in my runner's packet, one of which would not have worked . . .
What's more, the streets were lined with men.....and strollers and kids holding up signs that read: allez Maman!!
I hope your week has gotten off to a great start!
