Back to Egmond Halve Marathon
Disclaimer: Automatically translated from Russian
Despite the fact that almost four years have passed since this start, and I even briefly mentioned it in one of the weekly reports, Still, I want to write a couple of words for educational and instructive purposes.
So, the Egmond Half Marathon of 2020. Traditionally one of the main mass winter starts in the Netherlands:
I already participated in it 2016 year. I really liked it. I wanted to come and run, being in the best physical shape.
I don’t want to raise archives and watch training volumes on the eve of the start. Though:
He trained normally. Competitive crosses, work at the stadium, weight 68 kilograms. In general, the probability of improving the past result ( 1:35:12 ) was quite high. The main thing is not to mess up along the way.
On the eve of the start, he had a good night’s sleep, from ten in the evening to eight in the morning, although with a waking up at five.
Morning equipment collection ( the most for January ):
Breakfast and I don’t even remember how, I’m going to Heiloo by train or by car, from where the export of participants by bus to Egmond was organized. The city usually overlaps for almost the whole day, so it is highly recommended that you use the transfer of their several nearby cities.
Buses to start:
The weather is so-so - cloudy, cool ( plus eight degrees ) and the wind. Well, at least there is no rain or snow.
We arrive at the starting town. One room reserved for the expo:
Here is the issuance of rooms, massage rooms and nightstands for rewarding.
There are several points with food and coffee on the street. Here, for example, is such a school bus:
I get a number and go to the awning for dressing:
There are quite a lot of people:
Having changed clothes, I go to the start. This is about a kilometer and a half. You can just stretch. Well, or freeze if you come too early.
I go into my starting cluster and try to take a place closer to the beginning in order to run with fast people. Shot. We set off on the road.
The first two hundred meters walk along the promenade, after which we turn onto the sand to the water. About seven kilometers to run there. The wind is quite strong (6 units) and oncoming.
The people immediately stick together in small jambs of several dozen people:
For the first kilometer I have time to run into a slightly faster group. It’s very difficult to run alone - the wind slows down. Plus sand. As soon as you separate, several people immediately stick after you to ride.
I catch up with the group, rest and run at a general pace. A colleague at the German club and several more visually familiar guys also rides in my car. Much faster than me.
It may seem that the group is going pretty friendly. But in fact, there is a real struggle for a place under the sun - everyone is trying to take a more economical place and not be ahead or around the edges. At the same time, someone, being ahead, immediately hits the brakes and goes sideways to move back. And someone comes forward, works out his two hundred-three hundred-four hundred meters, after which he shows his neighbors with a gesture (or deceleration) that it is time to change it. By inexperience, I quickly found myself in the head of the group among the voluntarily changing and over these seven kilometers I defended several shifts:
Or maybe he just didn’t try hard to hide and save his strength. Constantly I get involved in something like that - don’t feed bread, give someone to lead.
In general, by the end of this seven-kilometer distillation, I was already pretty exhausted. And in order to run out of the beach, it was necessary to overcome the rise with rather loose sand. Here, the whole people running nearby ate me.
After the beach there was already a normal concrete stone coating. There was no crowd. The pace lasted, in general, not bad, on average around 3:50 min / km. The wind was no longer bothering. Missing rain pleased. It was even hot. Once again I was glad that I put on sleeves - in cool areas they warm well, and when it gets hot - you lower them and, voila, you run with a short sleeve. And there’s even something to wipe the sweat.
I don’t remember the gels. It seems to have taken two. I drank water on the thirteenth and eighteenth kilometers.
During the movement there was one segment - a rise of six hundred meters (from 18.9 to 19.5 kilometers). It is called Bloedweg - a bloody road. There they identified the winners in this special sponsorship category. Of course, I crawled in there:
- Time 02: 23.689
- Temp 4:20 min / km
- Of all: 188th of 9603
- Men: 175th of 7252
- Competition category of men: 120th of 562
After this segment, it remains a little time to bring yourself into a divine form, pull up your sleeves:
put something like a smile on your face and finish:
Here I also did not think a little. I had two numbers, and a chip on only one of them. And I stupidly hung this number on my back. I would be on my chest - would finish a little faster :-)
I am returning to the base.
Feet dirty to the knees:
I managed to scratch somewhere:
But in general, I am very pleased with how everything went:
And the medal is beautiful:
The men winners:
The women winners:
The level of the race, I think, is understandable.
I get ready and go on the bus on my way back:
Results
In total, there were 17,500 participants (I don’t remember where I got this figure from), my result in the competitive category: in the overall standings — 127th of 713, among men — 121st of 564, in category M35 — 17th of 77.
What can I say. The 2016 result is improved by ten minutes. It’s good. Could run even faster? Most likely yes, if I hadn’t circled the carousel on the beach. But then, perhaps, there would be nothing to write about - he ran, ran and ran.
It is believed that in favorable weather this race runs for + 2 minutes to the highway half marathon, and with a strong wind + 5 minutes or more. My little face was at that time 1:20:24. So the result quite confirms the rule.
Very good race. I recommend it in every possible way. You can make an impression by watching these videos:
on the start of 2019:
on the start of 2020:
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