Marathon Brabant
Disclaimer: Automatically translated from Russian
After the summer, full of swimruns, I wanted to run road marathons. And the name of the blog needs to match. And then he wrote “ All the marathons of the Netherlands ”, but I do not delete them from the list of considerable. Desires to Run Autumn crosses this year is completely gone. With such thoughts sat down to plan the rest of the year.
The first suitable marathon was Brabant, October 29. With registration pulled to the last. After all, I have how: just register and share your intention to run, so immediately something happens and you have to cancel. And here there remains a month before the start, the cancellation option is hardly available.
After waiting for the last day before increasing the cost of registration, he signed up. It remains a small business to go to the start and run. Started to tune in.
I had the last marathon August 30. After that, he again ran away thirty, supporting a friend from a running chat in his race for a hundred kilometers. According to the plans, I wanted to make one or two long runs, but somehow everything did not work out.
On weekends, a week before the start, he ran out to train with the intention of testing new sneakers (Saucony Endorphin Speed 3) and running at least a half marathon. But exactly after a ten-kilometer mark, the back fell ill. He stopped and went home on foot while he let him go.
On Monday, he was to go with his family on vacation to camping in Belgium. Just in case, I threw running clothes into my bag - I suddenly get around and can at least run a little. Also put a leaf with exercises for the lower back and the rug to start doing as soon as possible.
Looking ahead, I’ll say that it didn’t work to run in a week. Not a single kilometer. I tried to walk, did exercises on the rug several times. And so basically all the preparation came down to drinking a large amount of beer under BBQ. Well, on mountain bikes we went three times with children, having traveled a total of one hundred kilometers. In general, running training is so-so on the eve of a serious start.
Home returned Friday night. On Saturday, I wanted to go for a run to see how my back behaves in such an unusual form of movement as running. But at first it was raining, and then I decided not to twitch - so it was clear that it was hardly possible to run more than a couple of kilometers - even walking was not very comfortable. At the same time, I did not leave the intention to go - I will go, I will go to the start, and there is how much I will run, so much I will run. All the same, not for the result, but purely for the fan. With this attitude and went to bed early.
For a long time I could not fall asleep. But waking up at six in the morning, he found himself in a pretty good condition - at night there was a transfer of time, so he received an hour of sleep on a freebie and got enough sleep. I had breakfast and went to the glorious city of Etten Leur.
It was necessary to go far, one hundred thirty kilometers, two hours. The weather was so-so - cloudy, about + 11 degrees. It rained a couple of times. He rode and drove.
There were two locations to choose from. I aimed at a sports complex that provides free parking, changing rooms and showers:
It was not necessary to receive the number, it was sent by mail a couple of weeks before the marathon.
He scored clothes on all occasions - both titles, and shorts, and longsleeves, and a waterproof jacket, and a purged jacket. On the one hand, the weather for running was quite comfortable - shorts and a T-shirt should work. But on the other hand, I did not rule out that after the tenth I would have to get on foot. I even checked the limit - 5 hours. If you run far enough, then you can follow a quick step.
In general, in order not to freeze, walking in the promised rain, he decided to put on a longsleeve and a cap. On the legs Saucony Endorphin Speed 2 (the third failed to test normally). In the pockets short shoved four gels (yes, yes, still those). There is the same phone, a couple of tablets and car keys in bag from glasses. I decided not to take water (they promised rainfall). And the headphones too (promised orchestras).
Ready:
He changed his clothes, threw himself into a pair of painkillers and ran to the start:
He ran very carefully, trying not to twirl his arms and body again. For a kilometer and a half, nothing fell off and did not get sick.
In the starting town, he turned his limbs a little, warmed up. I watched the participants of the ten-kilometer race hit the road:
Start was in the city center. Residents watched from the windows. Nearby you can see some beautiful cathedral:
About twenty minutes later, they launched into the starting cluster.
The cyclist accompanying the last marathon runner (I don’t say goodbye, you will follow me):
I squeezed forward a bit, I’m standing. Surprisingly no prostate mandrake:
In about ten minutes, a signal sounds and the adventure begins.
After a couple of hundred meters I look at the clock - 4:30 min / km. It feels pretty good. I decide that I will continue at such a pace as much as enough. Part of the people continues to overtake. Someone is sitting next to it.
