Enjoy for a long time

How slow walking makes for more enjoyment and less suffering. A report of an unexpected marathon that was run after all.

It is actually strange how during the training run, the pain in my ankle disappeared and then seemed to return after the rest of the taper week. That was quite a dilemma: psychological or real care? Determined not to let them push me around, I decided to take the latter approach and focused on the sloth's strategy: never underestimate the power of slowness.

However, there seemed to be a hitch. During the Road through Rotterdam I made a deal with Ramona that she would slow down my pace. Last year she also started quietly and overtook me halfway... This year she also had cooling problems (overheating during exertion) and had to slow down as well. But when the starting permits were distributed, she was in 4 and I was in 5, with the same expected end time. And starting in 5, the section from which the 6-hour participants also depart, was not something she wanted to do.

In the green room, the gathering place annex dressing room annex café in English, I had placed my magnet in front of the starting area. I knew from last year that there will be a control. So I was not reassured and walked along a bit tense to the Erasmus Bridge. I hoped they would only look at Ramona's number and let us through as a group.

Ready to start

If you are so worried about something, you know that it is never as bad as expected. Not much later, we walked right past the two controllers. They were busy with others, and therefore could not read my number.

After a Lee in respiratory distress – how clever of him to cooperate year after year – and about 20 minutes of waiting in the starting area, we were finally allowed to go. No pain at all, I could walk immediately. But what a crowd, what an annoying running rhythms, what are all those people doing on the side...

‘Calm!’ It wasn't the only time Ramona had to slow me down. I tried to run flat, but I really needed her to keep the pace. Especially when a wave of flagged runners passed by, I had a hard time not to automatically gallop along.

Wind gusts

The first few miles seemed like a long time. For those who don't know me well, that's when I can start babbling. I was distracted by everything and everyone I encountered. Like the man whose pants were threatening to fall off, the woman with water bottle that must have been guaranteed to leave a bruise if it really danced 42.2 km on her buttocks, the cooling gusts of wind, did I see there....

But I had better save that breath. Enjoy your surroundings, but close yourself off a little in advance and stay with yourself, was Ramona's advice. That indeed saved some energy. And so our kilometres slowly changed to a rhythm that felt so natural it could have lasted all day.

Empty fuel tank

Occasionally there was a water or sponge station. Left or right? Get in the right lane, get water and sponges – I also needed extra because of the heat, take a walk and continue. Looking for Ramona’s husband Remco and the children. Greetings from acquaintances.

But just like last year, the nice rhythm around 25 km came to an end. It became increasingly difficult to maintain the pace. I noticed that even at this normal speed, I could no longer keep up with Ramona. All signs of a hypo, also around the end of lunch time, so unfortunately I had to let her go. After refueling, applying sunscreen and a short walk, the energy came back. But I missed my pacemaker.

Also around 30 km I had a bit of a dip. Water and onwards again. Then some fun came back and I stormed through the Cheer Zone of RMD in the Kralingse Bos. Sorry guys, that was a little dull, but ‘don’t stop me now’.

Wedding Dress

Now that the rhythm was there for a while, I felt a lot of sadness coming up. Walking is a kind of dynamic meditation and I recognize the feeling. Everything that happened in the past months, I wanted to get out. There's still a lot of pain there and actually it's a pity that it didn't happen, because before I could cry, the rhythm subsided again.

The last few miles were an agony of an interval. The walking made me feel my calves and hips quite a bit. Took some extra salt in the hope of preventing further cramps. But staying on pace myself was getting harder and harder.

At one point I was overtaken by Etiënne. Etiënne is normally a much faster runner than I am, but he also had an ankle injury and was running in a wedding dress in this temperature... I could actually laugh about it. Last year, I would have really freaked out about it and run myself into the ground. But now my thoughts stayed with wanting to experience and enjoy.

Also this year seeing Jeroen Tibbe at the cube houses gave a new impulse to walking. Also this year I was in a lot of pain at the end. But in my feeling it went so much easier than last year. Nevertheless I finished only 2 minutes faster than last year: 5:09.18.

#8216;Only’2 minutes

Whoa, wait. We weren't going to talk about time, was the agreement. Because a few weeks ago I couldn't even stand on my leg and now I ran it without any significant problems! Only 2 minutes faster than my extremely hot debut of last year is not bad at all in that light. Sometimes I have to educate myself, because thinking about it like this, I am quite proud. Not only of the result, but also of the way it was much nicer than last year because I didn't go too fast and didn't have to run those first 25 km alone. I sincerely shook hands with Mayor Aboutaleb to thank him for letting us walk through this beautiful city. (Very sympathetic that he does this).

Back in the green room it was time to hang out, chat and eat chips. Marco arranged that nicely. Meanwhile, after 25 km, I had already compensated so much with gels, and even took another one at the 40 km mark, that my blood sugar ended up 17.5 mmol/l. Oops.

Once at home it was not very smooth going up the stairs. Now, one day later, everything is back to normal. And the best part is: I did not even get a blister or a blue toenail. The latter I attribute to my superhippe Altra Escalante Racer’s. Because of the very airy upper and wide forefoot, nothing pinched. Unlike the Torin’s I wore during the Road Through.

P.S. Yes that revenge next year, it will come 😉

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