After about a kilometer, some dude begins to catch up with his back. I’m trying to figure out how many women can be ahead. There should not be much. But there is no bicycle with this escort, which means not in the top three. But in theory somewhere nearby. Speed up a bit to maintain the pace. Nearby is still a dude in purple shorts. We run in a small group. The pace is around 4: 15-4: 20. At some point, purple shorts run a few meters ahead:
We run past the volunteer. Shouts that the lady is walking fourth.
Running hard and comfortable, although the pulse is high, in the region of 170 dpi. From time to time I look back if the persecution is behind. I slow down a couple of times to wait. In windy areas, I move aside so that I can hide behind me. A person reads signals perfectly:
Twelve kilometers ahead appeared a group of ten people, among whom was a third woman. I by then (never was that, and here again) began to get tired and decided that I would slow down. My fellow traveler in purple shorts and a fellow traveler with a few more runners continued to chase the runaways. I dropped the pace to 4:30 + and unpacked the second gel.
The kilometer at the seventeenth was suddenly tired of running. Boring somehow, there’s nothing to look at. It’s hot yet, my legs are heavier. He even stopped for a few seconds. Just why not. I decided to get the phone and turn on the music. For orchestras were somehow not observed. Traditionally launched by Iron Maiden. It became much easier and the rhythm appeared.
At all power points, slowed down, took water. Sometimes water and isotonic. And they gave oranges. Also took a couple of times. And he stopped and ate carefully. Volunteers were even interested in everything. Yes, I say, I’m just eating, I’m not in a hurry.
Well, then he continued to run. In general, the track is very boring - there’s nothing to look at. About how in Leiden - unremarkable country roads, periodically groups of fans in the person of local residents of a village.
Bias:
A small plot through some forest park:
At some point, I felt a movement behind me - a timer car drove by and began to catch up with a group of fresh runners with blue numbers. Half marathoners.
For some time it became a little more fun to run. Up to twenty-sixth kilometer.
Then it became not very - periodically began to reduce the right calf muscle. I had to run carefully - gently put my foot and catch the moment a second before the start of another cramp to stop or go one step. I missed the moment - you slow down like a dig one and jump to the side on one leg so as not to interfere on the road. Ten to fifteen seconds and move on.
Rain, by the way, was turned on as scheduled, probably somewhere after the half marathon and until the very end. Not very strong and not cold, but not very pleasant.
The only slide on the entire route - ran into some kind of bridge:
Well, I mean, someone ran in, and I just walked.
We run into the city. Shortly before this place, I stopped at another convulsive stretch. For a better effect, I decided to twist with my right foot. And then a sharp pain pierced the Achilles. Even scared - how am I now? But he began to go and let go. It’s good that there were orderlies on bicycles:
After another couple of kilometers, a feeling of an approaching finish appeared - fans and photographers shooting from behind the bushes began to appear:
About a kilometer before the finish, he caught another ship, I had to stop for a short while. The last meters ran already barely raising his legs, so as not to get stuck in the finish gate.
How long short, crawled:
Got a pretty plastic medal:
The mood, despite all the difficulties, was good. The task is completed.
Yes, it took a long time to stop and anti-cramp procedures, but I’m not the first to: a rare spring marathon was held without such adventures, take the same Amstelveen or Hannover. The picture there will be approximately the same:
The official result is 3:44:22. This is the 131st of 321 marathoners, the 120th of 274 among men and the 59th of 92 boys of my age category.
Did you like the marathon itself? By interest, the route is directly so-so - there is nothing to watch. In addition, in two almost identical circles:
But flat and convenient logistically. Many food outlets: 5 - 10 - 15 - 20 - 26 - 31 - 35 - 38 kilometers, on which many students were driven to distribute sponges and glasses (by the way, uncomfortable, plastic, indelible).
In general, you can come once.
The recovery was pretty hard.
Monday and Tuesday barely walked - the femoral muscles (which are in front of the top) were very clogged. He moved around the house from the first floor to the second and back, holding on to the handrails. The stadium, respectively, missed on Tuesday, but arranged a small run to drive blood through the system. Courageously overcame three kilometers. I wanted to lie on the foam roller, but it didn’t work out: where not to poke - it hurts everywhere. He pushed his leg on the thumb of his left leg, thought he would fall off. But it seems to have passed and is sitting tight. He was also afraid that my back would decide to punish me for arrogance, but it blew.
On Wednesday, I already felt good and even went to the gym and the cellar stretched out.
This is how my eleventh marathon turned out. Next time, I hope that on the eve of the start it will be possible to run at least some and everything will go better. Check in two weeks.
Running marathons is fun.
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